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australia:camping_strongwinds

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camping in strong winds

see also:

Introduction

  • camping in strong winds over 60kph is likely to be a terrible experience and likely to damage your tent and risk death from falling trees or branches - AVOID it where possible!
  • if you are camping above the tree line in alpine areas, you have to assume you may get hit with strong winds at any time without warning as there is little protection and there are stronger winds at that elevation and the weather conditions can change rapidly, this is compounded by the difficulty in pegging in rocky ground - although thankfully risk of shrapnel damage is much lower - but the risks are much higher if your shelter is compromised - you may die of hypothermia - don't be hiking ultralight in those areas
  • Don't go camping if “strong winds” or “severe thunderstorms” are forecast
    • the winds may destroy your shelter, and leave you exposed to cold and rain as well as wetting your sleeping gear
    • there is risk of trees and branches falling onto you or blocking the roads home
    • flying shrapnel is a significant risk
    • it will be very noisy and stressful trying to sleep
    • it may be very dusty and you may have to breathe dust all night - this is especially the case at Wilsons Promontory National Park - "The Prom"
    • in fire danger periods, strong winds are often associated with bush fires, especially on hot dry windy days or if “dry” thunderstorms occur, which can have you trapped in your camping area
  • You will NOT want to be trying to sleep in a roof top tent!
    • resort to sleeping in your vehicle or perhaps a swag or strong hike tent
  • a Hub-type gazebo with fibreglass poles such as the Vevor are only rated for up to 24kph winds as winds over 32kph can break the poles
  • very few ultralight tents or gazebos will survive winds > 60kph without close attention to setting up and continual reassessment
    • even 4 season alpine hiking tents made for the wind costing over $1000 are likely to have their poles broken if winds are over 80-90kph, especially if a door is opened into the wind even for only a few seconds
  • don't have anything sharp such as rocks rubbing on synthetic tents or tarps - strong winds will result in the tent or tarp tearing!
  • the strong gusts from a severe thunderstorm often come from the same direction as the thunderstorm which is often very different to prevailing winds and are likely to catch you off-guard! The same applies to sudden strong wind gusts following a cold front - the wind can suddenly change from a northerly to a SW gusty wind
  • in inland Australia “dust devils” - mini tornado like events often occur and can send a hike tent high into the sky as occurred at Strawberry Fields music festival in Tocumwal Nov 2025 - https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRftQsajCUp/?igsh=MXkwbjkwOTlkYWg1dA%3D%3D

Tips if you can't avoid strong winds

  • consider options likely to survive strong winds (as long as you are not going to get hit by tree shrapnel/branches) such as:
    • low profile 320-420gsm polycotton waterproofed or seasoned swag on a stretcher to get out of storm water and securely guyed out
      • perhaps add a plow-point tarp if rain is forecast, but this can be compromised if wind changes direction
      • an air swag may be better - as long as it doesn't get punctured by shrapnel
    • alpine tents designed for strong winds (but may not be good in warmer nights) such as:
      • Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 expedition tent $US1050
        • 5 x DAC NS poles; 70D silnylon; two dual canopy and mesh doors; 3.8-4.3kg
      • Nortent Vern 2 perhaps the easiest to set up in strong winds and rain and can give a fairly quiet night if winds are under 60kph, but may get compromised in winds over 80kph especially if a door is opened into the wind1), does need seam sealing and a few extras, and you can buy extra poles to use double poles.
        • there are also 1P and 3P sizes
      • Hilleberg Jannus 2
      • Hilleberg Nammatj 2
      • Mont Epoch - similar to the Trango 2 design, perhaps the most wind proof hiking tent supposedly to 109kph in a wind tunnel but harder to set up and inner tent will get wet in set up and pack up; 2P, 40D nylon; 5 poles (4 for inner, 1 for fly), 1.4m wide, 4kg, inner is freestanding, but fly needs secure pegging
      • Mont Supercell Tunnel tent - perhaps best compromise for weight, wind proofing and potentially easier to set up as it has integral pitch (no adding on fly afterwards) but NOT freestanding which adds to complexity in rocky alpine areas as secure pegging not so easy if no snow, 2P, 40D nylon; 2 poles, 1.32m wide, 2.8kg
    • hub umbrella style tents - but they need to be well guyed out and they are very bulky and pack up very long
    • teepee style tents
      • OneTigris Rock Fortress teepee style Hot Tent should survive 70-90kph plus winds if guyed out well
        • in windy conditions, the wind will blow under the snow skirts (assuming you can't pack them down with lots of snow), so you will need a 4 season freestanding hike tent inside (withouts its fly) to protect from wind chill - in sub zero temperatures, frost on the zippers can compromise these and they can end up falling off so prevent this by being extra careful, melt off the frost before using them and you need a back up to hold the doors closed in such an emergency
        • it does rely upon the integrity of all the guy outs, and, having two doors, allows you to open the one that is away from the wind
        • take down the chimney in strong winds as it may be compromised or may rip the stove jack
  • if camping near your car, pack up, or at least secure the shelter as much as possible and as flat to the ground as possible, and sleep in the car
    • this will be safer for you and if you packed up, you will still hopefully have an intact shelter for the rest of your camp
    • if you can't pack up, place your car on the wind side of shelter to provide shrapnel protection
  • NEVER open a door into a strong wind - this will turn your tent into a parachute and the extreme forces are likely to severely compromise the tent within seconds!
  • have a back up plan for when your shelter fails - as it may just do that unexpectedly during the night!
    • as a minimum, an emergency bivy - you will have a miserable night but at least you may survive it

minimise wind exposures

  • choose a less windy and more protected camp site - but ensure there are no large trees or branches that may fall onto your tent
  • shrapnel blown by strong winds can cause severe damage even to vehicles, let alone swags or tents
  • orientate the tent for least wind exposure to large surfaces
  • if the strong winds are likely to be transient as with a thunderstorm during the day time, consider taking the tent down and setting it back up AFTER the thunderstorm - you probably don't want to do this overnight - but it may be an option to consider

choose a tent that is more likely to survive strong winds

  • the main design factors are:
    • strong poles or air poles
      • thin metal alloy, fibreglass or carbon fibre poles are more likely to bend or break - for hiking tents choose alloy poles > 9mm diameter (preferably in a sleeve rather than clip on) or a trekking pole tent (although the lack of flex puts more strain on the downwind peg out attachments which then can tear)2)
      • if car camping, air beam tents may do better in strong winds as they do not have metal poles that will bend or break, but they are generally not aerodynamic and are much heavier and bulkier than normal tents and need extra strong pegging
    • aerodynamic design with minimal surface area exposed to the wind
      • a low profile, small tent or a swag will have less surface area exposed to the wind and thus less wind stresses on the components
      • aerodynamic tents are more likely to be resistant to wind stresses - for car camping, teepee style tents do well in strong winds if guyed out well
        • for hiking, a singe entrance style tent with aerodynamic design is more likely to survive strong winds than a two door tent 3)
      • when pegging out the tent, ensure the walls of the tent are taut but not over-tight - a loose wall will catch the wind like a sail and dramatically increase wind stresses
      • when planning your pitch place the aerodynamic end towards the wind - and hopefully your door away from the wind
    • has good wind stress distribution points:
      • ensure the tent has plenty of guy out points
      • the guy ropes should be pre-attached or at least are able to be rapidly attached with carabiners or similar so guying out can be done quickly
      • poles that pass through sleeves will distribute stresses better than just clips
    • will it get damaged whilst setting up or packing up?
      • these are critical periods for tent damage risk in strong winds
      • preferably choose a tent where the fly is pitched first so that it can be sequentially guyed out from bottom up as you set it up
        • this also allows setting up the inner tent later and it will be less wet from rain and less damaged by winds as inner tents are not usually that strong
      • if this is not possible ensure you peg corners down FIRST and unpeg these LAST and get your guys on as soon as possible and leave them on for as long as possible
    • BUY YOU OWN EXTRA PEGS of various types and EXTRA spring loaded guy lines - and USE THEM!
      • one of the most common causes of wind gust damage occurs when your peg comes out and you lose your critical guy line support
      • the tent manufacturers will only supply basic requirements - they don't know what conditions you will use the tent in or what tent pegs you really will need, and they may not even supply guy lines or the extra pegs needed for the guy lines
      • use non-stretch guy lines without springs if guys attach directly to tent fabric as you want the wall as taut as possible to reduce wind force on the tent
      • if the guy rope is attached to or wrapped around a tent pole then consider using springs to reduce the sudden stresses
      • ensure you have good strong pegs for the ground type
        • if you have a larger touring 4-12P tent in sandy soils you will need large heavy duty pegs designed for sand, a sledge hammer and strong guy ropes with springs
        • if you have hard rocky or compacted clay riverine soils then a strong relatively short steel peg (with hammer) or a screw type may be the best (neither will go through a solid rock though and will struggle with a tree root!)
        • for sand or snow, deeply burying a dead-man anchor is probably your best bet for each line
      • in strong winds, use 2 or 3 pegs rope chained behind each other and place 5-20kg boulders on top of these chains
        • this will help prevent them coming loose
        • having vertically placed pegs behind each other and chained together is much stronger than double pegging with pegs angled 90deg to each other
        • take down awnings and ensure tent is zipped up in strong winds
      • if gaining strong pegging is likely to be difficult (eg. rocky alpine areas), choose a freestanding tent rather than a trekking pole tent (even though trekking poles are generally stronger than tent poles)
      • DON'T BE LAZY - ensure each guy line has its own peg
        • if you be lazy and put two guy lines onto one peg then you not only double the tension on the peg and increase risk of it pulling out but when it does pull out you lose two guy line supports and critical tent tautness which results in a rapidly cascading tent failure - that is bad planning risk!
    • tent fabric tensile strength
      • in general, the heavier the tent fabric the stronger it will be - hence there is a compromise when choosing ultra-light tents vs heavier alpine or car camping tents
      • ensure any tears have been repaired as these will become weak point
      • ensure the tent fabric is not in contact with a relatively sharp object which will tear it in the wind (eg. a sharp rock)
      • the longer that tent fabrics are exposed to UV rays, the quicker their tensile strength deteriorates, this is particularly the case after 200 days of UV exposures - protect them with tarps if possible or for ultralight ones, take them down each morning to reduce sun exposures
    • consider using double poles IF the tent is designed for this
      • adding a second pole through each sleeve takes extra time and means you have to carry more weight and can reduce likelihood of pole breakage HOWEVER it may mean the weakest point becomes the fabric or joins from fabric to poles and a torn tent is harder to repair than a broken pole
      • probably best not to do this if the tent is not designed for it
  • guylines help distribute the wind load, minimizing pole flex and fabric strain, which are the main failure points in wind - these are CRITICAL
  • if camping in sandy or dusty areas with winds, a full fabric inner tent to reduce dust in the air inside your tent will make your night more bearable
  • even if you have a strong aerodynamic wind resistant tent - tent peg failure can result in the tent being damaged and blown away
    • a strong wind gust can pull out even 18 strong pegs in one gust - they will need additional support such as boulders weighing 5-20kg each
    • see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVgeoYz3_AI for an example of a Nortent hot tent being suddenly blown away despite seemingly strong tent pegs - the last peg to come out appears to be the cause of the guy rope attachment ripping from the tent - also shows you should select a more sheltered camp site if strong winds expected and you should double or triple peg the windward guy lines for extra strength and potentially place boulders on the ties connecting the pegs - and don't open a door on the windward side!
  • for those with “4P” or larger wind resistant tents:
    • having a 4 season freestanding hike tent without its fly inside the larger tent solves several problems:
      • virtually eliminates wind chill from wind coming under the tent if the outer tent does not have a floor
      • is much quieter than an inner tent attached to the constantly moving outer tent
      • creates much more spacial separation from the outer tent than most supplied inner tents, so any inward movement of outer tent fabric or tent frame won't impact the inner tent
      • can provide better waterproofing and warmth than the mesh inner tents that are often provided
      • reduces dust, sand or debris entry into your sleeping pod
      • reduces condensation issues as it essentially makes the set up a double wall tent set up
      • avoids the need for a floor in the main tent and thus still allows the use of a stove (perhaps not when its windy though)
      • can be an emergency tent if the outer tent fails, especially if you brought the fly for it and it is a reasonably wind resistant tent in itself
  • floor or no floor in outer tent
    • an outer tent with a floor will have less wind chill, less dust/sand entry (as long as any mesh can be sealed), and also allow heavy rain to be more easily managed - as long as it doesn't leak!
    • a tent without a floor is lighter, less bulky, can be dried out more easily, and allows use of a stove more safely, and any rain coming through the stove jack hole or other leaks will just fall onto ground rather than running throughout the floor and wetting everything
  • a tent with a snow skirt or mud skirt will be very noisy in strong winds if these skirts cannot be pegged down or packed down with snow
  • strong winds can push open the zipper on many tent doors so bring something to secure the zipper closed

take a pole repair kit and a tent fabric repair kit

  • if a pole snaps, the tent becomes very compromised, a simple short metal tube that fits over the broken pole area can save the night for you
  • broken poles can easily result in torn tent fabric so a fabric patch repair kit is wise otherwise you will have rain coming in and the tear will get much larger with ongoing wind stresses

take extra care when setting up - this can be the most dangerous period for a tent in strong winds

  • wait for a lull in the wind before setting up
  • assemble the poles and double check each and every join is fully joined and leave on ground til needed (and double check joins again later when erecting the poles)
    • if poles are not fully joined, they will break in the wind
  • peg the tent as soon as taken from bag (usually starting in the middle and then at the windy end but for a teepee, you may need to use a string line of correct length from a central peg to guide where to peg it out)
    • failure to peg the tent ASAP will likely result in wind blowing tent away or damaging it against sharp objects like tree branches
  • if it is a fly first tent:
    • peg out the lower guy lines - this will provide much needed support for when tent fabric is raised and catches the wind
  • if fly or inner tent clips to the poles, construct the pole frame, then peg out the upper guy lines if possible then sequentially clip the fly to the poles from bottom up
  • if poles pass through a sleeve, do this by pushing (NEVER pull the poles through else they will come apart and cause much trouble) then erect the poles sequentially
  • if it is a single teepee centre pole, ensure all guy outs are guyed out so they can be quickly tightened when the pole is inserted and erected
  • continually adjust the guy line tension to optimise them without being overly taut
    • failure to do this may result in either:
      • poles bending or breaking
      • tent flying away
      • tent fabric blowing onto sharp objects (eg. tree branches) and tearing
  • ensure the poles are properly joined and secured
  • guy out any higher guy outs
  • then do any additional pegs as needed including potentially, double pegging each guy out
  • if you have an ultralight tent which will struggle to survive winds, set up a plow point tarp FIRST
    • you can the set up your tent or bivvy swag under the tarp with some wind protection
    • you will need a 3x3m or 2.4×3.6m tarp and a trekking pole or guy out to a tree

don't have a wood camp fire burning and ensure any fire is well extinguished with water

  • in Victoria during Fire Danger periods, it is illegal to have a camp fire if winds are > 10kph
  • strong winds are likely to:
    • re-ignite a partially put out camp fire
    • send burning embers around and these may impact your tent as well as causing bush fires

don't have a wood stove set up

  • strong winds are likely to bend the stove chimney pipes even if the chimney is guyed out
  • in fire danger periods, you are not allowed to have a solid fuel fire if winds are > 10kph due to risk of bush fires
  • even worse, if you are using the wood stove inside a tent and the tent fails, it may fall onto the stove resulting in a tent fire

take down any gazebos or awnings

  • strong wind events will destroy most camping gazebos and many car awnings

review any tarp shelters

  • if you need a tarp shelter, consider using an aerodynamic pitch such as plow point with the point facing into the wind
    • a plow point tarp shelter may provide extra wind protection for an ultralight hiking tent
  • strong winds are likely to pull out the eyelets of most tarps - consider attaching guy ropes in a more secure manner than using an eyelet

bring extra sleep aids

  • ear plugs or headphones for noise and dust
  • eye mask to help stop dust in eyes
  • consider a face mask to reduce breathing dust

bring a chain saw

  • you may need to clear fallen trees or branches to drive home
1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNsmWT0oIbQ
2) , 3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CcW6MwSWqY
australia/camping_strongwinds.1783065851.txt.gz · Last modified: 2026/07/03 08:04 by gary1
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