Sleeping out in the fog was terrible

[rubberfish]

I got my new tarp in the mail. I was stoked. Was gonna camp out in the backyard.
Got all set up using an existing post from the deck and my artificial tree.
Set the tarp in porch mode, had the right sag in my hammi..........
Life was gonna be good. And then 0100 hrs came around.
I got up to go pee and all of my gear was covered in dew.
My bag, pillow, the underside of my tarp. I took care of business
and crawled back in. Man was it tough to get back to sleep
in a super damp setup. I never did manage. I bailed into the house.

So had I not been camping in my backyard this would have sucked big time.
What do I need to do different tonight in order to stay dry?

[gunner76]

I have experienced similar down here when it has been super humid. While I find everything on the outside is covered in dew, the inside of the TQ is not and most of the hammock is dry so I just wait a few minutes and my body heat drys it out enough that I go back to sleep a little damp but ok.

[bkrgi]

Read this for a clear understanding of what is happening especially on clear nights with no wind.
http://windowoutdoors.com/WindowOutd...0Radiation.htm

My solution is too toss a fibrous type blanket, ie car blanket, fleece, over your ridge line draped over the hammock which creates a micro climate inside and shields things from the dew. The blanket will get moist but better it than your quilts and hammock...works for me in the North here.
Nylon tarps and stuff is useless in such conditions

[SilvrSurfr]

Fog like that has happened to me a few times in a hammock and a few times in a tent. When you can see the water molecules saturating the air, you know you're in for a damp night because everything is going to get wet.

I've even had my head under my topquilt (with headlamp) and could watch the moisture come in under my topquilt! One of the downsides of tents is poor ventilation (compared to a hammock), but once you see the moisture moving through the air, through the bugnet, it becomes apparent that tents have no real advantage over hammocks when there's fog and 110% humidity.

You just have to pray that it breaks and you can dry out. I have found that the heat my body generates is enough to keep the core of my quilts dry, but you need sunshine to really dry them out.

[rubberfish]

Good info guys. Thank you.
I was dry under my sleeping bag/top quilt but everything that wasn't heated was drenched.
My pillow was pretty damp too so i figured hey I'll just flip the sucker over.
Whoa. That was even worse.

bkrgi, I'll try a blanket tonight.
Question though.
Does condensation from our breath become an issue then inside the blanket?
And could using a ground sheet help in heavy dew/fog?
I saw that mentioned in the artical and have heard that elsewhere in the past.

[tnrdnck]

What do I need to do different tonight in order to stay dry?

Stay inside

[bkrgi]

Good info guys. Thank you.
I was dry under my sleeping bag/top quilt but everything that wasn't heated was drenched.
My pillow was pretty damp too so i figured hey I'll just flip the sucker over.
Whoa. That was even worse.

bkrgi, I'll try a blanket tonight.
Question though.
Does condensation from our breath become an issue then inside the blanket?
And could using a ground sheet help in heavy dew/fog?
I saw that mentioned in the artical and have heard that elsewhere in the past.

The blanket breathes so it's not like your sealed in a tube. The blanket will take up moisture for sure but you should stay toasty dry underneath from your heat generation keeping things well above dew point even if the heavy fog rolls in over and above any radiant losses.
Ground sheet would likely have zero effect.....just be a clean spot to set your shoes. In a tent a ground sheet would help stop ground moisture from invading the mix inside a tent.

Give the blanket a try and report back

[SilvrSurfr]

I don't breathe into my sleeping bag or TQ - I just don't do it.

[u.willie]

What do I need to do different tonight in order to stay dry?

Stay inside

LMAO! well... that'd be one way i suppose...

and let me add: i am totally impressed by the guy who can see water molecules! that's what? three atoms per molecule? very very impressive!

u.w.

[SilvrSurfr]

and let me add: i am totally impressed by the guy who can see water molecules! that's what? three atoms per molecule? very very impressive!

You've never seen fog? It's not that unusual or impressive to see fog. In fact, it's not unusual for fog to obscure everything so that the only thing you can see is fog. Next time there's fog, whip out the headlamp and tell me you don't see the water molecules (or droplets or whatever they are).

Merriam-Webster def:

fog - a) many small drops of water floating in the air above the ground, the sea, etc.

b) vapor condensed to fine particles of water suspended in the lower atmosphere that differs from cloud only in being near the ground.