We recently had our first night of camping in our new, cheap, 2 person, freestanding, dome tent. It has one of those little flys that just covers the top and comes a little down the sides. We spent all night in an inner rainshower of condensation, dripping down the sides and from the top. The night was mild and clear - a little chilly and there was dew in the morning covering the ground and car. What is the best way of either preventing this condensation or protecting ourselves from the drips. Thank you

that condensation happens because the tent is poorly vented. When u exhale during the night while sleeping, ur warm breath rises to the top where it contacts the cold surface of the tent. As the air cools, it is ability to hold moisture lessens. Since ur breath is already humid, that moisture condensed out when the air cooled.

A properly ventilated tent will allow the inside air & outside air to mix, which reduces the overall humidity. This also helps equalize the temperature a little more. These things will help reduce the condensation.

If you're camping where it is REALLY cold, u can actually have it snow inside ur tent. l woke up one morning with an inch of snow on my sleeping bag.

Prob. the best way to fix the condensation would be to just open the fly. If u know that it is not going to rain, then just open it up & use some kind of bug spray or something to keep the bugs away. when l was in boy scouts, & we were at summer camp, we had the same prob. with the tents that were already up there. that is all we used to do was just open up the tents & sleep with the fly, or door open. ur best bet is just to buy u a different tent, & when u go to get it, talk to someone that is a camper. but if l was in ur sit. l would just open the tent & just use some bug spray. hope l was any help.

Like has been stated, the condensation is from your body heat and exhalation. The only real way to prevent this is to better ventilate your tent, and the best way to do that is open any windows the tent has, and open the fly of the tent. There really is not much else that you can do.

gore tex sleeping bag..better tent

Judging by how you described the fly , I' m guessing that your tent is made primarily with coated fabric and as you have discovered coated fabrics do not allow a tent to breathe.
Enthusiastic physical activity in a tent w/ coated fabric walls will also significantly increase the humidity levels inside the tent.
l would return the tent to where l bought it and get one with a full coverage fly and mesh panels in the walls.
Good luck

I'd reccomend purchasing a higher quality tent with more screen panels, & a full coverage fly. If it is not going to rain, ditch the fly, & enjoy the cool breeze & nighttime sky. If the bugs r not bad, sleep outside on a tarp. A gore-tex sleeping bag cover is a nice thing to have if it is going to rain. It will protect ur bag from condensation, & allow Your moisture ( well, some of it) to escape. If u do not want to spend the cash on a bag cover, a lightweight fleece sleeping bag on the outside of ur regular bag works well for keeping the condensation that collects at night to a minimum. l spent an entire winter camping in northern colorado at a wilderness therapy program, & this is how l would sleep. It adds a few degrees of warmth to ur bag, & the fleece dries incredibly fast . Condensation can also be minimized by pitching ur tent in such a way that the prevailing wind blows fresh air into ur tent, either through a screen door or window.