Dew control

[Jace]

Camping in north east pa this week. Temp yesterday was mid 70's then dropped down to 48 overnight. We got a nice "dew shower" around 4 am dripping off bottom of my fly through the mesh roof. I've seen others post about this but no real solution presented that I could try. I was going to try without the fly but most have said to keep it on. I didn't have it tied down tight just hooked to my framing. Any one have a solution to prevent this tonight? Thanks

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Dew control

Camping in north east pa this week. Temp yesterday was mid 70's then dropped down to 48 overnight. We got a nice "dew shower" around 4 am dripping off bottom of my fly through the mesh roof. I've seen others post about this but no real solution presented that I could try. I was going to try without the fly but most have said to keep it on. I didn't have it tied down tight just hooked to my framing. Any one have a solution to prevent this tonight? Thanks

KK...trying to visualize. You are using the rain fly but water is still entering the tent's interior via the mesh roof. Off the top of my head I'm thinking your fly needs waterproofing. Another thought: what kind of tent do you have? Style name and maker known?

[Jace]

Re: Dew control

I have a Coleman weathermaster elite 6 person. It was hard to tell how it was coming in. My initial thought was condensation was forming on the bottom side of the fly and dripping back down.

[terasec]

Re: Dew control

can you redo the fly so it doesnt contact the tent?
and or have a path for the dew to drip down the side of the fly and not condense on lowest point over tent

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Dew control

I just took a look at the tent's design. Does it appear the water is gathering/entering from the short rectangular ends of the tent? I'm asking since based on the fly design it seems as if water can readily enter from those ends if the rain fly isn't on properly. Before I went through the possible hassle of re seam sealing/waterproofing the fly, I'd go ahead and ensure the fly is on properly and tied down tight.
Oh and just a head's up....I've seam sealed on site and a picnic table makes a luverly surface for the project.

[RJ Cooper]

Re: Dew control

Tent has to breathe. In the last week I set up all my tents in the side yard and gave them three coat of Kiwi spray. We had a nice shower/thunderstorm two days ago and not a drop in any of them. It take me three cans to coat a 8' x 10' dome tent and fly properly. When you spray it on the second coat, as it is beading and running down, take a clean cloth and lightly rub it in. I go horizontal on the first coat and vertical on the second coat. Third coat is just at the seams and any spots that are not as shiny as the rest. I also do my canopy and the tube floor of the tent, these take extra cans of spray.

As for the dew, vent the tent.

[terasec]

Re: Dew control

I just took a look at the tent's design. Does it appear the water is gathering/entering from the short rectangular ends of the tent? I'm asking since based on the fly design it seems as if water can readily enter from those ends if the rain fly isn't on properly. Before I went through the possible hassle of re seam sealing/waterproofing the fly, I'd go ahead and ensure the fly is on properly and tied down tight.
Oh and just a head's up....I've seam sealed on site and a picnic table makes a luverly surface for the project.

another thing you can try,
if you have natural(non waterproof) rope,
use it as a guide through where water is collecting, and down to the ground away from the tent, straight down without sagging and without touching the tent,
kind acts like a straw pulling the moisture away from the drip spot down to bottom of the rope/string
try to avoid low points over the tent, as dew will collect at low points and start to drip

[frank6160]

Re: Dew control

how many were sleeping in tent? make sure you have some ventilation and have guys lines for rainfly properly staked. even with the mesh roof on that tent if you open a couple windows slightly you should take care of the problem.

[Mike]

Re: Dew control

WHat you are experiencing is very common in the northern part of the USA when there are big fluctuations in temperature between night and day. Most of that moisture actually comes from the people inside the tent. When the warm moist air hits the inside of the colder air-cooled rainfly, you get condensation; A human vapor whisky still, so to speak.

You can ventilate by opening up your rain fly, but that will be chilly.

If you don't mind the light, get yourself a tea candle light or similar candle lantern. Hang in the middle of the tent. This is the easiest way to avoid dew condensation drips. This is also a good way to avoid the inside tent snow showers on winter mornings. In smaller tents, the tea candle will generate noticable warmth inside the tent. You won't notice the warmth in big tents, but that little candle will keep the inside of your tent dry.

[Jace]

Re: Dew control

Thanks so much for the help guys.
The support members give is what makes the site truly amazing.
No problems last night. Temps dropped to about 52.
I properly secured the fly, and kept the windows half open. Seemed to do the trick

Thanks again