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Finally figured out why my tent was always damp inside, a problem that took me three whole camping seasons to solve.
I kept waking up with condensation on the inside of the rainfly and thought it was a leak. Checked seams, re-waterproofed the whole thing, nothing worked. Turns out I was setting up my tent in a slight depression near a creek at my usual spot in the Adirondacks, basically camping in a cold air sink. Moved my site about fifty feet up a gentle slope last weekend and woke up completely dry. How did I not know about site selection for condensation? What's the most basic camping thing you missed for way too long?
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janah833mo ago
Oh man, "cold air sink" is such a perfect way to put it. I did the exact same thing for years, always blaming my gear. I'd camp in these beautiful little meadows by a lake and my sleeping bag would feel clammy by morning. It took a friend pointing out that fog settles in the low spots to finally click. Now I actively look for a tiny bit of elevation, even just a few feet on a mound, and it makes a crazy difference. Felt so obvious after I learned it.
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jade_jenkins3mo ago
Doubt the cold air thing is a huge deal unless you're in a real swamp or something. Camped in plenty of low spots and been fine, maybe a little damp but nothing a good bag can't handle. Sounds like @holly_reed55's dad and your friend just like pointing out the obvious. Sometimes you just get a dewy morning no matter where you park your tent.
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holly_reed553mo ago
Ugh, this is like when you realize you've been using a kitchen gadget wrong for a decade. I spent years just accepting that my windshield would be foggy every single morning, parking my car under a tree. My dad finally goes, "You know it's under that big maple dripping sap and dew all night, right?" Moved it ten feet over to the driveway. Bone dry. It's always the simple, physical thing you're just not seeing.
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allen.kai1mo ago
The tree thing is a good example but the sap is more the issue than the dew. Trees actually collect and drip a surprising amount of moisture at night, even when it's not raining. That's why you'll see a completely dry patch of grass right under a tree after a storm while everything around it is soaked. It's the same with tents - being under a tree might block some sky moisture but then you get that slow drip all night long.
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