Humidipaks for camping?

DesertTwang · #1 07-13-2019, 02:41 PM

I’ll be attending a week long bluegrass camp (RockyGrass Academy) and will be tent camping in Southern Colorado. I’m planning on taking a nice Martin dreadnaught, and I’ll obviously take good care of if it and store it underneath the tent fly to protect it from the sun. Since I’ll be flying in, I won’t have access to a vehicle. I recently ordered a humidipak but have never used one before. Would the humidipak be sufficient to keep the guitar humidified over a week in its hard shell case? Or should I rather go old school and use sponges in baggies? The climate will be hot and dry.

oliverkollar · #2 07-13-2019, 04:42 PM

I would go sponges in baggies. Easy and dependable.

I use humidipak's when there aren't great swings in humidity.
In the Front Range there could be big swings. 20% to 60%.... that's why I'd go with the sponge method. If they dry out, easy fix.

RGWelch · #3 07-13-2019, 08:09 PM

I would consider picking up a decent laminate side, low cost guitar for the trip, something like an Alvarez or Yamaha, etc. You can get something for $300-$500, depending on your taste, and avoid any potential unpleasantness with the trip. I don't think I'd take a solid wood Martin on a trip like that, unless I was willing to see it not come home in the same condition it left. I don't think any nice Martin deserves that. I realize you want a nice guitar to play, but think long term. This trip will be a couple weeks at most? You have the rest of your life to enjoy the Martin, if you treat it right. Just the travel part alone is risky. I had Patrick & Simon parlor guitar travel on a plane and got impact damage in the case! Luckily it is a $300 guitar at most, and the damage was a split in the top over a brace, so it's still playable...but it did get damaged. I'd hate if that happened to my D-15, which is a nice Martin, though not even a "really" nice Martin.

ManyMartinMan · #4 07-13-2019, 11:27 PM

Colorado is no drier than where you live. Just humidify the same way you do at home and you'll be fine. You should have an hygrometer in your case to monitor the RH levels and that will tell you if what you're doing is adequate. If not, double it. Oh, and have fun at the camp.

vintageom · #5 07-14-2019, 09:10 AM

As long as your case is a hardshell case with the wooden forms inside and already humidified properly, either would work. Buying Humidipaks as a whole kit will cost around $20 or more and if you do not use them in the future, perhaps a waste of money. A baggy and water is cheaper and would do the job for a week.

If your case is bone dry to start, a humidipak will not help much as the case will suck up a lot of water itself.

Carmel Cedar · #6 07-14-2019, 02:42 PM

I'd suggest doing both. Sponge/baggy (as Oliver mentioned) will be best for high water injection to counter a big humidity swing, and Humidipak as a 'backup' in case the sponge dries out, so you're not left "high and dry" (literally, in this case...

) with your nice Martin.

Enjoy the camp! Sounds like great fun.

DesertTwang · #7 07-15-2019, 12:35 PM

Thanks everybody for the responses! You all made me rethink this. On the one hand, I really would like to take my dreadnaught, but it's a very nice guitar, and while I wouldn't be overly worried about the weather, I think I'd be at least a little nervous about leaving the guitar by itself at my campsite because of theft (not that I generally don't trust the bluegrass crowd, but the last time I went to the RockyGrass Festival, someone did steal a nice backpacking hammock I had bought literally hours before).

So, I was thinking of taking my GS Mini, which is my beater and camping guitar. Alas, when I played it after a long time last night, it felt like a kids guitar in my hands. I'm so used to the long scale and wider nut of my Martins at this point that I may need all week just to get used to playing the Mini again.

A compromise would be taking my 000-15sm. I had that one with me last time and had no issues. That said, last time I attended songwriting school, and this time I'm there for intermediate guitar, so part of me thinks I will need a guitar with 14 frets to the body, not 12.

Thoughts...?

EDIT: Never mind, I figured I'd start a separate thread. Thanks again!

ManyMartinMan · #8 07-15-2019, 11:48 PM

I can say that for what you are attending I would take the America 1.

The Bard Rocks · #9 07-16-2019, 05:13 AM

[QUOTE=DesertTwang;6112267]Thanks everybody for the responses! You all made me rethink this. On the one hand, I really would like to take my dreadnaught, but it's a very nice guitar, and while I wouldn't be overly worried about the weather, I think I'd be at least a little nervous about leaving the guitar by itself at my campsite because of theft (not that I generally don't trust the bluegrass crowd, but the last time I went to the RockyGrass Festival, someone did steal a nice backpacking hammock I had bought literally hours before).

Dang, you have a nice guitar - doesn't it deserve to be played? How's it gonna feel knowing you took q kid to do q men's job? Take it, take great care of it and enjoy every strum.

DesertTwang · #10 07-19-2019, 03:58 PM

[QUOTE=The Bard Rocks;6112765]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DesertTwang

Thanks everybody for the responses! You all made me rethink this. On the one hand, I really would like to take my dreadnaught, but it's a very nice guitar, and while I wouldn't be overly worried about the weather, I think I'd be at least a little nervous about leaving the guitar by itself at my campsite because of theft (not that I generally don't trust the bluegrass crowd, but the last time I went to the RockyGrass Festival, someone did steal a nice backpacking hammock I had bought literally hours before).

Dang, you have a nice guitar - doesn't it deserve to be played? How's it gonna feel knowing you took q kid to do q men's job? Take it, take great care of it and enjoy every strum.

Haha, I like the way you think, and I'm with you. I'll take the America 1.