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We've just returned from a 5 night camping trip in Cumbria and had two nights of really heavy rain.

The tent we have, a Coleman Alaska, leaked and we ended up with soggy sleeping bags and thermarests, not to mention everything else that was in the tent!

In our complete naivety we believed that this tent would survive wet nights but then worked out that without a sewn-in-ground sheet that it was impossible, especially as the rain was blowing horizontally at the time!

Anyone else got experience of this of a solution?  My solution is a new tent with a SIG.  We've used this tent 4 times before but just realised that we had great weather, therefore wetproofness wasn't an issue! 

In honesty I would have expected more from Coleman especially as we have also a Bi-Space 500....or is that my first mistake!

Where exactly was the 'leak'? We always prefer not to have SIG and have dealt with gales and storms and never had any problem. If rain is likely to be blowing in underneath we make sure that the groundsheet lays on top of the mudflaps so that any rain getting that far is funnelled under the tent.

If it is the seams that are leaking this can be cured with seam sealant.

If it appears to be leaking 'everywhere' then it is far more likely to be a condensation issue, and the solution is as much ventilation as possible. If the weather was bad the air will be damp to start with. It is also possible that you were cooking in the tent, or sitting inside it for extended periods of time, (possibly with hot steamy drinks) which all leads to excess moisture in the air which turns to water the moment it meets the tent fabric which has been cooled by the rain.