[pct-l] Failed Bag/Tent Combination

[dude at fastmail.ca (dude)]

I agree, I think you might have had trouble with any tent or tarp.  
Generally tarps will have less condensation than tents because the 
airflow is better with a tarp.  

When it rains alot like that and is wet everywhere you have to take 
extreme precautions not to get your gear all wet.

In 1998 on the JMT in the first and second week of Sept, it rained 10 
of 12 days on us.  Everything we had was getting damp, but we 
succeeded in staying warm and maostly dry because we made a huge 
effort to keep our stuff dry:
- We packed our bags in garbage bags
- we made sure that our bags were safe and dry before breaking down 
the tent.
- when breaking down the tent, we always folded the ground sheet so 
that all the wet parts were facing each other and tried to keep the 
dry part (the top side that touches the tent) as dry as possible.  we 
also did the same for the tent and rain fly.
- we took out our tent and bags and dried them in the sun whenever it 
stoped raining.
- we placed all of our other gear between the sleeping bag and 
external walls of the tent so that any leakage would get the other 
gear wet before the bag.
- we would be very careful not to make the inside of the tent wet 
with our soaking wet rain gear by taking the gear off outside the 
tent and then putting the gear inside our pack.

peace,
dude



> 
> It sounds like you would have had a problem in any tent.  Tents
> aren't any better than tarps when it comes to condensation (in my
> experience). You can get a bag with dri-loft or some other type of
> waterproof or resitant shell if you're worried about it. That cuts
> down on breathability though. Sometimes your stuff just gets wet
> and that's the way it is.  Especially when the air is saturated.
> 
> Steve
> 
> On Mon, 5 Jan 2004, Jim Keener wrote:
> 
>> Greetings:
>> 
>> I camped at Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County,
>> California this weekend at a place called Glen Camp. Don't know
>> the temperature, but there was frost on the ground and my
>> Tarptent, and puddles had frozen over. There was fog in the air
>> and the ground was super-saturated due to recent deluges in the
>> area.
>> 
>> I was very cold when I got in the bag (Marmot Helium - rated to
>> 15F) and never did warm up well. Lots of condensation - on the
>> tent and the bag. The bag got wet from the condensation. By 4
>> a.m., I was shivering. Got up, ate and hiked.
>> 
>> This was okay for one night. But I'm concerned about Washington.
>> The idea of putting that bag away wet and getting back into it
>> without its being dried has me very concerned. I'm looking for
>> ideas.
>> 
>> I still like the Tarptent a lot and plan to carry the Helium on
>> the JMT part of the trail, but as I wrote, I am concerned about
>> Washington.
>> 
>> Peace,
>> Jim
>> 
>> http://pct04.com
>> 
>> 
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