Condensation Problems in Cooler Weather

[BradLilSnoozy]

We have had our Lil Snoozy trailer since 2017. Love the trailer and the configuration. We like to camp in the fall when the day time temperatures are in the 60s and the night time temperatures are in the 30s. We use an electric heater to keep the temperature about 65 during the night when we are sleeping. We have the standard configuration with the queen bed in the front of the trailer.

While we are sleeping condensation forms on the walls at the end of the bed where are heads are due to normal breathing. The bedding and pillows get wet from the condensation.

This year we installed foam insulation around the mattress and about 12 inches above the mattress. This keep the bedding and pillows dry but we got condensation between the foam and trailer shell.

I know that Castia and Scamp trailers have a marine grade liner on the walls of the trailer. Do either have a foil insulation between the shell and the liner?
Can you tell me how well this works? Does it stay dry above your heads and between the bedding and the trailer? Does the marine header stay dry?

Your comments are appreciated.

[Trailduster]

Ventilation is still the best solution for condensation in tents, cars, and travel trailers. Insulation is only going to get us so far with single pane windows and difficult to insulate openings.

I thought Snoozys were already pretty well insulated as far as fiberglass rigs go.

[steve dunham]

Whether we are sleeping at our home or in our trailer ,regardless of the weather / temperature, we keep the window near the head of our bed cracked open to provide ventilation.
This is especially important when temps are below freeezing .

[CarlD]

We just came home from an 8 day adventure to the Delmarva Peninsula to visit the National Wildlife Refuges in the area. This morning it was 22 degrees. We had the rear vent open a bit and had the heat set to 51 degrees. We got some condensation at the head and foot of the mattress. It was not much and we wiped up. We should have had the window at the foot of the bed open a bit but smoke from the fire was drifting in so it was closed. We have reflectix on the walls covered by vinyl which typically does not condense much. The wet bath is the only area that is not covered and designed to take moisture and condensation. It seems to work quite well.

[Mike_L]

Condensation on surfaces occurs when water vapor in the air contacts a cold surface. The "dew point" is the temperature at which this condensation begins to occur. The higher the moisture content of the air the higher the dew point. Cold air outside your unit cools the exterior walls. When the temperature of the wall is lower than the dew point, condensation occurs. Insulation in the walls "slows" cooling on the inside surfaces but, in the absence of an internal heat source, the temperature of the interior surface of the wall will equal the temperature of the external surface/outside air temperature. Your options to prevent condensation on interior surfaces is (1) to keep your inside temperature above the dew point with a heat source and/or reduce the water vapor concentration inside your unit. Water vapor and carbon dioxide are the products of human respiration. Ventilation, an open window etc. will allow these air contaminants to escape your unit. Lowering the moisture content in your unit is likely the best way to prevent condensation on your internal surfaces.

[Gilda]

I'm grateful Mike L. explained the reason for condensation...actually quite simple. The solution in the camper/trailer, as previously mentioned, is also quite simple...open the windows a crack.

While I also open our windows a crack, there is a bit of a cool breeze that comes in onto my face and/or feet. We have done a few simple things to improve our sleeping comfort in our 13' SCAMP.

1. We sleep on our 45" wide bed like sardines, head to foot. Sounds strange, but it really is comfortable as there is more room for our shoulders. You can choose to have your feet stick out or not. You can also sleep in mummy sleeping bags.

2. We focus on excellent/warm bedding. We put a puffy comforter under us. (for us, down-alternative is best for camping as it does not loose it's warmth, much, when damp in spots). We have one or two puffy comforters on top of us. (I have, actually, developed quite a system for camping bed linens that don't fall off the side. Look up my name, Gilda and bedding, in the "Search" section of this forum.) We also have 1/2 size head pillows that take up little space, but are adequate.

3. We found that the escape hatch on the ceiling, above the bed, dripped water as condensation formed on the metal frame and crank-opener. To manage that we put two large "garden cushions" (meant for kneeling while gardening) that fit perfectly on each side of the 2 ceiling sections. These cushions are not porous as they are completely sealed with vinyl coating. (Sorry, I can't tell you where to get them as they are no longer sold at Target.)

4. In addition, I cut a rectangle of Roc-Lon fabric (available at any fabric store such as www.Joann.com) which is often used to line drapes to make them "black out" drapes. I clip it to the "rat-fur" with "Panel Wall Cubicle Clips"(available at www.STAPLES.com). Yes, the metal still drips and is "caught" by this "hammock-thingy" but it keeps us dry. The "hammock-thingy" dries out in place during the day when we keep the windows cracked open. It can be easily removed in case of emergency.

NOTE #1: I see that the "Cubicle Clips" are available at STAPLEs in boxes of 20. Don't let that hold you back, since you only need 4. I made another "ceiling hammock" for the ceiling fan. It keeps out the morning sun and neighbors' lights so we can sleep a little more soundly.
You will find TONs of other uses for these clips. I display postcards, twinkle lights, curtain tie-backs, and much more, on my trailer walls. When the prongs get rusty I just replace the clips.

NOTE #2: I also made roll-up shades out of Roc-Lon for all of our windows, even on the door. These keep out much of the cool breeze by the bed and most of the light in the morning. They keep the trailer a bit warmer too. See my photos and instructions by looking on this forum in "Search" by entering "Gilda, curtains".

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.