Soft top windows out, will I get overnight condensation?

[Tdub0527]

Hi all,

I’m headed out for a weekend trip and I’ll be camping overnight. I’d like to keep my soft top back all the way as the weather looks pretty nice.

I will be camping and have never parked my Bronco outside of a garage without the top up and windows installed. Will I get a lot of condensation in the vehicle if I leave the windows out? Would you recommend I put them in each evening or from your experience do you think I could leave them out and just put the top up?

Thanks for the advice!

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[frdfan]

Why wouldn't you want to protect the interior by putting the top up and windows in, it only takes a few minutes in the light...bet it would be a pain to do it in the middle of the night if a storm popped up.

 

[Tdub0527]

Forecast is zero rain and I'd put the top up but putting in the windows and taking them out in the am is kind of a pain so I was just curious if I'd get condensation if I left them out.

 

[Kygolfer]

I have just put my top up with windows out several times. No problems. Just an occasional bug or leaf but no condensation to speak of.

 

[frdfan]

Forecast is zero rain and I'd put the top up but putting in the windows and taking them out in the am is kind of a pain so I was just curious if I'd get condensation if I left them out.

You asked for advice, I gave it...sounds like you already have your mind made up to leave the top down and windows out.

Hope it works out for you.

 

[foreWard]

My back windows have been out for 2 months now, not many condensation issues, only time I have to wipe anything down is when I leave the top back/down.

 

[KABQ]

What's the dew point? If the dew point is above the low temperature overnight, you'll get condensation. If not, you won't. It's as simple as that, and easy to look up on any weather site/app.

 

[GroovyGeek]

What's the dew point? If the dew point is above the low temperature overnight, you'll get condensation. If not, you won't. It's as simple as that, and easy to look up on any weather site/app.

Not quite. Most of the condensation happens on the soft top itself, not the interior. Same reason bridges freeze first. Air both on top and bottom cools it off faster than the rest of the vehicle and condensation ends up on the top.

When I drove a Wrangler the soft top was off 9 months a year for 7 years and the condensation was exclusive to the Spiderweb Shade.

Plus, these things are built to take moisture... Perhaps with the exception of the speakers which were complete trash on the Wrangler, I replaced them with marine grade ones.

 

[KABQ]

That's true. A lot of things affect it. As you approach the dew point, some things will cool faster and drop below it. For example, a hard top has more mass and cools more slowly, so may not get condensation when a soft top will.

The inside of the car retains more heat since it has more thermal mass than the outside air, so the outside of the soft top cools more than the interior (and the air inside a sealed car stays warmer), so you'll get condensation on the outside of the top but not the inside.

Similarly, if you're sleeping in your vehicle your breath will raise the humidity and thus raise the dew point, which is why the inside of your car/tent may be warmer than the outside air but have condensation on the inside but not the outside.

 

[Tdub0527]

Turns out I put my windows in because I wanted to avoid getting the campfire smoke to settle in.

 

[Strizzo]

unless its a really heavy dew, you should be able to keep it to a minimum by just throwing the top up and rolling the windows up without the rear windows in. remember when you're camping/wheeling, if you have dew it will make any dust stick like velcro and make a huge mess so its worth it to minimize as much as possible.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

You asked for advice, I gave it...sounds like you already have your mind made up to leave the top down and windows out.

Hope it works out for you.

you didn't give any advice, you asked a question, and ignored the one he asked.

 

[frdfan]

you didn't give any advice, you asked a question, and ignored the one he asked.

It was rhetorical--moot point now, OP put the windows in. You're a few days late to the party jedi.

 

[JediMcMuffin]

It was rhetorical--moot point now, OP put the windows in. You're a few days late to the party jedi.

all good buddy

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