I'm so full of questions lol, but I need to get things right first time! I have been told that frame tents will last 20+ years so we would definately get our money's worth, but I still fancy a more modern tent, an Outwell would suit us as they look light and airy so we would be spending around £400 - how long could a tent of that quality to last?
The current thinking is that a good quality tent will last about seven years or so given "normal" use. What`s normal? Well, UV degradation eventually breaks down the layers in synthetic tents. So if you were camping, say, a couple of weekends and a fortnight in the UK I would expect a tent to last longer than if you camped six weeks a year in the south of France plus several weekend trips here. In the second case. I doubt you`d get more than three or four years out the same tent.
(This is why ex-display tents that have been up outside all summer ain`t such a good idea.)
But if you get, say, six years out of a £400 tent, that`s still going to be a good buy, isn`t it? And most folk like to change their tents regularly as their families grow up or they change the way they camp.
I agree with valk-scot. 20 or 30 years plus for canvas, and up to six or seven years for nylon.
It depends on how you treat them. As Valk-scott says strong sunlight is bad for cotton and dreadful for nylon and polyester, so if you camp in the south of France look to replacing a tent more frequently.
Also it depends on how well you look after the tent. A tent which is always packed neatly, when properly dry and clean will last far longer than one which is screwed up when wet and thrown into the back of the garage. Also the way you pitch it makes a difference, On a badly pitched tent seams will be strained and will split, while it doesn't take long for holes to rub through.
But pitched well and stored properly a tent (nylon or cotton) will last for years.
Quote: Originally posted by hlk01 on 23/7/2006
Would I be right in saying that the new 'lake' tent could be expected to last somewhere inbetween the 2.
Hmmmm good question, that would be my assumption too given that the Outwell Lake range are poly cotton - this does not have a bonded PU layer to water proof it in the way that the other manmade fabrics do (as Val says it is this layer which breaks down under UV exposure and that is why man made tents don't last as long as cotton). I would assume that the polyester component of poly-cotton may be more vulnerable to UV degradation that the cotton is, but someone else with greater knowledge of textiles could be along to enlighten both of us!
Beautiful tents too - if I was getting a new tent this year and ££ was not object, I would be very tempted by the Bear Lake!
I would never keep a tent long enough to find out. I normally change my tent every year, just because I get bored and fancy trying something new. But I think the original question is really like saying 'How long is a piece of string'. The answer could be so variable. With minimum and carefull use it could last a long time. With frequent, harsh use it may not last very long at all.
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Topic: How long does a tent last?
