Tent Care

[keithm1]

Hello people

Im going to have my first proper road trip this year ,i have been accumulating bits and pieces based on your advice on other threads

Just one thing im curious about ,when your packing up your tent when its wet whats the procedure you lot follow



I never did an intro so heres a little bit about myself

ive been into bikes the last 12 years from sports bikes to mopeds ,traillies ect ....
the only thing i havent owned is a cruiser

currently own a drz 400
and im looking for a xr650r ,newish dr650 or 640 adventure
just waiting for one of the above to grab my attention and budget

[klaus]

Hi there Keith,

I have been using tents for many, many years and not only during sunny periods.

Of course you should always try to get the tent dry before packing it up. At least I wipe it off with a piece of cloth or an old towle before packing it. And at the earliest possible time you should unpack it to give it some air. Don't want to have that mold all over your "temporary home".

[KTMmartin]

When wet and no chance of drying it out, give it a good whip-shake (as in a bedspread) and pack as normal.

If you're on a roadtrip and camping every day or two then it probably won't get too funky being left packed wet until deploying it again. However if you're putting it away for any longer, either change plan and camp again soon, or set aside a chance to air it at a hotel etc.

[Alexlebrit]

I usually do a mad run round trailing my flysheet behind me like a weird cape which tends to get a lot of the water off. I've also got a mesh bag I can put it in which lets it "breathe" (actually a cut down bag from Ikea for putting your dirty washing in). I strap that over the pillion and it does seem to work (although it flaps a bit), but it's obviously only any good if you're not riding when it's raining.

The other thing to do is get a good waterproof footprint for your tent, that way the built in groundsheet stays a lot drier, so the whole inner tent part can be packed away dry leaving only the wet flysheet to deal with.

[JHanson]

If you buy a high-quality tent with a fly that is silicone-impregnated rather than polyurethane coated, you'll have much less soaked-in water to deal with.

Polyurethane-coated flies are usually coated on the underside, to protect the polyurethane from UV degradation. The upper surface is given a DWR (durable water repellent) coating to repel water, but this loses its effectiveness over time and allows water to soak into the material, extending drying time and increasing weight of a wet-packed tent.

If you do as has been suggested here and give a silicone-impregnated fly a good shake, nearly all the water will fly off. Of course you should still thoroughly dry it before packing if at all possible.

[Flyingdoctor]

All of my tents have a removeable inner tent. If you pack up a wet tent and you know it's going to be raining and cold when you pitch it the next day it can be worth removing the inner first and packing it away dry. This is a good idea when it's actually raining as you can pack everything away dry under the cover of your flysheet and pack that last thing in a bin bag and strap it on the back of the bike. It only takes a few minutes and means that when you pitch the wet flysheet the next day your inner tent isn't wet as well. If you think that there's a chance of some sunshine though the inner will dry pretty quick so just pack it all together as usual.

I hope that made sense.

[tourman]

Some great advice has been given so far, I would agree with it all. If you have space on the bike, take 2 tents. I am heading back to Norway this year and I will have 2 tents with me this time. One is very small, this one will be used when the sun is not going to let me down, if it does get wet it's easy to dry. A good tent is well worth the money, it will last for years. Hilleberg tents are very good, but they cost ££££ but then B&B is - say £30 per nt. A good tent could cost a few pence per - nt, after a few years of camping.

Tourman

[oldbmw]

My 14.99 tent I bought in Le Clerk supermarket four years ago can be 'erected' just by fitting its poles. I just hang the dome ensemble in a barn when I return from a trip to keep it aired.

[JHanson]

I second the recommendation of Hilleberg. Very high-quality tents indeed, and they supply silicone-impregnated flies as I mentioned earlier.

Your tent is your primary defense against the elements. It pays to invest in a good one!

[Flyingdoctor]

I've had 3 seasons in my Hilleberg Nallo 2 GT and it's been a great place to live. I've had to reproof the silicon fly with "fabsil" but other than that it's been great. The large porch means you don't have to go into the sleeping area during the day so it remains bug free. You can cook in there too if it's chucking it down. I have the full footprint extra groundsheet, which is a must have really. I got it all for £400 and that was the sale price! However, so far I've had more than 10 full weeks out of it with many years still to come so I think it's cheap accommodation if you take the long view.

[tourman]

I purchased the Nallo 2 GT last month in the sales, £450 - inc footprint. I spent days researching this tent, it gets good reports. I hope to get years of use from this tent. Heading to the Scottish mountains soon to try it out. Wife says - I am no right in the head (camping this time of the year) but they just dont think like us -- ha ha

Tourman

[Flyingdoctor]

Tourman, here's mine in the Picos last year. 17 days in the same spot, bliss.



This is more like what you should expect though!



Wrap up warm.