How To Cool A Tent Without Electricity

How To Cool A Tent Without Electricity: 12 Things You Should Know

To find the solution to your question, it is important to probe into the root cause of the problem.

Why do the tents get heat? The following explanations will lead us towards an effective resolution.

• Directly exposed to the sun, can heat the tent. Even though it is silver-coated. The direct sunlight in the daytime does its job to heat the surroundings effectively.
• Tents without a proper ventilation system can worsen the camping experience. There must be a proper ventilation system in the sidewalls or the rooftop of the tent.
• In the daytime, extremely dark-colored tents can act adversely. As we know, dark color absorbs more heat.

Now, let’s look for the solution. Here, we must remember that electric equipment is usually temporarily useful while camping or hiking, or ice fishing. At least until the battery runs out.

So, the solution must not be dependent on electricity. Now let us find out how can we cool our tent without electricity.

How To Cool A Tent Without Electricity: 12 Things You Should Know

1. Have Patience

For obvious reasons like sleep, rest, and recuperation, a tent is the nucleus of camping. A few hours ahead of sunset is usually the right time to get done with pitching your tent.

Trail hikers like to stroll around for the perfect spot before they pitch. If one sets the tent in the daytime, it absorbs the heat throughout the day. The direct heat on the plastic and fabric can cause the interiors to become uncomfortable.

Best to avoid daytime camping unless you have a larger tent with darkening technology and a rainfly.

2. Prefer Light-colored Tent

The lighter the color of the tent fabric, the less will it absorb. Light-colored tents can release the heat quicker than dark-colored tents as they retain heat in cold weather.

In case you only intend on setting the tent at night, then you can go for dark-colored tents.  Tents of darker shades like deep blue, maroon, and brown encourage sound sleep.

3. Have A Natural Sun Guard

Irrespective of its color, a sun guard will absorb the heat for sure. Direct exposure can wear out the effectiveness of UV-protected tents as well.

To keep protected from warm weather, it is best to prioritize natural shelter before any other measure. In the lower altitude areas, you can put up an umbrella shelter.

In high-altitude areas, the trees can be an effective shielding to safeguard from direct sunlight.

4. A Tarp Or A Rainfly

Considering you didn’t have any luck finding natural shelter, your rainfly should do the job perfectly. These days, every tent is provided with a rainfly. Rainfly’sare dedicated as an added protection to your tent against any weather.

It is not completely viable as an option to afford protection from the sun. To support proper ventilation, most of the tents have complete or partial mesh rooftops.

To avoid sunlight in the daytime, people place the rainfly above it. The conjoined layer of rainfly and rooftop makes it suffocating. Usually, there is no gap between the rooftop and the rainfly of the tent.

An alternate solution for maintaining proper ventilation and to remain protected from the sun effectively would be to use a tent trap. The gap between the rooftop and the tent itself allows proper ventilation from the upper side. It makes the tent breathable.

The trap or reflective Space Blanket must cover the whole tent. It should not be transparent.

5. Utilize The Ventilation Inside The Tent

Tents these days, are manufactured with plenty of ventilation which is quite necessary. Tents with a single door and windows in rest three sides is a format common for most tents.

To provide more ventilation, a second door is made available in other models. At night, one can use the mesh guard in the window. As a result, the ventilation inside the tent is easier to maintain. No unwanted guest can seek entry either.

6. Welcome The Natural Air Cooler

When you are camping at a high altitude, there is no way you could miss the chilly breeze. With appropriate ventilation and by pitching your tent against the wind, this chilled air would automatically ventilate your tent.

To help your tent withstand the strong wind, you must remember –

• Place the sandbag and stakes properly into the ground.
• Try to keep the mesh windows open.

7. Sun Does Not Like Your Tent Door

Your tent should never face the east. If the wide tent door faces the sun, then the arrival of the sun rays within the tent might irritate you all day. It is not a good idea to close the door to avoid sun rays. It hinders the ventilation process.

The best option is to face your tent towards the west. In case of direct exposure to the sun, try to zip the rear window till it is sunset.

8. Tent Fabric Selection

Tent fabrics are of various types, strengths, and compositions, each with its own pros and cons. There are Nylon, Polyester, and cotton materials.

Trending manufacturers prefer nylon and polyester given their high durability and cost-effective features. These tents are more breathable and are essentially waterproof.

In comparison with cotton, they absorb less heat from the UV ray.

9. Use The Sunray

With the right equipment, you can also take advantage of the sun’s rays if there is an abundance of it for most parts of the day. Smart campers are now using solar batteries for accessing free electricity granted by the sun at a campsite.

10. A Blanket Under The Tent

Sunrays heat the ground. It takes a considerable amount of time to release that heat. It is preferable to place a blanket below the tent during the day which absorbs the heat.

After sunset, have the blanket removed.

11. Focus On Yourself

Our body has a system of its own, which is designed to react to different weather, differently. Take measures to keep yourself cool.

• A light-colored, loose, full sleeve cotton dress along with a hat is the standards summer camping attire.
• Highly spicy food must be avoided.
• Keep well hydrated at all times.

12. Follow The Big NOs

When ‘heat’ is the issue, your sleeping bag can’t serve as a cooling solution. A sleeping bag is a subject of comfort when heat is needed to be retained in the body.

Sometimes people prefer to make use of the ice cube from their portable cooler. They place it openly inside the tent during the daytime with the hope that it would reduce the heat.

Ironically, it increases the temperature of the tent actually. Try against following popular camping myths.

Conclusion

Keeping cool in your tent is just a matter of preparation. With the right type of tent, proper angling, and sufficient ventilation you should have no trouble in keeping chill within your tent walls.

It is best to resort to the classic camping methods of cooling your tent as getting a portable air conditioner may not always be a viable option when camping.

We hope you liked our guide on how to cool a tent without electricity on your camping trip. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask us below.

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