No feeling is worse than climbing into your tent at for a midday nap and waking up dehydrated, bright red and sweating. Although “roughing it” can naturally get a little rough sometimes, there are some great methods to cool down your tent during any time of the day to promote your comfort.

From tent type, shading, covers and placement, we have some great tips for you to beat the heat and stay cool at the campsite.

Choose the Right Tent

The key to having a cool tent is picking out the right one in-store. While pup tents, nylon and polyester blends and minimal features may be cost-effective, they’re a recipe for a stifling sleeping place!

The key to a temperate tent is to choose a larger cabin style tent with plenty of windows. The mesh windows bring the air in, and a larger space helps the air circulate more easily. If you have the option, skip the nylon siding for a cotton tent. The fabric tends to be a little more expensive, but it makes up for it in the value of comfort. A great example of a tent with all these features is the Trek Tents 245c Cotton Canvas Cabin Tent.

Put Down a Ground Cover Between the Dirt and Your Tent

If your chosen tent doesn’t come with a ground cover, make sure to invest in one. A lot of tents will have a specific ground cover sized exactly to their tent, but a tarp can work really well for this is if you prefer not to spend the money. A ground cover will keep the floor of the tent cool instead of absorbing the heat from the ground that’s been baking in the sun!

Place Your Tent Facing the Wind

Placing your tent directly in the path of the wind will increase circulation in your tent and drop the degrees quickly. If licking your finger and holding it up doesn’t give you a great reading on the wind direction, you can invest in a wind direction indicator like this cool one from Cirrus. This spray device will immediately show you where the wind is heading, making set-up a literal breeze!

Make a Sunshade

If you’ve got a tarp and some rope, you can string up a sunshade over your tent between two trees. You may have to plan out placement at your campsite a little creatively for this, but it’s absolutely worth it. A sunshade will keep the noonday sun from beating down on the top of your tent and creating a furnace in your tent.

Invest in a Battery Operated Fan and Some Ice

This is one of our absolute favorite tricks, and sometimes the only way to get to sleep in a hot tent. Bring along a battery operated fan like this one , set it in your tent entrance, and place a bowl of ice in front of it. The fan will cool down the tent, and the icy air from the ice will speed up the process that much faster!