Do certain fabrics attract Ice??

[ILUVSWTAS]

For the second time now on chilly nights, I have been the only one to suffer Ice/Frost on my tent.
I have a MACPAC Minaret.
Recently I was camped with 2 MSR'S and they had no frost on them whatsoever, whereas my tent was like cardboard.

On a trip over easter, 2 of my walking buddies after a few drinks decided to write obscene words on all of our tents. As mine was the "frostiest" I copped all the attention.

I was just wondering if anyone else has noticed anything similar? Or do MACPAC use a certain fabric more likely to freeze over??

[tasadam]

I read the title, and was prompted to reply "Yes, the wet ones, depending on the temperature".
But to answer the content of your post, maybe the people in the MSR's had hotter person/s in them or something.
I have had heavy layers of frost on my Nallo in the past. And with the Snowcave I once had dew, then it got cold and the dew froze so rather than frost, it was ice. Yuk!

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hmmm interesting. the other example I gave we had several people, and several different brands of tent. Mine was still the iciest (is that a word??)

[eggs]

Being under trees versus in the open will make a big difference.

[ILUVSWTAS]

1st time we were all in the open
Recent time there was some canopy for us all

[ollster]

1st time we were all in the open
Recent time there was some canopy for us all

Well, you do say you sleep cold? Maybe there is something in what tasadam said?

...and MJD and I ARE hot.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Yeh that thought crossed my mind too. I was toasty and warm the other night though. You witnessed the stiffness I was suffering (and all you dirty minded people out there I am talking about the TENT)

[Ent]

1st time we were all in the open
Recent time there was some canopy for us all

Well, you do say you sleep cold? Maybe there is something in what tasadam said?

...and MJD and I ARE hot.

I assume we will see both you on the BWT fully exposed calander, maybe posing after a swim in Lake Tauhne mid winter so the steam from your hotness can moderate the impact on the general public

Pretty well have not noticed much diffence in the frost levels of tents pitched in similar conditons. All either sparkle or look un affected. Might be a secret fabric from some devious communist research program from the Peoples Republic of Vietnam, home of free speach and open government

Cheers Brett

[ollster]

I assume we will see both you on the BWT fully exposed calander, maybe posing after a swim in Lake Tauhne mid winter so the steam from your hotness can moderate the impact on the general public

Pretty well have not noticed much diffence in the frost levels of tents pitched in similar conditons. All either sparkle or look un affected. Might be a secret fabric from some devious communist research program from the Peoples Republic of Vietnam, home of free speach and open government

Cheers Brett

Ew, ew, ew for the first comment, and lol at the second. Maybe Macpac have labs in North Korea?

[sailfish]

Maybe your better insulated. The warmer the house, the more snow on the roof.
Perhaps, too much hot in those other tents melting, melting.....

Regards,
Ken

[ILUVSWTAS]

My what a lovely thread i've started here

[tasadam]

My what a lovely thread i've started here

Indeed.
Could the question be reworded to
"What activities do you do in your tent to stop the ice from forming?"
My guess is they won't include the word "frigid"...

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hehehe Im not sure what you mean Adam? Could you explain it in detail to this poor innocent soul?

[Liamy77]

I assume we will see both you on the BWT fully exposed calander, maybe posing after a swim in Lake Tauhne mid winter so the steam from your hotness can moderate the impact on the general public

Pretty well have not noticed much diffence in the frost levels of tents pitched in similar conditons. All either sparkle or look un affected. Might be a secret fabric from some devious communist research program from the Peoples Republic of Vietnam, home of free speach and open government

Cheers Brett

Ew, ew, ew for the first comment, and lol at the second. Maybe Macpac have labs in North Korea?

The lab's in Vietnam I think!


And (and i will say i don't know what you folks really look like...) If you all are really HOT maybe some pics & diagrams could help the explanation?! - Definately get a few people onto the forum huh?

[Ent]

Um?

It is minus four outside a hut that is 19 degrees inside but two people decided to tent on the weekend. Err? the tent still looked icy so what were they doing wrong?

Cheers Brett

[tasadam]

Hehehe Im not sure what you mean Adam? Could you explain it in detail to this poor innocent soul?

That would be against forum rules...

[ILUVSWTAS]

Ha! Fair enough. I'd better behave myself and not say another word....

[north-north-west]

*shrug*
Maybe I have bad taste, but Mark looks hot enough for me . . .

[ILUVSWTAS]

*shrug*
Maybe I have bad taste, but Mark looks hot enough for me . . .

It's been a while since I have been speechless.

[ollster]

Look out Mark!!!

[Liamy77]

Maybe a user name change is required... ILUVNNWTAS???

[ILUVSWTAS]

Now im going to have to pretend not to like her just to keep my gruff smartass image intact!!

Give these morons an inch NNW, and they'll take a mile!

[Liamy77]

2 if we can get away with it (harmlessly of course)

[north-north-west]

*shrug*
Maybe I have bad taste, but Mark looks hot enough for me . . .

It's been a while since I have been speechless.

Relax. For one thing, I swore off married men something like 25 years ago. And I've almost decided to keep away from those more than 10 years younger.

Well, maybe 15 years . . .

And as for the smartarses:

[Swifty]

Mark - may seem silly, but what is the colour of your tent? May have an effect on refrigerant cooling? Is it a lighter colour than your companionses? Perhaps your ventilation is also different - gotta let that moist breath out, otherwise it will just stick to the walls and roof.

[ILUVSWTAS]

I have a dark green Minaret. Probably has better ventilation than the MSR??

Doesnt seem silly, seems quite logical Swifty

[abowen]

Hi Mark,
My microlight did the same thing recently. Of the four tents camped out in the open, it iced up pretty quickly compared to other tents. On this occasion there were four tents and mine was the only MacPac tent. It's one of the newer tents and dark green in colour.
I was thinking the reverse to others in that the material or the surface treatment was such that it did not allow too much water to move through it or into the fabric and thus more surface water. I also considered that colour contrast between the ice and the fabric colur might have been the difference, but one of the other tents was dark blue and this tent did not have anywhere near as much ice as mine.
I have also had greater condensation problems inside this tent than my other tents, so I am assuming that breathability isn't the greatest. It seems to work better when I open the tent up a bit, but you can't always do this.
On another side topic. Pity the microlight doesn't have a two way zip on the fly. I would love to open up the fly from the top just for a small opening and a bit of ventilation, but the designers have made it so that you have to reach out and pull the zip up from the bottom.
Cheers
Andrew

[Liamy77]

I have been checking out a range of materials lately....
Some layered waterproof (especially breathable) fabrics seem to have a barrier membrane stuck to the inside of thee material (particularly the stronger fabrics - this means the base material gets WET but the water cant get past the inside waterproof layer. This woiuld mean that this material can freeze with the water in it...
Other fabrics have been treated throughout their depth and dont let any water into the material and therefore (i guess) wouldn't freeze as easily??

check out this website (no connection to me): http://www.therainshed.com/ and look at some of the descriptions of their waterproof breathable stuff compared to the silicon impregnated fabrics?

I am only guessing but it makes logical sense to me?

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hey Andrew. Yes I've heard the microlight is a shocker for condensation. I also had the same thought about the MACPAC fabric, but the condensation thing doesnt really back this up.
That's just another thing I LOVE about my minaret. I have never had any moisutre inside the tent.

Interesting Liam, we seem to be getting somewhere close to the truth.....

[Mickeymoo]

Just throwing an idea out there on a slightly different track! Has anyone though about the air space between the fly and inner tent?? Some tent designs may have a larger or smaller volume of air between the two, the larger the space the less effect body heat would have on it and the more likely the air/fly is to drop below the dew point and form dew and frost