Why Do Tents Get So Hot?

Camping in the summer is amazing.

You’ve got great weather, many hours of sunlight, wondrous sights as the forest seems to flourish.

The only thing that would make it better is a cool tent!

But, why do tents get so hot? A tent traps heat very well. Direct sunlight is the biggest factor for heating up a tent, but poor ventilation, and the direction your tent faces can also play a role in increasing your tent’s inside temperature.

The good news is you don’t have to continue suffering with a super hot tent all summer long.

It’s time to cool things off and enjoy your camping trips during hot weather.

Read on to learn more!

How Do I Keep My Tent From Getting Hot?

It’s important to know all of the factors that work against you when trying to cool off your tent, so that you can adjust accordingly.

The biggest reasons your tent gets hot are:

Sunlight: the sun’s rays beaming down on your tent are very similar to the way they heat up a car. You wouldn’t want to sit in your car in direct sunlight, would you? It’s also worth mentioning that the UV rays from sunlight can damage the fabric of your tent.
Ventilation: heat rises, and if the hot air in your tent has nowhere to go, it’s going to stay put inside, keeping you toasty.
Positioning: this is more than just getting out of the sun. You’ll want to position your tent to utilize any breeze passing through your campsite.
Rainfly misuse: setting up your rainfly too close to your tent can hinder ventilation and keep the hot air in.

Now that we’ve got the main areas of concern laid out, let’s dive into how you can prevent these from keeping your tent cool.

Cooling Your Tent Without Electricity

If you’re camping primitive, you won’t have the luxury of hooking up a nice powerful fan inside the tent to keep a steady breeze flowing.

But, that’s okay!

There are plenty of ways to help keep your tent from overheating, including:

Tent Placement

As mentioned above, placing your tent in direct sunlight can not only damage your tent’s fabric, but also severely heat up your tent.

By finding a nice shady spot underneath some trees can be a great way to instantly drop the temperature.

Since there is no direct sunlight, the inside of your tent will become the temperature outside in the shade.

However, if that’s still too hot, you’ll want to also utilize any breeze (more on that below).

Take Your Tent Down

Another thing that could greatly heat up your tent is by leaving it up during the day.

This allows the temperature inside to rise throughout the day, and since tents don’t generally have the best ventilation, that hot air will likely still be lingering even after the sun sets.

If you want to utilize the cooler temperature, take your tent down during the hottest parts of the day.

Even if it’s just during peak temperature hours, it will make a world of difference!

Utilizing Direction & Wind

While direct sunlight is the biggest thing you want to avoid to keep things cool, it’s not always avoidable.

If you can’t get out of the sun, or if the shade just isn’t enough, try taking advantage of any breeze passing through.

Your tent door is the biggest opening, so try to position your tent so that the breeze is blowing into your tent door.

If it’s blowing into the sides of your tent it isn’t really cooling you off, so this simple rotation can cool things off greatly.

Ventilation

Your body heat also contributes to how hot your tent is.

Even if you’re utilizing shade and things start off really cool inside, you’ll still need a way for your body heat to escape otherwise you’ll be sleeping in a warm tent.

Enter ventilation.

Keep your tent door open, and open any windows or vents in the top of your tent to allow that heat to escape.

The Right Tent

Choosing the right tent will allow you to better cool off your tent and use the tips above more efficiently.

A winterized tent will be hard to keep cool because it’s designed to keep heat in.

When it comes to choosing a tent for your summer trip, I recommend a 2 or 3-season tent, depending on the weather.

Just remember that the more mesh you have, the cooler your tent will be, but a mesh roof won’t stop rain!

For that you’ll need a rainfly or tarp.

Rainflies & Tarps

Misusing your rainfly can trap heat inside of your tent, making things very uncomfortable.

You’ll want to give a little space in between your tent and rainfly to allow for proper ventilation.

If weight isn’t an issue, bringing along a tarp to string up on some trees above your tent can be an even better way to cool your tent off while allowing for full ventilation.

A Wet Towel

This is more of a way to cool yourself off rather than your tent, but it works all the same.

When you’re feeling hot, wrap a wet towel (or a shirt) around your neck to lower your body temperature.

You can also place an extra towel on your forehead to cool things off even more.

And With Electricity

If you’re at a campground and can use electricity, there are some additional ways to keep your tent from getting too hot.

It helps to have a little extra since you won’t always get to choose where you set up your tent at a campground.

Plug In Some Fans!

Bringing along a fan can instantly get air circulating throughout your tent, cooling things off.

You can even purchase a fan that uses water or ice cubes to cool things down even further!

Tent Air Conditioners

Yes, portable air conditioners do exist and can be brought camping.

While those are specifically designed to be portable, if you’re at a campsite and don’t have to lug anything around, there’s nothing stopping you from bringing along a window A/C unit either!

Simply plug it in and prop it up on a milk crate or similar to blow cold air directly into your tent door for instant air conditioning.

Solar Powered Is Cool Too

Don’t forget about solar power!

These fans can be brought along with you on the trail if you wish, and can be recharged during the day while you’re not in your tent.

Other Ways To Stay Cool

Keeping your tent from heating up is one thing, but cooling off your body also helps things to overall not feel so uncomfortable.

I wrote a full guide on how to keep you and your tent cool while camping, so feel free to check that out where I go into more detail about the points mentioned below.

Here are some quick ways to cool yourself off:

Stay hydrated: drinking lots of water can help manage extra body heat.
Switch out your sleeping clothes: replace your pajama pants for some gym shorts or similar to keep things cool while sleeping.
Use lighter weight gear: a sleeping bag is usually great for the winter, but it’s not always super comfortable in the heat.
Take a cold shower: this will drop your body temperature.
Freeze jugs of water: place them at your feet at bedtime to keep you cool throughout the night.