Rain or Shine: How To Be Prepared for All Kinds of Camping Weather

While we’d all like to think that camping is only sunshine and happy times.

But the reality is that weather is unpredictable, whether you’ve scheduled a camping trip or not.

Even if you monitor the weather like a hawk before you go, it’s always best to be prepared for anything.  Here’s how:

Cold Weather

During the beginning and end of the camping season, cold weather can definitely happen, especially at night.  This is why it’s so important to be prepared!  If you plan on camping in the mountains, you could even see snow as late as June, so keep that in mind.

Pack for cold weather:

• Long sleeved shirts
• Long pants
• Heavy socks
• Boots
• A sweatshirt
• Gloves
• Hats
• A heavy coat

You’ll need to pack all of these garments for all members of your family to be completely prepared, which can be a lot of work.

Luckily, we’ve made it easy by using a Camping Tote System.  It has a complete tutorial, printable, and tons of helpful pictures, tips & tricks to help you get your own Camping Tote System started!

camping tote form

Usually camping happens when the weather is pretty pleasant and we’re not wearing our heavy cold-weather clothes.  Into the tote goes our complete cold weather outfits for every member of the family, ready to go camping at a moment’s notice.

Rainy Weather

Probably one of the most frustrating things to happen during a camping trip is rain!

It’s really not fun to spend a day cooped up in the tent or camper with kids while it rains, but letting them go outside equals a very muddy mess inside.

While I can’t stop the rain for you, I can make sure you’re prepared for wet weather.

Pack for rainy weather:

• Rain boots
• Rain Jackets
• Umbrellas
• Clean, dry socks

Again, you’ll need to pack these things for all members of your family, but our Camping Tote System makes this easy!

Although rain won’t hurt you, flash flooding as a result of rain CAN, which is why I recommend that everyone have an emergency NOAA radio on them.  It only takes 18 to 24 inches of water to float a vehicle, and much less to do a LOT of damage to your camp!

Bad weather like rain can also signal other natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, strong winds, thunder, and lightening.  Be prepared by listening to the NOAA radio, and checking in the with campground hosts if you have any concerns

Hot Weather

This one is the most common of all when we’re camping, isn’t it?

If you have a camper, it is easier to stay cool at night, but even in a tent you can get some relief from the heat.  It’s all in what you pack:

Pack for hot weather:

• Shorts
• Tank tops & tee shirts
• Tennis shoes
• Sandals
• Socks
• Baseball cap
• Water bottles
• Sunshades
• Swimming Gear
• Cool bedding

Choose fabrics such as light colored polyester and nylon that the sun will reflect off of, and that wick away sweat.  And yes, you’ll need to pack clothes for each member of your family.

Take a peek at the Camping Tote system to make this as painless as possible – and be ready to go camping without a whole lot of packing!

At night when you want to cool off, remove the rain fly from your tent to let the cool air flow through – this will help you sleep better!  And don’t sleep in your sleeping bag.  Instead, use regular lightweight sheets and summer clothing to stay cool.

Fill up your water bottle frequently, aiming to drink at least 3, 32-oz bottles each day.

And, of course make sure to find shade during the hottest part of the day.  Lawn chairs under the shade of a tree work just fine, but so does something cooler like a hammock!  Get comfy and enjoy conversation and games with family while you wait out the heat of the day.  DEET bug repellant is also a good idea during this time.

Finally, swimming is a great way to cool off – just as long as you wear sunscreen and take proper precautions!  Don’t forget to pack the swim suits!

Bad weather can strike at any moment, and we’ve all seen on the news the devastation that can occur if you’re not prepared.

A good start is packing the clothes you’ll need to prepare for all types of camping weather.

Don’t forget to get the Camping Tote system to make all of this simpler & easier!

Til Next Time,
Gretchen Lindow

This post may contain affiliate links.  See my disclosures for more information.

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