We have a Kampa Croyde 6 air tent, which we love, but which we won't be using again until at least next summer. We packed it up after the bank holiday, after a morning of sun which seemed to have dried it out. When were rolling it up, we wiped any bits of moisture off the bottom and thought it was dry enough. Then one of the kids noticed that there were some droplets of water trapped on the inside of one of the plastic windows. But we finished rolling it up and drove home.
Now, we've left it in the car for a few days in the sun - partly with he thought that a hot car won't do it any harm. On the other hand, I don't suppose much moisture can escape from a rolled up tent.
Do you think we should get it out and hang it out, then wait for a proper dry day (if there is one) to roll it up again? Or will it be OK until next year?
My view on these things is 'better safe than sorry'! It's a reasonably expensive tent, not that price alone motivates me, if I've got it, I value it, and it'd be a shame if mould damaged it. There's no way back from mould damage, you can stop it's further spread to some extent, but never remove existing damage/marking. Mould spores can also have health implications if breathed in, so not just an aesthetic consideration.
Not always necessary to fully erect to finish drying out, put into a dry garage, spare room etc and left lying loose, or draped over something and turned every day or so to expose all areas works. Worst thing is leaving it tightly packed.
I don't have a large enough garden space to erect a large tent, or even the caravan awnings, so draped over the clothes line, then left in the spare room is my only option to complete drying. Just back from a caravan holiday, the awning was taken down in pouring rain, and consequently soaking inside and out, stuffed into a bin bag for transport home, left a few days, then draped over the clothes line to dry when the weather allowed. An all too familiar routine for me, but has served me well for many years, and a variety of tents and awnings have survived unscathed that way.
As to whether you will actually suffer damp/mould damage if left tightly packed is an unknown, it all depends upon whether any mould spores have been picked up at any point. Chances are, it will acquire a 'musty' smell even if not affected by mould damage.
It's always the multi-thickness seams, corners where air doesn't circulate, and what most folk NEVER seem to consider, guy ropes (which are not in the least bit water resistant!) that are the last to dry! Once packed, those damp areas sweat and cause damp to spread (hence the appearance of moisture on the windows).
Any damp at all will allow mildew to form, it must be entirely dry before packing away.
Ideally it should be erected on a dry day to allow it to dry, but prior to that I would hang it up or drape it over the stairs to allow air to circulate.
Quote: Originally posted by TheMouse on 30/8/2024
I wonder if there's any chance of actually folding it back into its bag in a smallish house or if we'd have to take it to a park on a dry day?
or do as i did once and took it to the local church hall to refold up
With a bit of 'technique' it's possible in a moderate space to pack an oversized tent/awning.
With a small triangular garden with rose bushes galore and sharp edged concrete steps, not to mention the mud patch that I laughingly call a lawn (I've got a dog!) it lends itself to damage rather than successful repacking, so I use the living room! Furniture gets shuffled to maximise floor space, dog gets evicted to avoid packing her too, then a 'organise one end and roll up' technique starts, and works along until all the tent/awning is dealt with.
It's probably not the tidiest pack up achievable, but it's good enough to avoid damage, and get it back with relative ease into it's holdall. It really is all in the technique.
dont wait and "psych" yourself too long or it will be too late, you could have had it in the garden over some chairs or just spread out on the grass by now it would have been dry
I’d warn against drying on the grass: it might seem dry but the ground beneath will be moist & the tent material can wick up moisture again. We used to drape ours over living room furniture or over the washing line outside, pegging it to open up what we could. Spreading it on the lawn for folding is quick & won’t dampen the tent.
And don’t store it on a surface that’s in contact with the ground either.
We used to use our towels on the last day of the trip to dry the base, but we also used a groundsheet so the tent base never got so wet.
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Topic: Packing up - how damp is too damp?
via mobile 30/8/2024 at 2:25pm
