When you’re away in your campervan – whether it’s during the winter months or even on cooler summer nights – condensation can be a real problem. When you remove the cab blinds you’ll often find condensation pouring down the window, which can be a real nuisance, particularly if you need to drive off in a hurry.
Also, if you’re finding condensation inside when you’re not using the ‘van, you could have an issue with damp, which could cause even greater problems going forwards.
So if you’re asking yourself how to stop condensation in a campervan, here are a few ideas that can help.
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For starters, ventilation is key. If you’ve got a pop-top in your campervan, this will be less of an issue because there will naturally be some ventilation at all times. It’s understandable that you will want to have either a good heating system or the best heater for a campervan if you’re touring during the colder months, but if you’ve got a high-top campervan, you should resist the urge, if you can, to keep it running all night. Keeping the vehicle cooler will help limit condensation on the windscreen in the morning.
Another trick would be to try a set of external thermal screens. Unlike interior screens, these should help keep the windscreen warmer by trapping heat from the inside, therefore meaning less windscreen condensation in the mornings. If you’ve also been wondering how to keep a campervan warm in winter, you’ll find the thermal screens will help with that too. I found a well-priced set on Amazon that should help – they’re available for a range of vehicles, too.
Finally if you do find condensation on the windscreen a problem when you’re about to drive off, we’d recommend not using your hand or a rough towel to wipe it off. A dedicated chamois is a great idea – not only will it absorb more water more quickly, it’ll also be less abrasive on the inside of your windscreen. I’ve just bought the Hi-Tech Aqua-Dry Chamois from the experts at Autoglym to use in my own campervan, and it does the job perfectly.
If you’re finding condensation on the windscreen when you return to the vehicle after leaving it parked up, it’s important to check for the reason why. It could mean that damp is getting inside the campervan, only to condense against the windows when temperatures drop overnight.
If there’s no obvious reason (such as a clear leak somewhere in the water system) then a good moisture meter might be worth a try – this will allow you to test various points in the campervan to see if there’s any water ingress. I’ve got a Brennenstuhl Moisture Detector and it’s a very useful piece of kit – it’s simple to use and even has a ‘hold’ button, so you can use it in difficult to access places, before then removing it and reading the result (you should take great care when using a moisture meter not to cause any damage).
The most important thing you can do is get your campervan regularly serviced, ideally by a workshop on the NCC’s Approved Workshop Scheme – the winners of the AWS Workshop of the Year 2024 were recently announced. Getting your campervan serviced can help prevent damp issues going forward.
If you’re still finding damp when your campervan is parked up, you might like to try the best motorhome dehumidifier. I have a UniBond Aero 360 Moisture Absorber – it’s well priced and straightforward to use, requiring no electricity.
I like the fact that it simply requires the tabs inside to be replaced every so often, and it’s small and light, too. It’s a great choice for those who own a small vehicle.
If you are touring during the colder months and want to prevent the chill from getting into your ‘van, something you could think of doing is insulating the wheel arches – it’s a DIY job that can work wonders.
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