Waking up with a flooded tent is not pretty.
It is actually one of the worst things that can happen when you’re out camping.
In fact, what you know and don’t know will determine how well you will tackle this tragedy efficiently and in a timely manner.
So guys (and girls), that’s what I will be discussing today.
I want to teach you how to handle a flooded tent if or when the time comes.
Don’t panic, stress out and go home!
Some people will experience a flooded tent, start panicking, have no idea what to do and end up going home.
All they needed to do was assess the situation, make a plan and take action.
In some instances it might be better to spend the rest of the night in the car.
There’s no need to get stressed out and then go home though, unless of course there is no other option.
Minor Leakages
When you wake up and notice rain in your tent, figure out where the leak is coming from.
If there’s a few drops, soak them up with a towel.
If it’s a little worse, place a towel directly under the leak so the towel captures the drops.
This will give you some time to clean up the rest of the water inside the tent.
Duct Tape
When you’ve taken control of the situation, slap some duct tape directly on the damage.
Duct tape is the best “temporary” repair option, which is why you should ALWAYS have some close by
Setup a Temporary Shelter
If the duct tape isn’t working properly (maybe the leak is coming from a seam), throw a tarp over top of your tent and stake it down!
And yes, you guessed it…have a spare tarp and some strong stakes in the car FIRST, so you’re ready for when it happens.
You can never be too prepared my friend.
Note: You could also try putting duct tape on the outside of the tent, however, it may not stick as good.
A Bucket
Have no duct tape, no towel and no tarp? Please tell me you’ve got a bucket at-the-ready!
It is by no means the best option but at least it is one and it works.
Place it in a position where it can catch the leaks. You may even be able to spend the rest of the night inside the tent if you set it up correctly.
Stronger Leaks (Constant Flow)
Okay, so your first line of defense is the rain fly.
When that becomes useless your options become limited.
When there’s are strong, consistent flow of leaks coming into the tent you need to act quick.
Yes, you need to throw a tarp over top of your tent and stake it down good.
Note: Duct tape is good for minor leaks, but if you want to take the “safe and secure” route you can use a tarp at the very start.
Flash Floods – Water Coming in through Floor and Door
Waking up with your tent absolutely FILLED with water is the worst experience, especially when there’s little ones involved.
I wouldn’t even wish that upon my own worst enemy!
This is what will test your patience the most. This will make or break everything you’ve learned.
When your tent is filled with water as a result of a flash flood, it is often caused from your tent being pitched in the wrong place.
This can definitely be avoided in the first place.
But for the sake of formation, I will tell you what the next steps are.
Make Sure Everyone is Safe
Safety is #1 priority.
Everyone should get out of the tent immediately – to a safe, dry spot (under a tree or rock).
Anywhere where rain cannot get you is the best place; for the meantime anyway.
Get Your Equipment Out
One or two people should go back to the tent and get all equipment out.
It’s going to be flooded, wet and yuck, but you have valuables and expensive equipment.
You already had a bad experience, don’t make it even more worse by having your valuables and equipment completely ruined.
Everyone is temporarily safe anyway!
Get Dry!
This is why it’s SO important to have a few spare blankets and towels in the car just for emergencies.
Everyone needs to get as dry as possible using the towels.
Use the blankets to keep warm thereafter, ultimately avoiding hypothermia and other related illnesses.
Hang Equipment
Allowing your equipment to drip-dry is better than sitting it on the damp ground or on the boot of the car.
Hang them over a branch, otherwise park the car under some shelter so you can hang them over the car instead.
Leave the Tent as is
If everything is out of the tent, leave it!
You can always come back for it the following morning.
What’s important in the meantime is staying dry and getting some sleep (for the rest of the night anyway).
Sleep in the Car
I highly recommend sleeping in the car for the rest of the night, as it is safe and dry.
This may not be the best option if there’s many kids involved, however, this is your time to make a decision that best suits you and everyone involved.
Driving and being sleepy doesn’t mix.
An uncomfortable nights sleep is better than falling asleep while driving home, so riding out the rest of the night in the car is my preferred choice.
It is always fun to see the aftermath the next morning anyway, AND you won’t have to drive all the way back just to get the tent.
Final Thoughts
Staying calm and not panicking is the best way to handle such situations.
Your friends and family are counting on you to keep everyone safe, so when you start falling apart because you simply “don’t know what to do”, they are going to start panicking and stressing out as well.
However, I’ve just told you the best way to handle a flooded tent in the middle of the night; so you have no excuses!
I’m sure you are strong enough to take action without falling apart.
Just Remember: Deep breaths (very important), calm everyone else down without SHOUTING, assess the situation, take action.
Do that and you’ll have no trouble handling a flooded tent my friend.
Well thanks for reading.
Your friends and family may find this article helpful too!
Share the knowledge!
I hope you found this article helpful.
Let us know if you’ve experienced a flooded tent before? How did you handle the situation? Leave your comment below 😀
Cheers.
-Brandon
Camping Mastery
HI Brandon –
I Have not experienced flooding inside a tent. Flooding anywhere is awful. And inside a tent in an unfamiliar environment makes it even more so. Your tips are great and I’m definitely sharing it with my cousins who love camping and hiking. Duct tape and pail to bring to camping? I would not have thought of that. So Thanks!!!
Well a pail is good if you’re car camping since you’ll have extra room for it. However, if you don’t, duct tape will do the trick just fine as long as the leakage isn’t that bad. Thanks for sharing the post 🙂
In my country some people end up in a lot of trouble when it rains because of flooding. How I wish they could see such a post for their own safety. Lives are lost frequently while they can be easily saved
That’s the cold-hard truth right there. People laugh until it happens to them, and then reality hits.
Lives are lost in flash floods when they shouldn’t be.
Share this post to your friends and family. If it saves at least one life then my job is done 🙂
Thanks for the tips Brandon. I love to use duct tape for everything and I think you’ve taught me a valuable lesson, pitch my tent on high ground 🙂
If you pitch your tent on a hill, know the consequences first, as every location offers different pros/cons and benefits.
I remember going camping as a teenager when I was a girl guide. One afternoon, we had heavy rain and water got into our tent. Everyone was so scared that we left. Needless to say that we were not well prepared for the weather, and our enjoyment was shortened. Even though I don’t go camping anymore, I will definitely share these tips with family and friends who love camping.
Lol, sorry to hear but that is a clear of example of not being prepared.
Please do share these tips with friends and family, you never know who it’s going to help one day 😀
I can see that it is a quick and easy hack to stay in your tent during worse situations.
It’ll be in your best interest to take proper actions for the situation.
There’s no point trying to stay in your tent when you can’t stop the leak or hold the water out temporarily, then again you shouldn’t stay in it if waters pouring through the doors.
Follow the tips in this article and you’ll ALWAYS have a viable way out 😀
Great article Brandon! Fortunately, this haven’t happened to me, but I’m sure I would’ve panicked (maybe not from a couple of rain drops though) 😉 But great advice here, got some stuff I need to add on my pack list for next time. Sometimes you just forget to bring the most obvious thing!
A few rain drops is bearable. It’s not until people wake up with an entire puddle in their tent is when they start worrying and panicking. Follow these steps and you can’t go wrong.
I have had my share of wet tents over the years. My wife and I were camping in the fall, close to the ocean. It started pouring rain during the middle of the night. We woke up and the tent was soaked inside and out. Our sleeping bags were wet, and that is the worst. The first thing we did was hung everything up to dry and started a fire in the morning. Thankfully we were smart enough to cover our firewood the night before. Wet camping gear is the worst! Good tips in this article, thanks for sharing!
Sorry to hear what you experienced Steve. Sadly tents like these are getting released to the public and making people have bad experiences.
I’m super glad I can help rule out the bad and locate the good through my blog, and good job on not giving up and taking the required actions needed to come out on top.
Let me know if you’re after a tent that will actually keep you dry when you’re counting on it the most, because I know a lot of them 😀
Hi Brandon this is some really good awareness. The best part is that your basically letting your readers know what to bring just in case of an emergency situation and what to do if an emergency was to occur. Also your are right a lot of people do end up leaving the camp site because of a leaking tent. This is some good information thank you for sharing and being the expert here because I wouldn’t know what to do. 🙂
Hey there, Viviana. There wasn’t much information on the internet regarding this specific topic so I thought I’d be the one to do it. I’m glad you found it helpful 🙂
Hey Brandon, I really like the information you provide here. Coming from a country upbringing, I know all too well the value of a good roll of duct tape. If it didn’t move and it was supposed to, we had WD-40, If it was moving or leaking and it wasn’t supposed to, we had Duct tape. I never had to use it to stop a leak in a tent before, but now that you’ve mentioned it, if I ever go camping again, I will make sure I have a roll.
Haha…great motto there Jason. Please do take a roll of duct tape, it does more good than you think in the great outdoors.
Great post, very informative, at least I know exactly what to take with me if I ever decide to go camping and thanks to you I know how to be prepared just in case it starts raining so I can protect my tent from a flood.
Glad you enjoyed it Mysa.
I have been camping a lot in the past when I was young. Wish I had these tips back then…:) If I ever go camping again I know now what to do in such a situation. Many Thanks.
Please tell me you didn’t experience a flooded tent. Although I’m sure you are knowledgeable enough to know what you have to do next.
Good luck on all future adventures brother.
Hi Brandon,
I love camping and am happy to say that so far I haven’t had the experience with a flood before.
Thanks to your article I will be prepared in the event this happens. I always have different types of tape including duck tape it’s #1. I think throwing the extra tarp on the tent from the beginning for preventative measures to avoid this is a good idea!
Thanks for all the tips making sure we are all covered.
Patsy
You’re one of the few that haven’t experienced a flooded tent before, so keep it that way! Lol.
If you’re out car camping then you should definitely take a tarp for that all-important extra protection. However, it will be a little hard for people backpacking but a viable choice for car campers.
I’m glad I can help and good luck on your future adventures.
-Brandon
That was a fun read. I can definitely relate to water in a tent when camping. When I have had water in a tent it was in the middle of the night and the weather was just crazy. First there was hail then rain and thunder and lightning (what a night i know right?). Around 1 in the morning I woke up to water all over my face and that is when i realized my tent had a minor hole in it. Luckily I had some super glue and duct tape so I quickly but calmly got to fixing the hole in the middle of the night. Not the funnest but also nothing to stress out about, I did end up having a decent sleep after that. Thanks for article on this topic. Brought back memories for me.
It’s the absolute worst waking up to something like this, and even worse for people that aren’t prepared and have no idea what they’re doing.
Luckily you were prepared, had the right equipment and had a bit of knowledge up your sleeve. Oftentimes people have no clue, pack up and go home. Great job on keeping it all under control!