{"id":1140,"date":"2019-07-06T23:01:14","date_gmt":"2019-07-07T04:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carcampingtips.com\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2022-06-27T07:32:20","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T12:32:20","slug":"a-full-guide-to-drying-your-tent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/a-full-guide-to-drying-your-tent\/","title":{"rendered":"A Full Guide to Drying Your Tent With Pictures: Canvas, Synthetic, House or Apt"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rain is beautiful, but not in your tent. I’ll show you how to dry your tent even if you don’t have a place to set it up in or out of your house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Packing a wet tent encourages mildew, which, if unchecked, can damage<\/strong> the fabric of your tent and shorten its useful lifespan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can dry your tent by setting it up outside your house, or inside with fans. Depending on your tent size you might have to use a clothesline instead of setting it up, or, lastly, hanging your tent in your shower can work if you provide enough ventilation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drying Method 1: Setting Up Your Tent Outside Your Dwelling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Suburban tenting!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Setting up your tent (again) when you get home before you store your tent is the most effective <\/strong>method for drying your tent for mold control. Important also is to make sure you set up your tent in a location in direct sunligh<\/strong>t and somewhere a breeze can get to. In the backyard in the shadow of your big oak tree may not dry as quickly as you’re hoping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Set up your tent without the rain fly as you would when you’re camping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Lay out your rain fly and ground cloth spread out–ideally in a location with sun and that’s not going to pick up grass or other stray materials (your driveway works well here). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Make sure to flip your rain fly and ground cloth after the sun-facing side is dry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spreading out the rain fly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the weather, this could take just a few hours to dry your tent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Direct sunlight’s<\/strong> UV rays kill mold spores, and will also speed the drying process. Airflow from the wind will ensure all the nooks of your tent will get dry as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember to not leave your tent set up like this after your tent is dry<\/strong>! The sun will damage your synthetic tent much faster than mold will. Canvas tents can take a bit more of a beating from the sun, but they too should not be left long in direct sunlight–so it’s much better to protect your tent from the sun after the drying is done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reasons Why Setting Up Your Tent Outside Might Not Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reason 1: Weather<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The most obvious reason why setting up your tent outside might not work is if it’s raining or if it’s overcast and cold.<\/strong> You might have gotten home from a freezing cold and wet camping trip, so setting up your tent in the cold outside will do little to dry it out. A cold dry wind can still do the trick, however (it sure does the trick on your lips). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason 2: Adequate Room and Environment<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You might not have room to set up your tent outside<\/strong>. If you live in a condo or an apartment, you actually might not have space to put up your tent. Furthermore, even if you technically have the real estate, your cars might be parked in the driveway, and you have a xeriscaped lawn where you might not have any non-cactus area that would work well for a tent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason 3: You Just Finished Camping and You’re Tired<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This reason undoubtedly applies to any tent-drying method. But it’s especially applicable to this solution. Some tents are quite easy to set up, and others are more complicated. If you’ve had a long camping trip, especially a backpacking trip or a long hike, the last thing you feel like doing <\/strong>is setting up your tent, again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drying Method 2: Setting Up Your Tent Indoors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Drying your tent, indoors with a box fan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Setting up your tent indoors is another way to dry your tent. The great indoors has some restrictions though that may warrant additional attention.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since most indoor locations do not have direct sunlight (unless you are lucky enough to have a Florida\/Arizona\/lots-of-sunlight room), then you have to take matters into your own hands to ensure the drying process will continue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a standing or box fan makes this process much more easier.<\/strong> Set up the fan to blow in one side of the tent and out the other. Creating continuous airflow will make sure your tent dries in no time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make sure and turn on the ceiling fan<\/strong>, if you have one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it’s not humid outside, crack some windows to get as much air through the room with your tent as possible. If it’s humid inside, this might lengthen your drying process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don’t have enough room in your house, but if you are like 75% of Americans who can park in their garage, then the garage is another location <\/strong>where you can set up your tent to dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drying a tent in your garage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Set up your tent indoors as you would while you’re camping without the rain fly attached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Dry your tent as best as you can with a towel. Remember, mold can start growing on a tent within 24-48 hours. It’s best to speed up the drying process as much as possible, especially if you had to wash dirt and mud off of your tent when you got home.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Set up airflow by placing fans blowing into the tent and turn on any ceiling fans, and crack any windows (humidity permitting)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: When the tent is dry, you can clip on the rain fly and continue the exercise. Stretching out the rain-fly as much as possible ensures that no creases will hide water<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reasons Why Setting Up Your Tent Indoors Might Not Work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Reason 1: Not Enough Room<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even if you might, technically, have space to set up your tent inside, if you aren’t able to walk through your house, this might not be a viable option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reason 2: You Don’t Want to Get Your House Wet<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Depending on how wet your tent is, then setting it up inside might cause a big mess. Furthermore, when a tent gets wet outside it tends to get muddy. Therefore you don’t want to move the mold and muddy problem from your tent to your house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your tent is muddy<\/strong>, then a good option is to rinse it out in a bucket or a tub. This is a great way to get all foreign objects off your tent. In fact, having a dirty tent might be the reason mildew is getting on your synthetic tent in the first place! Removing food for mold is a great way to prevent mold from growing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drying Method 3: Hanging Up Your Tent on a Makeshift Clothesline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term makeshift clothesline can take many forms here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n