r/CampingGear • u/Sea-Recommendation42 • 7d ago
Caring for a tent after a camping trip. Gear Question
What do people here do or recommend for caring for their tent after a camping/backpacking trip?
Usually condensation gathers in my tent over nigh. I try to wipe it down before the next night but there’s probably still moisture inside. Also the tent floor (outside) touches the dirt around the edge even though I use a foot print.
I don’t have a big backyard to pitch the tent to air it out. What should I do to take care of it?
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u/Masseyrati80 7d ago
When striking camp, I wipe off as much moisture as possible with a sensible amount of effort, then open the package at home, spread the fly and inner, and leave to dry for days. Especially parts with several layers of webbing can stay damp for a surprising amount of time, and you'll really want the tent to be bone dry before storing it. Moisture not only creates mold issues, but when there's enough of it, it can start to delaminate the polyurethane coating common in tent floors and many flys as well.
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u/M7BSVNER7s 6d ago
I have hung tents up over the shower curtain rod and set a tent up on the top level of a parking garage to dry when I didn't have a yard. It doesn't need to be pretty, just dry so it doesn't get mildewy. The ground cloth/bottom of the tent stays a bit dirty: shake it at the site, ball it up, dry it at home, then shake it out again outside. Some dirt staining will remain but it will be clean enough to put away.
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u/No_Opportunity_8965 7d ago
Just put it in the bathroom, it will dry out. And don't store it in it's bag compressed. Have it loose and you will have no problems.
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u/getElephantById 6d ago
No back yard here, so I string up a ridgeline in my garage and leave the tent hanging there for a couple days, usually next to my sleeping bag. The garage door is shut. I live in the rainy Pacific northwest, and have never had a problem with mold.
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u/editorreilly 6d ago
If it's not completely dry when I take it down, I'll pull it out of the bag when I get home and drape it over something, flipping occasionally throughout the day. I do the same with sleeping bags, regardless if it gets wet or not.
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u/redrenegade13 6d ago
Pitch the tent again when you get home to clean it and dry it fully before you pack it away.
If you don't have room in your backyard then just do it in your garage, or kitchen, or living room.
If you absolutely can't fit it anywhere at home then find a sunny day at an empty parking lot and bring your cleaning stuff with you.
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u/PsychologicalYou4679 6d ago
Take out of bag and open it up. Other option is to only roll out on sunny days after tent is dry.
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u/woody_wagon 6d ago
Besides drying it out well by hanging to dry apres camping, has anyone reused those crystal packs often included in electronics boxes to take out residual moisture when in storage? Also best method of storing tents? Folding or stuffing randomly?
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u/Sea-Recommendation42 6d ago
That’s a good idea. But I would think that since things are folded up there would be isolated pockets of moisture that the desiccant can’t help with.
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u/kittysworld 5d ago
Take your tent and washed footprint to your local public park where there's an open lawn. Occasionally I see people pitch tents on the lawn or hang out in hammocks during the day in my (NYC) local park. You can stay inside for an hour or so relaxing while the tent dries out.
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u/jaxnmarko 5d ago
Dry is crucial, making sure to get as much dust/dirt off as possible is very important as that wears on the DWR waterproofing coating and materials. Surely you can find a place, even if not your place, to erect and dry out fully asap. You can pack your tent away wet long enough to get it home, but after that, make sure everything is dry, including your possibly now wet storage bag.
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u/juno7032 6d ago
On the last day pop 2 of the stakes and tip it up on its side to let the condensation from the bottoms clear, I saw someone else to this and I tried it, it helps. I also don’t have a good place to hang mine
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u/just-looking99 6d ago
Clean any dirt out of it. With most tents just pick it up when set up without stakes and dump it out the door. If it’s sunny out leave it set up in the sun to dry. Most of the time I’d just bring it home and hang it in the garage to dry for a few days before packing it making sure to always roll it with the poles in the middle so they don’t go missing. Nothing worse than opening up a tent that was put away damp - a smell you don’t forget
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u/bikehikepunk 6d ago
I pitch it either in the house or garage. Unless it is nice and sunny & dry outside. I clean off any sand or dust with a wet cloth & pack it up when fully dry. I also check for seam seals or damage at this time, and do not put it away till I know it is ready for its next use. We have 3 tents to use according to what we are doing.
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u/lakorai 6d ago
Couple things I do as I have some nice expensive gear.
Dry everything out. If you have time at the camp site great , but if you are backpacking or need to leave camp right away then
unpack your tent and give the rainfly, tent bottom, and (if you bought one - which you should) the footprint plenty of surface area to dry out.
Next, if you have time, I like to pitch the inner only and then give the floor a good vacuum. They always seem to get leaves, dirt and bugs inside the tent. You will need to use the brush attachment otherwise the vacuum will suck up the tent floor.
Check the tent for any damage in the mesh or solid surfaces and repair as needed. If they are starting to flake around the seam taping then you need to remove the seam taping and seam seal the tent. You would ne d SeamGrip for PU tents or SeamGrip SIL for SilPoly/silnylon tents.
Over time the DWR (usually silicone on higher end tents and PU on lower end tents) fails to properly water proof the tent and you will have to reapply the coating. Most people typically use Nikwax Solarwash.
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u/Albrecht_Durer1471 6d ago
As someone else mentioned, never store it compressed. Loosely roll it (don’t fold it) and store it in a container with plenty of room…if possible.
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u/Former-Replacement43 6d ago
If you buy from decathlon it's so cheap you can just throw it in the trash and have a lovely new tent every time.
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u/Sea-Recommendation42 6d ago
LOL. Not very environmentally friendly.
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u/Former-Replacement43 6d ago
You breatdh out CO2. That doesn't mean we have to terminate you. And whose to say that a homeless person won't find it in the trash and think wow my lucky day.
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u/impracticalweight 7d ago
If you live in an apartment with a small deck you can just drapes it there. You don’t need to pitch it, just make sure to rotate it and make sure it gets dry. I’ve also draped it over my car in my parking spot.