How do you camp in this heat?

[Clinton]

What are some tips and tricks to help make a trip enjoyable in the heat?

[wwk10]

I only camp late October until early March.

[JaxHiker]

Portable AC? Or stay home like I do.

Actually I'm headed to the Florida Caverns State Park this month. I know I'll be taking a fan.

[SilvrSurfr]

Make it enjoyable? I thought camping in the heat was for masochists - people who enjoy being miserable. Embrace the misery - pray for 100% humidity, suffocating overnight temps, and impenetrable clouds of mosquitoes, noseeums, and horseflies.

I can't ever remember a comfortable night's sleep in sweltering summer heat. The only solution is to skip the summer and enjoy spring, fall and winter camping.

Camping near water where you can cool off is the only thing I've found that makes it bearable. Some people buy the ridiculous little battery-powered fans and hang it from their ridgeline, but that's like putting a band-aid on a gaping chest wound, by my thinking.

[Riverpirate]

Take a cooling shower/bath right at dark. Then I use my Frog Togg Chill pad and lay it on my chest. I am asleep shortly there after.

[oldgringo]

Smokehouse, his wife, and I camped in mid-June @ Waldron, AR. We rented an RV pad w/shore power and plugged in the fans. Ideal? Of course not, but tolerable, and a helluva lot better than staying home. I'll do it again.

[olzeke]

July to Sept, I head for the Mts of the Rockies, the PNW, or the Sierra. Snow can be found until Aug, and the rain is often short, or non-existent. This yr it is the Olympics in Aug, and Yosemite in Sept. Since you live in Ill, I sympathize with you. Take a trip to Glacier, or Yellowstone, or some other nice mountainous area.

[sargevining]

Hike in the early morning and early evening hours. Plan for 6 hours safe hiking per day as result---3 in the morning and 3 in the evening. Rest in shade during the heat of the day. If you are near a body of water that has shade, sit in the water. Hydrate obsessively--plan on drinking at least a gallon of water per day. Use electrolyte replacement drinks or drink powders. Big meals for breakfast and dinner, light lunch with foods that have high moisture content. Avoid consuming alcohol. Riverpirate's advice on cooling bath right at dark is right on target. Use a silk bag liner to sleep in as it will wick sweat off you body, spread it over a larger area, and increase the evaporative cooling effect. Camp near the top of a slope or edge of a lake or pond to take advantage of breezes. Use a small battery operated fan hung from the ridgeline to cool down when you get into bed to sleep. Wear a hat to protect your head from the sun. Wear polarized sunglasses. Dress in UV resistant fabrics. Use sunblock. Hydration, Hydration, Hydration.

Did I mention hydration?

[Brute1100]

Run a fan, tarp high if any, pray for a breeze... I live in Texas so my winter are closer to most peoples summers... I know its hot but that's just something I live with...

[spamburglar]

I hang a little fan from my ridgeline. No it wont make it 70 degrees in the hammock, but after a few minutes the circulating air does cool it off enough for me to stop sweating and be comfortable. Hanging the tarp high to allow more air to circulate under it helps as well.