Though cooking outdoors is more than a joy for campers, the rain can dampen the experience if you’re not prepared.
I had a really bad experience of cooking in my first rainny day camping and I was alone. Muddy floor, wet firewood and blowing rain drained all my energy.
And, I don’t want fellow campers suffer the same, so I have curated key tips to cook in the rain while camping comfortably.
1. Choose the Right Campsite Location
Whenever you’re stuck in the rain during your camping trip, you need to find a safe place. This can be anything from elevated terrain to a rocky cave.
The campsite should avoid a water pool and landslides.
Heavy rainfall often turns flood-prone areas, especially in the forest. So, seek slightly sloped and high ground for camping.
I don’t recommend setting up a tent near a river or a lake. It’s not fun to wake up in the morning in 3 inches of water during a downpour.
Also, storms and winds can cause trouble, as can floods.
You should look for natural windbreaks and tree cover, but don’t go under dead branches.
To skip these, I often take the overhang cliff in the hilly areas. This helps me use fewer resources to light a fire and cook comfortably.
2. Invest in a Good Rain Shelter or Tarp Setup
If you’re heading to camp during monsoon season, make sure you have the right gear.
I recommend you pack out a large tarp, canopy, or camping gazebo with other essentials including tent. You never know when they are needed the most.
While a tent shelters you for sleep, and you spend the night, a tarp creates an outdoor living room.
String up a tarp above the camping tent. It accommodates enough space for a small fireplace and cooking. There you can set up chairs, hang lights, brew a nice coffee, or prepare a snack for yourself.
After that, you can play music or start a game.
When setting up the tarp, you have plenty of options to stake the ropes: on the ground, wrapping around the trees (for better height), and tying knots on one side to the vehicle.
Both sides should be slanting and middle like a gable roof so that rain flows down smoothly.
3. Use a Camping Stove Instead of an Open Fire
It’s more than foolish to start an open fire or campfire under a tarp or any temporary canopy when it’s raining outdoors.
Open fires are inefficient or dangerous in the rain. First, the woods will get wet and won’t feel dry to catch fire shortly. If you can successfully ignite the fire, you don’t have much control over the heating of the campfire.
If the wind breaks out suddenly, the fire has the maximum chance of harming the tarp or tent nearby.
So, you need to use a camping stove instead.
You need not worry about wet woods or anything related to uncontrollable fire. Stoves come with additional fuel, an adjustable heat controller, and a burner.
They work well in wet conditions (butane/propane). Their wind-resistant features help the stoves help you cook food in extreme conditions.
But make sure you have good ventilation under tarps.
4. Create a Waterproof Cooking Kit
A single monsoon camper needs a cooking kit that includes a pan, cutting boards, trivets, bowls, a spatula, and sporks.
Besides, you require stoves and a fuel cylinder.
To protect them from a wet climate, you need to organize and store them safely. Dry boxes, zip-locks, and roll-top dry bags are suitable for this.
Most importantly, wet lighter or matchsticks are a problem for cooking in the rain.
So, you can keep matches, spices, and small utensils in separate dry kits.
Always keep the stove, fuel, and cooking essentials in one place so that you do not need to rush to your backpack to get them while cooking in the rain.
5. Pack Pre-Chopped and Pre-Marinated Meals
You don’t have much time to chop food ingredients while cooking in the rain. For this, you can chop all the vegetables at home and pack them out so that you only need to cook at the campsite.
I often bring prechopped onions, potatoes, and other veggies that don’t spoil easily.
Make sure to store the items in vacuum-sealed bags, containers, or dry bags.
You can also marinate meat or fish, or mix ingredients to reduce rainy-time cooking effort. You can prepare some dishes such as Breakfast Burritos, French Toast Casserole, and Baked Egg Muffins.
You only need to heat or warm them at the campsite.
In this case, I always carry no-cook meals for snacks and dinners. My favorites include Cereal or Overnight Oats, and Hummus, pita bread, and fresh veggies.
Besides, consider meals that are easy to reheat or cook quickly.
6. Pack out Waterproof Fire Starters
To ignite fire properly on a rainy day, you will need waterproof matchsticks, lighters, and firestarter cubes.
In fact, you can make DIY waterproof fire starters at home.
- Cotton Balls in Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly: Hold a cotton ball and work vaseline or petroleum jelly into it. Then, place in the ziplock bag or an airtight container.
- Sawdust or Shredded Paper Cupcakes: Take a cupcake and place a spoonful of sawdust or pieces of shredded paper into the molds. Now, pour melted wax into the cupcake molds until the all the content submerge into it. Let the wax dry and set.
- Corks Soaked in Rubbing Alcohol: Place as many corks as possible in the airtight container and pour rubbing alcohol half of the container. Put the lid of container tightly and shake it so that all corks inside soacked in liquid. You can take one cork whenever you need it to start fire.
If have an emergency situation, you need to collect dry twigs or find dry wood even in wet conditions under the logs or bark.
7. Set Up a Rain-Friendly Cooking Station
Now, it’s the main idea to disclose.
If you’ve already set up the tarp in the rain, bravo! Now, you need to organize only a few things to make a perfect cooking station.
Place the foldable tables and put the stove on it. A pair of chairs is nice idea to organize cooking essentials.
If there are no chairs don’t worry, get stove stands and set the cylinder. Make sure that the cooking station should be in elevated place to avoid puddles and mud.
Anyway, gather all the gear and food ingredients before you start cooking. Arrange them so that the one that comes first is in a row.
Also, keep a trash bag and a water station.
For a water station, you can use a jug with a spigot, a bungee cord, and tie it to the picnic table. Place biodegradable soap and a paper towel.
8. Wear Rain-Resistant Clothing While Cooking
I love enjoying getting warm around the fire in a cold environment and a wet climate.
And being adventurer doesn’t mean you should struggle in camping in the rain. First, you need to stay dry yourself to remain active and healthy for the further camping in the rain.
In extreme weather, slanted rain or blowing rain might require more effort.
This makes it hard for you to cook in the same position. So, you need to wear breathable rain jackets, waterproof gloves, and quick-dry fabrics.
They help you avoid rainfall and keep you warm inside.
Also, waterproof clothing can be a lifesaver if the rain persists.
9. Keep Clean-Up Simple and Fast
When it comes to cleaning the campsite and hygiene ideas, a wet environment is a hindrance.
You might find it hard to manage many camping discharges, such as greywater and trash, when it is still raining.
So, I suggest you use soap and dishwasher. If it is, then you can disperse the water used for washing and cooking foods, in the bushes. But water should not contain any edible remaining.
Besides, you can bring biodegradable wipes, paper towels, and portable dish tubs.
This helps you leave the eco friendly items near the campsite if not possible to pack out to sanitary station.
10. Prepare One-Pot and Foil Packet Meals
I love this idea.
You cannot cook several recipes in multiple container if it is raining cats and dogs. So, one pot meal is great to cook in the rain while camping.
Sausage and Tortellini Soup, One Pot Chili Mac, and Dutch Oven Chicken Marbella are some great one-pot meal ideas.
While cooking in a single pot, it is easy to reduce cleanup and simplify cooking in the rain.
If not, foil packet meals can be a great alternative to one-pot cooking.
In fact, you don’t need anything than placing the packets on the live coal or stove and flip the sides frequently. As you have already inserted the ingredients in the aluminum foil back at home.
You can start with some recipes such as Poblano-Potato Bundles, Pork Tenderloin Dinner, and Grilled Peppers and Zucchini.
One pot and foil packet meals not only help you avoid trouble in cooking in the rain but also take less gas or fire.
Final Thoughts
It’s an unpredictable camping journey, especially in the monsoon or extreme weather.
But you should not fear the rain, as it also brings many fun and adventurous experiences. It’s all about preparation and mindset.
And cooking in the rain can be enjoyable with the right gear and systems in place.
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