I have recently come in to the ownership of a Vanga Samara 800 tent which was given to me by family friends. I wanted it to put up for my sons birthday so his friends can sleep in there. I put it up on Sunday when it was sunny and we have experienced heavy rain for the last two days. I thought it might leak a bit but no word of a lie it seems to have flooded!
Could this be that I have put it up badly/wrongly or is it knackered as the water is literally leaking through the roof fabric.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/axKZURqtmoA5BRPz6
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Sorry to hear your tent is leaking. Do you have a rough idea of the age and how much it has been used?
If it is coming through the fabric that doesn't sound great, you could look at getting it weather sealed but I wouldn't hold your breath, especially if its quite an old tent that has had plenty of use.
It doesn't appear to be so badly erected it would cause leaks! - a bit of a twist to it and could do with more tension lengthways, but not too bad.
It does appear that the Samara tents date back as far as 2011, so it may be a bit long in the tooth! Tent's do deteriorate with use/exposure to sun, so the very fabric may have suffered if much used, and the over taping of seams also tends to let go and leak.
The odd bit of detachment of the seam tape can be fixed with seam sealant, available from many camping stores, but if widespread, it gets to be a bit of a lost cause! Last ditch hope, sometimes once the stitching has been wetted, it swells a little and the leaking reduces!
The polyester flysheets are laminated on the inside with the waterproof layer, once that has failed (often obvious peeling/flaking), then that's it! You can try some exterior applied tent waterproofing treatments, but generally not very successful.
Sadly sewn in groundsheets, do a great job of ensuring leaks don't escape, so your tent becomes a covered paddling pool!
May be a play tent for the kids on fine days only!
Worth spending a little time investigation where the water is getting in though before giving up all hope. Get someone to systematically play a hose on it whilst you are inside and see if you can spot the entry point(s). If limited, a dab of seam sealant and/or patch may just save the day.
Thanks all , not sure how old it is , probably had a lot of use. Think it will be just fine without the rain then will probably ditch it and invest in a new one !
Some people put a tarp over their tent to make it cooler in summer & provide an outside area. That would keep rain off too. Recent thread with photos but I can’t remember where.
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Topic: Tent Flooded HELP
via mobile 22/5/2024 at 10:42pm
