OT: camping in the wind

[My5Mouseketeers]

Hey,

This is a OT but I figure you people are CAMPERS so hopefully you can help me.

We were camping on the beach in Wildwood NJ last weekend. The wind picked up and soon tents were looking like parasails! I wasn't sure what the best thing to do was. Take off the fly? Open the windows? close the windows? We ended up taking the poles out and laying the tent flat, but that was a hassle. Anyone have any suggestions about what we should have done?I was afraid the poles might snap.

TIA,

sandy

 

[ElementCamper]

Probably close all the windows and take off the fly. That way the air goes around and not in the tent or pulling on the fly. If you open the windows the wind can go through but can still make the tent like a kite, I'd rather have the tent pushed down than pulled up. Speaking from experience after surviving a 70 MPH wind storm that came up at the lake in my tent camping days.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Your subject line sounds like the title of a song...

We've done what you did -- just collapse the tent (didn't remove the poles; just dropped everything down). Curious to hear others' suggestions.

 

[Memph1s]

We have camped at the beach a lot and it can be very windy. Some of the things we have done is park the truck next to the tent on the windward side,(not often possible with the wind coming off the water) turn a heavy picnic table over on the windward side, made a lean-to out of a tarp or dinning fly with one side on the ground and the other side as high as necessary to deflect the wind from the tent. Of course you want to have all the tent stakes in place and any tie down ropes in place. We have added extra ropes on the windward side. However, if it really blows the only thing you can do is collapse the tent to keep it from tearing itself apart.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

From my experience, and Army SOP in severe wind, drop the tent.

 

[My5Mouseketeers]

Thanks for all the information.

You have made me feel much better. I wanted to close the windows and take the fly off. Another (very strong personality) wanted to open all the windows, since we couldn't agree, we laid the tent flat.

I will probably never tell her that she was wrong, but it's just nice to know i wasn't!

Sandy

 

[kazlac4]

Hope you had an otherwise great time here at the Jersey Shore (While it certainly isn't the Fort, the beach and boardwalks at the Jersey shore can be a blast !