75 replies to this topic

[The Pumpkin King]

With this year looking to be a scorcher - what are anyones tested techniques for keeping your tent cool?

Gazebos are the obvious one..

But the talk of space blankets - has it worked for anyone? Rugs over the tent etc?

f**king hard start to the day waking up hungover in soaking clothes in an oven

so am looking for tried and tested techniques, and a final answer to the great Space Blankets debate..

Thoughts people...

[DrWackadoodle]

Is there a great space blanket debate?

[fatyeti24]

i used space blankets last year.  they did work, sort of.  my tent was far, far from cool, but i was able to remain in it much longer than the rest of our group could in theirs without them.  it seemed to take just enough degrees off to make it bearable, which was well worth it for me.

[posthuman]

My mates and I actually use tarps (see http://www.decathlon...N/tarp-3243880/ ).

Smaller and easier to carry than a Gazebo, you can have them lower / have one side down low to give you more shade, so that when the tents become too warm in the morning we just shuffle outside, go under the tarp, and carry on sleeping

[The Pumpkin King]

DrWackadoodle, on 02 June 2011 - 12:31 PM, said:

Is there a great space blanket debate?

There is in my head..

[SeanF]

Does tinfoil taped to the sunrise-side of the tent work?  I saw a few people last year doing it...

[IAmTheWaffle]

posthuman, on 02 June 2011 - 12:33 PM, said:

My mates and I actually use tarps (see http://www.decathlon...N/tarp-3243880/ ).

Smaller and easier to carry than a Gazebo, you can have them lower / have one side down low to give you more shade, so that when the tents become too warm in the morning we just shuffle outside, go under the tarp, and carry on sleeping

[DrWackadoodle]

The Pumpkin King, on 02 June 2011 - 12:33 PM, said:

There is in my head..

Nice!! ... who's winning?

[The Pumpkin King]

DrWackadoodle, on 02 June 2011 - 12:36 PM, said:

Nice!! ... who's winning?

It's been f**king me over for several years - I've lost many jobs due to the constant raging internal-debate from supporters/deniers which often spills out into public displays of gibberish..I'd love to get a solid answer so I can crack on with my life again..

Edited by The Pumpkin King, 02 June 2011 - 12:41 PM.

[DrWackadoodle]

The Pumpkin King, on 02 June 2011 - 12:41 PM, said:

It's been f**king me over for several years - I've lost many jobs due to the constant raging internal-debate from supporters/deniers which often spills out into public displays of gibberish..I'd love to get a solid answer so I can crack on with my life again..

I feel your pain dude, I really do.  Let's hope the community can come up with an answer for your debating hemispheres.  Peace.

[SeanF]

From a google search, I did find this:
Tinfoil on a tent?

"No way! if you want to keep a tent cool, pitch it in the shade. if there isn't shade available throw up a tarp. it will be a lot more durable than the foil and provide better results. two things keep tents cool. 1 shade and 2 ventilation. Tin foil doesn't breathe and it will reflect the heat that is generated in the tent back into the tent.
think of this... if you wrap a potato in tin foil in order to protect it from the heat of a hot oven, what is gonna happen to the potato? yeah, the same with your tent. "

Let's just hope that we're still having this debate on Sunday June 19!

Edited by SeanF, 02 June 2011 - 12:45 PM.

[Douzeper]

http://www.o2-cool.c...ry_overview.php

[geebus]

Surprisingly, my 'secret weapon' is... a black tent.
Specifically a Flash Mach II/III blackout tent (like the 'minstry of sound' ones but a bit better design).
Because it has very good ventilation, it actually stays cooler than other tents and added to that you don't get the greenhouse effect so much because less sun gets in.
Have tried a space blanket, but it made too much noise for my liking (even between the layers in my tent - though am tempted to try it inside my tent, but might be a bit weird!

Hopefully will be able to get my tent in the lee of our big 'storage' tent this year; if not,

As far as tin foil goes on the post above - if it was just the heat from within the tent being reflected back, I would be very happy!
And I'd be impressed if you could get a good enough covering to be air tight!  Finally tin foil usually increases cooking times by a chunk for food which cooks quickly.  Not saying tin foil is a good idea, just that I don't trust in your science .

Edited by geebus, 02 June 2011 - 12:55 PM.

[SeanF]

This post and this post from last year has some good pointers as well.  I think the best option appears to be a space blanket, but attached in between the layers of your tent to prevent it from rustling.

Edited by SeanF, 02 June 2011 - 12:56 PM.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Spaceblankets (2 for a pound from Poundland, you'll need two or three packets depending on the size of your tent) and a roll of gaffer tape are all you need.

Yes - it does work.

[Liam13th]

SeanF, on 02 June 2011 - 12:44 PM, said:

From a google search, I did find this:
Tinfoil on a tent?

"No way! if you want to keep a tent cool, pitch it in the shade. if there isn't shade available throw up a tarp. it will be a lot more durable than the foil and provide better results. two things keep tents cool. 1 shade and 2 ventilation. Tin foil doesn't breathe and it will reflect the heat that is generated in the tent back into the tent.
think of this... if you wrap a potato in tin foil in order to protect it from the heat of a hot oven, what is gonna happen to the potato? yeah, the same with your tent. "

Let's just hope that we're still having this debate on Sunday June 19!

Yes that it true, but if you open the first zip/door of your tent so you expose the one that lets air flow through it, it will provide ventilation and keep you cooler. Not greatly cool, but it DOES work.

[fatyeti24]

SeanF, on 02 June 2011 - 12:55 PM, said:

This post and this post from last year has some good pointers as well.  I think the best option appears to be a space blanket, but attached in between the layers of your tent to prevent it from rustling.

i have only ever attached space blankets to the outside of my tent.  i'd have thought they wouldn't relflect too much sunlight if they were between the layers of your tent, but i may be wrong.

rustling be damned!

[JodiB]

Try this...   http://www.sleepbree...ng-tent-fan.htm

[ukslim]

I think the physics of the foil thing are complicated.

There are similar debates about Bedouins wearing black gowns in the desert.

You've got three sorts of heat.
- radiant heat -- the rays of the sun.
- conducted heat -- heat moving through opaque matter, moving from hot places to cold places.
- ambient heat -- the heat of the air around you

To not get too hot, you want to:
- reflect away the radiant heat -- foil will definitely achieve this
- conduct heat out of the tent, into the environment -- foil is likely to impede this, but a tent is designed to insulate anyway.
- flush out the ambient warm air, replacing it with cool air -- that is, get a breeze going. Foil may impede this.

At the same time, when it's could outside, you want your tent to keep heat in.
- radiant heat is not an issue when it's dark, which is when it's coldest
- foil will help with insulating against heat conducting out, but the tent is already designed to do that
- with everything zipped up, you should be trapping in plenty of warm air

One other factor -- tents are meant to be breathable, as in, liquid water can't get in, but water vapour can escape through it. Just like Gore-tex jackets and boots. If you leave damp clothes in a tent on a warm day (even if it's raining), you'll be amazed how fast they dry. That same breathability should allow your tent to cool on a hot day as long as there's breeze. The moisture you exhale and sweat escapes into the tent fabric, and evaporates in the wind, taking heat with it. Foil will definitely prevent this from happening.

[SeanF]

fatyeti24, on 02 June 2011 - 01:07 PM, said:

i have only ever attached space blankets to the outside of my tent.  i'd have thought they wouldn't relflect too much sunlight if they were between the layers of your tent, but i may be wrong.

rustling be damned!

Ah, but is it about reflecting the sun light, or creating 100% shade?  Remember that last year the tents only heated up once the sun had risen above the horizon (or the nearest tree-line).  So if you can create a 100% sun block, will than mean your tent will stay cooler for longer?  I don't know the answer to this.

Obvious thing is to buy TWO space blankets, one for outside the tent, and another for between the layers...