Holy Condensation

I did a condensation check on my Tarptent Moment, and good grief it built up moisture in the wet humid night here in Tennessee. In all fairness, I covered all of the vents and had the fly all the way down because I wanted to see how much build up of moisture in this humidity with maximum coverage. When I checked it, the tarp was completely soaked outside and inside, but the bug net remained moisture free and floor wasn't wet on inside. I may have to get used to packing the rainfly separately from the tent body so the rainfly dry out in one of exterior pockets of my packs, or pack a micro fleece towel..

Did you pitch on wet ground or near a water course? I pitched my floorless Squall above a lake outlet a few years ago, maybe 40' above and 100' or more from water, had high condensation on the inside. The high end is all mesh, had the beak pulled back too I believe.
Duane

Ground was wet from the rain, then after I set it up it rain some more.

Ventilation is important! Any tent closed up tight will quickly become a sauna! There is rarely, if ever, a need to do that.

I once had a double wall tent (from Sierra Designs) that had to be closed up tight in the merest drizzle. Otherwise the rain came through the outward slanting screen door onto my head. It routinely got so much condensation on the fly that the water dripped through the inner tent, making puddles on the floor and my sleeping bag. Ever since then, I've refused to have a double wall tent--I want my condensation where I can wipe it off!

Vigorously shaking a wet tent before packing it up gets rid of a lot of moisture. (So does a dog's morning tail-wag routine!) The "Handi-Wipe" disposable towels from Clorox (found in supermarkets) are just as absorbent as those microfleece towels, are lighter, dry a lot faster and are cheaper.

I'm going mountain biking this weekend and will be car camping. I'll sleep with tent vented to the max. I was just curious see how much moisture build up like this. My Big Agnes didn't have any vents and it managed moisture well.

The mid-tent hoop design of the Moment tends to cause more condensation than other tent designs. Other brands of tents with the same design also have this problem; it is not specific to Tarptents. Condensation is created by humidity and temperature relative to due point in addition to that contributed by your body. Even in the dry western mountains (Sierra and Wind Rivers) I get excessive condensation about half the nights, even with the door wide open. I wish I had a two-door design so I could get direct cross ventilation. Increasing ventilation helps but does not always cure the condensation.

Saying do not camp on damp grass or ground is really unrealistic - when it rains the grass IS wet and when dew point is reached the grass IS wet! Camping under a canopy of trees helps. Camping on dirt helps. You should be camping 100+ feet from water anyway.

I sympathize - I have use my Moment for about 5 years now and I KNOW where to camp! It is NOT all pilot-error. I choose campsites that will get a good breeze. The condensation is not a real problem (just a perceived problem)as far as "survival" in a storm - it is however a REAL pain when packing up the tent and I constantly bump against the tent when entering and exiting, so my clothes get a bit wet. I hate packing a wet tent. My style of backpacking is early starts - on trail by 7AM, so I seldom get sunshine to dry the tent before I have to pack up. Tarptents are good tents- I just would not ever buy the Moment again. However the Moment does very well in wind and wind eliminates the condensation. And if you camp in an area and the time of year when night temperatures stay above dew point, there is less condensation - then your body is the source, not the atmosphere.

I also take a sponge or cloth to wipe down the tent so at least I am packing a damp tent, not a totally wet tent.

I note that the new Moment DW has doors on both sides which presumably should help the ventilation. Of course, it's heavier!

I have found a lot more condensation issues in a tent having lower clearance over my head (source of most of the moisture). That's an issue with most side-opening tents. The low ceiling allows less room for my warm moist exhalations to spread out or (ideally) leave the tent before hitting the cold tent wall and condensing. That's why I like the Tarptent Squall 2 and the Gossamer Gear/Tarptent Squall Classic (latter no longer made, but I am keeping mine!) in which the highest point of the tent is over my head.

Sometimes you're just stuck camping in the open on vegetation, like it or not. In places where the bark beetle has killed off much of the forest, out in the meadow may be the only safe place to camp! As W_D points out, when it has been or is raining, the ground will be wet everywhere.

Those Clip Flashlights were all the rage, back in the day...

Believe it or not, the tent that seemed to handle the moisture best for me is the Hubba (or its lighter clone, the Carbon Reflex 1); even in early spring or late fall, with the vestibule closed up, there was very little condensation inside - and neither tent had any venting. I'd often end up with significant moisture on the outside of the fly, but the inside was mostly dry.

I have a theory, soundly based on pure conjecture, that the tent's compact size (some would say claustrophobic) means that your body's heat "pushes" the point where condensation forms outside the inner wall of the tent. Of course, this doesn't explain why the moisture I exhale doesn't condense inside the tent, but I don't intend to let such anomalies affect my results.

Glenn,

"I have a theory, soundly based on pure conjecture, that the tent's compact size (some would say claustrophobic) means that your body's heat "pushes" the point where condensation forms outside the inner wall of the tent"

My experience supports your theory.

I just want make sure no one knows I'm knocking Tarptent. I just wanted see HOW much condensation can build up in wet humid weather with maximum coverage and very little vent rather than learning it the hard way in the backcountry. I was just curious. I don't know what the 5 years old Tarptent looks like, but the new design has a sizable gap between bug net and the rainfly for air flow, however, it doesn't do any good if you close up every vents on the tent like I did and pitched it on wet grass. I guess I was in a mad science experiment mode to see what it would do in less than ideal setup conditions..

Do you know the science behind why hoop designed tent build up condensation more than other designs? Or is it just years of experience?

Heres a tip for all of ya it condensation becomes a problem on the trail take a length of twine or soft string and press the twine up against seams in the top of your tent/tarp and tape the ends in place. With luck and gravity the water that condenses up top will get soaked up by the twine and prevent seam damage and annoying dripping. Enjoy!
-Nate

It rained on and off at Tsali last weekend, temperature dropped into high 30s, I slept next to a creek, and ZERO condensation occurred.. I maxed the vents and pitched tent on the tent pad that was hard packed sand like soil. This was in a front country campground by the way. Conditions and where you pitched can make a major impact in regard to condensations, I learned.