Taking a mandolin camping- humidity and temp swing a problem?

[Wee_Davie]

Hi guys,

I've just purchased my first decent Mandolin- an Eastman 315F- and am new to the forum.

As a newbie, my question relates to potential humidity and temperature damage. I want to take my mandolin on a trip where I will be sleeping in a tent for up to a week. The temperature through the day is forecast to vary from 12 degrees at night time to 21 during the day.

Should I be worried about the swing in temp and humidity? If so is there anything I can to to protect it or should it be left at home?

Cheers

Davie

[Miltown]

I'd be more worried about humidity than temperature, especially given the temperature range you stated, which isn't extreme at all. Are you going from a humid to an arid environment, or vice versa?

[Wee_Davie]

I don't think there's much of a difference in climate between the town I live in compared to where I'll be camping. But the difference is that it will be "outside" at night time and presumably exposed to a greater humidity swing than its used to in my apartment. A quick look at the weather forecast tells me that outside humidity is due to vary between 34% during the day to 83% at night time. I won't be leaving the mandolin out of its case, outside of the tent, but I notice that things inside a tent tend to get damp...

[Pittsburgh Bill]

I fight this battle all the time as we are always traveling, RV camping, and usually an anual trip to Europe, spending less than 100 days a year in our home. We are not in the Southwest , but instead where humidity is generally 60 to 70%. I have a dehumidifier in my RV as well as a furnace and an air conditioner (often used just to keep humidity down). Additionally I have a sylca dehumidifier in all of my cases with a hygrometer to monitor the humidity.
Additionally my most expensive to replace mandolin and dola stay home and I travel with my least expensive to replace dola and mandolin.
With extreme care I have had no temperature or humidity related issues. I should also mention that if I am on a canoe trip or similar adventure I take a travel mandolin and also on some of my Europe trips if I have doubts about the airline allowing me to carry on a larger instrument.
With a little thought and effort extreme conditions can be circumvented.

[Caleb]

When I go camping I take my Collings MT, which is my only mandolin. I don't usually camp in extreme temps because it's no fun, but I have camped when it was very cold. I say just take your instruments along, play them, and put them back in the case when not playing. I just use common sense and have never had a problem.

[pops1]

I play weekly river cruises and it can get very damp on the river, especially at night. One of the things I do whenever I play is keep my case closed when playing so no dew or extra moisture settles on the case. When I get home I always open the case to dry out the instrument and case.

If it gets damp in the night camping and drier in the days, open your case in the tent in the daytime to dry out what moisture that may have been absorbed in the case at night.

[Hudmister]

Since it is not stated Wee Davie, can we assume you are speaking of degrees Celsius? !2C=53.6F, 21C=69.8F

[Eric C.]

I wouldn't worry too much over it. Where's the fun in that? I tend to not worry over temperatures when I play outside unless it gets up over 90 and i'm stuck in direct sunlight with the mandolin soaking up that sun.

[CES]

I took my Eastman 315 with me for a 3 day camping trip last July where temps swung from the 60s-70s Fahrenheit at night to about 100 F during the day. Kept in tent in the shade and in gig bag when I wasn't playing, and had no issues. Humidity was 50-80 % or so. You should be fine given the temps/humidity you quoted, assuming common sense care for the mandolin, don't leave it in the car, etc.

Yes, the trip was fun, but daytime temps were not the most pleasant environment

[Charlieshafer]

+1 to everyone else regarding the case and minimal worries. You may need to tune a little more frequently, that's about it.

[allenhopkins]

What often causes problem, is abrupt temperature change, not the absolute level -- such as opening the case of a chilled-below-0ºC instrument in a warm room. With regard to humidity, prolonged extremes of high or low humidity tend to be the more damaging.

Differences within livable temperature range, as described, should cause no concern, if the instrument's kept properly cased, not left in direct sunlight to radiant-heat up, and not exposed to extreme dryness or humidity for an extended period. Rule of thumb is that if you're basically comfortable, your mandolin should be OK.

[Wee_Davie]

Thanks everyone for putting my mind at rest. Lot's of great info! In the end I took it with me with. No problems and wouldn't hesitate about doing it again. I barely even had to tune it for the entire course of the week. As the car got really hot when parked during the day I avoided leaving it there on its own, just incase. Thanks again

[Escaped Cellist]

What often causes problem, is abrupt temperature change, not the absolute level -- such as opening the case of a chilled-below-0ºC instrument in a warm room. With regard to humidity, prolonged extremes of high or low humidity tend to be the more damaging.

Quoted for truth. Instruments are like living creatures - they adapt just fine to modest swings in the ambient conditions. It's temperature shock, or prolonged excess/deprivation of moisture, that will do the real damage.

If you want to avoid temperature shock with a case that doesn't seal tightly, you can do the same thing I do with cameras and lenses: seal the whole kit in an air-tight plastic bag before entering the much warmer/colder space, and then wait until the air inside the bag matches the ambient("room") temperature before opening it.

Also, for extra peace of mind managing the humidity in my cases when camping, I use the D'Addario Two Way Humidification System packets (NFI). Not my normal preferred case humidity system, but the fact that it handles both too-high and too-low humidity makes it a better fit for prolonged outdoor stays.

[Mandobart]

Hi guys,

I've just purchased my first decent Mandolin- an Eastman 315F- and am new to the forum.

As a newbie, my question relates to potential humidity and temperature damage. I want to take my mandolin on a trip where I will be sleeping in a tent for up to a week. The temperature through the day is forecast to vary from 12 degrees at night time to 21 during the day.

Should I be worried about the swing in temp and humidity? If so is there anything I can to to protect it or should it be left at home?

Cheers

Davie

You're talking degrees C, right? If this was deg F that's too cold for me to break out an instrument (but fine for skiing or ice fishing). Most times temperature and humidity changes due to atmospheric conditions are gradual enough to not worry about. Rapid changes, like from a hot car trunk (or boot if we're still talking deg C) to an air conditioned home can cause damage.

[Tom C]

I don't think I ever heard of a humidity problem unless it was over a long, long period of time. Humidity is better than arid. They can withstand high temps -being you don't leave it in car all day.

[mandroid]

Love the Mix Carbon A5, for that benefit, But With the wooden Eastman, Get one of their rubber edged Fiberglass cases ..

at least the inside of the case you can add desiccant pouches to pull some moisture out, ..

I have the 'Glass case to keep the rain out , riding my bicycle to jams...

took a wooden 'Pocket Mandolin. to sit in on Pub sessions as i Rode up the Irish & Scottish West coasts.
[in a thickly padded gig bag that fit under the raincover over the back of the bike, with sleeping gear/tent.]

It survived..

[fatt-dad]

it'll be just fine.

f-d

[sbhikes]

I took my mandolin to the desert last February. Below freezing at night, moderate temperatures (not hot) during the day. The case provides some protection from the temperature swings, as does being in the tent with me at night and also being underneath my sleeping bag during the day when not being played, but the strings still get sharp and flat with the temperature changes. I've also taken it camping in more extreme heat and had no trouble other than having to tune it a lot.

[Russ Donahue]

Heck! The temperature and humidity change by the moment at one of my favorite jams. Twenty people in a small basement room with brick, stone and concrete walls...keeping the darn thing in tune is a constant struggle. Its almost easier sitting around outside where temperature and humidity tend to change more gradually (except for sudden downpours.) I'm with Caleb. Take the instrument you like to play and enjoy the new setting.

[John Garcia]

I take my Weber Bitterroot pretty much everywhere with me. After tuning, it does well in all sorts of climates. Been high up in the mountains, to the seashore, and for the last week, Olympic National Park. Sounded good on the banks of the Bogachiel, where we camped. I keep it in the case when we're camping and it seems to do well.

[Pim]

I was giving this a lot of thought over the last weeks since we're going to Thailand for 3 weeks in december.
Not for the purpose of campfire entertainment but for my personal practice, I ended up buying a Mandocaster (Electric slab body)
Cheap, very sturdy and not so sensitive to that extreme humidity.
Being quiet is just an upside, since I don't want to disturb people around me while practicing.
It'll be good for bedroom practice as well.