Hilleberg ENAN...condensation

[BRWNBR]

Got three nights in my new hilly ENAN one man tent. It rained every night and every day, not much wind. The wettest one man tent I've ever slept in. Water on the inside of the tent body, inside of the rain fly. When you roll it up to relocate the wet tent and fly soaks the floor of the tent. Never had a tent with so much condesation in it. Was very disappointed. Will keep using it in different weather conditions and see if it changed. But dang, it was dripping on me!

 

[luke moffat]

All hillebergs I have slept in have been bad with condensation personally.

 

[sniper61]

Jake, I think you are the one who steered me towards the Stevenson's warmalight tent years ago . It is a 2 man but have always used it alone and really like it . I have to ask did you take a lot of wet cloths in the tent, was it raining , how cold was it?

 

[BRWNBR]

No wet clothes. Yes to rain. Rain is kinda the whole point of the tent. Lol
I got a screaming deal on this tent but don't like it as much as my old mtn hardware and seirra designs $180 tents that of course they don't make anymore.

 

[mallacootasmoothie]

When you roll it up to relocate the wet tent and fly soaks the floor of the tent.

I've never seen a tent that stays dry inside after rolling it up wet.

If relocating a wet tent I've always had to pack the wet fly in a dry bag, and the inner separately.

 

[BRWNBR]

Don't matter if you packed this fly separate, the inner tent body has so much water inside it it soaks everything. Looking at going back to my eureka spitfire type tents.

 

[justin davis]

Bottom line is there shouldn't be that much condensation in a double wall tent with a high price tag.

 

[BRWNBR]

Exactly!

 

[ohhiitznik]

Floorless with a bivy. Glad I didn't take a plunge into the hillebergs

 

[BRWNBR]

I considered floor less with bivy but there's so much water on the inside of the rain fly it would soak everything!

 

[BRWNBR]

Hilleberg just emailed me back.
They carry a towel to dry their inside of the tents and put gor tex coats over their sleeping bags to keep them dry!!!
WHAT ON EARTH?!?!

 

[mallacootasmoothie]

Bottom line is there shouldn't be that much condensation in a double wall tent with a high price tag.

I don't think being a high end tent has anything to do with it.
It all comes down to venting, no matter what, the air inside your tent is always going to be warmer and more humid than the outside air, and when ever there is warm air (which holds more moisture) contacting a cooler surface the moisture will condense, in the case of a tent, usually the fly. But not always.

 

[Mjm316]

I don't think being a high end tent has anything to do with it.
It all comes down to venting, no matter what, the air inside your tent is always going to be warmer and more humid than the outside air, and when ever there is warm air (which holds more moisture) contacting a cooler surface the moisture will condense, in the case of a tent, usually the fly. But not always.

Stop breathing so much Jake! Jeez is that to much to ask?

 

[DaveC]

Sounds like 50% user error, 50% less than ideal shelter.

With rain and little wind, you'll need to vent the hell out of things to avoid condensation, and even then you won't avoid it completely. The Enan also isn't the most ventable tent, and the tiny interior space makes condensation issues worse. With one person in a two man tent with identical venting you'll have considerably less condensation. But having a tent which is both ventable and good in a storm comes at a weight penalty.

Hilleberg's recommendation to use a towel and put a coat over the foot of your bag is an admission that condensation happens in the backcountry. Thinking you can just buy the right tent, use it the same in all circumstances, and always avoid condensation is not realistic.

 

[BRWNBR]

I guess my last four one man tents have been unrealistic....
I don't care about condensation on my rain fly, I do care when it drips on me inside my tent. 19 years of guiding, up to 200 nights a year in a tent.

 

[Yellowknife]

I'm no Hilleberg apologist... I like the tents, but I like other tents too. Most have pluses and minuses. However, every regular three season tent I own or have used really sucks to get set up in the rain and wind. By the time I fight the separate fly in, the inner tent is all wet for some reason. Then I roll it up in the morning and it gets wetter.

Everything is a compromise. You had three wet days. Probably have 30 good ones now. Or since you are likely going coastal bear hunting, maybe not.

Thought you were a tough Alaskan guide or something? Lot of whining about a little dampness BRWNBR! Maybe you got soft up on the slope and used to a warm dry bed every night? Yep, I bet that's it.

 

[BRWNBR]

Lol I think I am just getting old! I see why old master guides just hire assistants to do all the work! Haha don't mind the water just don't wanna pay a premium for it! I can get wet a lot cheaper with lower expectations!
Anyone wanna buy a ENAN tent, almost brand new?!
Man I hope we get 30 good days!! Ya this tent isn't going to kodiak anytime soon....I'll take my seirra design instead. It's already proven it can handle it. I know I need all the help I can get!! Ha

 

[S&S Archery (Rob)]

I have seen some condensation issues in my Enan. But like DaveC said, its all about venting. When its raining and no wind you're SOL. If there is no rain i usually zip the door open about 12 inches from the top down. That and keeping the end vents open seems to keep the condensation at bay.

I did get a wake up call last weekend. My wife and I did some scouting with our new Copper Spur Mtn glo 2. It took about 15 min to realize the quality difference between my Enan and the BA. Between snagged zippers, and the "Mtn Glo" being way more glo than light, I was really missing my Enan.

 

[BRWNBR]

Problem with being SOL when it's raining is that when it's not, I don't need the tent. Lol
Oh the irony. I have used one man tents that provide protection from the outside rain without soaking the inside. My ENAN has not been one of them. Gonna give it another run next couple weeks on another sheep hunt and see if it's a fair weather tent or how things go at least. Gonna give it a go at least. Reallyyyy wanna love this tent......

 

[Broomd]

Hilleberg makes some nice stuff, but I've always regarded their shelters as way over-rated and outrageously priced for the money. That doesn't speak to the ridiculous packed weights of their stuff.

I've had them all, the absolute WORST for condensation is the Mountain Hardware EV2 (or 3)..absolutely bombproof, but you'll be wringing out everything you own on a perfectly dry night.

I finally went to Rab eVent fabric-ed tents for my bombproof setups., the stuff breathes fantastic.
They're no longer available unfortunately. Like everything great, they stopped making them.