Hi everyone! I have not been here in a long time.
I got a new computer that will work with this site.
I put on many miles this year. got my legs fixed I can walk somewhat normal!!!! I am very happy!
I put many miles on the morning star this summer.
I just picked up a old town discovery 199k. does anyone know what the k means?
My main question is how do you camp in Wisconsin (we get heavy dew most every nite) with out getting all damp by morning. I have been thru a colmen, field and forest and a world famous sports tents practicing on the farm.
I have had to bale out for the house every time I got wet from the dew.
thank you Joe
Congratulations on your… on the leg repairs. Hope that goes well for you.
Can’t help on the Old Town, sorry. Not familiar with it.
For the heavy dew consider implementing a tarp system to your repertoire. There are many web sites available that will help you learn the art of the tarp. Do a google search and spend some time studying.
Once you use a good tarp you’ll wonder how you ever got along with one. And then you’ll add a second tarp to your kit
Most better tents come with a "rain fly" It is made just for that; to keep the tent dry.
If yours doesn’t have one, just get a blue tarp that will fit over it and stake it so it won’t blow off.
Also get a ground tarp that goes under the tent which is also usually a blue tarp. Just make sure when you put the tent on it that the tent rain fly extends over the edges of it, so that it doesn’t funnel water on top of the ground cloth and under your tent
Tenting can be mighty uncomfortable when you are wet and soggy.
It is also good to have a tent with a small vestibule, to keep wet shoes in prior to crawling into the tent
Tarps are great,… … but I usually skip the effort of setting one up. As mentioned, any decent tent with a rain fly will keep you dry, and if it’s not rainy, having the tent be the only dry spot in camp is good enough. Tarps can be awfully handy when it rains, though, and it’s well worth it to know a number of special arrangments for setting them up.
Here’s a minor trick for keeping other stuff dry and clean, while not creating a crowded mess inside your tent. Lay your packs and whatever other gear would be laying around onto one half of a cheap hardware-store tarp, then fold the other half over the top and hold the edges down with weight. There’s no quicker method for dry storage of your gear.
Quicker… If base camping, or river tripping; set up rainfly & leave gear under it when not in use. The vast majority of stuff you carry when canoeing is typically carried in waterproof bags; so it would be doubly protected “under the raingfly”.
What about the Bell Morningstar? You still have that pretty boat?
I don't know what the "K" actually stands for, but I believe I've seen Old Town and another manufacturer use the "K" when referring to polyethylene hulls?
Did you mean your TENT is getting wet inside? As for tents, you need to use an "Innie." Seal the floor seams, but also add a tarp (a little larger than your floor) to the floor of your tent. Even good tents will eventually leak through the seams. The inner tarp solves this problem. I've used a couple Coleman's over the years (I have one now) and while not the best, can be water proofed to live comfortably out of with seam sealing and an "Innie" tarp.
dew migrating I love the morning star I could never get rid of it.
I will slowly feed all the stories that you missed when I was gone something to do this winter. That canoe has been everywhere man! see my post in discussions.
as far as the tents go I used seam sealer on the seams and silicone on the walls 2 coats. They all had rain flys but they all had screen windows under the rain fly that had no way to cover permanent screen windows. So the dew migrates into the tents. You could run a propane heater and not get gassed but the tents are too small for that.
I have 2 free ones from a friend they look big I have not unrolled them yet. But if they are big and have the same set up with the perascreen. I could run the propane cook stove on low and that would cure it but
I just don’t like that idea. I had a tarp under the tent but I am thinking the tarp over the whole thing is going to be the way to go I saw a homeless camp on the news and thats what they had. Man I feel sorry for those guys. They have no where to bale too.
I tested the WFS in the rain and in came thru the zippers. and misted under the fly. I want to camp up in the U P GOOGLE WE energies wilderness shores project. a vast area of rivers and lakes with no houses
nothing so they can control the water on the many dams in the chains. They have many very nice camp sites they maintain. I also have a friend that live very close to there for emergencies.Its unspoiled wilderness. If you go there it will be a many out loud wows day even if you are alone it was for me!
So there is no where to go except the out house’s on the improved sites. So my gear has got to be tested tough before I go.
Warm side Joe, if I’m telling you something you already know, forgive me. Condensation forms on the warm side of a membrane seperating warm from the cold. Think of water rings left behind from a beer on your fine furniture. Warmth needs to come from your bedding. Try not to touch the inner tent wall with your head, feet , or packs, or the dew on the outside will bleed through. If you’re getting drops of water falling inside the tent from just moist air, I would think you need more air circulating. Don’t seal the mesh top, unzip a window , and make sure the fly has an air space above the mesh. Some dampness is to be expected but not wetness. I’m no expert, just my observations camping in inexpensive tents.
Yeah… You shouldn’t be getting dew into the inside of the tent if you have a functioning screen system for ventilation and a functioning rain fly, except for that possible condensation from the differential between the inside and outside of the tent. A good tent won’t usually have that problem because there is plenty of room between the screen mesh and the rain fly. Any condensation therefore happens on the underside of the rain fly, and shouldn’t be bad enough to form drops that drip into the tent.
Poorly designed tents have too little room between the inside and the rain fly, or the rain fly is too small.
Cheap tents usually aren’t a good idea. They leak, the seams come apart, they are more difficult to set up, and they are often heavier. You don’t have to go really expensive on a tent, but it’s a pretty important part of your gear if you do any overnight canoeing. There are lots of good tents on the market from moderately priced to stupidly expensive, but I’d always recommend the old Eureka Timberline as being pretty darned good for the price, and easy to set up. And if you’re canoe camping, weight and space isn’t a huge problem, so get a 4 person tent even if you’re going to be using it solo. Elbow room is nice.
Dew I’ve encountered heavy dew many times. My tents and my hammock all handle dew without issues. My gear is in dry bags so dew or rain are not issues with gear either.
Usually the moisture from dew is dried up by noon at worst. Pick a site with good sunlight exposure and it will dry up earlier.
Perhaps a better tent is all you need, or try a camping hammock.
Another vote for a better tent The ones you cited have inadequate ventilation
You are getting wet from condensation that is caused by poor ventilation
I’ve canoe camped from the Yukon to Belize and Utah to Newfoundland and have yet to get soaked from condensation save the time I thought I could star gaze in the Everglades and left off the fly
