How To Keep Bedding Dry When Camping. 12 Smart Solutions

If you want to know how to keep bedding dry when camping, you already know that wet bedding is a quick recipe for hypothermia and getting sick.

I made the mistake of sleeping under a damp blanket last year, and that was the worst cold I’ve had in my life. Since then, I’ve learned to keep my bedding dry no matter what.

In this article, I’ll explore all the different ways you can ensure that your bedding is kept dry when camping. But first, let’s explore the reasons that you have this problem in the first place.

DISCLOSURE

Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.

Why Does Bedding Get Wet When Camping?

Bedding can get wet when camping for a variety of reasons. The most obvious is the weather, which isn’t something you can control. However, you can surely keep the rainwater out of your tent by taking the right precautions. 

In any case, these are a few reasons that bedding can get when camping:

• Rainy weather: You don’t need me to tell you that if you sleep in your tent during heavy rainfall, some of the water is likely to seep into the tent and through to your bedding. 
• Condensation: In a closed tent, your breath adds to the humidity of the air around you. Additionally, the material of your tent is probably waterproof, so changes in ambient temperature causes the water vapor in the air to condense onto the surfaces inside—including bedding.
• Wet equipment: Many of us take equipment with us when camping, which is bound to get wet as you are hiking and exploring the outdoors. Bringing wet equipment into your tent will inevitably make the bedding wet because it’s typically made of absorbent material. 
• Dampness seeping from underneath: Lastly, you may find that the ground is not as dry as it seems. Many forests have very damp soil, so water can easily seep from underneath the tent into your bedding.

How To Keep Your Bedding Dry When Camping

Now that you know the various reasons you might end up with wet bedding, you’re probably anxious to find out all the different ways you can keep bedding dry. Luckily, it’s not as complicated as most people think.

Choose A Better Location

First and foremost, you’ll need to find a good location to set up your tent. If you’re too close to a body of water, it’s very likely you’ll end up with water seeping in from underneath the bedding. Also, if you find that the humidity near a body of water is significantly higher, leading to more condensation inside your tent.

Avoid Unpacking The Bedding Too Early

I get it, you get to the campsite and think that you should get everything on your to-do list out of the way. Because you will need to unpack your bedding anyway, you may start to do it as soon as you reach. However, unpacking your bedding too early allows more time for water to seep into the bedding from underneath and condensation to build up on the surface.

Pro tip: I like to store silica gel packets inside my bedding while it’s still in its waterproof bag. This keeps it ultra-dry until I finally unpack the sleeping bag.

Airflow and Ventilation

Learning the proper way to set up a tent is very important for anyone who goes camping. While you want your tent to keep rainwater and pests out, you also need to ensure proper ventilation and airflow inside the tent. 

Otherwise, a small tent with no airflow will result in a lot of condensation. Most tents nowadays come with air inlets that you should keep slightly open to ensure proper ventilation inside the tent.

Things You Can Use To Keep Bedding Dry

If you’re a serious camper like me, you may want to invest in keeping your bedding dry. Here are a few things to consider buying:

Invest In A Groundsheet

You can lay down any waterproof material between the ground and your tent and it will function as a groundsheet. However, camping equipment stores do sell specialty groundsheets that can last longer and function better. We use a footprint that fits our tent base perfectly.

Insert A Bedliner

Also known as a sleeping bag liner, this is an option for anyone who prefers sleeping bags over blankets. Basically, it’s a sac you put inside the sleeping bag to prevent moisture from your body from evaporating into the sleeping bag.

Sleep Under A Tarp

Even if you’re in a tent, some places experience heavy rainfall which will justify using more protection from the rain. Setting up a tarp above your campsite is one of my favorite ways to keep the rainfall away from the sleeping area. Naturally, this will help keep your bedding dry while camping.

Tips To Keep Your Bedding Dry When Camping

Here are more approaches you may want to consider to keep your bedding dry:

Build A Campfire

Building a campfire nearby will help dry out the air surrounding your tent, and evaporate any condensation that is building up. Even if you’re camping in the desert, keep in mind that the nights can get very cold and you will benefit from the campfire.

Make sure you know how to build a campfire correctly before you attempt to do so, and I suggest checking with local authorities to ensure it is permitted. 

Take Off Wet Clothes

Even if you might feel the need for privacy, try your best to take off your wet clothes before getting in the tent. Also, don’t sleep in your bedding with wet clothes under any circumstances—this could lead to hypothermia. 

Keep Wet Equipment Outside The Tent

Just as you should shed your clothes before entering your tent, I suggest keeping wet equipment outside as well. If it’s valuable equipment I like to dry it off before getting in the tent to keep it close by. Otherwise, everything stays outside. 

Use A Dehumidifier 

Dehumidifiers are great in apartment buildings and small houses to keep humidity from building up in the indoor atmosphere. So, why not use a dehumidifier to do the same job in a tent? I found this trick especially effective, especially if you don’t want to keep the air inlets open wide. 

Use Waterproof Bags

Most sleeping bags come stored in a waterproof bag to keep them from getting wet while you’re hiking. However, if you prefer blankets, you’ll need to provide your own waterproof bag to avoid getting wet blankets and other bedding.

Pro tip: I once tripped and dropped my blanket in a lake. Instead of sleeping under a wet blanket, I hung it on a makeshift clothesline by the campfire so it could dry out. 

Don’t Eat Or Drink In Your Tent

Not only is eating and drinking in your tent unsanitary and difficult to clean, but you can also accidentally spill some of the liquids. Even after cleaning up, you may end up with wet bedding to deal with. So, I suggest eating/drinking out of your tent whenever possible.

This is one of the 3 rules we have for our tent.

1. No food or drink inside the tent, except bottles of water that don’t leak.
2. No shoes inside the tent
3. Take care when zipping up and opening all zippers.

How To Keep Bedding Dry When Camping FAQs

Why Do I Wake Up Wet Inside A Dry Tent?

A poorly ventilated tent will likely cause condensation to build up on your body, making you wet despite sleeping in a dry tent.

Is It Ok To Sleep With Damp Bedding?

Because temperatures fall during the night, sleeping in damp bedding poses a risk of developing hypothermia which is a potentially fatal condition albeit easily treatable if diagnosed early on. 

Can You Sleep In A Tent When It’s Raining?

You can sleep inside a tent during rainfall if it is waterproof. Add extra protection against prolonged heavy rainfall by using a groundsheet, sleeping bag liner, and tarp.

How Long Can You Leave A Tent Wet?

In a pinch, a tent can be stored wet for a maximum of 2 days, after which mold will start to grow.

Final Thoughts On How To Keep Bedding Dry When Camping

Keeping your bedding dry when camping is not as difficult as it sounds. As long as you keep your tent ventilated and use the right materials, you’ll find that your bedding stays dry most days. Stow away your bedding early in the morning, and only unpack it when you’re about to sleep.

Related posts

• How to clean a moldy tent
• How to dry out a tent
• How to set up a tent in the rain

For more camping articles check out this page.