When you consider your personal comfort while camping, you might not immediately think about the need to keep your tent interior cool. But if you plan on camping in an area where the temperature will creep into uncomfortably hot temperatures during the day, you will want to keep your tent as cool as possible inside so that you can sleep restfully at night.
There are several easy ways to reduce the heat inside of your tent:
Set up your tent in a shady area
If your campsite has several usable tent spots, select an area that seems like it has the best chance of remaining shaded throughout your trip. Preventing the tent from getting heated up in the first place is the best and easiest strategy for ensuring that the tent remains cool throughout the day and night.
Choose the right time for setup
To avoid your tent getting uncomfortably heated up before you head to bed at night, set up your tent after the sun has gone down if at all possible. This way, you can avoid the accumulation and the retention of heat that happens during a sunny day.
Dig a pit to place your tent in
If you happen to be camping outside of a regular campground, digging a pit for your tent might be a viable option. With your tent partially underground (approximately two feet is recommended for greatest effectiveness), it will stay much cooler inside.
Use a tarp or groundcover
By placing a tarp or other type of groundcover underneath your tent before you put it up, you are creating a layer between the ground and the tent. This layer will prevent the tent from absorbing the heat rising up from the ground during the day.
Create a sunshade
Tarps are great for keeping rain off of your tent, but they can also be used to reduce the sun shining down on your tent during the day. When you set up the tarps over your tent in a way that maximizes shade, make sure to leave enough space to allow air to flow between the layers. Easy Ups, or pop-up canopies, are great for creating shade in areas where shade is limited.
Open your tent flaps
Keeping at least one flap open on each side of the tent will allow air to circulate and any existing breeze to pass through. If possible, unzip the flaps on the sides of the tent without sun shining on them, so you can avoid allowing more sun inside of your tent.
Use a fan
There are a variety of small, battery-operated fans on the market that improve air circulation within your tent and help you feel cooler. And at night you can position the fan to blow directly on you while you sleep to maximize the coolness impact.
Don’t let the prospect of an overheated tent dampen your enjoyment of a beautiful, sunny camping location. Use one or more of these easy tent cooling methods to create a comfortable spot to return to after a day of adventure in the sun.
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