Pitch a Tent in the Rain
Keep the inner dry when the sky is already open — fly first, inner last. Same discipline as a field bivi.
A wet inner at dusk is a hypothermia problem, not a comfort problem. Do not unpack the inner until the rainfly is taut overhead.
Required gear
Pick drainable ground
Choose a slight rise, never a hollow. Face the door downwind. Clear sticks that will puncture the floor. If water already sheets across the pad, move — do not fight a creek.
Groundsheet, then fly
Lay the footprint or a folded tarp. Stake the rainfly or pitch it as a porch first. Keep the inner stuffed in its bag under the fly or in a vestibule — infantry rule: shelter skin before sleeping system.
Required gear
Tension the skin
Raise poles, guy the corners, and pull the fly taut so rain sheets off instead of pooling. Leave a fist of air between fly and inner once it is hung.
Required gear
Hang the inner last
Clip or hang the inner under the dry fly. Toss pads and bags in only after the floor is dry. Keep wet shells in the vestibule, not on sleeping gear.
Required gear
Manage runoff
Dig a shallow ditch only if soil and local rules allow. Otherwise build a low berm of duff on the uphill side. Recheck guy lines after the first heavy burst — wet cord stretches.
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