How I Fight Condensation In a Tent or Car and What Causes It
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ต.ค. 2021
- We all hate condensation... well, it's actually a life saving feature of water but for our concerns, camping in a tent or in a car, it's no fun. Do you truly know how exactly it happens? By understanding why it occurs we can find ways to reduce it as much as we can. Here are my tips for reducing condensation, one you've probably never heard of before.
7:34 Straight to how to reduce condensation
I hope this helps all the future Appalachian Trail thru hikers and other outdoors people as they head out soon! Single wall tents aren't the monster some make it out to be if you work with them.
Disclaimer: I'm no chemist or such so I could be wrong so please read up for yourself to confirm the statements I make. These statements are from hours of research and years of experience in a tent and car.
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I was living in a car for the past 4 years until I lost my job in July and now I live in a tent, I thought it was rough before but now I’ve learned so much more, about to experience 30 degrees in a tent for the first time next week I hope my 2 20 degree rated sleeping bags will be enough for this winter
Sorry to hear that man, I'm living out of my vehicle as well. Hope you can find another job soon.
That is crazy the amount of ice inside tent and on sleeping bag, wow!! Looking for tips to keep it out of my 4Runner while sleeping in it.
Breath is 80-90% of human-generated moisture. Made wpb bivy with a poncho head-hole so breath never enters bivy. Tents are more challenging. If there's a way to sleep with head outside, it'll help. Clear-sky is another condensation challenge, because clear-sky is far colder than anything on earth. Sky radiates upon tent (or tarp/fly) and makes it a condensation magnet. The solution to sky-shine is to setup under foliage. Under a tree will always have less condensation than under clear-sky. Clouds also reduce sky-shine, as the extreme radiant cold arrives from deep-space. (more...)
Even though a cloud may be near freezing, deep-space is much colder. And that deep-space cold is what makes fly condensate.
Summarizing: 1) Keep head (exhale) out of body-wrap (bag/quilt/bivy). 2) Setup under foliage.
True that! ☝️
other ways are vapour barrier liners (in winter). they have to be a decent plastic tho, not nylon etc. you'd wear a baselayer, get inside the VBL, then inside the down bag, then have an outer synthetic quilt to shift the dew point to the outside of the synthetic bag (or even a mylar blanket, bivvy bag etc). works extremely well and keeps the down bag dry. Not only do you stay warmer (inverted dry suit), but, you keep critital boots and sleeping bags dry.
I like do that in my durstin xmid 1p silpoly without the inner in winter (in scotland). i did the west highland way in the summer and had extreme condensation due to camping at a river and in wet scotland and as long as i didnt touch the outer my mesh was fine since the fly walls are steep and the bathtub doesnt collect the outer fly water - so i think drainage is important for condensation (some flys sheet connect to bathtubs in a way that doesnt drain properly to the outside of the bathtub)
vbl source:
hands and feet VBL: th-cam.com/video/WpdLsd4fuG8/w-d-xo.html
sleeping bag vbl: th-cam.com/video/mTP1ZcPXn8Q/w-d-xo.html
Hey Jay this video was very helpful...thanks for putting this video out 👍 I've done 2 winter shake down hikes and on my last one used some of your tips...it made a huge difference to help combat the condensation! Had temps down to 23 and it snowed a bit overnight...keeping one vestibule door open and wearing a face covering really helped with the condensation. Safe travels on your way back to the states and as you begin your adventure.
Great explanations esp for beginners. I learned how important it is to avoid damp areas when I realized that after being on trail for so long, I could sense the changes in humidity in the air when I was getting close to a spring or small creek, even when I couldn’t see or hear water running. You can just tell where it is because of micro changes in temp and humidity. I sleep pretty cold to begin w and rely more on ventilation than anything….I rarely close a tent up at night, regardless of the temperature.
When I’m car camping in my SUV I rely on the eyebrow window guards….they keep rain from dripping in and you can keep the windows cracked even in a storm. I like being able hear what if anything is going on outside…and they keep others from realizing that the windows are slightly open. Fogged windows is a dead giveaway that someone is sleeping inside.
Keep up the videos Jay! Looking forward to your Thru Hike.
Great information.Thanks Jay. Looking forward to seeing you on the AT in March.
Helpful information with the cold weather approaching!
Great information! We kinda like sleeping cool to cold… thank you for sharing!🥾🥾⛺️
And.. the average adult emits over a full liter of water (as per Google) through respiration and perspiration per night.
Two other factors to stay away from- camp away from water sources, and keep wet clothes in the vestibule.
Totally helpful video 👍🏾 Greatly appreciated ✌🏾
Your comments about fog remind me that vegetation along the California coast depends partially on fog drip condensing on trees and bushes, then dripping into the ground.
Entire species of plants absorb most of its moisture from the air like the Spanish moss and old mans beard and various lichens along the west coast. Crazy plants. You can see what areas are extremely humid when you see huge clusters of them.
Thanks Jay. Great Info!
Good video with great tips👍
Really useful, thanks!
Great tips. Humidity. Ugh. The thing I hated most in the hundred mile wilderness (in Maine) was the humidity. Our clothes never dried out and I was putting on damp sweaty hiking clothes every morning. Agree with not putting on too much insulation right b4 going to sleep, and adding more insulation as needed as the nite progresses. A long time ago I learned the hard way by waking up in the middle of the nite with sweat soaked clothes in my down sleeping bag.
Waking up sweat soaked sounds bad all right especially if you start getting chills from it.
Yup. That was insult to injury. Good example of a self inflicted wound
Some car campers use bubble wrap on the inside of their windows and say that works to keep the condensation off the inside of the windows- especially the larger bubbles - not the small bubbles
I have some Stephens Warmlite vapor barrier clothing I wear when it's well below freezing. Your body reaches a moisture equilibrium sooner, so you actually sweat less. If you do sweat, it doesn't cool you by evaporating...because it's a vapor barrier. That leaves only your breath and your head releasing vapor. Your bag or quilt remains dry. Plus, it does not feel clammy at all.
I wear the shirt when it's in the low 20's or below. You can sweat to your heat's content and it won't wet out any other layers.
In the morning, I take off the shirt letting the sweat flash freeze. After that, you just shake off the frost and put it back on.
Bare chested is cold for those couple of minutes, but you can throw on a dry layer while it's freezing the being brushed off.
Counterintuitive, but highly functional. Works under a kayak drysuit too.However, it's not very effective near or above freezing.
Attach a Drier Vent Hose to a covid mask and place the other end up against the bug screen. :) It may not be as comfortable but you could reduce some with placing your head near up against the bug vent with vestibule roof folded back. So much more water vapor expels with exhale then through skin in general. The Gold Finger scenario of breathing through skin is not correct, but we do sweat in a few areas. You can regulate body temperature by how much opening your bag has, io how much leg sticks out assuming not subzero temperatures. So as long as your breath does not flow in under you sleeping bag cover, then I have to wonder if placing light cover of Dyneema might keep bag drier. I have used my Bivy sac outdoors with no problems of sleeping bag moisture. I have a cold running thyroid though also.
This is what I use to fight against condensation:
1. I dont use Dyneema Tents since I go over mountain parts alot.
2. Heating, Hot air absorbs more moisture (so If I can I might run a stove a bit specially before I put out electronics)
3. I do also sleep cold, but I use the armed forces layering technique I use a netting on colder nights and above merino wool 60 % 25 % polyester 13 %polyamide 2 % elastan. The quilt over it, maybe a sleeping liner too on cold nights, and (not on thruhikes) I use fjellduk xtrem that slips out condensation.
4. Inner Tent. The humid air passes trough the inner tent and leaves the area dry. In cloudy conditions too, though some might get in.
5. Ventilation. I leave the flaps for ventilation open.
hammockers tend to use a frost bib that hangs from the ridgeline and wraps around your neck. not really great for side sleeping ASK ME HOW I KNOW
🌵 I never even think about this stuff. Living in a desert. merino wool gator and shabob , good idea. As for the tent, in the winter, wouldn’t the frost be thicker if the tent is less insulated ?
Thanks for the awesome information in this video! What is the shemagh made of that you use And where did you get it?
Normally they're made of cotton.
I love using shemaghs, I’m interested in that marina wool one you had on another video. Who makes it, or where did you find it?
🙏🏼
@@donnydread7631 It's from a company called NorthxNorth. I'm liking it a lot so far. So warm and soft.
Thank you Jay for your explanations. Do you think that a piece of breathable fabric over the sleeping bag could avoid having moisture on the sleeping bag (the moisture would be on the fabric which is ok) ?
That could work. You'll have to make sure the fabric doesn't weigh too much though. I have 950 fill down and it is so soft if I lay anything on top of the quilt it'll compact the down some making it not as warm. As an exterior fabric becomes wet it would get heavier. Something to consider during a test.
@@JayWandersOut Thank you for your advice.
A little late to the discussion - I will be testing layering a silk liner (5oz) on top on my quilt in winter camping condition (20F). The idea is for the silk to wick up the moisture, and maybe I can wring the water out in the morning. Will see how it goes!
More 3-season tents need to come with condensation curtains or the ability to add one.
How about double layer fabric mask during sleep.
sleep cool. I don't want to but I'll definitely try it. Thanks for the advise. Also, what's that thing you put around your head? I didn't recognize the word you used for it.
Shabob or a wool gator works well
It's called a shemagh. Amazon sells a variety of wide quality but the consensus is you should wash them separately before using to bleed out the colors. I have a dark one for winter and light colored ones for summer.
@@JayWandersOut Thank you. I think I actually have one that I picked up in Egypt.
Doesn’t really combat it but helps if you have a tent that you can reverse the fly. If I can’t dry out my tent fly during the day I put it on inside out the next night. Wet side out. It dries overnight, then the next night I put it on correctly drying out the condensation again. Probably only works with free standing tents that are the same size on both sides. You can not use the inner attachment points so it only works in good weather. People that notice I have my fly on inside out probably get a good chuckle too.
@@hikingmovie That is actually a great idea.
They do make small portable dehumidifiers that you can hang up in a tent. Honestly sleeping cold is the best though I sleep so much deeper in the cold.
wisedry 2 x 500 Gram [2.2 lbs] Rechargeable Silica Gel Car Dehumidifier, Microwave Fast Reactivated Desiccant Packets Large for Safes Closet Basement Garage Storage Moisture Absorber Bag Reusable
you instantly editing out your original explanation with a more rehearsed version is very clever. It's that👉little bit of effort that should be rewarded, and thus, I shall grant upon thee with my subscription
tl;dr
he makes a good quality video, me sub!
Heej Jay good video ;) got a TH-cam tip for you, I think you already know it. if you make a time stamp in your description under the video. Leave away the Zero it will put chapters in your video automatically .
Example ►
Timestamps;
Jay Introduction : 0:00
Video Intro : 0:14
Jay talking about Dew point : 7:34
How to Avoid dew: 19:00
Thanks. My editing program adds chapters as well but I haven't gotten around to learning how to utilize it yet.
When the temp drops below the dew point that is when you get fog.
👍👍😊😊
For my home boys, I watched the video for you, thank me later
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wisedry 2 x 500 Gram [2.2 lbs] Rechargeable Silica Gel Car Dehumidifier, Microwave Fast Reactivated Desiccant Packets Large for Safes Closet Basement Garage Storage Moisture Absorber Bag Reusable
I carry 2 (1) pound bags with me . One is in my dry bag and the other is between the dry bag and everything else and at night one is hanging at the top of the tent and the other is on the floor next to me. Works pretty well.