How To Stop Condensation In Your Roof Top Tent

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Jay Elliott

Chief Camping Officer

How To Stop Condensation In Your Roof Top Tent

Condensation can accumulate inside your Roof Top Tent during the night while you are sleeping. This condensation could soak into your mattress, as well as your tent wall fabrics. This problem is being discussed more often, given the increased popularity of rooftop tents. You need to manage and care for your rooftop tent properly to prevent damage to it.

Condensation could come from three sources: the natural air circulating in your Roof Top Tent, moisture coming from your body (as you breathe in and out), and other items inside your tent that carry moisture, like wet clothing.

There are many ways to prevent condensation from occurring inside your tent. Let’s review some of the ways to do this and help you have a better camping experience altogether.

Use Anti Condensation Mats

Anti Condensation Mats could help prevent the formation of water particles inside your Roof Top Tent. By placing an anti-condensation mat under your mattress, you promote better air circulation in that area. Having better circulation will result in no condensation inside your Roof Top Tent.

Also, having better airflow means you sleep better at night inside a Roof top Tent. You will feel more relaxed and well-rested from a good night’s sleep.

Use Carpet Tiles

Another alternative solution is to use carpet tiles in your Roof Top Tent. Similar to anti-condensation mats, carpet tiles also help absorb moisture by improving the overall airflow inside the tent. You place these tiles under your mattress to form a layer between the tent flooring and the mattress.

Just like anti-condensation mats, carpet tiles add an extra layer of ‘air packets’ between your mattress and your tent’s flooring. These air packets help improve the circulation inside the tent, thus preventing the formation of condensation. Carpet tiles are just as effective as air condensation mats but a little bit more affordable.

Improve Air Circulation Inside Your Roof Top Tent

You can dramatically improve the ventilation inside your Roof Top Tent by simply opening the windows and the vents at night. This allows cold air in, and cold air out. By keeping these contrasting air from being trapped together inside the Roof Top Tent, there is zero chance of condensation taking place. 

If you worry about bugs and insects attacking you at night, the mesh cover that is in those vents or openings are enough to keep them away. This should help solve your problem of condensation without creating another problem (i.e. mosquitoes and other bugs).

Pitch on Dry Ground

If you can find a nice dry ground that you can set up camp in, that should be a lot of help in stopping condensation inside your Roof Top Tent. It also helps if you find somewhere where there are nearby trees. Air under trees tends to be warmer than air in an open field. Also, if condensation happens in this situation, it usually happens on the tree top, instead of inside your tent. 

Be careful about camping under trees, though, you run the risk of falling debris hitting your Roof Top Tent, causing damage to it and injury to you and your company. 

Heat Your Rooftop Tent

In this article on how to heat your rooftop tent we discuss a range of heater solutions for your tent, some of which create a large amount of wrm air that prevents condensation occuring.

Take Out All Possible Sources of Moisture

If you hang your wet clothes, socks, and other belongings inside your roof top tent, these will contribute to condensation happening inside. Having these inside the tent at night ensures a source of water which will certainly turn into condensation when you sleep at night.

One way to avoid this is by drying out your wet items of clothing outside the tent, preferably during the daytime. Doing this not only stops condensation but also prevents foul odors from forming inside your tent. These odours could possibly get stuck in the fabric of the roof top tent and will require thorough cleaning to get out.

Air It Out

After a rain or snowfall, there’s a strong chance that your tent could collect water inside. Your Roof Top Tent should be aired out immediately to prevent moisture from forming inside. Allowing moisture to remain in your tent may cause mold and mildew formation. If left untreated, this could lead to serious damage to your Roof Top Tent.

Air your Roof Top Tent out by parking your vehicle under direct sunlight, and leaving all doors and windows open for warm air to get inside the tent. To help speed up the drying process, you can also wipe your tent walls with a dry rug. This will also help remove dust or any undesirable particles that may have stuck to your tent after lengthy camping trips.

Use a Fan To Speed Drying Times Further

If you are in a hurry and need to get your Roof Top Tent dry quickly, you can use a fan to help in the process. The warm air coming from the fan should aid in cutting the drying time in half. Keep this in mind whenever you need to dry your Roof Top Tent and have little time to spare. 

Proper care for your Roof Top Tent should be taken for you to be able to use it for many years. By keeping condensation out at all times, you can be assured of this. If condensation does occur, use the tips above to take care of the problem.