Camping is a great way to enjoy long summer days with friends or family. With many beautiful camping sites around the country, you are sure to spend hours making memories to last a lifetime. But along with the joys of summer come the not-so-fun elements. Although we enjoy the heat, it can become a little unbearable while camping. Luckily there are ways to stay cool while camping in the summer, and we have some great tips for you.
We can stay cool while camping in the summer by using some tips. Pack your tent away during the day, use a cooler box, and choose a shaded camping spot that is likely to have a breeze. To keep cool at night, try to sleep in a hammock, have a ventilated tent, and have a cool shower before you sleep.
If you have gone camping in the summer, you will know the feeling of overheating. Luckily, there are ways to stay cool while having the time of your life outdoors. We have collected seven of the best tips and easy-to-use ideas to make your camping trip cool in more ways than one. Join us as we share our best ways to stay cool while camping in the summer.
Our Top Tips To Stay Cool While Camping In The Summer
Believe it or not, staying relatively cool while camping in the summer is possible. It simply takes is a little foresight and extra effort, and you will reap the rewards of having a camping trip that is fun and refreshing. Here are our top tips to stay cool while camping in the summer.
1. Take Your Tent Down During The Day
Most fabrics do not fare well in too much sunshine, and the material used to make tents is no different. Besides damaging the fabric, leaving your tent up during the day will also make it sweltering by the evening. To avoid having a boiling hot tent at night, consider taking it down during the day.
Once the sun is up, the tent will begin heating up. It is a good idea to take it down during the day. It is a little extra work in the morning and evening, but the reward will be a lovely cool tent when you set it up again around sunset. If this tip is not for you, and you are not looking forward to the work it entails, consider setting up in a shady area.
2. Set Up In A Shady Area
If you cannot take your tent down during the day, or if you are not willing to do the extra work each day, you may wish to consider setting up in a shady spot. Choosing a spot that will stay shady for most of the day will help your tent stay cool into the night and make for a cooler, more comfortable sleep.
Choose a spot that will stay shady for most of the day with the help of a little knowledge of Geography. Since we know the general times that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, consider how large items around your desired spot will influence the shade as the sun moves in the sky.
Keeping your tent in the shade will ensure a cool sleeping spot for your evenings, and having the fabric out of the sun for most of the day will lengthen the life of your tent. If there are no shady spots available, you may need to optimize your tent by using one or more techniques.
3. Optimize Your Tent
If setting up camp in a shady spot is not an option, you can optimize your tent in one or more of the following ways:
- Use space blankets. Space blankets make excellent reflectors for light. Placing one or two on top of your tent will help to keep the light and heat radiating away. This method should help keep you a little cooler while you sleep than if your tent had been in direct sunlight all day.
- Take off the rainfly of your tent. Rainflies are designed to keep the rain out while camping, but they also keep your body heat from escaping while you sleep. If you are sure there is no rain forecast, forego the rainfly to enjoy a cooler tent.
- Choose a tent with ventilation. Not all tents are made equal. If you are camping in the summer, consider getting a tent with a lot of mesh, ventilation vents, and a double door. A larger tent is also better for keeping cool for summer camping as it allows for more airflow.
4. Sleep In A Hammock
You may find sleeping in a tent unbearably hot during the summer months. If this is the case, you may wish to consider hammock camping. Hammocks have their pros and cons, but if you sleep in a hammock outside, you will most likely enjoy the breeze all evening.
There is always the risk of rain when sleeping outdoors. If this is a concern for you, tarps are available to cover your hammock and shield you from the rain. It is not advisable to hang a hammock inside a tent since tent poles are not designed to hold much weight.
It is possible to erect a hammock inside a tent if you use a freestanding one. A freestanding hammock could be a good choice for you if you like to sleep in a tent or outside.
5. Take A Cooler Box
Cooler boxes are a great asset to have when camping in any season. By regularly adding ice, you will create and maintain an excellent cold drinks and food source to help keep you cool while camping. You may also wish to take bottles of frozen water with you; however, these will only stay cool for around thirty minutes after they have thawed, depending on the weather.
6. Set Up Camp Near Water
Camping near water will provide you with beautiful background sounds. It should also ensure that temperatures are lower than in a dry area. Having your tent near a body of water will also mean having easy access to swimming if it is safe.
Keep cool while camping during summer by enjoying swimming and other water sports. Be sure to research if it is safe and permitted before deciding on your spot to avoid dangerous situations or trouble.
7. Use Fans
Several portable fans on the market are easy enough to take with you on a camping trip.
You can use a hand-operated one with a lever or a battery-operated one for more ease. An added benefit of using a fan while camping is that it will blow away some mosquitos, too.
Conclusion
Camping in the summer means endless days of fun and making memories. Still, the heat can make the experience a little uncomfortable for some. If you are concerned about the heat causing discomfort, there are ways to choose your camping spot or optimize your tent for the best results. Take a cooler box with you and use frozen bottles of water for the first part of your trip or a short trip.
Choose a tent with good ventilation, set up camp in the shade, take your tent down during the day, and camp near water to help yourself stay cool. Also, consider sleeping in a hammock, swimming, and having a cool shower or swim before you sleep.
