7 Blackout Hacks For Tents When Camping

When camping, the difference between being well-rested or sleep-deprived comes from how well you shield yourself from external light or sunlight. Knowing a few tricks to blackout light is beneficial to your sleep routine when camping. 

Some blackout hacks for tents when camping include, using a blackout tent liner, draping the exterior of your tent, carrying along with survival sheets or reflective blankets, covering the sleeping/bed area, using a darker or blackout tent, or pitching your tent in a shady spot.

Many campers are in the woods during summer, which also means the sun comes out earlier and stays out longer. Knowing a few tricks to help blackout the sunlight, can help you rest well or have a peaceful siesta. Let’s dive into these simple hacks.

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The Good And Bad Of Blackout Tent When Camping

You need to be aware of the good and bad of a blackout tent when camping, to help you adjust properly, and have a safe but peaceful camping experience. 

Here are the pros: 

1. There is privacy, against the vastness of nature.
2. Better night’s sleep.
3. The darker outcome is during an afternoon siesta.
4. It helps for getting a quieter camping experience.
5. No light penetration, when the sun starts rising. 

The cons:

1. Not as aware of your surroundings, in case of danger.
2. The tent may become hotter, making sleep difficult.
3. This leads to carrying more weight or load.
4. More weight makes an on-foot camper lag.

7 Blackout Hacks For Tents When Camping

1. Invest in blackout tent liners.
2. Choose the right tent, that aids blackout.
3. Cover the exterior of your tent.
4. Use survival sheets or reflective blankets.
5. Shield the sleeping area from light.
6. Pitch your tent at a shady spot.
7. Use sleeping eyes mask to cover your eyes.

Let’s dive in;

1. Invest in a blackout tent liner

An effective way of blocking sunlight from penetrating your tent is by lining the insides of your tent with black-colored fabric. You can simply sew the fabric in or clip it on the tent, to provide shade from sunlight.

Ensure the material can absorb heat or moisture and it can effectively block out any external light. Bear in mind to not block out the vent, so air can be circulated into the tent, and invest in a quality blackout liner.

2. Chose the right blackout tent (either a darker tent or with darkroom technology) 

If it’s your first time camping or you decide to opt for an easy solution, then selecting a tent that has darkroom technology or is darker, can help to block out light. When tent shopping, it is best to lay out the kind of tent you need and seek out advice. 

You can opt for a dark-colored tent that provides enough ventilation, blocks out sunlight, and gives ample room space.

Also, many tent companies are applying darkroom technology to their tent to aid in blocking sunlight and still proving adequate ventilation. Any tent choice is good to help enhance a well-rested and peaceful camping experience. 

3. Cover the exterior of your tent 

You can opt to cover the outside of your tent, to help block out the light, without having more fabric inside the tent.

You can choose to cover only the top of your tent and block out most of the external light, with ventilation coming in. Or cover the whole tent and block the entire sunlight out, but also trap some hot air into the tent.

To solve this, you can opt to distance the blackout fabric from the roof of your tent. You can choose to hang the material on a tree, pole, or any anchor system to get better ventilation. 

4. Shield the sleeping area from light

You can decide to just cover the sleeping or bed area of your tent if you have one or extra room in your tent.

Instead of covering the entire exterior of your tent. This helps to shield you from light when sleeping and still provides enough air or ventilation into other areas of your tent.

5. Use survival sheets or reflective blankets 

For an on-foot camper, survival sheets are the best to block out sunlight, without needing to carry an extra load, as survival sheets are already a necessity during camping.

You can also choose to use reflective blankets, which are ideal to block out sunlight, and can be used to cover the insides or exterior of your tent. They are cheap and easy to use and are made from light tear-free materials, making them reusable.

6. Pitch your tent at a shady spot

Another good idea to block out the sun is to pitch your tent in a shady spot. This saves you from draping your tent or carrying an extra load.

You need to find a spot with large trees full of leaves or a hill that prevents the sun from penetrating into your tent. You can enjoy the breeze, and cool air and watch the night sky without fear of light disturbing your sleep.

If it’s difficult to find a shady spot, pitch your tent to face the west, as the sun rises from the east. With your tent facing westwards, it blocks out most of the morning sunlight, aiding more rest.

7. Use sleeping eyes mask to cover the eyes

Another simple hack is to cover your eyes with a sleeping mask or blackout sleep mask. To avoid the hassles of covering your tent or setting it up to avoid sunlight, you can simply block your eyes from external light.

However, this means you won’t be as aware of your surroundings, so you need to be cautious about that. Also if you find difficulty sleeping with the eyes mask, then you can try the other methods of blacking out your tent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Mentioned above are easy hacks to use to blackout your tent, and it takes a bit of trial and error to find which hack is suited more for you.

You may just need to cover your eyes or invest in a blackout tent or try the simple hacks of lining your tent or pitching it at a shady spot. Whichever way, these hacks guarantee, you sleep better on your next camping trip.