Guest Contributor: Emma Walker
I’ve weathered a few storms in tents.
Sometimes, it’s just the light pitter-patter of rain on the fly; a few times, I’ve been wide awake through pole-bending wind and torrential downpours.
Whether I’m camped out on a glacier in Alaska, in the Utah desert, or in the rainforest on Hawaii’s Big Island, one thing remains the same no matter where I’ve pitched my tent…
…I don’t want to get wet.
They say luck favors the prepared.
I’m a firm believer in that philosophy, which is why my husband, Bix, and I waterproof our tents before we hit the trail, no matter where we’re headed.
Last spring, a few friends came to visit us for a long weekend of mountain biking in Moab. People often think that it never rains in the desert, but that’s patently untrue. It definitely rains, and when it does, you’d better make sure you’re nowhere near a wash—because it’s going to rain hard.
It rained for most of our trip (fortunately, there are plenty of trails to keep you busy even if it’s been pouring in Moab).
I was a little worried we would end up needing to squeeze into the back of our Subaru Forester, to find some cover from the rain, but Bix had remembered to apply a treatment of Tent & Gear SolarProof to our tent AND the ones our friends were borrowing.
What a guy!
Don’t get me wrong—everything outside of the tents was soaked each morning. No matter how much effort I made to cram all our camp chairs under the picnic table at our campground for overnight “protection,” we found the chairs dripping wet, every morning, when we emerged from our cozy cocoons.
Still, we managed to have plenty of fun. Naturally, our bike shorts (and socks) were plenty damp by the time we finished each day’s ride. Nothing ever fully dried out, but there’s something so comforting about knowing the inside of your tent will be dry at the end of the day, which is what kept me going, even as the drizzle intensified.
Despite the weekend of rain, those same friends came out for another trip this spring.
(I’m convinced it’s because they stayed dry at night, last year…)
We waterproofed their borrowed tents again, just in case, but we were fortunate and ended up cashing in on some good-weather karma; we had three bluebird days to enjoy this time.
Testimonial submitted by Emma Walker, an avid outdoorswoman who holds a Master’s Degree in Outdoor & Environmental Education, actively studies avalanche behavior, and lives in Colorado.
Want to learn how to waterproof your tent?
Give THIS post a quick read.