Holy Condensation Batman

[G.L.P.]

Well..whats going on everyone
Last night for to use my super shelter for the first time and it also was the first time i slept in my HH since having back problems
First off befor i even got into my hammock around 10ish there was alot of condensation built up on the bottow of the ss...and my tarp...tarp didn't bother me i'v had that happen many times but the ss did alittle...ok got in and got all set for the night...well after about 2 hours i could not get warm
had on plenty of cloths and my JRB quilt..my top was nice and toasty...but my bottow wasn't....even had the emergency blanket under me did not help
so finally got to sleep. about 12 mind you the coldest it got last night was 43
3 in the monring....woke up...and i was soaked the under pad and all was wet
there was water on top of the EB also

needless to say i didn't sleep anymore after that..
another think that i picked up on was the way the hammock lays with the ss on it...dunno...i could not get relaxed at all i think i might try a top loader and
a 2/3 under quilt it could have just been my back ...but i dunno.

one thing i can tell you is i'm not sold on the super shelter at all...
one of the worst night i had in a long time.

[animalcontrol]

Well..whats going on everyone
Last night for to use my super shelter for the first time and it also was the first time i slept in my HH since having back problems
First off befor i even got into my hammock around 10ish there was alot of condensation built up on the bottow of the ss...and my tarp...tarp didn't bother me i'v had that happen many times but the ss did alittle...ok got in and got all set for the night...well after about 2 hours i could not get warm
had on plenty of cloths and my JRB quilt..my top was nice and toasty...but my bottow wasn't....even had the emergency blanket under me did not help
so finally got to sleep. about 12 mind you the coldest it got last night was 43
3 in the monring....woke up...and i was soaked the under pad and all was wet
there was water on top of the EB also

needless to say i didn't sleep anymore after that..
another think that i picked up on was the way the hammock lays with the ss on it...dunno...i could not get relaxed at all i think i might try a top loader and
a 2/3 under quilt it could have just been my back ...but i dunno.

one thing i can tell you is i'm not sold on the super shelter at all...
one of the worst night i had in a long time.

I have no expirence with a SS, but alot with ccf so...
maybe too much top inslulation causing your to sweat and get your backside wet and clammy...tons of clothes and a JRB TQ at 45-50* sounds like overkill to me...just guessin

[Shug]

I agree with animalcontrol ...... sometimes wearing too many clothes to sleep with a good warm TQ can actually cause you to get cool due to body sweat and condensation.
I have been tweaking my cold weather sleep system by wearing only my long-johns and a smartwool top and thin fleece shirt, balaclava and socks.
Best to have warm clothes nearby and add them through the night based on how cool/cold you may feel. I put them on when I rise to pee.
By doing this technique ...I sweat less thus staying warmer and keeping moisture out of my TQ.
Also, I use UQs .....
Shug of the No-Sweat

[Randy]

I slept in my HH with the SS bottom this weekend and the bottom got soaked from the dew and also soaked the pad, causing the bottom to sag alot...I wasn't using the HH pad, I was using a foam mattress pad......when it was all dry it was great.

[G.L.P.]

I don't think it was what i was wearing...i only had on wind pants and a light fleece top...my TQ did not get wet(thank god)
my pad was soaked and there was water on top of the EB i had on top of the pad the top of me was nice and dry when i woke up....i was my bottow that was nice and damp
even befor i woke up wet i was chilly on my back side
and befor i got in for the night there was condensation built up in the ss bottom
it could be i sleep hotter than i thaught i did ...so this weekend i'll give it a go with maybe shorts and a long sleeve tee see if that helps..
but i think i'm going to end up getting an UQ like i said...with the ss i was chilly from the start
thanks for the Fb guys

[Knotty]

...another think that i picked up on was the way the hammock lays with the ss on it...dunno...i could not get relaxed at all

That sends up a red flag. I haven't noticed the SS affecting the lay of the hammock.

[BEAS]

I havethought and looked into getting rid of my SS.but I have yet to do so. The reason being is it has worked for me. I have slept into the teens with it. I use my homemade over quilt, heavy weight long johns, hat and wook socks. I believe I did end up putting on my light goose down jacket before sun up. It works and I can't justify buying more right now.
BEAS

[BillyBob58]

I don't think it was what i was wearing...i only had on wind pants and a light fleece top...my TQ did not get wet(thank god)
my pad was soaked and there was water on top of the EB i had on top of the pad the top of me was nice and dry when i woke up....i was my bottow that was nice and damp
even befor i woke up wet i was chilly on my back side
and befor i got in for the night there was condensation built up in the ss bottom
it could be i sleep hotter than i thaught i did ...so this weekend i'll give it a go with maybe shorts and a long sleeve tee see if that helps..
but i think i'm going to end up getting an UQ like i said...with the ss i was chilly from the start
thanks for the Fb guys

I'm trying to figure out how the pad got wet even if you had been sweating copiously what with a SB(which should also be a vapor barrier) completely covering the top of the pad and a Sil Nylon vapor barrier( the UC) covering the bottom of the pad. Your space blanket is water proof, right, and completely covering your pad? And the pad was puled snug against your back? And the Sil nylon UC should be just as water proof as any of our tarps, so? ( Just thinking out loud)

Another bad sign is that you were cold from the get go at what was probably not much colder than 50F at 10pm. Usually, at those temps, if I lay in my HH/SS I quickly get a sensation of warmth on my back.

I don't know, it is just a mystery to me. Every now and then some body has exactly your experience with their 1st use of the SS. So far, I have never had a drop or water on my pad or in my UC when using either the WM $2 space blanket or the Heatsheet. I did get some condensation one time on the foot of my pad and bag when I did not use any space blanket. On a night in the foggy, humid Olympic Mtns in WA state, high 40s lo 50s or so. But I was still warm any way. I have used pad only(no SB) on one or two other occasions without significant condensation, but I was wet that one time. I put my SB back in the next night and was quite dry and warm the rest of the week, as usual.

I wish I had an idea what caused this for you. And you are not the only one I have heard this from, though it seems most of us have much fewer problems. I guess it could just be individual differences. But, like I said before, I don't see how you can get your pad wet, no matter how big a sweater or hot sleeper you were, with a WP layer between you and the pad. I'm stumped.

All I can think of are the basics, which you probably already have covered.
Make sure the SS is attached correctly, and without excessive sag. If there is a way you manage to have it too loose so that the SB/pad are not in contact with your back, you will get cold and probably get condensation on top of the SB. An SB that is kept warm by your back is less likely to cause condensation.

Also, the UC should be held with slight tension, by the elastics in the UC, snug against the pad. Can you have any one layin the HHSS while you check for these things? Conversely, don't have the HH prussicks pulled so tight that the SS is excessively tight against your back, possibly compressing the pad or anything you have added on top of the pad or in the UC, like a down or syn jacket. Usually having the prussicks about where the stock fly should be when the fly is adjusted correctly is about right.

Is this a new SS which has not been altered in any way, such as cutting the elastics?

[BillyBob58]

I havethought and looked into getting rid of my SS.but I have yet to do so. The reason being is it has worked for me. I have slept into the teens with it. I use my homemade over quilt, heavy weight long johns, hat and wook socks. I believe I did end up putting on my light goose down jacket before sun up. It works and I can't justify buying more right now.
BEAS

This is why I said it is a red flag if one is cold from the get go close to 50*F. That is a huge amount of individual dif if another manages to be warm in the teens. I'm just wondering if something is wrong either with the SS or it's set up. But who knows, I don't.

[Newzy]

Did anybody mention the possibility of copious amount of liquids being ingested prior to climbing in the hammock in any of these abbreant cases