Our all-time most effective rain dance was packing up (in Michigan) with a tent and gear, for a trip East: Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Scarborough Maine, Ormstown Quebec, and past Toronto to home. We've survived everything short of a tornado or hurricane any number of times in a tent. On the first night of that trip, we abandoned the tent during the night for the first time ever. We never got a chance to pitch the tent again the entire trip.