Worst Weather
- Thread starter Tony
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Over 20 years ago on a family holiday in a trailer tent - the winds got up to Gale force 9. My parents stayed up all night literally holding the awning together. My sister and I slept through it. In the morning ours was the only tent still standing and 2 caravans had been blown over. Our awning had 2 small 3" rips. I had 2 very tired parents.
Sounds like when we first arrived in Saudi in the early days of Desert Shield. The first week or so wasn't bad from the heat as we actually were billeted in an air conditioned school building in Rhiad (though we only had two showers and a garden hose for 700 troops)
But after that we deployed to Al Jouf on an airport constructioon site. The only structures complete were the parking garage, the runway (the reason the site was selected) the control tower, and a mess facility for the construction crew. Some of the lucky ones got billeted in the construction crew quarters (trailers with AC) but the rest of us put up with the heat sleeping on the concrete of the parking garage. The absolute worst heat was in the latrine. The were sinple outhouse design and made of roofin tin (looked and felt kinda like the sweat boxes you see on movies about WWII POW camps) It got better by multiples when our equipment caught up with us and we set up our own tent city and latrines.
Worst civilian experience was one 4th of July we (my fiance's family and me) had decided to spend the weekend camped on one of Eglin AFB's campgrounds. we rented a ski bost from MWR during the day and watched the fireworks display from the base's beach that night. All went well until after the display was over. Then a thunderstorm blew in and as Tony described his adventure, the wind kept the tent flattened or waving wildly all night.
In the forests of Belgium near Louvain. Camping with the scouts in a Icelandic tent. The heavens opened up and it just didn't stop. We dug trenches around the tents to try to hold back the deluge. We had to abandon camp in the end and move into a hostel on site.
I went to a BCUK meet once and the sun came out. Was completely unprepared for such freak weather and really struggled with my kit 
Saudi wasn't so bad for me. It was terribly hot but I was being put up in a lovely hotel in Dammam. Biggest gripe was that they didn't have any cider!
Many years ago me and a mate went walking round the Duddon valley in the lake district we set up the tent(a vango force ten) did some day time walking got back to tent had a quick bite to eat then retired to the pub just as the weather was turning nasty(heavy rain and very windy) when we returned to the tent some hours and pints later the tent was'nt where we had left it(by now rain lashing down and wind blowing us all over the place, we found it about 20yrd away a sodden twisted mess on the soaking ground ( wed used that tent many many times no problems) we retrieved our wet sleeping bags from within and had a rather damp night in them sat in the car.
Tarp trip to lakes. Very wet and stormy winds. Hilleberg atko tents getting battered and me sleeping like a baby. Got hairy when I did wake up and saw the little tarp taking a hammering too. Not as bad as the atko's though!
Seriously horizontal stair rods rain that felt like hail. Cold to despite Summer. Was top of a hill so a bit stupid.
My only regret.... Well not tightening the guylines like I always do normally. First time I didn't because I was too toasty in my bag. Lesson learnt... Again!
Seriously horizontal stair rods rain that felt like hail. Cold to despite Summer. Was top of a hill so a bit stupid.
My only regret.... Well not tightening the guylines like I always do normally. First time I didn't because I was too toasty in my bag. Lesson learnt... Again!
Have had storms that wrecked tents 3x the price of mine or even more but my cheap 3 season tunnel tent took it all in its stride.
Camped in Hexham a few times on canoe weekends to find tent with ice on it and the joys of defrosting a rigid wetsuit by wearing it!!
Camped in Hexham a few times on canoe weekends to find tent with ice on it and the joys of defrosting a rigid wetsuit by wearing it!!
yorkshire 1986 no there is no chance of a hurricane in britian ,lets go camping. 4 days later hello hello hurricane charlie
Away in the tin tent with the family a couple of years ago in Thirsk, think it was easter time.
Gale force winds and heavy rain, eldest lad thrown off his top bunk as the awning had become a main sail.
Then me cutting said awning off from side of the van at half past 2 in the morning.
I really enjoyed it actually, a bit of excitement.
touched by nature
Gale force winds and heavy rain, eldest lad thrown off his top bunk as the awning had become a main sail.
Then me cutting said awning off from side of the van at half past 2 in the morning.
I really enjoyed it actually, a bit of excitement.
touched by nature
Once I went camping on a site at buttermere in the lakes. Lovely day when we got there considering it was late summer but a mini hurricane had been through a few hours earlier. The site was empty and the bins were full of broken tents. Seems it was only a thin swathe it hit but the damage was bad.
There was a couple of times when I still worked the woods that massive storms came in before I could justify heading off the hill to safety. It's quire a thrill making your way through lashing rain with trees thumping down all around you. Really heightens your senses as to what's happening where.
One of my lecturers at the forestry school had the misfortune to make his way back to his car as a storm approached, as he opened the boot to change his boots the car was struck by lightning and be woke up some distance from the car where he's been "blown". His feet were the most painful thing as the nails in his boots had melted with the lightning strike and burnt his feet.
I think one of the oddest weather things was at Loch Earn with Belzeebob23, we were camped out at the loch side, he had his Vaudé fully pitched and I'd gotten complacent and not put out most of the guys on my Hilleberg as it was a still night. All of a sudden with no warning a constant wind (not gusts) sprang up at a speed of about 40 - 50mph and lasted for about 7-8 mins. Then it dropped to a still night night again. Though with Bob and I looking at each other in bemusement whilst holding on to standing on various bits of kit, tents and tarps that had been blown about. Never seen or felt a wind like it, it was warm with hail in it and very strange.
One of my lecturers at the forestry school had the misfortune to make his way back to his car as a storm approached, as he opened the boot to change his boots the car was struck by lightning and be woke up some distance from the car where he's been "blown". His feet were the most painful thing as the nails in his boots had melted with the lightning strike and burnt his feet.
I think one of the oddest weather things was at Loch Earn with Belzeebob23, we were camped out at the loch side, he had his Vaudé fully pitched and I'd gotten complacent and not put out most of the guys on my Hilleberg as it was a still night. All of a sudden with no warning a constant wind (not gusts) sprang up at a speed of about 40 - 50mph and lasted for about 7-8 mins. Then it dropped to a still night night again. Though with Bob and I looking at each other in bemusement whilst holding on to standing on various bits of kit, tents and tarps that had been blown about. Never seen or felt a wind like it, it was warm with hail in it and very strange.
Biker
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Had one like that at a the Highwayman's Dick Turpin biker rally outside of Ashford in Kent in 1995.
It was a balmy June evening on the Friday night about 8pm perfect for chillin' out. Then people just seemed to stop what they were doing and looked to the West to see this rolling cloud front in the sky. It reminded me of the scene out of film Independence Day just before the huge spaceships bursts out of the clouds. In just a few short minutes a really REALLY strong wind whipped through the campsite turning order into chaos. No one got away unscathed, tents were uprooted and flung over the main road beside the field we were camped in. Yet once it had gone past an rather exciting 10 minutes later we were left blinking like Wile E Coyote wondering what the hell just happened.
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M
maxol
Guest
Had a fairly lively experience on a headland in Pembrokeshire last summer. 40 mph winds and horizontal rain creating a a sort of bow wave over our 10 year old Vango Equinox tunnel tent. The storm came in at about 4am and I was up trying to sort out pulled out guy lines from our cooking tarp.
What vexed me was that when a peg got wrenched out was that the entire length of the guy line would bunch itself into the most horrendous monkey fist type knot. Not fun to deal with.
What vexed me was that when a peg got wrenched out was that the entire length of the guy line would bunch itself into the most horrendous monkey fist type knot. Not fun to deal with.
Not camping, but outdoorsy none the less. I went sailing with me dad when I was younger, force 8-9, unfortunately we were going home and stright into it. We gave up trying to sail in it and the engine barely gave us enough power to move against the wind and water. Took 2-3 hours to get back up the river to the mooring, which on a pleasent windy day would take maybe 1/2 an hour. Good fun though, we were a way out and watching the weather comming in, and knew it was going to get bad, but keeping an eye on it meant we were ready and kitted out for it, rather than it hitting by surprise.
Another sailing experince, we'd been out for the day, came back moored up, thought we'd sleep in the cockpit. Big lighting storm came in and spent a night in wonder looking at lighting crashing down what seemed like very near. I remember thinking we were somewhere quite flat with a load of 40-60 ft metal poles sticking up into the air, and that got me worried abit, but my dad didn't seem very concerned so I just relaxed and watched a spectacular light show.
One camping related one, I went for a jolly for a month and a half. At one point it rained for 2 1/2 days, not particularly bad weather but I did get a bit fed up with everything being wet.
Anyway some interesting stories on this tread, makes me want to get out and go for a wander...
Another sailing experince, we'd been out for the day, came back moored up, thought we'd sleep in the cockpit. Big lighting storm came in and spent a night in wonder looking at lighting crashing down what seemed like very near. I remember thinking we were somewhere quite flat with a load of 40-60 ft metal poles sticking up into the air, and that got me worried abit, but my dad didn't seem very concerned so I just relaxed and watched a spectacular light show.
One camping related one, I went for a jolly for a month and a half. At one point it rained for 2 1/2 days, not particularly bad weather but I did get a bit fed up with everything being wet.
Anyway some interesting stories on this tread, makes me want to get out and go for a wander...
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