Well we didn't go away this weekend, and my tent doesn't leak but i have followed this thread with interest!
It has made me decide one thing for definate - we are getting a canvas frame tent!! (Or maybe a trailer tent cos if all goes to plan we may be getting that for free from a very nice friend). But either way - definately canvas!!
Sensible decision! Without a doubt, you get what you pay for.
-------------------------------- Brainhertz (clique of 1)
Okay okay we all know that you shouldn't HAVE to do anything to a new product particularly if you have paid a lot of money for it, but nowadays "affordable" tents are nearly always made of nylon not canvas as someone else said in this thread you get what you pay for.
We went away this weekend and put up our tent for the very first time (bought last year due to unforeseen circumstances we didn't get to use it) so this was it's first outing. The tent is a Gelert Cyclone 6 with an HH of 2000mm, we put the tent up on friday evening, in the small hours of Sunday it started to rain, we were staying until Monday morning. The wind was gusting at up to 30mph across the field, the tent was being severely battered by the wind, the poles were bending right in then flexing out again add the rain to this and all in all it could have been a disaster. Occasionally the tent would blow and shake and we would get a slight shower of minute droplets come in the tent, and err that was it.
Will I be using something like Fabsil on it (when I can find a friend with a big enough garden) yes I will, am I happy with the tent yes I am, and am looking forward to using it again. Nothing made of material can be 100% waterproof so if we can make something more waterproof by treating it with a proprietary "sealant" why not?
We are now in our 60s and have camped all our lives (changed to a caravan last year). When we decided to upgrade our ridge tent, we had to save for a long time to be able to afford a larger tent. All the larger tents in those days were canvas frame tents. I can't remember the cost of our first one but I know that it was the equivalent of more than a month's wages, possibly two months.
We had that tent for many years until we were seduced by the new, lighter, all singing - all dancing, cheaper polyester tents. What a mistake that was. We should have realised that cheaper means "not necessarily as good as". We, like many of you, expected the quality of these cheaper tents to be as good as, if not better than, the heavy old frame tent. Logic, as well as experience, now tells us that we were woefully wrong.
In order to improve the performance of these new polyester tents, we decided to put a coat of fabsil on and it worked. So for a small outlay of less than £20, we had made a substandard purchase into something that would do what we asked of it.
I have to say that our fishing bivvys, which are made of polyester and probably were the first polyester tents which came on the market are of a much superior quality than the tents we have bought in recent years.
There is no such thing as a dry tent except in hot weather during the day. They get soaking wet on the outside from rain or dew, and they get soaking wet on the inside from condensation. If the wind blows and rattles the tent you are likely to get a few drops of condensation down your neck...it's what tents do.
It is highly unlikely a tent will leak directly through the fabric, but they may leak through the seams...even expensive ones. Waterproof the seams and you will be as dry as you possibly can be...unless you open the door and then the rain will come in and so will dew if you open it first thing in the morning...it's what tents do.
Quote: Originally posted by madders331 on 31/5/2007
Can you use Thompsons on a tent? It says so on the tin but does anyone have any experience of this?
I'm pretty sure you can - perhaps someone else could confirm though? MT
------------- Tackling life the Western District way
You always get what you pay for. We don't have room to store or the ability to transport a canvas frame tent so we own a small nylon tent and will be getting a larger nylon tent. However, I will not be expecting said tent to stand up to extreme conditions as those that occured last weekend as I don't think it's reasonable for something that costs so little, personally. There's not a chance in the-place-down-below that I would have gone camping last weekend given the weather forecasts, personally.
I don't think it's a canvas frame vs nylon tent issue, more an issue of expectations. I don't expect my car to drive well offroad because it isn't designed to do that and I don't think most family tents of the nylon kind are truthfully designed to deal with serious storm conditions.
In my day I have seen canvas frame tents brought down in high winds by the way - not seen many leaking like sieves though!
I have to say that once my canvas trailer tent leaked like a sieve. We got hit by a monsoon half way through putting it up, the underside of the canvas got wet and the entire awning canvas started leaking due to the rain wicking through. And I do mean LEAKED. It was like standing under a sprinkler. The cabin area stayed bone dry though because it hadn`t got wet on the underside.
And when the awning dried out, the canvas was bone dery inside when it next rained. The soaking it got didn`t lerave any ill effects...in fact, the extreme wetting would only improve the water resistant abilities of cotton canvas.
Quote: I don't think most family tents of the nylon kind are truthfully designed to deal with serious storm conditions.
This is 100% accurate...most family leisure tents are two-season only and designed for lowland use under normal weather conditions. Yet some folk seem to think they should be able to stand up and stay dry through gale force winds and monsoon weather. Sure, some do, but that`s luck nit design.
Quote: Originally posted by Merry Terrier on 31/5/2007
Quote: Originally posted by madders331 on 31/5/2007
Can you use Thompsons on a tent? It says so on the tin but does anyone have any experience of this?
I'm pretty sure you can - perhaps someone else could confirm though? MT
Quote: Originally posted by Merry Terrier on 31/5/2007
Quote: Originally posted by madders331 on 31/5/2007
Can you use Thompsons on a tent? It says so on the tin but does anyone have any experience of this?
I'm pretty sure you can - perhaps someone else could confirm though? MT
i have and its alot cheper than fabsil
Ooerr really, I have a tin of that in the cupboard, only thing about it though is the smell is very strong. Is fabsil easier on the nasal passage?
Firstly, where were you all camping this weekend???? I think we must have been in a different country, had about 5 minutes of rain on monday evening and that was it and as for wind there was none (apart from my OH!!).
Unfortunately wasn't camping as handn't bought the tent yet. Finally bought it today, will be testing it out on saturday (in parents back garden) and if it leaks will be going back to the shop on sunday.
don't care how much you pay for a tent it still has to be fit for purpose and do not intend to start sealing seams. can understand having to re-seal seams after the tent has been used for some times, but not on a brand new tent.
will let you all know how we get on, on sunday, not a good forecast for saturday night!!
Quote: Originally posted by suns on 01/6/2007
hi missy moo to be honest i cant remember the smell, but it did wear off as the tent dried and we couldnt smell it when we used it at a later date
That's good to know as it's quite a potent smell, one that leaves you with a headache. OH has just been looking at me as if I've gone mad as I kept smelling the brickwall outside that had recently been painted with water seal to see if smell has disappeared!
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Topic: Stop New Tents Leaking
