Winter Hanging- It's not just your breath

[OutandBack]

Been hanging outside for the last couple weeks to tweak my winter hammock kit. When working on condensation issues I noticed it not just my breath causing the snow storm under my tarp it's FROST.

Top side of tarp


Under side of tarp Did not sleep in the hammock so this is just frost.


To keep from bumping this frost in the morning I plan to raise my tarp so when standing I do not bump it.

Anyone see a problem with having the tarp high in winter?

[Shewie]

Anyone see a problem with having the tarp high in winter?

Maybe a bit more drafty and a couple of degrees cooler but no real problem. I always pitch my tarps at just above head height because I like to be able to do other stuff under there as well as just sleep.

[chillyhiker]

maybe a homeless person slept in it and left before you came out???

[rip waverly]

i had the same issue when hanging the tarp in my back yard.
it was not snowing, but it was about 27F degrees when i set up late afternoon.
by 10 when i out to get in the hmmk, both inside and outside of the tarp was 'snowy'. low reached 18F.

i wonder if its due to the dewpoint, and the fact that the tarp was sitting in a nice warm house, and then exposed to the cold rather abruptly??

i did not have this issue when overnighting on the trail, with colder conditions- down to 5F. only frost on the tarp was directly above my face from hot breath.

[OutandBack]

i wonder if its due to the dewpoint, and the fact that the tarp was sitting in a nice warm house, and then exposed to the cold rather abruptly??

This tarp has been hanging for days. Day time temps in the 40's evening temps 20-30F.
Do to melting snow in my area the humidity has been higher than normal.
The morning this happened the RH was 44% I'm thinking it's the high daytime humidity condensing on the tarp as the evening get colder.

[BillyBob58]

I've had more than one little snowstorm due to frost on the inside of the tarp, forming even before I slept under it. Just one of the few definite advantages I ever found for the Hennessey bottom entry. Just much easier not to bump my head on the tarp when I get in out of the hammock.

[Shug]

Yeah .... I get it too. It seems weather dependent.
Shug

[AZMike]

Don't have this problem in AZ, at least not in the low desert areas.

[gunner76]

Think of a Solar Still. Water vapor under tarp rising and condensing on inside of tarp fabic and when conditions are right, it then freezes.

[Just Jeff]

The warmth may have caused the ground moisture to evaporate, then it condensed when it hit the underside of the tarp. As the ambient temp cools, it freezes.