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Timberline Echoes 11 years, 2 months ago.
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On our last camping outing it rained the last day, and we had water dripping in from the top and seeping in from the bottom corners. We even had a nylon (?) cover over the top and tarp on the ground under the tent.
Any suggestions for a new no-leak tent, or making our existing nylon (?) tent leakproof We’re going camping again soon and now we’re wondering if we need to do something with our existing tent or just buy something else. Not interested in a popup or RV.
Did you use a seam sealer on the seams? That can make a big difference in water repellency. Ask at the sporting goods store and they can help you figure out if that’s a good fix. I know some people like to put a plastic tarp over the tent, but that can make it hot in the summer.
We have had good luck with the best western and super 8 Brands.
On a serious note our tent is a Kodiak rated for winter camping. We have had it for a year and not a drop of water inside and it always rains when we go camping. Our son just bought the same tent. We have used in 32 degree weather with a small propane heater and stayed warm. It’s a $600 tent that we bought online for $450.Keeping the rain out is a combination of a good tent and a good set-up. We have always had dome tents with rain flys. That construction keeps the rain on the fly and off the roof itself. Underneath the tent we have a tarp that is totally tucked in under the floor of the tent… no parts sticking out to channel the rain under the tent. We have put sealer on all the seams, but the nylon itself on the lower parts of the tent tends to wick the water in when touched in a rain, so we keep everything that is inside away from the edges or surrounded by extra plastic sheets.
Set up your tent in a spot that it is not in the path of any rivers that may form in a heavy rain (whether any is expected or not), and don’t have it set up in any kind of a depression in the ground. Things inside may still get damp from ground moisture, so try to keep as much as possible off the bare tent floor. We have ground plastic inside the tent, and our sleeping bags are on water-resisitant mats. Clothes and towels stay in water-proof duffles.
When we are on the road and use the small dome tent, most of the stuff stays in the car. We enclose the feet of our sleeping bags in plastic garbage bags because those ends often come in contact with the tent walls in the smaller tent. They would often get damp before we started doing this.
We have had good luck with the Eureka dome tents, and our current one for longer stays (like at the “summer home”) is a 10×10 that is no longer made, but it has served us well since 1988.
On a not so serious note, my wife thinks the best waterproof tent is called a hotel room. 😉
Serious note this is the best tent ever. you can not buy them though.
We had one of those Sears Ted Williams tents that we bought on Craig’s List. Made of canvas and never leaked. It was already 25 years old when we bought it. We used it for several years until a couple of the zippers broke and that’s when we bought our current tent.
I’ve got a MountainSmith two person. I’ve been in the middle of quite a few down pours and the floor has stayed dry. Two weeks ago while in Eau Claire we got 3 inches of rain in 1 hour and it stayed dry. Their customer service also rocks. I’ve had my poles break and all I had to do was contact them and they sent replacement parts. That includes the rainfly that got torn by the poles breaking.
We always hang a tarp with ropes over our tent. Have camped through many storms and never got wet.
T.E.
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