Need feedback: tents and morning fog/heavy dew

[okieboater]

Tim, I agree and think most any coated tent (maybe the springbar canvas tents from Salt Lake City would not have the condensation problem - google and check them out) would have dripped on you. I have always wanted a Springbar but due to weight my thought is they work best on car camps.

Dave

[cpresoz]

That flat roof on your Coleman was probably the biggest culprit. The roof needs a good pitch, as Paddledog pointed out. The mesh inner layer isn't necessarily the problem (except in this case with the flat, dripping fly above) as it helps vent. And as Terry stated, Gore-Tex and some of the other breathable fabrics work because of the heat drive of the body. In a static condition, the water vapors just won't push through the micro-pores. I've got the older REI Half Dome for car camping and never had a problem. My backpacking tent is an ancient Eureka that I've recoated several times, but with the fly guyed off of the inner layer, I don't have any problems with condensation on the underside of the fly. But, I do like it cool so I leave things open and just count on my sleeping bag to take the chill. Sleeping in an impervious environ like a snow cave or an igloo is probably the worst for condensation collecting on the surfaces above.

[John Britt]

Tim, I have camped in screen tents, A-style single walled tents, cabin tents, under tarps and in domed tents. The domed are my favorite. Condensation is a fact of life with all tents, even though I have not seen it as bad as you describe.
Eureka tents were my favorite, I have owned four, they are not too expensive and are generally good quality, but I had a lot of trouble with their fiberglass poles splitting with the last model I purchased. I now have a Marmot with aluminum poles that bend a bit easily and have a different problem. The bending has not stopped me from using the tent like the split fiberglass did. And Marmot told me to send them back and they would replace them, and this was after I told them the initial bend was probably my fault.
With single walled tents you have to be careful not to have any contact with the wall as this will create a focal point to allow the condensation to start. Cabin tents were always to heavy so we didn't use them much.
I personally prefer the mesh walled tents for the ventilation and the lighter weight.
The main thing is purchase from a reputable dealer and ask questions about the tent. Some will hide the problems like the splitting poles others will be honest and tell you if they know of a problem. Remember sleeping in a tent is not like sleeping at home and part of the enjoyment is being closer to the natural world, even if that includes a bit of water dripping and condensation.
I hope you find the tent of your dreams, I have been close several times but am still looking for the perfect one.

[philllll]

three words:

Hennessy Hammock

[okieboater]

umm, not sure on the Hennessy units!

I just purchased one earlier this year (survivor asym ) and put it up three times and so far after a short test have not opted to sleep in the thing over my paco pad.

One of those times was on a car camp trip and after a CO rain storm the inside of the Henessy was full of water. Glad I was not in the thing during the rain storm, water poured in over the end of the unit.

I know there is a learning curve on these things and I want mine to work as I hear they are great for beat up backs.

Thus far I am very unconvinced they live up to all the good press they get.

[Tim Eubanks]

Thanks for the input. Looks like if you camp in ground fog, all tent surfaces will be condensation points. Given that 90% of our camping is in some valley on the Buffalo in fall/spring, that's pretty much a given I guess.