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When weather gets wet, you can stay dry


Here’s how BY CRAIG MACARTNEY The Ottawa-Gatineau area


averages eight rainy days a month over the summer, so give some thought to rain-proofing your canoe or camping trip. To stay dry, start inside, not out


on the trail or the lake. Before setting out, check the weather forecast for your trip area and pack appropriately – and then some. Rain gear is a must, even when the weatherman calls for sun. This means enough rain coats to go around, at least one tarp, a fly for your tent and extra socks and boots, so some are wearable while the wet ones dry out. If you get caught without a raincoat, punch holes for your head and arms in a plastic garbage bag, pull it over your head, and vow to do better next time. In the pre-season, re-seal all


the seams of your tent and fly – camping supply stores carry a range of products for this. Most apply like


roll-on deodorant or paste, with a brush included. Silicon spray will do the trick too. Then check your tarp for any needed repairs. Think about rain when setting up


camp. Find high ground, away from depressions that turn into ponds in a storm, or troughs that can become muddy drains. Avoid slopes with signs of erosion. Love your tarp. Under it is your


safe place, the first thing set up and the last thing taken down. Make sure it’s over an area that will not collect water, and angle it to direct water downhill, away from your camp. Then, from the bottom up, get


the groundsheet under your tent to keep its floor dry. Tuck in protruding edges so they don’t collect water and draw it underneath. On top, the fly keeps tent and gear dry and provides daytime shade and some wind protection.


To keep your tent health and


easy to maintain, air it out on dry days and keep its windows slightly open during light rain to carry off condensation from your breath. Over several hours, condensation build-up can dampen equipment. Store wet clothes or shoes in the vestibule or tent corner to limit their contact with dry equipment. If a menacing storm is bearing


down and you have time, consider moving your tent under the tarp. Wherever it is, ride out the storm inside and stay away from the tent walls – touching them invites water to seep through. Likewise, sleeping bags and gear should be clear of the walls when it’s raining. And when the storm blows away,


job one is drying out wet equip- ment. Then you can think about bragging how dry you stayed, when you come out of the bush. /OO


16 ottawaoutdoors


www.ottawaoutdoors.ca


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