I know if put away wet then will need opening and airing in a couple of days max but.......
what about if been dry but put away in the morning and some dew or a few spots of rain prior to striking or maybe the canvas awning is dry but the skirts been in contact with damp grass and when folded may touch the canvas.
Where do you draw the line re being over protective and being sensible?
Call me paranoid but it has to be 100% bone dry for me. Lets face it, its really no trouble putting it up at home, assuming you have the space. OK the awning is maybe more tricky and we have yet to face the challenge of drying a damp awning at home but if I was in any doubt I would go on the side of being over-cautious.
Hi Samsan, I agree with the others, if my camper is not 100% dry when packed it goes straight back up as soon as possible and I would not wait 2 days. My loft is boarded so I spread the awning across the roof rafters to dry it out. GCB
Dry means bone dry, not damp bits and crossed fingers. I can take the entire canvas off my TT so if I know it's damp I untie it at pack up and dry off the sections inside, hanging over the bannisters. Next trip out I tie it all back on again. Takes about ten minutes extra at each end, plus drying time of course. Yes it's faff but I've not had so much as a spot of mould so far.
Have to agree with everyone else. Dry means dry. I open my camper out on the drive, then drape my awning over the car, if needs be, but I have to make sure there is no damp at all.
Large amount of damp = large amount of mould. Small amount of damp = small amount of mould. Personally, I don't want any.
I did get speaking to a older couple on a site who had a not very old triango TT and they admitted to my horror last time they had it up it got soaked and the packed it away wet and they seem to have got away with it not a black spot to be seen!
But I'm 100% with everyone else I get abit paranoid about it
The canvas it must be totally dry iv also been known to whip the moisture meter out!
I don't know how I'm going to cope with the tardis as I can't really take the canvas in to the house during the winter like I did with the classic!
Pete
Has to be completely dry. We had canvas before and now have acrylic. Even so make sure that even that is completely dry. Mould spots might not be all that visible but wouldn't like to camp in something that smelt mouldy. It,s not worth the risk putting FC away with just the possibility of a tiny part being damp.
Quote: Originally posted by Peter2ltr on 19/8/2014
I did get speaking to a older couple on a site who had a not very old triango TT and they admitted to my horror last time they had it up it got soaked and the packed it away wet and they seem to have got away with it not a black spot to be seen!
Even if they didn't get mould that treatment will have severely weakened the canvas. I opened up a trailer tent that a friend found in the garage of their new house. As I opened it up I could feel the wet on the underside of the cover, there wasn't a speck of mould on the canvas but it just split to shreds in my hands as I tried to lift it up. And given the tyres were flat and the cover thick with spiders' webs, it had been in the perfectly dry garage for quite a while, it either must have been put away wet or simply not aired out for years and had a condensation problem. Either way the canvas was completely ruined. Canvas left wet for long periods will rot, even if it doesn't get mouldy. Mould is far more likely of course.
(We stripped friend's TT out for spares of the non fabric kind, btw, it was a Conway so many of the metal fixings and poles came to me as potential spares for my Camargue. And the trailer section was fine once it got new tyres, she uses it as a garden trailer. I suppose she could have got it re canvased but that's an expensive process and she didn't want a trailer tent anyway.)
dry is dry,, , i go around all the skirts on the awning of our Randger and towel them dry,, even if it hasnt rained,, dew sticks to em.. and mould is a killer... not worth the risk and i can only blame laziness for those who do get mould through negligence...
I agree with Scud, dry is dry. We do exactly the same, clean and dry the skirts with towels and if the canvas goes down damp, we open it back up at home as soon as possible. As for our awning, luckily we have never had to pack it away damp or wet! It takes a little more time to pack up, but certainly worth in the end, our 9 year old TT still looks great!
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May 18, Delftse Hout, Delft
Aug 18, Le Logis du Breuil, Royan
Our Conway Carleton TT is 28 years old. Canvas is still as new no mold or damage. This is because it has never been put away damp or stored in damp conditions. So the answer must be never, ever put away if you believe there is any chance of dampness on the canvas. It can be a pain having to open out the canvas when you get home but it's definitely worth the effort in the long run.
Quote: Originally posted by pnefan on 21/8/2014
Our Conway Carleton TT is 28 years old. Canvas is still as new no mold or damage. This is because it has never been put away damp or stored in damp conditions. So the answer must be never, ever put away if you believe there is any chance of dampness on the canvas. It can be a pain having to open out the canvas when you get home but it's definitely worth the effort in the long run.
I agree, our Camargue is almost as old at 25 years but not a speck of mould. I'll admit the canvas is getting on a bit, it's sunbleached and wearing thin in a few high stress areas. I've had to reinforce the stub canopy pole pockets. But that's just because we've had it out so much, we've spent more than a year of our lives in that TT and it wasn't new when we bought it. The previous owner was a friend though and she was just as pernikity about drying it as we are.
And no mould = no serious cleaning to be done = less likely to be forced into proofing it long before it needs it. And reproofing a big canvas tent like a trailer tent is several dozen times more hassle than drying it out, I would think.
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Topic: How wet is wet.........
