Sleeping dry on the tundra

[LarryB]

Will be caribou hunting, hiking in past the 5 mile mark, and camping on the tundra for the first time this fall.
How do y'all stay dry while sleeping in the tundra in a tent?
I won't be using a floorless tipi style tent.
Do you sleep on the tent floor? Are tents truly waterproof enough to stay dry doing this?
I know staying dry on the tundra day and night is important for comfort and safety so want to make sure I'm prepared.

 

[AKM]

Tents are fine on the tundra. I’ve slept in tents and under just a rain fly. The dew or rain is the killer. A rain fly with a ground tarp was plenty to keep us dry and comfortable. Putting down duff or spruce boughs kept the floor ok as well.

 

[rogeti]

All i can say that was one of the worst nights of sleep I have ever got. Maybe it was the sow grizzly and 2 cubs we saw an hour before going to bed 400 yards from the tent. Or it was the fact the only flat level ground was either on rock next to the lake or a marshy area we slept in and the cold from the water froze me.

 

[sniper61]

Ground cloth like tyfac and an inflatable sleeping pad . I'm a lot older now and went to a ultralight cot.

 

[LarryB]

Ground cloth like tyfac and an inflatable sleeping pad . I'm a lot older now and went to a ultralight cot.

Great idea. Thank you.

 

[diamond10x]

Just don’t set up shop on a body of water and you’ll stay dry, it’s no different than camping anywhere else.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Don't pick tussock patches for a site. If the tussock heads are calf high, moisture likely lurks in the saddles. High ground or highest elevation within sight are usually driest, lowest will likely have moisture.

No ground cloth for me but definitely an inflatable mattress (Big Agnes 2.5" is the shiz)

Embrace the suck, it's temporary and necessary.

 

[keithw_007]

Sleeping pad with r5 or greater, flat ground is tuff to find but it is out there. Plenty of other items out there to make your body hurt, so spend some extra time to finding a good spot.

 

[Geewhiz]

I am curious to hear from guys who hunted the north slope this year and previous years and how the ground saturation this year compared to previous years. I didn't take a single step in the tundra that wasn't wet and if I stood in the same place for more than 30 seconds the laces of my boots were under water. I did 40+ miles on the tundra and it was like this everywhere I went.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Oh yea Gee, all across the northern region permafrost is thawing underneath the last four years of El-Nino moisture at surprising rates. The warm moisture saturates the ground layer and then pools atop the ice layer not far beneath the surface. I agree, the tundra has been wetter the past few years, not just along the road corridor.