Condensation question

[Globetruck]

Temps dropped to the low 60s last night so I decided to try my WBBB once again. Dew points were in the upper 50s. I woke up to a dripping wet hammock! My bug net was wet, and the hammock sides were damp. When I got out of the hammock, I expected to see the typical morning dew all over everything else. Nope... the rest of the world was bone dry. Fortunately, I was in the back yard and stayed warm. But this got me thinking - what if it was a long backpacking trip and I had my down sleeping bag? Could I have avoided this at all? Would a tarp hung over me help out - perhaps encouraging the moisture to condense on the tarp instead of my hammock?

Thanks.

[G.L.P.]

Temps dropped to the low 60s last night so I decided to try my WBBB once again. Dew points were in the upper 50s. I woke up to a dripping wet hammock! My bug net was wet, and the hammock sides were damp. When I got out of the hammock, I expected to see the typical morning dew all over everything else. Nope... the rest of the world was bone dry. Fortunately, I was in the back yard and stayed warm. But this got me thinking - what if it was a long backpacking trip and I had my down sleeping bag? Could I have avoided this at all? Would a tarp hung over me help out - perhaps encouraging the moisture to condense on the tarp instead of my hammock?

Thanks.

I have the same problem ...always have ....always will ,there are ways aound it
a tarp will help...but you will still get alittle on your hmmock but not as bad
also if it's that cool you could always keep the bugnet open
this way you will have more airflow
also what i'v been doing as of late is not setting up my hammock till the last min...right befor i'm ready for bed...this way it's not all wet from condensation befor i want to go to sleep
i'v gotten my down quilt wet from condensation many times and it's never been a problem ...a few shakes and let it sit out in the open for alittle and your good as new

[HappyCamper]

greenlespaul, why not keep the bugnet up and let it take most of the dew instead of the sleeping bag/quilt? I agree a tarp will help.

[Widerstand]

Also setting up in a place with some air moving will help get rid of the moisture.

[Globetruck]

I'm used to some condensation inside a tent. I was caught off guard because the WBBB has much more netting than my tent, so I assumed it would breathe a lot better. It's generally not a huge deal in my tent, because I can avoid contacting the walls of the tent. It's hard to avoid touching the sides of a hammock!

[Youngblood]

Temps dropped to the low 60s last night so I decided to try my WBBB once again. Dew points were in the upper 50s. I woke up to a dripping wet hammock! My bug net was wet, and the hammock sides were damp. When I got out of the hammock, I expected to see the typical morning dew all over everything else. Nope... the rest of the world was bone dry. Fortunately, I was in the back yard and stayed warm. But this got me thinking - what if it was a long backpacking trip and I had my down sleeping bag? Could I have avoided this at all? Would a tarp hung over me help out - perhaps encouraging the moisture to condense on the tarp instead of my hammock?

Thanks.

Here is my guess on what happened. You had no breeze and although you didn't have dew, the air was so close to 100% humidity that it couldn't absorb enough of the moisture you generated, if any at all, to keep you from getting wet.

With the amount of mositure I think you are talking about, there is a chance you made the 'worse of a bad situation' by using more insulation than you needed or not venting it as much as you could have, which is real easy to do and sometimes dang near impossible not to do. Let's face it, the conditions change, are sometimes different than what you expect, and at times you may be asleep and unaware of what is happening. Your body may generate sensible perspiration, or sweat, in an attempt to cool off by evaporative cooling when you are overheating, or insensible perspiration in an attempt to keep you skin moist, or not, depending on your phsyical condition, your bodies needs and senses, and the environmental conditions you are in at any particular moment.

I don't know if a tarp would have helped out or not. If a tarp is hung so that it stops rain but not direct wind it helps in situations where the moisture in the air drops downward toward the ground and doesn't linger at high enough humidity long enough to dampen areas that are covered, which has been the typical case for my experiences. But if a tarp is hung so that it blocks wind and overly restricts vertilation it can make it worse because it traps any moisture you generate and often the problem is getting rid of the moisture you generate. But there is moving fog and if it isn't long lasting an enclosed tarp might be best, but if the fog lingers long enough you are screwed no matter what you do with your tarp. Sometimes it is crap-shoot of what is going to work the best... but after the fact you can figure out what would have worked best.

I deal with condensation issues differently in cold weather conditions than in moderate weather conditions and for very good reason. First, the severity of condensation issues is different. It can vary from just being a nuisance in moderate conditions to being life threatening in cold conditions. Second, what helps in cold conditions might just make problems when there would not have been problems in moderate conditions. I'm not going to talk about cold weather conditions here.

Condensation can come from within or outside or both. You want to limit within reason for the conditions you are in how much moisture you generate. Basically don't pile on insulation without venting such that you sweat or are very near sweating because you may be generating more moisture than you realize when you are toasty warm.

After that you need reasonable ventilation for the conditions you are in. If there isn't much of a breeze you don't need to be closed off by your tarp like you might if you are exposed to wind. If it is windy enough, you will likely get ventilation whether you want it our not if you do close off your tarp.

Then, you need dry enough air that can absorb and carry off the moisture you generate. If the surrounding air is holding all the moisture it can, you are stuck with the moisture you generate as it has no place to go.

[skistrees]

I agree with Youngblood's assessment. I wonder, was it calm as he guessed? How much insulation were you using? I also agree that more ventilation, and perhaps less insulation, is called for. No-see-um mesh is not as breathable as you might think. As I understand it, moisture from our bodies moves outward toward drier air, until it reaches the dew point and condenses, or evaporates into the surrounding air.

[HikerRanky]

I've been hanging out at nighttime since Friday evening.... Temps have been down in the 50s most of the time, but got down to 43 Saturday night/Sunday morning. Humidity has been in the 50% range. Had my Snugfit as the UQ and a TopQuilt III as the TQ. No tarp since the chance of precip was 0%.

Most of the time, I didn't use the TQ since I am a warm sleeper. The UQ was a little tight since I knew the temps would drop down low. I didn't notice any condensation at all on the big netting or the sides of the hammock at all.

I agree with Youngblood that the dew points and humidity along with too much insulation may have been the main reason for your condensation. I made the mistake once of wearing too much clothing, snuggled up under my TQ AND had my AHE Bear Burrito Oven over the top of my hammock in 30 degree weather. The BBO had some ice crystals form on it due to me being too warm. The next night I shed some clothing and didn't have the problem this time.

Hope this helps...

Randy

[cooldays]

At Mount rogers last year I had my clark which has a weather guard and bugnet and poles to keep it open and off you like a floating tent, and I noticed if I had the bug net up and the top cover over my face i had codensation in the hammock.

When I let the top cover fall down onto my chest and left my face out of the bugnet and topcover, but kept it under the tarp, the undersurface of the tarp froze with my condensation and it "snowed" in my tarp but not in the hammock as it fell on the topcover.

My point is , you are the probable source of condensation so don't use the bugnet of keep your face out of the hammock and see if that helps....it helped me anyway.

Also did you use a pad....they cause a lot of condensation...if so consider a quilt to get more "breathing" under you.

good luck
cooldays

[BillyBob58]

I've been hanging out at nighttime since Friday evening.... Temps have been down in the 50s most of the time, but got down to 43 Saturday night/Sunday morning. Humidity has been in the 50% range. Had my Snugfit as the UQ and a TopQuilt III as the TQ. No tarp since the chance of precip was 0%.

Most of the time, I didn't use the TQ since I am a warm sleeper. The UQ was a little tight since I knew the temps would drop down low. I didn't notice any condensation at all on the big netting or the sides of the hammock at all.

I agree with Youngblood that the dew points and humidity along with too much insulation may have been the main reason for your condensation. I made the mistake once of wearing too much clothing, snuggled up under my TQ AND had my AHE Bear Burrito Oven over the top of my hammock in 30 degree weather. The BBO had some ice crystals form on it due to me being too warm. The next night I shed some clothing and didn't have the problem this time.

Hope this helps...

Randy

Randy, I also just did 3 nights in extreme north MS, almost in TN ( Tishomingo State Park, MS) and the temps and conditions were almost exactly as you had. Where were you?

I was playing with several different systems, plus my grandson had his 1st hang, and our daughter visiting from NH had her 1st 2 glorious daytime hammock naps. She hung in my JRB BMBH one afternoon, Claytor No Net the next. She said there must have been drugs in the hammocks considering how quickly she passed out and stayed out for an hour or two!

Any way, at night we had the BMBH with a WB Climashield "Yeti" (one layer of 2.5 oz CS), and/or a short WM blue pad, a HH Explorer with SS and pad substitute MMP IX 2 layers, and a a WBBB with the same CS "Yeti" and same WM blue leg pad.

Nets and TQs or blankets were used in all cases, though the TQs were pushed aside during the first of the night until it cooled down quite a bit. Tarps also used, but pitched high and wide. I don't recall any wind.

None of us ever saw a drop of condensation. That can be really tricky stuff, as Younblood said so well. Clothing was shorts and tee shirts, but also wore a fleece jacket last night.

So far my only hammock condensation problems have been on my Golight 20* TQ when used below 20*F. The part closest to my mouth/chin/neck has gotten quite soaked. This has not happened near as bad when I also used my Marmot Goretex hood, and not at all when used in my PeaPod.

The other condensation was when using my HH SS without the space blanket, in the WA Olympics at about ~50*F, under a tarp. The exterior of my sleeping bag was wet, and the foot of the HH OCF pad was soaked. ( no rain or fog that night). All was fine even though I packed up wet, it was dry by that night or sooner.

That's it for condensation problems for me. Don't really know why one night and not others.