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G-FOURce
11-15-2012, 09:08
I am considering purchasing a Lightheart or Tarptent 2p shelter and was wondering if anyone ha experienced any condensation issues with any of their tents?

Rasty
11-15-2012, 10:14
I've had double wall tents and single wall tents. They all had some condesation. I have a Tarptent double rainbow and the interior will have some condesation but no more then my double wall tent.

Old Hiker
11-15-2012, 10:16
I've had condensation twice in my SoLong 6 - once when a cold front moved through with heavy t-storms - the ouside temp dropped 15 degrees while the inside of the tent was pretty warm. Second was during the FL summer with very high humidity overnight. Neither time was it bad enough to start dripping, except for the tail end of the t-storm. Even then, it was very small drippage.

solobip
11-15-2012, 12:12
I have the Lightheart Duo, Sil and have only experienced condensation once during a rather cold, very windy night where I had secured down both side flies. Ice crystals formed but were not anymore than should have been expected. Normally you keep the fly tied out, but I had staked them right to the tent to not parachute out and keep warmer.

G-FOURce
11-15-2012, 12:18
do you any of you find the condensation to be problematic when packing and unpacking the tent? i would think that since you're packing it up in the monring with condensation built up inside that the whole thing would be wet when you unpack it later for the next night's sleep. is this not the case? with a double walled tent. where the fly is separate, you can pack those two separately (i do) which keeps the condensation away from the tent ensuring it stays dry. when that happens, i will usually hang a line as soon as i establish a campsite and drape the fly over it to allow it to dry before putting it on the tent later.

Rocket Jones
11-15-2012, 12:27
I wipe the interior down with a bandana on the few occasions I've noticed condensation. You can also spread your tent out while you take a break during the day. It'll dry fast enough.

G-FOURce
11-15-2012, 12:29
hadnt thought about wiping it down. i could carry a pack towel and that would certainly justify it. thanks!

garlic08
11-15-2012, 13:54
A dry morning is cause for celebration when I use a single wall tent. Condensation is a fact of life, especially in the humid Eastern climate. Out West here, not so much.

Wiping down is an option if you want to take the time. Sometimes I use the distilled water to take a morning sponge bath. An advantage of single-wall tents is that they dry quickly in mid-day sun and a breeze, just minutes. That's usually what I do. If that doesn't happen, I wipe it down before getting in the next night. They don't carry much water weight.

I've found the best way to keep my tent dry is to not pitch it in dewy areas. On the AT, I chose high, dry ridges instead of valleys. You get nice views of morning fog below you that way, while enjoying your dry morning. You need to carry a little extra water to camp with, but on the AT that's never very far.

Cookerhiker
11-15-2012, 14:07
My hiking bud Northern Harrier has a 1p Tarptent and always complains of heavy condensation.

Megapixel
11-15-2012, 14:17
I have had a TT DR and a LG solo w/ awning and have found that venting in both cases is critical and both have experienced nearly identical condensation issues, which were at worst minimal. Both are great tents, and I have loved my person to person experience with Henry Shires and the gang when trying to decide on a tent.

FarmerChef
11-15-2012, 17:20
I have a single wall myog tarp and generally have condensation in colder times. It's never been enough to be a problem. When it happens we Just take the tarp out to dry later on. It dries fast as others have said.

Drybones
11-15-2012, 18:24
Condensation is the result of warmer air inside and colder air outside. The warmer it is inside the more it will condensate, dont care what type tent you use. The smaller the tent and less ventilation the warmer it will be inside which will cause more condensation. I have about 8 tents, the worse for condensation is an REI Quarterdome which I can barely fit inside, but it is warm. If I sleep in the 3-person BA I have little condensation but it's not as warm. With a two wall tent you'll have condensate on the fly to deal with, with a single wall the condensate is on the tent. IMO, it's easier for me to take a towel and wipe the condensate off the Tarptent DR than try to dry a rain fly...just personal preference.

G-FOURce
11-15-2012, 18:31
great information, everyone.... thanks!

staehpj1
11-16-2012, 10:05
I have used a single wall tent and usually had some condensation, but it was always manageable even on a trip where two of us slept in it for a month. The design of the tent (MSR Fling) helped some since there are gutters than allowed most of the condensation to go outside the tent. I usually did a quick wipe down in the morning.

Franco
11-16-2012, 19:38
This is what can (and does..) happen with two wall tents too :18121

(picture stolen from a tent review...)
As you can see the inner wall is full fabric yet the fly is coated underneath with condensation.
Often the user will be unaware, so the shelter could be packed up wet resulting in an heavier tent as well as a wet one when setting it up the next night.

G-FOURce
11-16-2012, 20:42
This is what can (and does..) happen with two wall tents too :18121

(picture stolen from a tent review...)
As you can see the inner wall is full fabric yet the fly is coated underneath with condensation.
Often the user will be unaware, so the shelter could be packed up wet resulting in an heavier tent as well as a wet one when setting it up the next night.

Yeah, i get that condensation will happen regardless of whether the tent is a single- or a double-wall design. I am just curious as to how much condensation I would experience in something like a Lightheart Duo with my son and I in there. We have a SD Lightning 2 so I know what to expect and how to remove the fly from the tent with only minimal transfer of moisture. I just like to be an informed consumer.

brooklynkayak
11-21-2012, 13:04
A little common sense can help with the condensation issue.

First thing is to NOT let condensation bother you. Expect to get a little wet in some situations, especially in wet environments or when camping near water.

Make sure you don't batten down the hatches to tight. Ventilation is key. I have seen people create their condensation problem by blocking vents in their tent for warmth, only to get drenched in condensation because of it.

There is nothing you can do in some situations. If it is near 100% humidity like on cool mornings in wet environments you will have dew on the inside and outside of your shelter, no matter what shelter, even an open tarp.

Silnylon and the standard polyester used in most tents will pack away wet, adding some weight to your pack. Take a break and unpack it when the sun comes out to dry.

Water does not cling very well to cuben and spinnaker and so will pack away dryer/lighter.

G-FOURce
11-21-2012, 19:33
...Water does not cling very well to cuben and spinnaker and so will pack away dryer/lighter.

If only cuben didnt require a second mortgage...

Tipi Walter
11-21-2012, 20:40
As Garlic08 says, condensation is a fact of life, especially in the Southeast and especially in the winter. I was out during the snowstorm of Halloween in late October during Hurricane Sandy and learned about the Two Forms of Tent Condensation---Zero day condensation and moving-every-day condensation. When you stay put in a blizzard for 3 or 4 days, in-tent condensation can be much worse than when you pack up and move every day. Try it and see. And get used to carrying a wet tent no matter what.

From my trip report on the subject of condensation---

MIDNIGHT CHORE
I get sick of the tent condensation and so I do a midnight chore at the end of Day 3.

** First thing is to stuff the bag into a stuff sac to keep it dry for the commotion coming next.
** Then I switch on the headlamp to high and don the boots and squeeze on the wet frozen North Face fleece gloves which become ice scrapers.
** Then I go out and remove all the snow drifted up on the windward side of the tent.
** I return to the front door of the inner tent, zip it closed and unhook the front 11 toggles and completely scrape off all the heavy ice from the inside of the kerlon fly (it's a Hilleberg tent). There's a bunch and it falls onto the zipped up canopy but is shaken off quickly and the canopy clipped back.
** I go out and unzip the back vestibule and do the same on the back ice fly. The canopy also needs to be scraped off as it has ice condensation.
** I shake off my clothing and socks before returning to the inner tent and get situated.

HILLEBERG CONDENSATION
Because the fly of a Hilleberg hugs the ground all the way aorund, there can be tremendous ice build up on the inside of the fly and the canopy under cold wet sleet or snowy conditions. Moving every day knocks it off when shook and rolled and stuffed and then re-erected as then all the fly ice falls off and the inner tent ice stays in a pile on the floor and easy to remove. But if ya don't move everyday you have to do what I just did and get rid of it. It's an irksome chore but the tent's gotta be defrosted like a clogged upright and uptight freezer.

THE SUN HITS HOME
Finally after 4 days I get direct sunlight on the wet mess that is the Hilleberg Keron tent. It's a wet leaking mess---does it matter if the moisture comes from outside water or inside frost and condensation? Nope, it's still dripping water onto the gear and the pad and the bag. This is especially and mostly true when you stay in the snow in basecamp mode for 4 or 5 days because as I said before when you pack up everyday and move and then set up 10 or 12 hours later you will have knocked off this condensation and frost and cleaned off the moisture by packing and re-erecting.

If you don't do this and stay put instead you'll find Hillebergs can on occasion and in the right conditions produce an ungodly amount of condensation. What's the answer? Move every day and hang out your wet bag to dry. The sun was out for 5 minutes but now it's gone. I'm about fed up with this wet tent. The perfect winter tent? Naw, the fly is a soaked mess and soaks the inside yellow inner canopy. These are the conditions which pulled me away from the smaller Hilleberg Staika.

TWO FACETS OF TENT CONDENSATION
There are 2 types of tent condensation problems encountered by backpackers and I'll list them. It's really simple.

OVERNIGHT CONDENSATION
This is the condensation that occurs for all backpackers at all campsites in any shelter type. In the morning or at midnight you either have it or you don't, you either wipe it off or stay asleep. If it's a cold winter night with snow and sleet, you could get alot of condensation or frost. In the morning at shove off you pack and roll up the tent and all this condensation gets rearranged, broken off and spread around. At the next camp you set up and shake off the empty shelter and then sponge out the floor if necessary. This system works great but only if you move everyday.

SECOND SCENARIO
Now pull your first night again but stay put for another 2 or 3 nights---pull a zero in other words. Remember how bad the condensation was on night 1? Now multiply that by 3 or 4 and you'll see what real condensation can do. Basecamping in the winter can be tough.

SOLUTION?
There's only one good solution in a windy blizzard---
** Pack up your in-tent gear.
** Pull the ice or water off the inside of the fly---easy to do on a Hilleberg. On a regular 2 wall tent remove the fly if possible and shake it off. If not possible go to step 2---sponge out the inner tent and wring it out and repeat. This will have to be done a couple times a day. Have fun.

Here in Iron Camp I have no condensation but zap the last 3 nights have been wet! But hey, so far this is my coldest night at around 20F. The plan tomorrow is to wait for the snow to melt some and take the South Fork back up to Cold Gap and the Bob, a climb of 2,000 feet.

Drybones
11-21-2012, 23:42
Yeah, i get that condensation will happen regardless of whether the tent is a single- or a double-wall design. I am just curious as to how much condensation I would experience in something like a Lightheart Duo with my son and I in there. .

It's more a function of environmental conditions than the tent you have. I've camped high with a breeze and had zero condensation, camped near a large waterfall with the same tent and it looked like rain inside, worth it tho, that waterfall was nice. Two people will warm the tent more than one, therefore more condensate if you dont have adequate ventilation.

Don H
11-22-2012, 09:09
hadnt thought about wiping it down. i could carry a pack towel and that would certainly justify it. thanks!

A bandana or small piece of ShamWow works well for this.

Packing up a tent with some condensation on it is no big deal, packing up a totally soaked tent in pouring rain is a PIA. You'll have plenty of opportunities to pack a soaked tent thru-hiking!

G-FOURce
11-22-2012, 10:21
A bandana or small piece of ShamWow works well for this.

Packing up a tent with some condensation on it is no big deal, packing up a totally soaked tent in pouring rain is a PIA. You'll have plenty of opportunities to pack a soaked tent thru-hiking!

no thru hike here. I think rain would be the only deal breaker for us. Condensation we can handle.... Hiking wet and cold or days in a UL2 wont work