How to Stay Dry While Camping in the Rain

We recently traveled 500 miles away for a trip we booked last January for this past June at a popular national park. Weather was looking great until there was a shift and a cold front approached. Two days prior to leaving on our trip the high was 30 degrees and it was snowing; this is mid-June I remind you. We saddled up and took the trek towing our new Micro Minnie. When we arrived highs were nearing 58 degrees with lows about 38 degrees. This was all fine with me if it were dry, but it rained, it rained our whole trip. We have all found ourselves there, on that one camping trip you booked in January for June, and it rains all five days. Here are the top tips to keep you busy and dry throughout your stay.

Tilt your awning away from your camper door

To keep your area dry around your camper to not track mud into your trailer, you will want to tilt your awning to direct rain the furthest away from the door on your camper. The more water you move away, the dryer you will be. Having your awning down also creates a dry place to catch the nature show of rain. If it gets too windy, you can always roll the awning up only extending about 4’ out from your RV as to still keep rain out of your path at your front door, but leaving less wind resistance to damage your awning.

Play games or watch movies and just relax

The top tip to stay dry while trailer camping is to stay dry. Mother Nature did not realize that this was YOUR camping trip she is raining on. Take this time to stay inside and play games with your family, while we were stranded in our trailer island we played Farkel, and endless games with a deck of cards. These two items take up virtually no space, but give you dice to play more than just Farkel, as well as a deck of cards. If you are not into the usual crazy eights, poker, or war, head over to a website about cards, print out some directions for some new games, throw them in the RV, and take the time to learn them next time you are caught in the rain. Use one of our 16 ways to keep your kids entertained to find a good activity to do.

We also took the time to watch a few movies we had previously downloaded on our iPads as we did not have service on the trip, there is nothing like watching a scary movie while the rain pitter patters on the roof, thunder is rumbling the trailer, and the wind is gusting around.

Wear proper rain gear

The proper gear can make or break your trip. If you already have a specific rain jacket and rain pants, you are one step ahead of everyone else. A simple windbreaker is NOT a proper rain jacket. If you are not in the market to purchase an expensive jacket and pair of pants, leaving a set of Frogg Toggs in your trailer will do for those emergency situations. They are surprisingly handy in your golf bag as well. Don’t ask me how I know, but it has rained the last five times I have been golfing. Mind you, I do not get on the greens much.

Take mini trips utilizing your campground as your home base

Take the time to venture away from your much awaited campsite and hikes and go on a drive to get the lay of the land. Even if you camp at this certain spot every year, chances are you have not explored around as much as you could if it were sunny and 75 degrees and you were enjoying your usual hikes, campground fires, and walks around the campground getting to know your neighbors. On our recent trip, we spent some time in some older hotels around the site built over 100 years ago. We also took a quick adventure to Canada for the day to enjoy their shops, restaurants and 23% discount rate.

Go on short hikes in the rain and enjoy a rainbow

A little rain never hurt anyone. If you are the die hard hiker, you may want to adventure on your hikes and spend the time outdoors as you probably have the proper gear. For us, we put the rain cover on the stroller and made it an adventure to enjoy mother nature’s rain and get out and walk the campsite and some of the shorter trails. Rain is an underrated weather pattern, but take time to enjoy the puddles, the smells, as well as splash in a puddle like you were 7 again.

Prepare your gear for water

Utilize Kiwi Camp Dry on your backpacks, tents, boots, shoes, etc. Utilize a waterguard on your coats to restore that factory waterproofing to keep you dry. This will be one of the best items you can buy to keep you happy and dry on your next camping trip.

Tarps are your friend

Tarps are your friend while camping; they can be utilized for many things. The particular use on a rainy day would be to block a certain area from the rain. Let’s say your fire pit or picnic table is not in a location where you could keep it dry with your awning, utilize trees, paracord, and a tarp to make a dry location for your cooking, eating, and enjoying some fresh air to not be cooped up in the RV for too long.

Choose the right location for your campsite

If rain is on the forecast when you pull into your site, you will want to make sure to pick a site that has higher ground than the others. At our last campsite, it started raining harder, and our neighbors situated their trailers door location at a low area and they had to wade through a 3” pond every time they wanted to come and go. Another did a great job situating his 5^th wheel away from the rain, but come hitch time, he did not have proper foot ware and had to get wet. Sometimes you just cannot avoid the water, but getting wet once while leaving is better than every time you get in and out of your trailer. If there is gravel at your location, make sure you have your handy camp shovel and make a small hump around where you step in and out of your trailer to help remedy your dragging in wet shoes.

Enjoy your trip and make sure to have your campfire

We all still want to enjoy camping in the rain and you cannot enjoy a camping trip out without a campfire. To aid in starting your fire, you can use homemade fire starters you prepared before your trip. Take a toilet paper roll, stuff it with dryer lint or paper shredding, if you would like you can add wax to help the burn, but it is not necessary. You can also purchase premade fire starters off of Amazon here. Combine this with waterproof matches or lighter and some dry wood and you are a warmer wet happy camper.