Tent Condensation...

Man...some days I would wake up in the morning and could swear that someone threw a bucket of water into the tent sometime during the night. The inside of the walls were laden with dew that trickled down and formed a puddle around my sleeping bag just about where my head was. My clothes were damp and my sleeping bag was a bit wet. And in the winter? Did I see frost on the wall?

CONDENSATION IN TENTS
Condensation occurs in tents when there is a difference between inside and outside temperatures and there is a water proof barrier between them. It's natural.

In the camping environment there are three main sources of condensation in tents:

• Weather Conditions: High humidity, low temperatures and rain are all contributors to condensation.

• People: There is moisture in the air we breathe out and our bodies are always perspiring, the average person eliminates 1 litre [about 2 pints] of water per day through breathing and sweating alone.

• Wet Environment: Wet or damp gear stored inside your tent.

There is no tent design [that I am aware of] that can totally eliminate condensation completely. But there are some things that you can do to minimize the effects.

So what can you do?

All [good] tents will have vents, door and windows that can be used for ventilation to minimize condensation. Any wind or even a light breeze can be used to help eliminate the condition. I've even used a battery operated fan. If you make an effort to completely close of the vents you will only create more problems.

• Open internal weatherproof vents like the ones on the roof.

• Guy out external window flaps or ground level vents to allow airflow.

• Put your tent so that the prevailing wind will assist with air flow.

• In wet weather be aware that wet gear will increase the amount of condensation.

On rare occasion I have used a camp towel to wipe down the walls.