Single wall tents

[Elaikases]

I saw this and wondered if it was just a condensation disaster waiting to happen:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3BE2BK56C0ZUY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0036XJTPK#R3BE2BK56C0ZUY

Which was the reviewer's experience. Anyone know more?

[MuddyWaters]

Not when used for its intended use

Which is summit ascents....winter...snow...below freezing.

But fools abound

[GadgetOnTheTrail]

I am one of those fools abound mentioned that uses a single wall tent all four seasons. Condensation is a issue but there are tricks that can be done to increase ventilation and reduce the condensation. With that being said, I was never rained on by the moisture. A simple wipe down with a Buff always worked. If you are not sure about the single wall tent, I would not invest $400 on it. I use the Six Moons Lunar Solo. I really like the tent but there are more out there like it that are lighter and cheaper than the one you are asking about. Here is a quick video on the two Lunars available to give you an idea. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/_gOhLvfVMws

[bigcranky]

I am one of those fools abound mentioned that uses a single wall tent all four seasons.

Me too, but that particular tent is not designed for thru hiking. It's a high altitude mountaineering tent.

[MuddyWaters]

I am one of those fools abound mentioned that uses a single wall tent all four seasons. Condensation is a issue but there are tricks that can be done to increase ventilation and reduce the condensation. With that being said, I was never rained on by the moisture. A simple wipe down with a Buff always worked. If you are not sure about the single wall tent, I would not invest $400 on it. I use the Six Moons Lunar Solo. I really like the tent but there are more out there like it that are lighter and cheaper than the one you are asking about. Here is a quick video on the two Lunars available to give you an idea. Hope it helps! https://youtu.be/_gOhLvfVMws


Yer tent is a tarp tent. Waterproof canopy and netting, well ventillated for 3 season use

The black diamond tents have no mesh. The fabric isnt totally waterproof,dont need to be below freezing, its highly breatheable instead. You cant have mesh in a single season winter tent, it will let blowing snow in. Then youse gets wet and dies. These tents are for blowing snow, below freezing, above treeline conditions, on the move. Climbers. Not hikers on the AT.

The poor reviewer should have asked the salesman at REI for assistance....before purchasing because of light weight.

38466

[Ethesis]

Thanks for the clarification.

[BlackCloud]

I use the single wall Bibler Eldorado tent for winter camping. Bibler was bought out by Black Diamond. If it's not damn cold, the ceiling will be wet. If it's damn cold, the ceiling will be frozen.

For the AT I use Mountain Hardware's Waypoint tent. Not so much a single wall tent as it is a tent whose walls are made of tarp material, w/ netting along the edges. It can practically rain in there.

But boy the tents are light.

[colorado_rob]

I, too, own the bunker eldorado, great little tent on big high mountains, ridiculous overkill for an AT hike. Pretty sure the lowest elevation I've used my bibler is 14k in summer, 11k in winter, and have used it a lot over 17k in summer.

Single wall tents have their applications, much lighter ones especially, as do double wall.

[Tipi Walter]

If it's not damn cold, the ceiling will be wet. If it's damn cold, the ceiling will be frozen.



That about says it all. And true for all kinds of tent, even double wall, in the right conditions. Here's the best thing I've seen written on tent condensation---

QUOTE OF THE DAY
This is the best description of tent condensation I have seen and comes from Peter Clinch on an outdoorsmagic.com forum thread regarding tents---


"Is there anything that can alleviate such condensation (if that's what is was) apart from venting as much as possible?"


"It's easy, all you need to do is defy some fundamental laws of physics . . . There are times and conditions when you just can't stop it. If air is saturated with moisture, which it quite often is in persistent rain because there's so much moisture about, you've got lots of condensation potential. Cool things down by letting the sun set and you've got saturated air that often can't help but lose some of that water, and it comes out in the form of a fine mist over any good condensing surface, and a tent porch is an excellent one."


"Most of what venting a tent does is carry away excess moisture created by the inhabitants of the tent as people naturally give off a fair bit of moist air. But if the source of the moist air is just all the air that's around you anyway there's nothing much you can do about it. Which is why most inners are lightly (water) proofed, to deal with the condensation that you just won't ever be able to stop."

[cmoulder]

"Most of what venting a tent does is carry away excess moisture created by the inhabitants of the tent as people naturally give off a fair bit of moist air. But if the source of the moist air is just all the air that's around you anyway there's nothing much you can do about it. Which is why most inners are lightly (water) proofed, to deal with the condensation that you just won't ever be able to stop."

Not much more complicated than that.

Another term is "humidity differential" (or lack thereof) but it's the same thing... if the ambient humidity is very high there's absolutely nothing that will stop condensation. Might as well rage against gravity.

A few nights ago I was camped out with my MLD Duomid, pinned as close to the ground as I could get it and all zipped up except for the top vent. It was 4°F and very windy, so some air was getting under the edges, but not a bunch. But there were very few ice crystals on the interior of the tent because the ambient humidity was very low and a small amount of ventilation worked well. With high humidity and rain, I would have been soaked with misting from rain drops knocking off the interior condensate.

[Ethesis]

Good points.