Calling all those who've mastered the rain

[OregonDuck]

We had an amazing trip earlier this month, including a day and night of torrential rain. Camping was no prob; had boots, coats, mats... 5'er was a champ.

We're new to the RV world, so we're still polishing our craft when it comes to packing up. Mother nature was very kind and gave us a dry and partly sunny check out day, so packing up was easy. But we bought this beast so that we could camp year round and own our beloved Oregon rain.

Couldn't find much on the forum re: the topic, so thought I would start a thread and pick up some knowledge from all of you who've mastered the rain.

Advice on a rainy pack up day, or rain camping in general? The hoses and power cord; do you just chuck 'em in the rig wet and muddy? Pine needle covered slides/awning packing up in a downpour? Where are these muddy kids boots supposed to go while camping?

Advance thanks for any tips, tricks and wisdom you can afford!

[busterbrown]

Inclement weather needs a little preparation. Thank God for weather radar apps. A couple things that we do to help keep reduce the "muddy" mess:

1. We use this boot mat (https://m.lowes.com/pd/Mohawk-Home-Boot-Tray-Black-Rectangular-Common-2-ft-X-5-ft-Actual-x-29-5-in/1000302735?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA-_-Flooring-_-RugPadBroadloomAndRunners-_-1000302735:Mohawk_Home&CAWELAID=&kpid=1000302735&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=684&k_clickID=519758af-4de3-4b74-bb2a-84c82588262d&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjbveBRDVARIsAKxH7vmYrYwFanN5afznGoNA e5T7tbcwh771lA_M2RqKsVLcQaDrk_7yPaYaAlnOEALw_wcB)f rom Lowes. It can place outside on fair weather days and inside adjacent to the entry door when the sky is not so kind.

2. Plastic storage bins are wonderful for the fresh water hoses, even when they're muddy. They contain the dirt until we reach home. Then we can properly clean, dry, and store them. Our waste hoses and adapters are stored underneath the frame via a custom fence post and gutter appendage (http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=211487&postcount=32). No real need to clean them more than a "rinse off" at the next camp site.

3. I carry a towel thats devoted to wiping off the power cord as it retracts into the interior of the coach. Pretty simple process.

4. If a threat of heavy rain is forecasted, the awning is retracted because "where there is rain, there is wind". If we do put away the awning wet, it is sure to be extended within the next day to dry out. One of the nicest upgrades we did to our coach was installing slide toppers. These help tremendously with debris and leaves, as much of it falls off as the slides are retracted in. We haven't had a problem with pine needles but we there have been times that a sticky twig doesnt fall of the topper. A broom face is used to sweep the slide topper as the DW retracts it slowly.

Hope this helps.

[spade117]

I purchased a small electric leaf blower for the camper to blow off the leaves/pine needles from the slides before retracting them.

Bins are great for all the smaller stuff. Ideally, once you are home, you can open everything up to dry out as needed.

[ken56]

Bins are great for organizing everything. I have a round tub I put my water hoses in, roll them up and connect the ends together and it won't matter if they are dirty. Power cord goes in the back of the truck dirt and all. I have rags that I try to wipe off what I can but sometimes taking time to wipe things off is not practical.

Have a rain coat handy. Weather gear is always in the closet for us. We have a couple of umbrella's handy too, the small collapsible kind hanging on the key rack. Its not any different dealing with the rain at home. You will develop your own habits that fit your style and needs. No need to cancel plans just because Mother Nature wants to rain on the parade. Go camping and enjoy it.

[Bisjoe]

I think we had at least one day of rain every trip last season, probably to be expected here. Fortunately only twice was it raining when we packed and hitched up to take off. I'll use a towel to dry and clean off the power cable as I push it into the storage, the city water hose I just put into the storage wet. As soon as we see it start to rain the awning gets closed, when we get home and have a few hours dry, I open it to dry it off. Last time I used a giant umbrella so I could still do a little fishing in the rain. I found the poncho to be useless, since your arms are still exposed, and any wind blows it around. After hooking up for the trip home I went inside and changed to dry clothes before getting into the truck.

[flybouy]

An umbrella and light ponchos don't weigh much or take up much space. A plastic tray like one made to go under dog bowls (shaped like a cookie sheet) next to the door for shoes. I keep cotton shop towels and wipe down fw hoses, and electric cables before storing. Also use them for drying the dogs, especially their paws. I use a folding step platform to help the dogs get in the truck. A fake turf step rug on top helps reduce the mud they drag in. The cotton rags can be washed and reused. Beach towels for drying people. A clean shirt before getting behind the wheel to drive after hitching up and a clean cotton shop towel in the truck to dry my arms and hands. Changing the shirt is a habit in the heat of the summer as well. I throw the sweaty/wet shirt in the bed of the truck. I have a topper on the truck so in the rain I'll stand under the open rear window of the topper while changing shirts.
I used to tell folks to have games handy for a rainy day but seems like kids are born with phones in their hands nowadays.

[Number 4]

If the wind isn't blowing and the rain keeps falling and you start feeling cooped up inside, this little unit is mighty nice to set up under the awning (which is tilted at an angle to keep rainwater from pooling). The DW loves the nice adjustable flame and unless we are allowed to pick up downed wood for a campfire we plug this into the propane line at the back of our trailer. We purchased a separate hose for that hookup.

https://www.amazon.com/Outland-Firebowl-893-Portable-Diameter/dp/B00KY4S388/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1540406016&sr=8-4&keywords=propane+fire+ring

[bob91yj]

Slip on rubber muck boots, cheap and easy to find at Walmart, keeps your regular shoes clean and dry... clean the boots with a hose when you get home.

[sourdough]

All the ideas above are good; plastic totes, towels for drying cables etc. If my water hoses are bad (and they usually are in the FL beach sand) I wipe them down as well before dropping in a tote. If there has been an accumulation of leaves, pine needles, debris etc. on my slides I won't bring them in even in the rain. I just pull out my collapsible ladder, grab my extending pole with a brush on the end and brush them all off...doesn't take too long and prevents a potential mess in the trailer.

I think one of the biggest things is mindset along with being prepared. I've camped with some folks that detest the rain and act as if they would melt if out in it. I worked in it, in every shape fashion and form, for decades so I don't mind it. I would be lying if I didn't say it does bother me more than it did when I was younger. Get a raincoat (rainsuit w/pants if it is going to be really bad) and carry it - ponchos are for very limited use. I don't worry about rubber boots; I always wear what would be considered "work" boots so don't worry about the water, dirt, mud etc.; just scrape them off and climb in. All my vehicles have WeatherTech floormats so I can wash them off when I get to where I can.

Another thought; sometimes when you are trying to leave in the rain you will encounter a problem that requires using tools. Rain will ruin your tools. I go ahead and use them, dry them with a towel, drop them either in the back floorboard or bed of the truck then spray them down with WD40 when I get to the next site. By the way, the back of the truck is a great storage place for wet stuff you can't find a place for quickly in the rain.:)

Edit: I have a BakFlip hard bed cover.

[OregonDuck]

Thanks all! Really appreciate all the recommendations; building a solid shopping list :)
Keep 'em coming!

[JRTJH]

Slip on rubber muck boots, cheap and easy to find at Walmart, keeps your regular shoes clean and dry... clean the boots with a hose when you get home.

Everybody in "sou Lousanna" stores their "Cajun Reeboks" upside down with the boot bottom on top, between the cab and bed of their pickup truck.....

[sourdough]

Everybody in "sou Lousanna" stores their "Cajun Reeboks" upside down with the boot bottom on top, between the cab and bed of their pickup truck.....

Hah! I think that is right if you are really dealing with "muck". The fishermen where we stay in FL are in their "Cajun Reeboks (white)" everyday as a matter of "life". I have used them many times (black) for work and our current pairs were for "gold prospecting". :) A general rainstorm either in W TX or the FL panhandle with beach sand doesn't really warrant them - I have really high expectations of my Justin workboots (suitably coated in mink oil) to withstand the rigors of what I may get in; again, dealing in muddy LA muck would absolutely require the "Cajun Reeboks".

[buvens]

Frogg Toggs work good for being in the rain.

[bob91yj]

"Cajun Reeboks", now that's funny!

[flybouy]

Thanks all! Really appreciate all the recommendations; building a solid shopping list :)
Keep 'em coming!A very important omission on my part. Never forget the purpose for camping. For most of us it's having fun. Let the little ones jump in the puddles. Join them if you can. The mud and mess will clean up. Personaly for me I'd rather the kids/ grand kids have a happy memory vs. a memory of being yelled at to stay clean. JMHO.

[AbHDToyHauler]

A very important omission on my part. Never forget the purpose for camping. For most of us it's having fun. Let the little ones jump in the puddles. Join them if you can. The mud and mess will clean up. Personaly for me I'd rather the kids/ grand kids have a happy memory vs. a memory of being yelled at to stay clean. JMHO.
My 4 year old granddaughter is enrolled in a playschool that is 90% outdoor play and adventures. Unless it's bitter cold or a huge storm they spend most of their days outside. She loves the outdoors and when staying with us in rv during a big rain storm she was out in her rain coat and boots , "playing" in the rain. Guess she's like me. Sometimes I love a good rain and sitting under porch roof and watching the storm roll in. All the other ideas make perfect sense once you are ready to leave. :)

[bob91yj]

Nothing wrong with a little weather to remember a trip by. All of the 'perfect" trips just kind of meld together in my memory. The trips that have a few challenges are the ones I remember the best.

[Number 4]

Nothing wrong with a little weather to remember a trip by. All of the 'perfect" trips just kind of meld together in my memory. The trips that have a few challenges are the ones I remember the best.

Too true. When my son and granddaughter came along into the mountains one September a cold fast moving storm front moved in to drop heavy rain and hail. They wondered what the heck I was doing out in the rain with a camp shovel making a shallow ditch around their tent, but then realized that old trick kept water from getting inside. We sat bundled up under the awning to watch the show, picked up handfuls of hail, dried soaked shoes on the grate over the campfire, etc. We still talk about it.

[sourdough]

Nothing wrong with a little weather to remember a trip by. All of the 'perfect" trips just kind of meld together in my memory. The trips that have a few challenges are the ones I remember the best.

You are SO right! All those uneventful trips sort of jumble together but; camping and taking a friend who had just gotten a 4x4 out in a downpour only to find that the canyon had been washed out by a flash flood. Trying to negotiate our egress my wife was hanging, like a monkey, on a tree limb trying to pull it back so we could get by...hilarious! We still talk about it today, or, deer hunting in a tent when a blue norther comes howling in. Tried to sleep but it snowed so much the tent eventually collapsed on us under the weight of the snow. Those kinds of things stick out in your mind many decades later.

[OregonDuck]

LOVE IT! Couldn't agree more with you all. A big part of why we got the RV; get our kids (and ourselves too) off the screens and outside camping year round. Rain or shine! I personally love camping in inclement weather, which an RV allows us to do in style. And really appreciate the tips/tricks to help us do just this, while not completely destroying our RV in the process :D

On that note - how about wet slides... Do you attempt to dry them prior to pulling into the rig? Try to dry them once pulled into the rig? Leave 'em be? Saw online somewhere that someone uses a squeegee prior to pulling in; thought that might be a good idea...

[sourdough]

LOVE IT! Couldn't agree more with you all. A big part of why we got the RV; get our kids (and ourselves too) off the screens and outside camping year round. Rain or shine! I personally love camping in inclement weather, which an RV allows us to do in style. And really appreciate the tips/tricks to help us do just this, while not completely destroying our RV in the process :D

On that note - how about wet slides... Do you attempt to dry them prior to pulling into the rig? Try to dry them once pulled into the rig? Leave 'em be? Saw online somewhere that someone uses a squeegee prior to pulling in; thought that might be a good idea...

If it is pouring, and you can't wait, there's not much you can do but pull them in. If I have to do that DW is inside to dry them down as much as possible. We carry extension poles, Swiffer handles etc. She/we wipe down the edges where we can reach then wrap a towel around the attachment on the end of the pole and swab down the middle of the slides as best we can (using a stool). We just don't want a lake inside from the water draining. The seals do a really good job of wiping off the majority of the water, actually to a point that rubbing them down inside is sometimes a little overboard.

If it has stopped raining a squeegee would work just fine I would think.

[rhagfo]

Something to think about, in the PNW rain doesn’t always come with wind. We have a manual awning, we tag it down with ratchet straps, leave out most of the time. Ours is 21’ and use three straps one at each end and one in the middle. The one in the middle is hooked through two of the fabric light hanger tabs. So far so good.

[sourdough]

Something to think about, in the PNW rain doesn’t always come with wind. We have a manual awning, we tag it down with ratchet straps, leave out most of the time. Ours is 21’ and use three straps one at each end and one in the middle. The one in the middle is hooked through two of the fabric light hanger tabs. So far so good.

We love the rainstorms that just "rain" - so peaceful and nice. Here in W TX you can see it coming by the wall of dirt in front of it. After it cakes everything in dirt then we might see a shower just so it can spit some mudballs at us.:) Our house in the mountains is like you describe - just rain, and we love it.

[rhagfo]

If it is pouring, and you can't wait, there's not much you can do but pull them in. If I have to do that DW is inside to dry them down as much as possible. We carry extension poles, Swiffer handles etc. She/we wipe down the edges where we can reach then wrap a towel around the attachment on the end of the pole and swab down the middle of the slides as best we can (using a stool). We just don't want a lake inside from the water draining. The seals do a really good job of wiping off the majority of the water, actually to a point that rubbing them down inside is sometimes a little overboard.

If it has stopped raining a squeegee would work just fine I would think.

The amount of water that comes in past the wiper seals isn't enough to be bothered with. We bought our current in the rain, when we pulled in the slides all water went outside, and the surfaces were hardly damp.
Now that we have slide toppers not an issue.

[sourdough]

The amount of water that comes in past the wiper seals isn't enough to be bothered with. We bought our current in the rain, when we pulled in the slides all water went outside, and the surfaces were hardly damp.
Now that we have slide toppers not an issue.

I agree, and as I said, what was left was not a lot and drying them inside was pretty much overkill. Slide toppers? To each their own - more downsides than ups to me but that is JMO.

[rauman84341]

I've owned several fifth wheels over the years and camp most of the time near Yellowstone Park, there is always lots of pine needles rain and dirt. The first thing I add when I buy a new trailer are awing covers for all the slides, each time I roll them in I'm amazed at the amount of pine cones, needles, and rain that will come off them. Sometimes early or late in the season, it will snow and again the slide overs really help.
For rainy days we always have our favorite activities such as playing cards, games and generally laying around, but it doesn't hurt to put on the proper gear and get out of the trailer. A lot of time the rain and wind is light so letting the awing out and sitting under it also works.

[ctbruce]

Rain = time to go shopping or visit a winery!

[mikell]

For me my job supplies an unlimited supply of free clean rags and I get as many as I want (Think testing washers and dryers) so I carry many and just pitch them in the fire when dirty. But everything gets wiped off rain or shine before it gets stowed.