Hi. New to this forum and hoping someone might be able to offer some advice please...
Last September I purchased a second hand Outwell Collingwood 5 on Gumtree. The previous owner said it had only been used once. I have no reason to disbelieve him as it looks/smells pristine and is spotless. Half the guy ropes looked like they'd never been unfastened/used.
I tested in the garden last night and woke to the "splat, splat, splat" sound of water hitting the ground sheet at 1am. Rain is seeping in along every possible seam and puddling on the floor. I went back out this morning (it's still drizzling here) and the puddles are bigger/deeper ☹️
Have looked at seam sealant but reckon I'd need 20 tubes of the stuff!
Any advice/suggestions most welcome as I'm at a total loss. Haven't camped since I was in my teens so essentially a newbie. Weathering needed? Erected badly? Schoolboy error? Or is this a lost cause?
Thanks,
Jon
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I'm guessing it's only 3-4 years old, so including the appearance of only light use, it should not have deteriorated too much due to age/sun exposure which is the common cause of deterioration and leaks.
Examine it closely, all the seams should be taped/sealed, and if the tape/sealing has not detached significantly then that indicates it's more likely to be a bigger problem maybe with the fabric!
It's a Polyester tent, so the inherent waterproofing (seams aside) is in the laminated impervious coating of the fabric (on the inside surface) rather than a 'treatment' of the woven cloth, that generally means after market/over the counter waterproofing treatments can often have only marginal effectiveness.
If you have wholesale detachment of the seam tape/sealant and that's the only leakage, then yes with enough tubes of seam sealer you can rectify the problem! You may get some benefit from treating the seams externally with a waterproofer to discourage water soaking the joint, but I'd only go that road as a last resort, solvent based proofers can detrimentally affect the laminated material, and any wax/silicone that penetrates the seam may prevent later internal seam sealant adhering properly.
Clutching at straws a bit, leaks sometimes do improve once the seams/stitching have been wetted, it's possible that the tent has never been wet before. The wetting makes fibres in the stitching swell and improve the water resistance. It may need to dry out before that takes effect.
After 8 months, probably a bit late to be trying to get your money back from the seller, and as a private sale it's largely a 'buyer beware' sale with no comeback unless gross misrepresentation on the sales description.
Too early to say, but you may just have an unsalvageable tent! Outwell are one of the top names in tents and generally make first class quality tents (I've got a Glendale 5), but the review suggests they may have had a quality issue at some point, and you may be a late to the party victim.
It's difficult to give a definitive answer when remote from the problem, so only really offered thoughts on the subject.
Thanks so much for the response.
I guess the next logical step is to let it fully dry out and then get the hose on it to ascertain if the problem is still as bad. Pools of water in every corner though I have a sinking feeling that it may not be salvageable. Thanks again.
Polycotton is treated different to canvas.Get in touch with someone in the know. Canvas tents shoud only need a good soaking to swell the fibres to make the tent water proof Fabsil ing a canvas tent is a no.Nylon tents should be reproofed when they start wetting as you can see a noticiable damp patch .
As polycotton is a mix id be wary of reproofing untill you have good idea.
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Quote: Originally posted by suns on 02/6/2023
Polycotton is treated different to canvas.Get in touch with someone in the know. Canvas tents shoud only need a good soaking to swell the fibres to make the tent water proof Fabsil ing a canvas tent is a no.Nylon tents should be reproofed when they start wetting as you can see a noticiable damp patch .
As polycotton is a mix id be wary of reproofing untill you have good idea.
It's not cotton canvas or polycotton, suns. From the tent spec: 'Flysheet: Outtex® 4000 Select, 100% polyester'.
I think the OP is right; let it dry, get the hose on it then reassess.
Thanks for the subsequent responses.
Tent still leaking following a second wetting.
Outwell CS have stated that they think the problem points to an issue with the treatment of the material itself and had the following suggestion....
"You may be able to create a new coating on the fabric by using a product called Tentsure from McNett (now called GearAid Seamgrip TF), if normal reproofing doesn't fix the issue."
I'm not sure what 'normal reproofing' would entail, but the plan at present is to camp when only dry weather is forecast! It's probably not a long-term solution though.
I would never camp in tent that's known to leak. You just can't predict the weather and if the waterproofing has failed,even a heavy dew could make things very uncomfortable.
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Topic: Leaking Outwell Tent
via mobile 31/5/2023 at 9:39am
