We're going away next Saturday for 11 nights in out Outwell Indiana 8. Pitched it last night to make sure it was ok and to air it. I noticed a few patches that look odd. It's hard to describe but it looks like the inside side of the tent has a kind of skin on it and it's patchy in a coulpe of places - looks like it's 'peeled' away. Does that make sense? Does it mean the tent has a problem now?
We've used it for 3 & 10 night breaks last year and 2 mini breaks before that. It came from my friend's in-laws who had only pitched it once for a couple of weeks.
We've had torrential rain today so it's being well tested! Is there anything I can do about it? Can I save my tent?
We had the same happen to our coleman quadspace that we bought in 2004 and used for one long weekend. We were going to use it 2 years later and noticed the same delaminating on the inside of the tent. It had been stored in the loft completely dry so dont know why it happened. Its still up there now lying redundant lol. Let us know if it leaked please because although i won't use it again it could be ok for someone else to use. Thanks.
Quote: Originally posted by Chickadee on 21/7/2010
Hi Sue,
We've used it for 3 & 10 night breaks last year and 2 mini breaks before that. It came from my friend's in-laws who had only pitched it once for a couple of weeks.
We've had torrential rain today so it's being well tested! Is there anything I can do about it? Can I save my tent?
xx
Hi,
all I can say if you have give it a good soaking and it hasn't leaked then hopefully it should be fine,but I don't think there is any kind of repair/reproofing etc that will reverse the break down process.
These kind of tents aren't like canvas(which can have a 30 year life span),after a few seasons they do tend to deteriorate.
Our Sunvalley is a 2007 model which we bought from new,its only been used 2 years and already the material has started to fade on the outside
------------- Sue & Phil
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Pants! Not looking good, is it? I went and checked it tonight (torrential rain most of the day today) and it looks fine. Mind you, I don't know if it leaked during the rain and it was bone dry when I got to it. Should I risk it and go camping next weekend as planned? Could this be our last holiday with the tent? I'll be gutted!
It's got a really good HH so should be ok, especialy if after a lot of rain you still have a dry tent at the mo...has it started peeling away where it was folded? Is it at the roof, or on the sides somewhere? Does it look like it's blistered?
I've seen that before on a small pop up we had, and it stayed waterproof, it's just where it was constantly folded in the same place, it creased and peeled away, but the HH remained ok.....
Shame, it's a lovely tent......I would risk it, all that would happen is that you might have to pack up early, if not, then you've had your holiday and no dissappointment.
I have had the same problem with my Weathermaster with some of the coating peeling off. Now in it's 7th year of regular use, I guess the fabric has come to the end of it's lifespan, shame as the steel poles are as good as new. I have retired it to the garage until I can figure out if there's any hope for it, as it's been a fantastic tent and I still haven't found a tent with the same features as the WM.
You could try giving a clean with a tent cleaner similar to Grangers Universal Cleaner then when it is dry use a tent proofer like Grangers Fabsil liquid. I am only mentioning the brand as I have used it and as a point of reference. Other similar products are available eg Nikwax etc. But the Grangers worked for me as it brushes onto the outside fabric. Hopefully the extra coating on the outside will in a way compensate for anything the fabric has lost in waterproofing. My tent hasn't delaminated, but the water had stopped beading on it like it used to and although it didn't leak the water now just runs off it like when it was new.
Great idea Lee! The only snag is that I don't have time to do it before we go on holiday. Looks like I'll have to keep everyhing crossed and hope it's ok and coat it after out trip.
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Topic: Tent Problem - Help!
