Drymesh or hypervent under matress

[Donna D.]

That kinda looks like Dri-Deck?

[markvt]

Yes, Donna it is pretty is the much the same thing but it's made out of a hard plastic not rubber. The other thing is these tiles are a lot lighter than the Dri-Deck material and they were at my local building story.

[Jubal]

Have you actually had a problem with moisture under the mattress ?

[markvt]

No but I plan on doing a lot of cold weather camping and a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

[Greggo]

I found a mesh material like hypervent/dry mesh/dri dek at Home Depot. If the bed covers it, how much ventilation does this stuff actually do? Anybody drill airholes under the bed for air exchange?

Greg

[Jrn56]

Greg, do you remember what it was called at HD?

[Jubal]

When camping in cold weather we open the doors under the bed to minimize condensation on the walls near the bed.

[FishBioGirl]

Anyone have the slat bed from IKEA?

[tractors1]

Hypervent is more like a mesh material that allows for horizontal airflow through the fabric, Dry Dek doesn't.

[yardsale]

I have a question similar to Jubal's. Has anyone who camps in cold weather AND WHO HAS THE INSULATION PACKAGE had problems with condensation? I am wondering if this problem is limited to folks working with only partially insulated campers.

[SpokanEscape]

We have the insulation and on our first trip out when it was in the forties at night and rainy we had condensation. We were running the furnace a fair amount. Here at the rally in Osoyoos no problems as it is warm and dry!

[KarenH]

I've camped in the low 30s F and had minor condensation only once when I forgot to crack a window and leave the Maxx fan on low. My trailer has the extra insulation package but not the spray-on foam insulation underneath.

[Jubal]

Originally Posted by SpokanEscape

We have the insulation and on our first trip out when it was in the forties at night and rainy we had condensation. We were running the furnace a fair amount. Here at the rally in Osoyoos no problems as it is warm and dry!

Where did you notice the condensation ?

[LeonW]

I am not sure if the problem is limited to folks with uninsulated campers, but we have not had a problem with condensation. We currently have a 17b, with insulation, dual pane windows, and the foam on the bottom. We have camped in temps in the mid 20s fahrenheit, with snow flurries. We leave the MaxFann vent open a bit (but with the fan off) overnight. We get condensation on the front window, and the two front side windows -- these aren't double pane. But I don't recall much other condensation, and certainly no damp bedding. We have a 3" memory foam topper over the cushions in the back. We also use the propane furnace or a Pelonis cube heater to keep the overnight temps to about 60 degrees. But I bet that we get less condensation in that situation than we would if we were in someplace really humid (e.g. Oregon, Louisiana, Florida, etc), with the temp in the mid 40s rain, and 100% humidity.

[Glennrose]

Originally Posted by yardsale

I have a question similar to Jubal's. Has anyone who camps in cold weather AND WHO HAS THE INSULATION PACKAGE had problems with condensation? I am wondering if this problem is limited to folks working with only partially insulated campers.

Oh yeah - a mistake we will never make again. We have the dual pane windows and extra insulation but not the underfoam or heating pads. When we were newbies we stayed one rainy October night in Sequim Washington (already one of the dampest places available to Escapers). It was late, we were tired & cranky after the expensive ferry ride from Victoria (or was it that we missed the last ferry back?) so we pulled into the parking lot of the local casino and crashed, not even thinking of ventilation.

Next morning we woke up to a virtual flood. Every square inch inside, including all the cabinets and underneath were dripping wet. After pulling all the wet stuff out of the cupboards and using all our now damp towels to dry as much as we could, we headed on our way (with not much of an improved mood...) It took a day or two to dry out but it eventually did, with the help of the furnace and an electric heater.

Big big learning experience: ALWAYS have a window open and ALWAYS have the Max fan going at night.

That was when we were newbies. We have not had any issues since following "the rules."

[cpaharley2008]

The solution to condensation, whether you have insulation or not is air circulation. Keep the blinds up at night, the bed away from the wall and allow air to circulate. Keeping the blinds down traps the cold air and prevents the warmer air from drying.

[WestEnder]

Thanks for the tip on the ventilation. How do you keep the rain from coming in the open window?

BTW: Don't talk about Sequim being wet to someone from the southwest side of the peninsula. Sequim averages 16 inches of rain per year. Lake Quinault averages 130 inches and can get 180 inches. That's one of the reasons so many folks retire to Sequim, it's one of the driest places in western Washington.

[Glennrose]

No kidding? Sure could have fooled us that cold wet night in October!
Actually, we often stop at Sequim on our way through to other places - it's a lovely little town, and the wild blackberries in August are unparalleled.

[padlin]

Originally Posted by WestEnder

Thanks for the tip on the ventilation. How do you keep the rain from coming in the open window?

I haven't tried it yet, but I've been eyeballing one or more of these.

Amazon.com: Maxxair 00-455000 Window/Maxx Louvered Vent: Automotive

[Donna D.]

Those Maxx Vents are a fairly popular item and discussed on FiberglassRV. I have one word for them ICK. In order to keep the window open, you're effectively blocking the view. The vent is "permanently" mounted so the view is blocked rain or sun. The vent is hard to see through. YMMV