7 ways to stay cool when camping in summer: how to beat the heat in your tent

Camping in summer really is something else. The days are long, the skies are usually clear, and if you’re pitched somewhere near the sea, it’s even better. But not long after sunrise, the heat inside your tent can build far faster than you’d expect, and before you know it the inside feels stifling. After a while the view, the sea and the nature around you all fade into the background, and the only thing on your mind is how to get out of that tent.

In this piece I’ll go through a few things that can help you stay cool when camping in summer, from where to pitch your tent and which way the sun rises, to the breeze, the vents and your sleep system.

It’s worth saying up front: none of these methods will turn your tent into an air-conditioned room. Done properly, though, they can noticeably take the edge off the stuffy heat inside.

Why does a tent get so hot?

As soon as direct sunlight hits the tent fabric, it heats up quickly. If there isn’t enough airflow inside, the hot air can’t escape and starts to build up in the tent.

On top of that, there’s body heat from whoever is sleeping inside and the moisture from their breathing. If two or more people are sharing a tent, it can get airless and oppressive very quickly. These are the main things that make a tent heat up faster:

• The tent sitting in direct sun
• Morning sun hitting the door or the widest side of the tent
• Vents left closed
• A flysheet pitched too close to, or touching, the inner tent
• An inner tent crammed with things you don’t need
• Dark tent fabric
• Not enough air moving around the pitch

So when you pitch, checking the evening temperature isn’t enough. One of the questions that really matters is which direction the sun will hit your tent from the next morning.

1. Choose your pitch with the morning sun in mind

One of the most effective ways to stay cool on a summer camping trip is to pitch your tent in the right spot.

Because we usually reach the campsite in the afternoon or early evening, the first thing we look for is flat ground. A spot that’s in the shade at that moment can look ideal. But if the sun comes up right over your tent the next morning, you could be woken by the heat before it’s even 07:00.

That’s why I’d suggest checking which way the sun will rise before you pitch. A natural rise in the ground that blocks the morning sun, a safe patch of trees or a suitable shade will all delay the tent heating up. With a simple sun-tracking app on your phone, you can easily see where the sun will rise and how it will move across the sky during the day. When the season turns, so do the priorities: when choosing a pitch in autumn, morning sun and damp ground matter more than shade.

Of course, pitching somewhere unsafe just to get some shade isn’t the answer either.

Stay away from:

• Dead or broken branches overhead
• Loose rocks nearby
• Hollows where rainwater can collect
• Stream beds
• The foot of steep slopes
• Directly under trees that drip resin or fruit

If you have a choice on the campsite, a spot that gets the morning sun later can work better than one that’s shaded in the afternoon but completely exposed in the morning.

2. Pitch your tent to catch the airflow

In hot weather, the air inside your tent needs to keep changing. To help with that, you can position the door, windows and vents to make the most of any breeze. The type of tent frame makes a difference here too; we’ve compared freestanding and tunnel tents in a separate piece. If there’s a light, steady breeze:

• Keep openings on opposite sides of the tent open.
• Don’t block the mesh panels with your gear.
• Leave the flysheet vents open.
• Make sure there’s a gap between the inner tent and the flysheet.
• If you don’t need to close the door completely, use the mesh door instead.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking “the more openings, the better”. On a sandy beach, in strong wind or when rain is possible, opening every door into the wind can backfire. The goal isn’t to leave your tent exposed to the wind; it’s to get a cross-breeze going inside, as far as it’s safe to do so.

In hot, humid areas especially, three-season tents with large mesh panels tend to be more comfortable. Winter tents, on the other hand, are designed to keep warmth in, so in summer they can feel stuffier than you’d expect.

3. Use your flysheet properly

If you only put the flysheet on when it rains, you’re actually missing out on one of its big advantages.

A well-pitched flysheet can cut down the amount of sunlight reaching the inner tent fabric directly. But if you leave it slack or pitch it so it touches the inner tent, less air can move between the two layers. Hot air then gets trapped between them, and in trying to cool the tent down you can end up making it even stuffier inside.

When pitching the flysheet:

• Keep it taut.
• Leave an air gap between the inner tent and the flysheet.
• Don’t close off the air inlets at the bottom completely.
• Leave the vents open.
• Make sure the flysheet isn’t touching the walls of the inner tent.

On hot nights when no rain is forecast, you can use just the mesh inner, if your tent’s design allows it. This can seriously boost airflow. Before you take the flysheet off, though, think about:

• The chance of rain overnight
• Dew
• Wind
• How many insects are around
• Privacy
• The tent manufacturer’s advice

Even if the evening looks clear, the weather can change during the night. So rather than packing the flysheet away somewhere far off, it makes more sense to keep it where you can put it up quickly if you need to. In short, don’t set up your tent just for the weather right now; prepare it for whatever the night might bring.

4. Rig a separate shade over your tent

If there’s no natural shade where you’ve pitched, it’s down to you. In that case you can use a tarp or a portable sun shelter. The idea is for the sunlight to hit the shade first rather than the tent fabric.

But don’t drape the tarp straight over the tent. There must always be an air gap between the tent and the tarp. Otherwise the tarp heats up, passes that heat on to the tent fabric and cuts down the airflow.

In other words, while trying to cool down, you’ve just added a second hot layer on top of your tent.

When rigging a tarp:

• Leave enough space between the tent and the tarp.
• Let air through on at least two sides.
• Take the wind direction and strength into account.
• Secure the guylines and pegs firmly.
• If rain is possible, angle it so water runs off the right way.
• Don’t leave dips in the tarp where water can pool.
• Make the guylines visible so nobody trips over them at night.

A portable sun shelter doesn’t just help the tent; it also makes the communal area where you sit during the day far more usable. On open beaches or treeless campsites in particular, setting up a separate shade is one of the most effective ways to bring the tent temperature down.

Personally, I think a tarp is one of the pieces of camping kit worth spending money on. At the end of the day, it makes you more comfortable and lets you enjoy what you’re doing a lot more.

5. Don’t fill your tent with things you don’t need

One thing people often overlook is cramming the tent full of stuff. Sadly, most of us use the tent as both a bedroom and a storeroom. But big bags, shoes, wet clothes and the rest of your camping gear can cut down the airflow inside. They can also block the mesh panels or the low vents and leave the tent even stuffier.

If you can:

• Keep big backpacks in the porch.
• Don’t dry wet clothes inside the tent.
• Keep shoes away from where you sleep.
• Don’t block the vents.
• Only take inside what you’ll need during the night.
• Open the tent door before the morning sun gets going.

Try not to leave wet clothes inside the tent. Damp fabric adds moisture to the air and makes it feel even more stifling.

You can easily test this at home. Hang your washing to dry in the room you sleep in, and after a while the humidity starts to bother you. In a small tent, the effect is much more noticeable.

Don’t leave power banks, phones, batteries, gas canisters or anything similar inside a closed tent that’s been sitting in the sun for a long time. The temperature inside a tent can climb higher than the air outside. Gas canisters in particular, and any electronics with a temperature limit set by the manufacturer, should be kept somewhere cool and shaded.

6. Match your sleep system to the night-time temperature

Taking a thick winter sleeping bag on a summer camping trip can be a big mistake. But leaving your sleeping bag at home altogether just because the days are hot isn’t right either. I’ve covered how to read sleeping bag temperature ratings and the insulation (R-value) of the mat underneath you in separate guides.

A night that’s warm by the sea can be pretty chilly at a high-altitude campsite. So when you choose your sleep system, go by the conditions at night, not during the day. Checking the expected overnight low and the chance of rain in advance with forecasts from the Turkish State Meteorological Service makes it easier to pick the right sleeping bag.

Always check:

• The expected overnight low
• The altitude of the campsite
• Humidity
• Wind
• The chance of rain
• How well your mat insulates
• How well you personally cope with the cold

On warm nights, you could consider:

• A lightweight summer sleeping bag
• A bag that unzips fully to use as a quilt
• A thin sleeping bag liner
• A light sheet
• Thin, breathable sleepwear

You don’t have to zip your sleeping bag all the way up once you’re in it. If it’s very hot, open the side zip or the foot section to let more air in. Cotton clothes soak up sweat and can stay damp for a long time. That’s why light, loose, quick-drying clothes tend to be more comfortable on hot, humid nights.

Even so, don’t take your waterproof or a thin warm layer out of your pack just because it’s hot. The weather at camp can change quickly overnight, especially at altitude.

7. Keep your body cool throughout the day

Not letting your body overheat during the day matters just as much as keeping the tent cool. If you’ve spent all day in the sun without drinking enough, you may struggle to sleep at night, however well your tent is ventilated.

When you’re camping in hot weather:

• Drink water regularly throughout the day.
• Make sure you can get to water before you feel thirsty.
• Cut back on strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day.
• Take your breaks in the shade.
• Wear light, breathable clothing.
• Wear a hat and sunglasses.
• Splash your face and the back of your neck with cool water.
• Have a lukewarm or cool shower in the evening.
• Avoid drinking too much alcohol.
• On long, hard activities, think about whether you need electrolytes.

Getting soaked in very cold water for a long time, or going to sleep in wet clothes, isn’t always a good idea. Once the temperature drops at night, wet clothes can quickly leave you cold.

If you want to cool down before bed, wash your face, the back of your neck, your armpits and your wrists with cool water. Then change into dry, light clothes; it’s a more controlled way to cool off.

Does a portable fan help?

Battery-powered or rechargeable portable camping fans can genuinely help on hot, airless nights. Don’t expect a fan to bring the temperature inside the tent down on its own, though. A fan moves the air around and helps sweat evaporate, which makes you feel cooler.

In a completely closed, airless tent, all you’re doing is pushing hot air round and round.

When using a fan:

• Keep at least one of the tent vents open.
• Don’t put it too close to your face.
• If you’ll run it all night, check the battery capacity.
• Don’t leave the power bank on hot ground.
• Make sure your sleeping bag or clothes aren’t blocking the blades.
• Keep it out of the rain and away from heavy damp.

A portable fan won’t fix the problems of a badly pitched, completely closed tent. Sort out the shade and airflow first, and use the fan as a back-up.

Common summer camping mistakes

Pitching based only on the evening shade

A spot that looks cool and shady in the evening can be in full sun in the morning. So always check which way the sun will rise.

Closing every vent

Shutting every opening because “I’ll get cold at night” can trap both heat and moisture inside.

Draping the tarp straight over the tent

Without an air gap between the tarp and the tent, the shade may not work the way you expect. A hot tarp can pass its heat straight on to the tent fabric.

Using a winter sleeping bag

A bag that’s warmer than you need can leave you sweating heavily and waking up again and again on a summer night.

Only looking at the daytime temperature

Altitude and wind can make the temperature drop far lower at night than you’d expect.

Not planning enough water

A tap on the campsite doesn’t necessarily mean the water is running or safe to drink. Always carry enough drinking water with you.

Doing hard work in the middle of the day

Leave long walks, carrying gear and pitching the tent until early morning or late afternoon if you can.

Signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke

On a summer camping trip, heat isn’t just a comfort issue. Spending a long time in the sun, not drinking enough water or pushing hard in hot weather can lead to heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Signs of heat exhaustion can include:

• Heavy sweating
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Nausea
• Extreme thirst
• Muscle cramps
• Passing less urine

If you notice these signs, stop what you’re doing and move somewhere cool and shaded. Take off or loosen any extra clothing. If the person is conscious, get them to drink water in small sips. I’ve put together the basics you should have with you on a camping trip in our outdoor first aid kit guide.

If the symptoms don’t improve, get worse or go on for a long time, get medical help. Heatstroke is far more serious and is a medical emergency. Signs can include:

• Confusion
• Slurred or garbled speech
• Fainting
• Seizures
• Serious loss of coordination
• A very high body temperature
• Unusual behaviour

If this happens, call the emergency services and cool the person down as quickly as possible. Never give water by mouth to someone who is unconscious or struggling to swallow.

Quick checklist for staying cool on a summer camping trip

Before you go

• Check the overnight temperature and humidity.
• Find out how much shade the campsite has.
• Work out which way the sun will rise.
• Check your tent’s vents.
• Pack a tarp or sun shelter.
• Choose a sleep system suited to summer conditions.
• Plan to carry enough water.
• If you’re taking a portable fan, charge it.
• Learn the signs of heat exhaustion.

When pitching the tent

• Choose a safe spot sheltered from the morning sun.
• Turn the doors and vents to face the breeze.
• Pitch the flysheet taut.
• Leave a gap between the inner tent and the flysheet.
• Don’t let the tarp touch the tent.
• Don’t block the vents with gear.
• Make sure the pegs and guylines are secure.

Before you go to sleep

• Take wet clothes out of the tent.
• Clear out anything you don’t need inside.
• Leave the doors and mesh open as far as is safe.
• Put your water bottle within reach.
• Wear light, dry clothes.
• Keep electronics and pressurised items away from hot spots.
• Check the overnight forecast again.

The bottom line

If you’re heading off on a summer camping trip, it’s best to accept one thing from the start: you can’t turn the inside of a tent into a properly cool room. Maybe you could with a big portable air conditioner or an electric cooling system. How well that fits with camping culture, I’ll leave for you to decide.

What you really can do is set up well and reduce the effect of the heat as much as possible. More often than not, the biggest difference doesn’t come from expensive kit. It comes from where your tent sits relative to the morning sun, the airflow inside and a properly rigged shade.

Don’t pitch your tent based only on the evening conditions. Check which way the sun will come from the next morning. Leave the vents open as far as it’s safe, and pitch the flysheet taut so it doesn’t touch the inner tent.

Choose your sleep system based on the overnight forecast and the altitude of the campsite, not the daytime temperature. Drink water regularly throughout the day, and move strenuous activity to the cooler hours if you can. The basic logic of staying cool on a summer camping trip is actually pretty simple:

Keep the sun off your tent, let the hot air out and don’t let your body get hotter than it needs to during the day. Plan these three things properly and, even if hot summer nights won’t become completely trouble-free, you’ll get through them far more comfortably and safely.