condensation problem on TQ and UQ - need advice

[Mouseskowitz]

I started with a waterproof UQP and when I saw the condensation, I switched to a breathable one and now often use a sock. I was hoping, with the sock and a tarp, that the vapor would leave the sock and form condensation on the underside of the tarp as god intended. But the last two night have been right around 0 degrees and I had the sock nearly, but not completely, zipped closed and the tarp was a couple feet above the sock. The side of the sock was classical condensation. Now if I could count have having some sunshine hours to dry it out before packing up, I wouldn't worry so much. But in the winter, that is often not the case.

So I need to solve the condensation problem too - or accept that eventually science is going to win and 0 degrees is 0 degrees and anything warmer is going to condense. In that case, maybe a ground solution would allow sleeping far enough from fabric walls so they are the only things getting wet.

My limited understanding of cold weather condensation is that the colder it is, the more you need to vent the sock.

[BillyBob58]

I started with a waterproof UQP and when I saw the condensation, I switched to a breathable one and now often use a sock. I was hoping, with the sock and a tarp, that the vapor would leave the sock and form condensation on the underside of the tarp as god intended. But the last two night have been right around 0 degrees and I had the sock nearly, but not completely, zipped closed and the tarp was a couple feet above the sock. The side of the sock was classical condensation. Now if I could count have having some sunshine hours to dry it out before packing up, I wouldn't worry so much. But in the winter, that is often not the case.

So I need to solve the condensation problem too - or accept that eventually science is going to win and 0 degrees is 0 degrees and anything warmer is going to condense. In that case, maybe a ground solution would allow sleeping far enough from fabric walls so they are the only things getting wet.

As I have reported several times previously, my coldest hang (+6F) was also my driest(I was also very warm), and I was inside a WP sil-nylon undercover and a breathable top cover(breathable material + a 6" diameter vent hole near my face). But no tarp. However, I was just barely covered by the roof of my back porch(about 8 ft ceiling) and not over grass but tile/thick safety/landing pad. Not being over grass in the wide open back yard could have made a difference I suppose?

Other things that could have made a difference were my use of VB clothing and a version of a frost bib(just a fleece jacket hanging in front of my face) which did get quite wet. Everything else was very dry. If memory serves, there was little or no condensation on the outside. But I surely was expecting a lot of condensation inside that over cover, even frost on the inside of it, but nope. So several possibilities here for what kept me so dry, or maybe the combination of all? Oh sweet mystery of life.....

BTW, humidity was 85%. Do you think high humidity makes things worse? Or is it the opposite? Of course, usually with real low temps the air is quite dry.

[cougarmeat]

I'm guessing that most the moisture came from me, not the humidity. I'm guessing I should have opened the sock a little more. Can you tell me a little more about the frost bib? I've read references to such a thing and someone posted that Shug had a video but didn't provide a link or mention which one. I do wear a balaclava and could pull it over my mouth. I had a more comprehensive one that had a nose cover, but it had holes around the mouth/chin section so it wasn't acting much as a buffer.

[SnrMoment]

Shug's frost bib is a cloth with one end attached to his ridge line and the other end tucked under his chin. It hangs at a bit of an angle with the top downwind from the chin tuck.

I just use a fleece scarf (leftover piece from the top cover build). Tuck one end of the length under my chin to cover the top edge of the top quilt, then pull a little up over my mouth to pick up the breathing moisture exhaled from my nose. If I wake up and it's wet, I reverse the ends and leave the wet end hanging out over the edge of my hammock. Generally sleep out every night when the temps are above single digits.

Insulation is with 0* top and bottom quilts along with a fleece top cover suspended under my ridge line that's in two parts to allow for adjustable ventilation. Use a DWR under quilt protector with an added spray of Campmor. Get some moisture/ice build up inside the tarp, but the quilts have been staying dry. The fleece top cover sometimes gets a little damp, but not really too wet.

Dew point appears to be the biggest factor as to what gets wet. Tonight's projected dew point is 12* with the low at 17*. I'm set up in the back yard over grass - rest of the yard is under snow. Temps often hit the dew point.

It ceases being comfortable in this set up at -7*

[BillyBob58]

I'm guessing that most the moisture came from me, not the humidity. I'm guessing I should have opened the sock a little more. Can you tell me a little more about the frost bib? I've read references to such a thing and someone posted that Shug had a video but didn't provide a link or mention which one. I do wear a balaclava and could pull it over my mouth. I had a more comprehensive one that had a nose cover, but it had holes around the mouth/chin section so it wasn't acting much as a buffer.

What SnrMoment said, also go to post #2 here:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...Weather-Bugnet

[cougarmeat]

BillyBob58, Thank you for the link. I don't want to cut up my light fleece blanket so I'll take it to a fabric shop and see if they can match it.

To clarify, does the loop in Shug's photo go around the person's neck and the "bib" (square) part get clipped to the ridge line? Or is that "loop" just a velcro closure that goes around the ridge line and the square part comes down and tucks into the TQ? In my case, the frost was directly above my head so maybe I can just drape fleece over the ridge line above my head and tuck it into the sides of the TQ. The idea is the fleece would just get damp instead of holding frost. Or if it did frost up, it would be easier to deal with - get out of the way - than "rain" coming down inside the sock.

[SnrMoment]

Fleece Rulz:




Heavy Polar type fleece, not the thin cheap stuff. Picks up the moisture, doesn't drip, and easy to shake the ice out of in the morning. Suspending it under the ridge line keeps it warmer inside as there's less air space to heat. Would advise not laying it directly on your TQ.

[MAD777]

To clarify, does the loop in Shug's photo go around the person's neck and the "bib" (square) part get clipped to the ridge line? Or is that "loop" just a velcro closure that goes around the ridge line and the square part comes down and tucks into the TQ?

If my memory serves me, Shug wears his like a bib. I think the closure for the loop around his neck is velcro, but I'm not certain of that detail. He hooks the other end to his ridgeline, but I can't remember the details of that either. He has an excellent video on winter hanging that shows his setup.

[Shug]

BillyBob58, Thank you for the link. I don't want to cut up my light fleece blanket so I'll take it to a fabric shop and see if they can match it.

To clarify, does the loop in Shug's photo go around the person's neck and the "bib" (square) part get clipped to the ridge line? Or is that "loop" just a velcro closure that goes around the ridge line and the square part comes down and tucks into the TQ? In my case, the frost was directly above my head so maybe I can just drape fleece over the ridge line above my head and tuck it into the sides of the TQ. The idea is the fleece would just get damp instead of holding frost. Or if it did frost up, it would be easier to deal with - get out of the way - than "rain" coming down inside the sock.

Simple fleece. Cut a big hole to go around head. Hook other end to ridgeline with a binder and shock cord. Catches breath before ir rises for the most part. I use it to keep my TQ dry.
Shug

[mychal]

Simple fleece. Cut a big hole to go around head. Hook other end to ridgeline with a binder and shock cord. Catches breath before ir rises for the most part. I use it to keep my TQ dry.
Shug

Several folks here have said something along the lines of, "hook it to the RL with a biner and/or shock cord." Can you be more specific? I'm having trouble figuring out a good way to attach it to the RL.