About this time of year, when the air gets a little cooler, all we hear in the office is “Not rain … condensation.” We get many phone calls and emails from campers, caravanners, motorhomers and campervanners – all enjoying late-season camping. Often, their tents, caravan and motorhome/campervan awnings have suddenly sprung leaks and are “letting in the rain”.

We question, we listen, we advise. We even test some of the suspect structures under our special ‘weathering frame’ – settings: ‘Heavy’, ‘Torrential’ or ‘Monsoon’. But, more often than not – actually, FAR more often than not – the culprit isn’t ‘rain’ at all, it’s CONDENSATION. Here’s why… 

1. What causes condensation?

OK, it’s a long, long time since most of us at NCL learned this at school too (yes, some of us did go!) But, with a little help from that know-all, Google, these are the scientific facts:

💧 Air naturally contains a tiny amount of water vapour – about 0.0017% of it, depending on the surrounding humidity.

💧 When warmer air meets a cooler surface this water vapour turns into liquid water. This forms tiny droplets on the surface.

💧 The tiny droplets merge to form larger droplets. If the surface isn’t completely flat, these droplets merge into trickles (our technical term!)

💧 You know what ‘trickles’ can turn into? PUDDLES!

Not rain … condensation.

2. Possible causes of condensation in tents & awnings

A tent or awning will normally be full of air when in use. And various things affect air flow and moisture content in a tented structure. We might cook inside them, eat hot food, run an electric fridge (that vents warm air), boil water to make hot drinks, switch on a heater etc. And, don’t forget what we all do, all the time…BREATHE. People and their pets exhale air – normally around 400ml / 0.7 of a pint of water vapour per person, per day! (Wow, think about that – a family of five, with a dog, chucking over 4 pints of water onto the walls of your tent every day! ‘Rain’ you said?) Then add the warmer air escaping from the doorway and windows of a connected caravan or camper. That’s a large amount of relatively warm, moist air that’s adding to those puddles.

Typically, because the outside air cools at night, condensation greets us first thing in the morning. It’s had all night to settle on the inside surfaces of the tent, then run down onto the groundsheet. Human nature then makes us examine every millimetre of wall and ceiling material to find the supposed leak. We check the seams, examine the nearest zips, agree that “Zips aren’t as good as they used to be.” Over a cup of tea and a bacon bap, we note that the puddle is getting bigger. Concluding that it must have quietly rained last night, we look up the phone number for Norwich Camping & Leisure.

Yes, we go camping / caravanning / motorhoming too – and it’s not funny. Wet bed-socks on a chilly morning are NOT a cause for mirth. But, it’s not just us making this up by way of an excuse – condensation is real. (See point 1. above)

Not rain … condensation.

3. So, what you can do about condensation…

Maintain good ventilation – throughout the tented structure to minimise the ‘warm air meets cold surface’ scenario. Use the air vents that are built into most tents and awnings to enhance airflow. Try leaving external doors partly open to allow a decent – and healthy – flow of air. Most structures have integrated mesh panels to let you do this without letting all the bugs in.

‘Technical Cotton’ (TC) material – some tents and awnings are available with walls and roof sections made from ‘Technical’ Polycotton. This is a more natural-fibre Polycotton than the typical synthetic polyester used for most tents and awnings. The benefit is that TC material gives your tent or awning extra ‘breathability’. It helps to keep condensation to a minimum and generally makes a structure more comfortable in use. TC is also more durable and will better handle prolonged use in adverse weather conditions. For all of these advantages, expect to pay a little more for TC models.   

Buy a roof-liner accessory – manufacturers’ roof-liners maintain an air gap from the structure’s ceiling. This ensures they remain at a warmer temperature than that of the ceiling, which is cooled by the outside air. The relative difference in temperature is sufficient to significantly reduce, or even prevent, moisture from forming on the ceiling. Less moisture, less condensation.

‘Outside Living’ – wherever you can, and weather-permitting, try to cook outside the tent or awning. Similarly, eat and drink in the great outdoors, lessening the amount of water vapour created inside the structure. Or, with a caravan or motorhome – do this inside the van, but try not to keep opening the awning door until the steam has cleared. That is, vent steam through your exterior windows and roof-lights, otherwise you’re back to square one.

Invest in a dehumidifier – if condensation is a particular issue for you, take a look at these simple and inexpensive dehumidifiers.

Invest in an absorbent sponge or cloth – and simply wipe-up and ring-out when necessary, grateful of the fact that it’s neither due to a leak or that sneaky ‘quiet rain’.

Not rain … condensation.

Summary…

Camping, caravanning, motorhoming and campervanning are a lot about getting away from stressy day-to-day things and being in touch with nature. Condensation is as natural as it gets. Apart from taking any or all of the above countermeasures, you’d maybe better learn to live with it.

Well, if you’re still awake at the back of the science lesson – but still not convinced – take a look at our condensation videos. These apply the science to actual awnings on display at our Leisure Village store near Norwich. Here, our seasoned reviewers (some with their very own sponges) highlight the condensation problem – something we see every morning on our outdoor display tents and awnings, especially when the temperature creeps lower at night! Remember: Not rain … condensation.

💧 Happy camping, caravanning, motorhoming and campervanning! 💧

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Norwich Camping & Leisure Village is in Blofield, east of Norwich, Norfolk. We have one of the UK’s largest seasonal outdoor displays of tents and awnings. We’re also known for our indoor showroom displays of camping & caravanning equipment and outdoor clothing. Our Leisure Village site includes garden furniture & garden buildings, fully-stocked garden centre and barbecues. Tent and awning brands include: Vango; Kampa; Dometic; Telta; Outdoor Revolution; Coleman; Outwell; Oztent; Quest; Royal; Zempire; Camptech; Isabella; Sunncamp.       

The Leisure Village also has a farm shop, coffee shop, new & used campervan sales & hire and a professional-standard car, camper & caravan hand-wash station.

We have over 50 years of experience and provide practical, friendly advice – plus FAST, FREE DELIVERY on orders over £100. With our Best Price / Price Match Policy and 0% finance terms why not find us online or come along and see us!  

www.norwichcamping.co.uk    Tel: 01603 717600    [email protected]    Follow us on Twitter!