Finally found a way to dry out my tent after a rainy weekend

I've been fighting with tent drying for years after trips. Last month I came back from a 3 day trip in the Smokies and everything was soaked. I tried hanging it in the garage but it stayed damp for 4 days and started to smell. Then I read a tip online about using a box fan and a cheap camping clothesline setup inside my basement. I set up the fan on low pointed at the tent draped over the line and it was bone dry in about 6 hours. No more mildew smell and it saved me from buying a new tent. Has anyone else tried this method or found a better way?

3 comments

3 Comments

johnthompson2mo ago

You mention it being "bone dry in about 6 hours" with a box fan and clothesline, and I get that works for a lot of folks. But I've always been a little cautious about leaving a fan running that long unattended in a basement, especially if there's any clutter or dust around. I usually just drape my tent over a couple of plastic lawn chairs in the backyard on a sunny breezy day and it's dry in half that time. The key for me is to flip the tent inside out after an hour or so to get the floor and the underside. Seems like less hassle than setting up a whole fan and line setup, but to each their own I guess.

jenny5802mo ago

Yeah, I feel you on the fan thing... I've got an old box fan that sounds like it's gonna take off sometimes, and I'd worry too if my basement was cluttered. I started doing the same thing with chairs outside but found the sun can really bake the waterproof coating on some tents if you're not careful. So now I'll shade the chairs under a tree or just use them on the porch where it's got a roof but still catches the breeze. Flipping it inside out is smart, I always forget the floor holds so much moisture and just hangs there dripping if you don't. I also shake the tent out real good before draping it, cuts down on the drying time a lot.

kevin_schmidt9727d ago

I read somewhere that box fans actually pull in a ton of dust from basements and that can be a fire risk if the motor gets clogged, so your caution makes total sense. The sun baking the waterproof coating is a real thing too, I had an old tent where the inner lining got all crispy after a few summers of drying it in direct sunlight. Your chairs under a tree idea is solid, plus you don't have to worry about the fan tripping a breaker or anything. Flipping it inside out like that is genius honestly, I always end up with a wet spot on the floor from the tent dripping while the top is bone dry. Just shaking it out good before you drape it cuts down the drying time by a lot, that's a pro tip right there.