How do you "air out" your camping gear?

[taubel]

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I thought I'd ask anyway! How do you air out/prepare your camping gear for the camping season?

We are going camping this weekend, and our stuff has been in our basement all winter.

Our Thermarest camping mats did have some mildew on them. They are currently out in the sun. How long can they be in the sun? I don't want them to deteriorate, but I also want to kill the mildew without having to use any chemicals (or put in much effort, I must admit).

I also have our sleeping bags opened up in the backyard.

Not sure what to do with the tent. I feel that I should at least open it up and drape it over the fence to check things out. But it's a huge cabin tent and not easy to maneuver on my own.

Just looking for ideas - thanks!

[MJB]

Well, I'll tell you what NOT to do-- set up the tent in the backyard to air out and then let the kids play in it. Two of our three tent poles got broken in 2 days of airing out our tent.
I think it's a good idea to set it up and air it out (obviously) but keep the kids out!

[taubel]

I do try to keep them out of the tent and off of the stuff while it's airing out. Not easy to do, of course! Too bad about your tent poles.

[Earthy Mama]

Well, whatever you do, don't do like we did-wait until you're at the campsite to realize everything was gross!!

[LaughingHyena]

Our sleeping bags and thermarests get used pretty often so I don;t air them out before we go. They do get a day in the sun when we come back though. I would think longer in the sun is better than risking mildew. I would also brush them with a softish brush to try and get it all off.

The tent I will unroll and check before we go but again I don't air it out. It does get checked again and possibly thrown over the washing line for a day or so when we get back to make sure it is really dry.

I agree with the PP who said check everything before you go. There are few things worse than getting to the camp site and finding your tent has rotted over the winter. I have done this the hard way, though fortunately before having kids.

[ollyoxenfree]

I don't like musty smells and I'm a little paranoid about breathing mold, so I air everything as thoroughly as possible.

Tent - We usually set it up to check it out for wear and tear and to make sure we have all the poles etc., if we haven't used it in awhile.

Sleeping bags - I hang them in a spare closet. They get used often for sleepovers, so they aren't too bad. I like to air them on a clothesline in the sun occasionally.

Thermarests - I would clean off any mildew as much as I could. I think oil of cloves is supposed to be good for combatting mildew. Then I'd bake them in the sun until I was sure they were cleaned up. The thought of sleeping on mold and breathing it in all night gives me the shivers.