Bushwalk Australia

Ok sorry another tent topic! I'm after people experiences, advice or random antidotes about preparing tents for rain or what to look for when buying a new one. Here on the North Coast of NSW it rains a lot, and by a lot I mean a LOT. So keeping dry is pretty important.

First question is about improving the tents I already have. They range from cheap to mid-range quality. I plan to go over the seams with seam sealer and spray the fly with a waterproofing treatment. Has anyone else done this and do they think it made a difference? I've also started carrying a hiker tarp but the biggest problem is when there is rain and a strong wind so not sure how much it will help in those situations.

Secondly what to look for when buying a new tent? Expedition or 4 season tents get talked about for snow loading or standing up to high winds but what is the biggest factor in keeping water out when it is absolutely hammering down with rain mixed with strong winds?

I remember using a North Face VE25 on a canoe trip in Mongolia and being impressed with how sturdy it felt and how comfortable it was with 3 of us in it. Obviously it wouldn't be a summer tent around here but do you think something like that could be good if we were heading out for a week and were expecting rain the whole time?

A few things I look for in a tent, I mainly walk here in Tassie so my tents have to be able to be used in rain. Thats my main 4 , the first 3 are deal killers, my 5 tents all have those features.
1. Being able to set up outer first, different companies call it different things, integral pitch, multi pitch. Also when pulling down being able to do the same thing. I have often set up the outer. Got in under the fly , then then slowly got organised.
2. Good sized usable vestibule. one that you can cook in, store all your wet muddy gear, not have to climb over the latter when entering or getting out.
3 . Decent ventilation and still not allow rain in.
4. Fly that comes very close to the ground, so that inner doesnt get wet from rain bouncing off the ground and coming back up under the outer.

Norts

make sure you search the forums for previous tent discussons, its been discussed at length.
some tents have a polyeurethane membrane on the fly to increase the water resistance, so its not just about "proofing" the tent with a chemical..
depends where you're going to use the tent... as to what you will look for... designs vary massively according to what conditions you are going to use it in.. 4 season and expedition tents are usually too hot outside of a cold winter environment.

A few things I look for in a tent, I mainly walk here in Tassie so my tents have to be able to be used in rain. Thats my main 4 , the first 3 are deal killers, my 5 tents all have those features.
1. Being able to set up outer first, different companies call it different things, integral pitch, multi pitch. Also when pulling down being able to do the same thing. I have often set up the outer. Got in under the fly , then then slowly got organised.
2. Good sized usable vestibule. one that you can cook in, store all your wet muddy gear, not have to climb over the latter when entering or getting out.
3 . Decent ventilation and still not allow rain in.
4. Fly that comes very close to the ground, so that inner doesnt get wet from rain bouncing off the ground and coming back up under the outer.

Pretty much exactly matches my thoughts. Now don't laugh, but the main tent I've been using is an Oztrail
http://oztrail.com.au/product-range/cam ... by-oztrail
It's actually perfect for around here with great ventilation, good sized vestibule, not too bulky or heavy divided between two packs and is an absolute palace for two people. But best of all is I picked it up brand new for the grand total of $49! The down side is when the rain starts to really hammer down it can get pretty damp inside. Has anyone had experience trying to remedy this without buying a new tent?

RileyWayfarer wrote:Pretty much exactly matches my thoughts. Now don't laugh, but the main tent I've been using is an Oztrail
http://oztrail.com.au/product-range/cam ... by-oztrail
... The down side is when the rain starts to really hammer down it can get pretty damp inside. Has anyone had experience trying to remedy this without buying a new tent?

What did you mean by 'damp'? That water is dripping in or the fly fabric felt wet on the inside? In a rain storm, humidity inside a tent is bound to increase, perfectly normal. Improved ventilation can help but depends on your definition of 'damp'. Otherwise there's a price for these things.

RileyWayfarer,
if you are getting water sprays under heavy rain (misting) you can re-coat,or just add to the PU coating you have, with a product like McNett Tent Sure :
https://www.mcnett.com/gearaid/tent-sure#11000
no experience with it but that is what it is made for.

if you are getting water sprays under heavy rain (misting) you can re-coat,or just add to the PU coating you have, with a product like McNett Tent Sure :
https://www.mcnett.com/gearaid/tent-sure#11000
no experience with it but that is what it is made for.

That's exactly what's happening. It's also an issue with my Ferrino Litetent. Spray coming through in heavy rain. Part of the fun of being a cheap *&%$#! I'll check that stuff out, or something similar and see how it goes.

Misting also happens with not so cheap tents. It is commonly reported with Tarptent shelters, for instance. It shouldn't be very noticeable with a double wall tent though.

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Strider wrote:Misting also happens with not so cheap tents. It is commonly reported with Tarptent shelters, for instance.

How does that work?

GPSGuided wrote:

Strider wrote:Misting also happens with not so cheap tents. It is commonly reported with Tarptent shelters, for instance.

How does that work?

High pressure rain + low water resistance fabric.

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Is that especially applicable to Tarptent's fabric? Didn't think they are using a unique material with lower spec.

GPSGuided wrote:Is that especially applicable to Tarptent's fabric? Didn't think they are using a unique material with lower spec.

I guess it would apply to any shelter using that fabric. The hydrostatic rating is only 1200mm, or thereabouts.

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The hydrostatic rating is only 1200mm, or thereabouts.
That was true for up to around 2012 when we changed to a slightly heavier but more coated fabric.
(I prefer the feel of the older version and that was good enough for me in heavy rain too)
We have not published figures on the new version but other manufacturers quote much higher figures than 1200mm for it.
(several makers buy our same fabric from the same seller)
Still 1200mm is the waterhead figure quoted by several major manufacturers such as MSR and Nemo,S2S have 1000mm for a couple of shelters and Eureka sell truckloads of tents with 800mm rated canopies.

Thanks for the clarification Franco.

Thanks Franco. I can't say its ever been an issue for me either, but there has been fair bit of commentary on the topic, as you know.

Getting back on topic, my point was that misting is not uncommon regardless of what shelter you might have.

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There were long and hard fought debates about misting.
Some argued that it was always from condensation dislodged from the roof others that it was always penetration.
On a few forums I pointed out (and no I wasn't guessing...) that at least with Tarptent it could have been either.
However when it happened to me was only from particularly large rain drops , in fact on a couple of occasions directly from intermittent drops from tree fronds not from the rain itself.
(most would have experienced that mist from an umbrella under particularly hard rain)
Come to think of it my second version Scarp (probably 2010) has the new fabric already.

My MacPac Nautilus went through years of heavy rains, whether in Tassie, Victoria, France or the US, even snow. Never had a single problem so far, but it never had to tackle subtropical conditions like yours. Fingers crossed it'll hold another 5 years.