8 Ways to Keep Your Tent Cool in the Summer

Summer camping is fun, I love it. But, as much as I love the hot weather, when it’s time to sleep, take a nap, or retire to my tent for any reason – I want it to be cool in there.

If you’re reading this you’ve probably had enough of those long sweaty nights in a tent that feels more like a sauna. Well, it doesn’t have to be that bad!

I’ve learned a few tips and tricks over the years to help keep the temperature in my tent a few degrees lower than it should be. Which makes a world of difference when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, believe me.

Here are some simple ways you can keep your tent cooler in the summer months and have a more enjoyable camping trip:

8 Ways to Keep Your Tent Cool in the Summer

Pitch up in a Shady Spot

This is a pretty obvious one but still neglected by many. There might be a sunny spot next to some amenities or near your friends that looks great. But you won’t be thinking so when you step into the tent late at night and it’s like a sauna in there.

It’s worth hiking those extra few miles to find the perfect spot. Well, maybe not a few miles, that’s a bit much. But you get my point. Don’t just assume that when the sun goes down the temp will drop in your tent, get as much shade as possible throughout the day.

Take Your Tent down during the Day

Hopefully, you have mastered setting up and taking down your tent to a fine art with military precision in a few minutes. Because taking down your tent during the day and keeping it somewhere cool is going to make a massive difference to how warm it is when you get in.

This is one of the reasons why summer tents are lighter and quicker to pop up. If you can’t find a shady spot to pitch up as per the first point above, you will be able to find a cool spot with a rolled up tent for sure.

Use a Summer Tent with Mesh Windows

If you have an all-purpose tent it’s probably not the best for extremely hot conditions. Most tents are designed to keep you warm and dry, which means they are well insulated and great at keeping wind and rain out.

But when it’s hot you want more airflow. So, look out for a tent with some meshing if you’re buying a new summer tent. It makes a huge difference, and it also keeps the bugs out too so don’t worry about little pests sneaking in.

Place a Ground Cover under Your Tent

There are a lot of reasons why you should be using a ground cover under your tent, they increase the life-expectancy of your tent for one – and they also help keep the inside a little cooler in hot weather.

This is because the ground soaks up heat during the day, which is then transferred to the inside of the tent. That extra layer creates an extra barrier which actually makes a noticeable difference. Sometimes you can feel it with your hand hopping from a tent with a ground sheet to one without.

Face Your Tent towards a Breeze and Leave the Entrance Open

If you can capture a breeze and let it flow through your tent during the day you can lower the temperature dramatically. This relies on a couple of things; finding a nice breeze, and being able to leave your tent open.

Pretty easy on campsites with people around that you trust or in the middle of nowhere. Unless of course there is a risk of bears or other animals becoming unwanted residents in your tent. Could be quite the issue.

Make Your Own Shade

Shade is the important factor when it comes to keeping the sun away from your tent and the temperture down. So, if you can’t pitch up in the shade or take your tent down as per the first couple of points, there are ways to make your own shade.

It depends on how resourceful and creative you are as to what exactly you will do. Using some reflective tarps for tents will do as a quick and easy solution, these are tarps designed to reflect the sun and stop your tent absorbing heat.

Reflect the Sun with Emergency Space Blankets

Emergency space blankets are handy items to have with you in your camping kit for a number of reasons. First and foremost,  they can prevent hypothermia in the extreme cold. Secondly, they can reflect the sun in the extreme heat.

Just remember to use them responsibly if you’re taking advantage of their heat repelling abilities. Put them back after and keep them in perfect condition, you may need them in an emergency one day!

Invest in Some Battery Powered Fans

Little battery powered fans can make a bit of a difference. I know some people who use them, and as long as you’ve got the power to keep them going and don’t mind a bit of a whirring noise, it’s a pretty decent way to cool down a bit.

They don’t really have a big impact on the overall temp in the tent though. They just provide a breeze which feels nice and makes it a bit more bearable when sleeping in a tent in hot weather. I’d use one in combination with some of the other tips in this post.

Well, there you go, more than enough ways to reduce the heat your tent soaks up when the hot summer sun is beating down and hopefully some useful tips you’re going to take note of and make your camping trip a little more enjoyable next time.

If you have any other ways to keep your tent cool in the summer please share in the comments to help out some of our other readers. Much appreciated, happy camping and enjoy the hot weather!