Condensation....HMMMMM?

[maztrain]

My wife and I just went on an overnighter near this lake in our area. We were strung up a good 100-150 yards away from the water and the temps dropped to 31 degrees F. She was using the Hennesy Ultralight with the super shelter minus the overcover and a zero degree bag. We set it up the way its supposed to be with the space blanket - open cell pad - then undercover on the bottom. She stayed warm all through the night but when we were breaking camp she noticed that her hammock was wet. So we did some investigating and noticed a lot of condensation on the space blanket which made her hammock wet. Luckily it was just one night so no big deal. She also slept inside her sleeping bag instead of using it like a top quill. So I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and/or knows how to remedy it. I know through reading the forums that if you don't use a space blanket you can end up with condensation problems. I have a Deep jungle and I used the stock pad with the same sleeping bag with no condensation problems. The only problem i had was that it was warm enough unless I surrounded myself completely with the bag. So if you can please help.

Maztrain
(CAMP ON!!!)

[Silverlion]

I had a similar issue once. I thought it was due to my sleeping in the bag. After a few more hangs in the area, I figured I may have had my tarp too close to my hammock. I have yet to have the problem again. Depending on the temps, I sleep either in the bag or use it as a TQ.

[animalcontrol]

I have never used or seen a HH SS, but if she had a vapor barrier directly under her (the space blanket), this could happen.

Chasing down condensation can be tricky and tough!! Different people sweat at different rates, the air temp and humidity, the hammock/insulation set up, clothing can all play parts in condensation.

With that being said, on a guess , she was toasty warm and through out the night causing her to sweat (natural), it migrated through the sleeping bag and her was trapped by the space blanket. This water collected in the only place it could...the hammock body.

No real fool proof solution other than venting and maybe try it without the space blanket and see if there is improvement (but if there is, unless EVERYTHING is the same, the other variables might be why!!)

Good Luck!

[Knotty]

Have had this problem multiple times, even though, like your wife, I used a space blanket. I usually find moisture in the pad and on the inside surface of the silnylon SuperShelter. Somehow the moisture gets around the space blanket.

[maztrain]

Well I'm glad it wasn't just her that had this problem. Thanks for your quick replies. Her hexfly tarp was about a foot and a half from her ridgeline. I was also wondering if there are any condensation problems using UQs. We have been looking at the Crowsnest 3-season 3/4 UQ for my wife (which is long enough to cover her completly) and the Crowsnest 3-season Full for myself. But they are a bit to pricey and if they don't have any problems with condensation then they just might start looking cheaper. Any thoughts on that would be great!!

Maztrain

[turnerminator]

I use the DD travel which is waterproof and not breathable, so will have similar characteristcs to your setup. It never caused issues for me, but I could sometimes feel slight damp in the hammock body which is obviously condensed moisture from me. I used mylar covered foam mats between the layers.
Since switching to a down UQ its bone dry every morning-not a hint of condensation.

[Djrichone]

I just did a hang and had the same problem. i was using the HH Explorer Deluxe with the SS. My set up was from inside out; my hammock, space blanket, pad and super shelter undercover. I was sleeping inside a 15 degree rated sleeping bag as well. The condensation was under the space blanket on the pad and on the inside of the nylon SS. I also noticed it on the inside of my tarp. I think it was due to the way my tarp was too close to my hammock. Temps were in the mid 40's.

[BillyBob58]

Well I'm glad it wasn't just her that had this problem. Thanks for your quick replies. Her hexfly tarp was about a foot and a half from her ridgeline. I was also wondering if there are any condensation problems using UQs. We have been looking at the Crowsnest 3-season 3/4 UQ for my wife (which is long enough to cover her completly) and the Crowsnest 3-season Full for myself. But they are a bit to pricey and if they don't have any problems with condensation then they just might start looking cheaper. Any thoughts on that would be great!!

Maztrain

No, it's definitely not just her. As you can see from some of the responses. It's really quite the mystery to me. That is, why some folks have trouble and some folks don't. It seems to be related to what Knotty said: somehow the moisture gets around the space blanket and condenses in the cold undercover. I seriously doubt the moisture is getting THROUGH the space blanket.

Now me, I have used my super shelter on and off since my first hammock backpack, which I think was the fall of 2006? I have yet to see a drop of moisture make it past my space blanket and down into the undercover. I have on one or two occasions seen a few small drops of condensation (or maybe sweat?) on TOP of my space blanket. And, there is the one time in Washington's Olympic mountains (very high humidity and fog) where the temperature was only in the high 40s to lower 50s and I decided I didn't need the space blanket. So I just slept with the HH pad and undercover. When I got up the next morning, the foot of the HH pad and the foot of my sleeping bag were pretty well soaked. thank goodness both were synthetic and dried very quickly. But for the rest of the trip I use the space blanket, and was as usual essentially bone dry.

Go figure. I have never really been able to come up with a satisfactory explanation. So I guess in your case the condensation was UNDERNEATH the space blanket? So the HH pad was wet? Or was the condensation ON TOP of the space blanket, between the space blanket and the hammock? If that was the case, the only thing I can think of to ask is: could she have been sweating? A lot of people have that problem when sleeping on a closed cell foam pad in a hammock: their back – though toasty warm – unfortunately sweats.

I find it very interesting that you do not have this problem with the bubble pad that came with the deep jungle? It would almost seem like the same principle as the space blanket. It is tight up against your back inside the pad pocket of the deep jungle. And it is a vapor barrier. (Correct?) Whereas with the super shelter, the space blanket is held tight up against the back – more or less – by the super shelter suspension. And also the elastic tension of the super shelter undercover. Seems to me like pretty close to the same set of conditions.

Oh well, who knows? Good luck, I hope you guys work it out.

PS: I just remembered there were one or two folks who have reported some condensation issues with the super shelter when sleeping inside their sleeping bags. Then when they use the bag as a top quilt, they didn't have the problem. I don't know why that would make any difference. Except that it might increase the chance that their backs were too hot and they started to sweat. Naturally if you sweat on top of a vapor barrier, the moisture is simply going to pool underneath you. Having said that, during my earlier hammock days, I quite often got inside my Polarguard sleeping bag because I was always having trouble staying warm enough when using it as a quilt. But even inside the bag, once again, I never had any condensation or sweating problems.

[Softouch333]

I was also wondering if there are any condensation problems using UQs. We have been looking at the Crowsnest 3-season 3/4 UQ for my wife (which is long enough to cover her completly) and the Crowsnest 3-season Full for myself. But they are a bit to pricey and if they don't have any problems with condensation then they just might start looking cheaper. Any thoughts on that would be great!!

Maztrain

I started with the Super Shelter standard set up on my Hyperlight and had no moisture problems on the space blanket like BillyBob, however warmth was only fair and the crinkle and laying out of the space blanket bugged me. Next I got a Mount Washington 4 season quilt and mounted it inside the undercover (I thought it would help keep the quilt clean and decrease breeze factor as I was still in the stock tarp). This soaked the quilt and dropplets on the undercover---by far the worst scenario. Removed the undercover and went with the solo quilt. No more moisture and pretty warm. I carry a NeoAir Shorty for in hammock supplementation, camp lounging, and go-to-ground options, and partially inflated, it significantly helps with cold spots. Last, I replaced the stock tarp and eliminated blow through breeze so well that I can't see where an overcover would ever add much. My vote is for under quilt bare or with a breathable undercover, which I haven't tried but might help a bit.

I've got some ripstop I might attach with a little velcro to my quilt at its lowest point and see if it helps with lumbar heat. Last I could see where the SS OCR pad and Underquilt might be really warm and very breathable, but pretty bulky though still not much more weight than my winter tent setup. There is a definite learning curve with insulation and as BillyBob has said often seems to depend on your innate warmth and wetness factors. I have not been below 30 degrees yet though many times in the thirties with breeze to 20mph, and can honestly say hammock comfort has left 40 years of ground dwelling literally "in the dust."

[bkrownd]

I always have some condensation between my underquilt and outer weathersheild every morning - how much depends a little on the weather. Predictable, since the humidity is always high here, and I guess warm humid air in the down can't be prevented from condensing out on the weathersheld. I can shake a little of it off during takedown, but I have to remember to break out my underquilt and weathershield early before next use to give them as much time to dry out as possible before sunset, and also to dry out the underquilt first thing when I get it back home.