RTT's + humidity?

[saratonin]

New JT owner here (2021 Willys diesel in snazzberry pearl), new to the forum, and this is my first post after lurking a couple months. It's been such a good resource.

Who's using a roof-top tent somewhere hot/humid/rainy and how's that going re: mold and mildew?

Ofc one of the necessities of protecting your gear when not in use is getting it bone dry before packing it up and keeping it that way.

Most of my camping experience is in dry Colorado, where it's simple to just air it out before you stash it, but I live in Miami now and am leery about being able to even get something dry if I can't take it inside, given the ambient humidity and freq rain, and I don't intend to take the tent off between every trip.

Also wondering whether the soft shell or hard shell RTT's would be better given this. Soft might be able to breathe instead of collect condensation on the inside w temperature changes? But maybe hard can be kept dry via being sealed and something like desiccation packs?

It seems like reviews on every tent have folks that tried to do the right thing (or said they did) and it molded anyway, and others who've been blase and had no issue, and everything in between; and ofc companies are not guaranteeing against mold. Not thrilled at the idea of spending $2-4k on a tent to roll the dice on this, though maybe that's the unavoidable risk one takes with RTT's?

What's your experience been?

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[Deadeye]

WV/OH/MI mostly, now in the mid-Atlantic- so rust belt for sure. I store the tent in an open-sided wood shed during the off season. No mildew or mold. I don't clean it much, unless some bird leaves a present. If it is very wet when i fold it, i'll air it out the next sunny weekend for a few hours.

Roam vagabond is my model. The soft shell is a very thickly coated poly cloth. I can't imagine its allowing much breathing at all. In fact, I have even went through the carwash with it mounted, and the tent didn't get wet at all.

 

[staying_tuned]

We got dumped on a few days in a row in our Skycamp 2, the tent was a mess by the time we got home. I just re-deployed it in my driveway and let it air dry for a full day. Late afternoon I went in and wiped it all down (we have little ones, they drug all manor of forest slosh into the tent haha). That was awhile ago, zero issues.

Most folks (iKamper customers anyhow) replace their mattress immediately because the factory one is horrible. Not only is it woefully thin, it traps condensation. I'd be more concerned about your mattress trapping moisture than a humid environment. Many put a layer of that drawler liner, the foamy feeling web stuff, under their mattress to support circulation. We ended up going with self-inflating mattresses and deflate them each time we break down. No condensation issues with that.

 

[Blade1668]

Most folks (iKamper customers anyhow) replace their mattress immediately because the factory one is horrible. Not only is it woefully thin, it traps condensation. I'd be more concerned about your mattress trapping moisture than a humid environment. Many put a layer of that drawler liner, the foamy feeling web stuff, under their mattress to support circulation. We ended up going with self-inflating mattresses and deflate them each time we break down. No condensation issues with that.

Thanks for the tip on RTT mattress I was thinking along the same line.

 

[Mash5]

I have limited experience, but here it is. FWIW We got our tent just in time for a trip to Moab last fall. It rained on us early the last night in Moab, but we left it up for a while in the morning to air out. The fly kept most of the tent dryish. We stayed in a hotel on the drive home, so the tent stayed packed. We drove home in a big sierra storm with a hard downpour for hours, and then it rained for days after. I don't remember for how long, but it was ten days or more before there was a half sunny morning. We had foggy days with heavy dues. I flipped it open, fearing what I would find. It was fine, and I left it open for a few hours before it seemed like more rain was possible. After that, I took it off the truck for the winter, and it sat in the garage. This spring, I was still a bit worried that maybe it had never fully dried but again, I opened it to find it was just fine.
Mine is a 23Zero. I imagine that there are conditions that would lead to mold, but maybe reasonable care would take care of you.

 

[just_another_guy]

I've put mine away wet several times and aired it out after getting home with no issues. The sun or a nice breeze will dry them out in a matter of hours.

 

[atxatxatx]

I'm curious how people how live in the PacNW are with their RTT's ? This year has been an especially wet and cold year, I'm not sure when we would get a dry day to get a RTT really dry. Would be parked outside mostly.

 

[Brojave22]

I think what your asking is because miami is always humid will the tent eventually develop mold just from sitting on the jeep in the humid environment? I would assume if it is packed away dry it should hold out moisture from the elements being packed away in its casing. Getting it dry would be the harder part, but a good clear day with some breeze would be fine. The hard tops would be better but the same is true needs to be packed away dry and the seams on the case need to be waterproof with a seal on the zipper. Applying and reapplying waterproofing spray (I use 303) is a great way to prevent mold and to increase the life of your tent. I hope this helps.

 

[kevman65]

When it comes to RTT's, I can't help.

Tent camping is a different matter. Get a small, powerful fan that you can rotate the fan itself. Set the RTT up, put the fan in the middle pointing straight up, turn the fan on HIGH and walk away for a few hours. Should be completely dry. I know you live where you breathe water 95% of the time, but even on a humid day this trick should work.

 

[Forum Crawler]

Always dry out your tent and your bedding ASAP after every trip. Even if you didn’t get rain, the condensation is still going to happen inside the tent at night just from breathing alone.

Pulling the mattress and opening EVERYTHING up for a day in the sun (if at all possible) is key. Also, use a fitted sheet to protect the mattress, and wash it after every trip if you can.

In the off season, if you have it stored don’t assume that all is well. Open it up, inspect and air out a couple times per season just in case. I’ve heard horror stories of “oh I forgot and when I finally opened it up a year later it was a science experiment inside!”

 

[G0to60]

We have had a soft RTT for about four years now and we live in the PNW so rain is certainty in the colder months. The key for us is simply opening up the tent and airing it out within a day or two of getting home. I think we stretched it to four days before we got a break in the weather and it was fine. It doesn't have to be sunny out but just not raining and a breeze will help things along. You can also speed it up a little by taking a towel and wiping the surfaces once it's open.

We will also remove the tent and store it in our garage if we aren't going to be using it for a month or more. I realize that this isn't an option for everyone but keeping it out of the weather even when it's not being used can help, especially with soft shell RTTs.

 

[MPMB]

I'm curious how people how live in the PacNW are with their RTT's ? This year has been an especially wet and cold year, I'm not sure when we would get a dry day to get a RTT really dry. Would be parked outside mostly.

I usually store it in the garage over winter. The cover is starting to get pretty worn, so I might need to buy a new one later this year.

We've had a Tepui Autana for 5 years now. Didn't use it last year except for a weekend at Moses Lake, no rain.

We've been in rain storms and thunderstorms. Glacier a few years ago. We pulled the rainfly off, the tent body was pretty much dry. Laid the rainfly out to dry as we had lunch, hung out. No problems.

Two weekends ago we were in a lovely windstorm with a bunch of rain all night. It wasn't quite a downpour, but it was enough to make things wet. More like a typical day/night at a Washington beach - rain and wind. Folded up in the morning and headed to a different site. Opened up the tent about 3-4pm and the tent was a little damp, as were the sleeping bags at the head. Came home and didn't get the sleeping bags out until Thursday to wash - just in case. They were dry, no smell. Tent was dry as well.

We don't try to camp in rain, like most people, so we have limited experience. As long as you open it up to air dry, it should be fine.

 

[atxatxatx]

I usually store it in the garage over winter. The cover is starting to get pretty worn, so I might need to buy a new one later this year.

We've had a Tepui Autana for 5 years now. Didn't use it last year except for a weekend at Moses Lake, no rain.

We've been in rain storms and thunderstorms. Glacier a few years ago. We pulled the rainfly off, the tent body was pretty much dry. Laid the rainfly out to dry as we had lunch, hung out. No problems.

Two weekends ago we were in a lovely windstorm with a bunch of rain all night. It wasn't quite a downpour, but it was enough to make things wet. More like a typical day/night at a Washington beach - rain and wind. Folded up in the morning and headed to a different site. Opened up the tent about 3-4pm and the tent was a little damp, as were the sleeping bags at the head. Came home and didn't get the sleeping bags out until Thursday to wash - just in case. They were dry, no smell. Tent was dry as well.

We don't try to camp in rain, like most people, so we have limited experience. As long as you open it up to air dry, it should be fine.

Thank you both for the feedback, I'm considering an iKamper in a few months

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