View Full Version : Is a Wet Sleeping Bag Inevitable
illininagel
07-11-2003, 00:45
Just returned from a brief backpacking trip to Wisconsin. I'm relatively tall (6'3"). As usual, my feet generally end up rubbing against the tent wall. When it rains (and sometimes even when it doesn't), my sleeping bag gets soaked around the feet.
I've tried various solutions, all of which seem to have disadvantages:
**I sometimes use a longer tent. It's not easy finding a long, lightweight tent.
**I also tried placing the bottom of my sleeping bag in a plastic bag. It works to a degree, but it causes the inside of the bag to get wet from condensation since it can't breathe properly.
Does anyone else have this problem? It's not so bad on short trips, but I was wondering how to handle this on a through hike if it were to rain several days in a row? Additionally, my tent gets very heavy when it is soaked.
Dirtyoldman
07-11-2003, 04:50
shorter legs?
ok seriously, use a tent with a two piece fly and make sure the fly doesnt contact the tent even with you in it. with a single wall tent your never going to escape this problem. Once the tent gets soaked theres not much you can do about it except wait for a sunny day. Waterproofing might help keep the nylon from absorbing water but I cant say which would actually work.
My first thought was perhaps you should consider switching to a sil nylon tarp and a bug bivy or bug net combination. The sil tarp does not absorb much water and often a good hard shake will leave it almost the same weight as if it were dry. Tarps come in all sizes and they almost always have excellent air flow / little condensation depending on how they are setup. A 10 by 10 sil tarp would weigh around a pound and will be very spacious even for two.
Ha! I could have written the post that began this thread almost word-for-word.
Youngblood
07-11-2003, 10:12
Well... sounds like you got the problem all figured out. Stay away from tents that taper at the rear that don't have a rear hoop to help with the volume at the foot end of the tent. Another thought is to use a 'foot sack' that is made out of a water-proof/breathable material.
gravityman
07-11-2003, 11:09
To eliminate the heavy, wet tent go with silnylon. It will absorb NO water.
Nylon is naturally hydrophilic, meaning that it will wick the water into its fibers, much like a paper towel. It is made waterproof by that urethane coating, but that is only on one side. The other side absorbs all the water that touches it. Also any small breach in the waterproofing (all the needle holes) will wick the water through. THat's why coated nylon tents are so hard to waterproof.
Silnylon is impregnated with silicon, which is hydrophobic. Water will always bead on this, and run off, and is never abosorbed. Small needle holes will also not attract the water. The nylon thread used to sew the tent will, but sealing it with silicon caulk will stop this. And it doesn't have to be prefect like with a coated nylon tent, because the water won't be wicked through the smallest defect. Since the treatment is not skin deep like the coated nylon, you are in much better shape.
As for the single walled tent comment, I disagree. We have a tent from wanderlust (the 2-4-2) which is a single wall silnylon. We went camping with it in Hawaii on the northshore of the Big island. They get over 100" of rain a year there, and it is humid like you wouldn't believe. Despite the heavy rain that night and the humidity, there was almost no condonsate on the inside of the tent. The single wall problem is only apparent if you don't have good ventilation. This is most evident in the mountaineering tents, as they are designed for high altitude, limited moisture in the air, and to keep the warm air in to some extent. The single walled tents made for regular camping can really beat this.
Get a wanderlust tent if you can afford it, and you can wait for it. You won't be sorry!
Gravity Man
steve hiker
07-11-2003, 12:08
Check out a tarptent (you can order a built-in floor):
http://www.tarptent.com/products.html
illininagel
07-11-2003, 12:31
Thanks for all of the good advice. It sounds like I could select a much better tent for the AT conditions. I think my current Sierra Designs tent was designed with the arid conditions of the Rocky Mountains in mind. It's a great tent for retaining warmth. But, the rain fly seems to get very wet and to hold condensation within the tent with higher humidity.
I've heard so many good things about the Wanderlust tents on this site. It seems like it might be a good idea for me to try one of those tents if I should ever give a thru-hike a try.
Thanks again...Illininagel
gravityman
07-11-2003, 14:35
Yes, we used the SD clipflashlight on our thru attempt. We dumped the body in Erwin, and just used the fly. We shoved the poles into the ground to put the rainfly on. You would think that would limit to where you could set up, but we never had a problem, ever.
I concur, this tent seems to condensate a lot. Try not to pull the rainfly down to the ground too close. This will help a lot. But when it is raining you get splashback, which is a stinker. The wanderlust tent has MUCH less condensate than this tent.
Note that the wanderlust tent is not for high wind environments. That's my only complaint so far. I have not tried guying it out though...
Gravity Man
Ha! I could have written the post that began this thread almost word-for-word.Me, too, except that I'm even taller.
This post revived IAW this request:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=50024
Phoenixdadeadhead
05-07-2009, 20:25
I have a Gortex Bivy so even if I do get water on it the sleeping bag stays dry. Best 10 dollars I ever spent lol
bigcranky
05-08-2009, 07:49
I have used several different Tarptents, and I still get the wet sleeping bag occasionally when there is heavy condensation inside the tent. It was significantly better with our new Double Rainbow, because it doesn't taper at the foot end the same way as the older design (Squall, etc.)
The thing is, this dampness has never been an issue even on longer hikes. In my experience, the only thing that gets wet is the shell fabric, which dries very quickly. Most days I will hang my sleeping bag in the sun in the morning or evening, to air it out and dry any damp areas. Even with several days of rain, it hasn't been a problem.
Darwin again
05-08-2009, 08:47
If your tent is condensing inside, you're not ventilating it enough.
Or try putting your pack at the end of the tent below your bag, laying on its' side. Works like a dam for your feet. This assumes you have some sort of frame on your pack. Or if you have a good breathable rain coat, put it on your bag, zip it up some, fold as needed.
skinewmexico
05-08-2009, 10:51
If you tent gets heavy when it gets wet, it sounds to me like you need to re-coat it with one of the DWR finishes from McNett, Nikwax or Grangers. And then get a bivy from Equinox or Titanium Goat (less than 7 oz.)
Berserker
05-08-2009, 12:38
If you are getting wet from contacting the tent wall then it sounds like you need a longer tent. I'm 6'-5" and have the same problem in shorter tents. I currently use one of 2 Tarptents (Squall or Double Rainbow) as my 3 season shelter, and they are more than adequate lengthwise. As far as the foot end of the sleeping bag getting wet, that may be inevitable even if you aren't touching the tent wall. I usually wake up with the foot end of my bag being noticably damp even though the rest of the bag is usually dry, and the foot end is never in contact with the tent walls. I think it has to do with sweating inside the bag.
mooseboy
05-08-2009, 13:04
All the suggestions here are good, and I also own the Clip Flashlight, which IMO is a terrific tent. Condensation is never much of a problem as long as you guy out the rainfly.
...But for my own two cents, a low-rent, quick solution to your problem could simply be to cover the foot of your sleeping bag in a Hefty trash bag. You might still get some dampness, but that should work, right?
you could also look at the golite adrenaline series sleeping bags. they have used pertex endurance fabric at the food and head of the bags to fix this exact problem.....
its like they designed it for you!
My sleeping bag never gets wet. I do prefer a synthetic bag to down, primarily because you can dry clothes in them. Even when I wear wet clothes to bed, I wake up warm and dry. ;)
Analogman
05-08-2009, 18:30
shorter legs?
ok seriously, use a tent with a two piece fly and make sure the fly doesnt contact the tent even with you in it. with a single wall tent your never going to escape this problem. Once the tent gets soaked theres not much you can do about it except wait for a sunny day. Waterproofing might help keep the nylon from absorbing water but I cant say which would actually work.
If you can keep your bag from touching the wet fly, you won't get wet.
sheepdog
05-08-2009, 20:18
Does your sleeping bag have to get wet??
Depends
http://www.hdis.com/images/products/dpu2_.jpg (http://www.hdis.com/itemdetail.asp?id=1962)
Does your sleeping bag have to get wet??
Depends
http://www.hdis.com/images/products/dpu2_.jpg (http://www.hdis.com/itemdetail.asp?id=1962)You rebel!!!! :eek: :p :D
sheepdog
05-08-2009, 22:01
You rebel!!!! :eek: :p :D
a rebel without a clue ;)