Hi, looking for a bit of general camping advice so apologies if I've put it in the wrong section. We've camped several times on the continent in warm weather but we're planning a few days up near Whitby at the end of August. On the odd occasion we've camped in the UK we've had some pretty chilly nights (<10c) and everything has ended up slightly damp - sleeping bags, clothes, towels, you name it, it's ended up damp. Our tent is a bog standard Wynnster so not very heavyweight material. Can anyone recommend some steps we can take to avoid it, or is it inevitable in anything other than warm weather? Thanks
I'd say it's inevitable... to varying degrees... but there are things we can do to help minimise the damp...
Run a fan heater if on EHU. (Set a thermostat if need be).
Never bury your head in the sleeping bag, regardless of how cold you may be. The bag will end up getting very, very damp from your moist breath, which is the main culprit of damp. (Wear a hat or balaclava if your head is cold).
The more tent vents open the better... regardless of how cold you are! (Wear more bed clothes, or get a warmer bag, if you are cold).
In anything other than breathable cotton canvas, sleep in an inner bedroom compartment. The air in the gap between inner and outer acts as insulation, and condensation drips from the outer onto the inner, rather than dripping onto you/your bed.
Don't store wet coats/boots etc inside the tent. Even if that means leaving them in the car.
Never pi55 the bed, when camping... take a bucket and some cat litter!
When we used to go away in the tent, I had the door partially unzipped at the top so mostly just the mesh door closed.
That helped with condensation in the bedroom compartment but that moved it to the main tent area, especially the plastic panels on the roof. So i started to leave the door partially unzipped at the top also.
That helped a lot.
You need a way to get that warm moist air that your breathing out of the tent. Have some through flow of air.
All good advice above but in certain conditions the inside of the flysheet will feel damp to the touch so obviously keep everything away from the walls. Clothes and bedding should be kept in the bedroom pod where they will be less likely to feel damp. Be careful not to lean things up against the inner tent walls so the inner tent touches the outer fly as this will wick water through the inner.
The main thing though which many new campers don't realise, is to keep all the vents open top and bottom at all times in all weathers. They are positioned specifically to create a flow through of air and reduce condensation. If they are closed you are in an enclosed bag and the moisture from your breath and body has to go somewhere...usually the roof where it will bead and drip off giving the impression the tent is leaking. Not very healthy either
If camping at a time of year when it is solidly damp and you get wet it may be worth seeing if a tumble dryer (on site) can tumble wet towels, sleeping bags or anything else. It can be hard to keep things not-damp on a really wet week away in a tent.
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Topic: How to avoid damp?
