The time my new tent turned into a bathtub during a surprise downpour

I was out near Lake Tahoe last fall, testing a brand new 'stormproof' 2-person tent I'd just bought. The forecast said clear skies, but we got hit with a solid hour of heavy rain around midnight. At first, it was fine, but then I felt a cold spot on my sleeping bag. A small puddle was forming right under my hip. Over the next twenty minutes, that puddle grew into a proper pool covering about a third of the tent floor. The bathtub floor seams just weren't sealed right from the factory. I spent the rest of the night on a damp foam pad, listening to the rain. It really made me question if 'factory seam sealing' is ever good enough, or if you should always do it yourself with a tube of sealant. Has anyone else had a tent fail its first real test like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliverp563d ago

Ever try seam sealing with a hair dryer? I did that after a leaky tent disaster and it actually held up.

sanchez.mary3d ago

Yeah, @oliverp56, that trick saved my old rain fly. I used a cheap hair dryer on low heat to set the sealant on the tent seams. Held through a whole weekend of drizzle in the mountains. Way better than waiting two days for it to dry on its own.