Can you sleep directly under a polyethylene sheet without getting wet?

Awaiting Flair
1

I have some big polyethylene sheets that are new enough that water doesn’t pass through and have no holes. I could double them up for extra protection. Would this work as a rain cover if I made sure it was fully tucked around me? I’d tie it down and use a bivvy bag as a last resort.

I’m not bothered by noise, so the rattling in the wind is fine, and it blocks out some light. I’m planning to raise it slightly above my head to reduce condensation. Is there any reason this wouldn’t work?

2

You can’t just say that condensation won’t be a problem; it definitely will be.

3

Kelby said:
You can’t just say that condensation won’t be a problem; it definitely will be.

  1. If I sleep in a bivvy bag, wouldn’t the condensation from my breath just run off the bag?
  2. I can actually change the laws of nature.
4

You’d end up soaked from condensation since your breath would have nowhere to go.

5

@Rylan
Your breath isn’t the only source of moisture; your skin releases moisture too. You could wrap your sleeping bag inside and out to keep it dry, but it sounds miserable. You’d sweat all night, which could lead to trench foot or fungal infections if done repeatedly.

6

@Rylan
I laughed way too hard at that one.

7

If you use it as a tarp suspended a few inches above you, condensation shouldn’t be an issue. If you wrap yourself in it, then you will definitely have condensation problems.

8

Condensation will be a problem. You can use it as a roof but not as a full body wrap.

9

This sounds obsessive. Also, if it falls, you could suffocate.

10

Darian said:
This sounds obsessive. Also, if it falls, you could suffocate.

“This sounds obsessive.” What makes you say that?

11

Rylan said:

Darian said:
This sounds obsessive. Also, if it falls, you could suffocate.

“This sounds obsessive.” What makes you say that?

You’re planning to wrap yourself in it. What’s your goal here? To save money?