Please help clarify this misting issue.

[msumax1985]

Background: Noob leaving 3/23/13, NOBO, Springer to Hot Springs section. My gear list is done and acquired. But my 5lb tent practically jumped off the page screaming at me, "I'm too heavy"! I'm just under 20lb base weight. A Tarptent would reduce that to just under 17lbs. So I sold the tent and really dug into the Tarptent reasearch. Now I'm totally confused having read all the reports about misting issues.


Question: Don't all tents/tarps have misting and condensation issues? You simply don't notice it in a tent because there is a second layer seperating you from the mist/condensation? Am I accurate, or way off?


I've read many of the prior threads about how Tarptent only uses 1200mm silicone, and how that isn't enough. But it appears several regular tents use something similar. Why is misting/condensation not an issue in a Big Agnes Fly Creek or Copper Spur, for example?


I'm price sensitive, so the $199 Tarptent Contrail seems like my perfect choice. But this misting issue now has me paranoid about what to buy.

[Rasty]

I have a tarptent double rainbow. It does get some condensation on the inside. I use a small towel to wipe it down in the morning and try not to rub my head against it unless I need a little water to comb my hair. The only time so far that I had trouble was in a 30 to 40 mph wind. The condensation was being slapped off and kept hitting me in the head. It wasn't a big issue and nothing got wet. Maybe a couple of ounces of water came off in a three hour wind storm.

[bigcranky]

Yes, you are correct, all tents suffer from condensation -- it's just that it's more noticeable on some than on others.

My personal preference is for single wall shelters made from sil nylon. It's not expensive, easy to repair, fairly light, and there is a wide choice of well-designed shelters available on the market. Thousands of hikers have successfully hiked hundreds of thousands of cumulative miles using Tarptents, and Six Moons Designs tents, and Wanderlust/Lightheart tents.

There are tradeoffs, as with any piece of gear. In really heavy rain, I have had some water "mist" through the fabric of a Tarptent brand shelter. In really really really heavy rain -- think Noah here -- it was a problem. But that was one night out of hundreds for me, and while that Double Rainbow is no longer in the gear closet, I still happily use a Tarptent Moment for solo hiking. (The DR was traded for an SMD Lunar Duo for interior space reasons.)

The Contrail is a nice tent. I've used two Tarptents with a similar design - the Squall and the Rainshadow - and I find that I prefer to have the door on the long edge of the tent, rather than at my head. It just makes it easier for me to get in and out, and see out the door. So I'd get a Moment or a Notch for solo use right now.

Good luck with your hike.

[Slo-go'en]

Any single wall tent will have condensation on the inside. How much depends on a number of factors. You expell a lot of mosture just by breathing and that mosture tends to condense on the walls of the tent. Good ventilation will reduce this. Outside air temp and dew point is a big factor. Tenting in grassy areas or near lakes or ponds will cause the tent to get wet from dew.

[Tinker]

Background: Noob leaving 3/23/13, NOBO, Springer to Hot Springs section. My gear list is done and acquired. But my 5lb tent practically jumped off the page screaming at me, "I'm too heavy"! I'm just under 20lb base weight. A Tarptent would reduce that to just under 17lbs. So I sold the tent and really dug into the Tarptent reasearch. Now I'm totally confused having read all the reports about misting issues.


Question: Don't all tents/tarps have misting and condensation issues? You simply don't notice it in a tent because there is a second layer seperating you from the mist/condensation? Am I accurate, or way off?


I've read many of the prior threads about how Tarptent only uses 1200mm silicone, and how that isn't enough. But it appears several regular tents use something similar. Why is misting/condensation not an issue in a Big Agnes Fly Creek or Copper Spur, for example?


I'm price sensitive, so the $199 Tarptent Contrail seems like my perfect choice. But this misting issue now has me paranoid about what to buy.

It's my personal feeling that many people misidentify misting as rain coming through the tent canopy. I firmly believe that most, if not all the mist comes from condensation on the underside of the canopy being knocked off onto the occupants by raindrops hitting the topside of the canopy. It may be necessary to wipe down the ceiling more often in rainy conditions to minimize this, and, yes, having a layer of breathable, vapor permeable nylon between you and the underside of the canopy (or fly, as is more often the case) makes all the difference in the world as it will intercept the mist and wick it into the nylon fabric. The downside is that you will be carrying more weight, wet or dry. The upside is that, on a dry night you can set up the inner tent of a typical tent-plus-fly and not have to worry about condensation (just fog, mist, and dew ).

[DeerPath]

I have a New SIX MOONS LUNAR SOLO. Sleep in one night, you can have for $200., I'll pay shipping. If interested send PM.

[Drybones]

Any tent, double or single wall will have condensation if the environment is right for it. I have several double wall tents and have the Tarptent Notch and Double rainbow and like them both. You are correct about the misting, it's on both single and double. I road out some heavy rain this spring in the Notch but had no real issues with misting, had a little one night when large heavy drops hit the tent and vapoized the condensation on the ceiling but it was minimal and did not create an issue for me, nothing felt wet when I packed in the morning

[Franco]

msumax
watch this video :

might give you a better idea.
BTW, the trick with the Contrail is to learn how to set it up correctly.
Take a look at some of my clips on it at the francodarioli YouTube chanell

[garlic08]

Ditto what everyone else has said. I've got over 6000 trail miles and 5000 bicycle miles on my first Contrail, over six seasons, including an AT thru, and have experienced misting exactly one time. It's not that big an issue. You'd have to pry my Contrail out of my cold, dead hands. I hope you enjoy yours if you get one. Lots of good choices out there. Listen to Franco about learning how to pitch it--I think I get better at it every time.

[Don H]

I have a SMD Lunar Solo and a Tarptent Rainbow they both mist and get condensation inside at times. It's no big deal, just a few drops of water.

I agree with Tinker that when it rains the most of the fine mist you might feel is condensation on the inside getting knocked off by the rain drops hitting the outside of the tent. If it bothers you carry a 1/4 piece of a ShamWow to wipe it down.

[rusty bumper]

I carry a Tarptent Moment. On my AT hike I experienced misting several times during heavy rainstorms and it was no big deal. As others have said, I think it was the condensed moisture on the inside of the tent walls that was being knocked off into a very fine mist by the raindrops pelting the outside of the tent. I also experienced condensation on occasion depending on the wind, humidity and outside temperature. That never bothered me. I usually just rolled up the tent in the morning with a wet inside and then when I put it up that evening, it dried out very quickly. On days where it was still humid in the evening, I just wiped down the inside with a small nano micro towel and then crawled in for the night. I also got in the habit of putting on my hat first thing in the morning when I sat up....that way I avoided that unpleasant feeling of a cold wet tent wall rubbing against my bald head!

[Wise Old Owl]

In normal Sleep the average human expires 7 ounces of moisture and sweat per night.. hmmm smaller tent = Misting.

[WingedMonkey]

In normal Sleep the average human expires 7 ounces of moisture and sweat per night.. hmmm smaller tent = Misting.

And much more by those that consume alcohol before passing out...hmm I mean before bedtime.

[msumax1985]

Thanks for all the input, everyone.

Franco, appreciate all your videos. I think I narrowed it down to the Contrail or Moment. Which one is roomier inside? Or are they about the same? I prefer using the trekking pole and saving weight of the Moment's pole. But it's really not that much more weight, and the Moment appears to be larger from watching the videos. Is the Moment better in wind and rain?

[Franco]

msumaxWhen I first started to use the Moment I thought that I would never use the Contrail again, but I have..
I am 5'8" 155 lbs and only 57 so I fit inside most shelters no problem at all.
The Contrail has more floor space , in fact you can put two std 20" mats inside there, however some don't like the front entry and or the fact that you sit up against the front door not in the middle.
This is mostly a habit that some cannot overcome not really a big deal for me.
(BTW you can use two poles in an inverted V fashion with the Contrail so you don't have one in your way)
So the advantages of the Contrail are the wider floor, smaller weight and size when packed and better suited if taller than 6' or so because your mouth will be far away from the fabric when asleep. (a 6'5" can fit inside there...)
If you have seen my videos you should know how I handle strong rain and winds with the Contrail (extra rear strut and front guyline in use)


The Moment is about the easiest shelter to set up that I know of.
So ,fast and easy , two stakes in fair weather 4 or 6 in rough conditions (2 on the main pole 2 extra mid fly in conjunction with trekking poles at the end also if really bad)
You can also turn it into a freestanding tent with the cross pole and add a "liner" that gives you a partial two wall shelter.
I don't use the liner nor the extra pole because it works well for me without them. (apart from the extra pole on snow...)


The downside is that if you are over 6' tall and sleep on a thick mat ,when there is little air flow you will likely get a lot of condensation from your own breath as you do with other similarly shaped shelters.

[skinewmexico]

You can always spray it with that silicone spray you get at Walmart, that will stop the misting. Won't stop the condensation.

[Del Q]

I have been in some really nasty storms in my Tarptent................did it "mist", yes. Still protected me and did the job.

Not bad enough that my sleeping bag was ever soaked.

Switched to a carbon fiber tent this Fall, much happier with that fabric. Saved 2 years for that new gear.

[stranger]

Regardless on what shelter you have, condensation will occur. Single wall tents produce no more condensation than double wall shelters - this is a myth. The key difference is 'where' the condensation is located and how 'exposed' the tent occupant is to the condensation.

On a single wall shelter, the user is more likely to notice the condensation and be affected by it because there is no barrier between the moisture and the person. I personally believe this, combined with rain pelting the other side of the tent is what people refer to as 'misting'. It happens on other shelters, but people don't notice it.

Lightheart tents have never been accused of misting to my knowledge, they are also double wall : )

Six Moon Designs have been known to mist, at least the single wall models....hmmmmm?

Regardless, for some reason Tarptent does get more complaints about misting, but I also think this is probably due to their popularity on the trail. More tents, more complaints. Perhaps not.

[q-tip]

My Contrail is not too bad, but in a multi-day storm-both tents mist -the Wild Oasis tarp is terrible with misting-when the bottom mesh gets wet-there is no air flow so the misting gets very bad.

Just a suggestion-I have put Silicone on both my single wall tents and it works great-see pics....

One last thought-sil nylon tents are meant to be set up so the nylon is stretched tight and taught. This will help some of the water literally bounce off the tent surface-hence taking longer for any wetting out.

One more last thought-if I pack the tent wet, they both take about 10 minutes in the sun to fully dry--love that.....