Can you tell me something my tent?

[vanguard]

Ok, I know you guys typically have high end camping equipment. However, I bought a more economy model tent and I have a question about it.

It doesn't have a nylon roof like I expected it to. It has a mesh top and it has two mesh windows that don't have nylon covers that you can zip closed. (It has other windows that do have nylon covers too.) It does has a rainfly to cover the mesh top and windows but a breeze still gets through.

Is this normal? Does this tell you it's basically designed for warm weather only or would you use this for three seasons?

This is the tent:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...590057-2202523?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B0006U6UKI

 

[Hltoppr]

That's normal for that type of tent. They're not really designed for really wet periods or high winds, but will do the trick in some desert regions quite well and work fine for minor rain.

If you want to help with some water proofing, get a bottle of "seam sealer" and put in on the stitching of the tent body itself as well as the fly. It'll at least help with some dripping if you get caught in a downpour.

I've been using an REI traildome for my all-around car/moto tent for the last several years, and it's not a "high end" tent, running about $120 bucks. It does have a full rain fly and some other nice features, but most importantly for me, it's a 3-person free standing design, so I've got room for my moto gear if I want to go off hiking.

I also use a Mountain Hardware 2 person tent. I'm actually borrowing it from a buddy...really good design. I think they run about $250-300. Well worth it if you want to upgrade...

My main Land Cruiser tent is the Hannibal, which flat out kicks butt...of course, it's a bit more spendy...

HTH

-H-

 

[OverlandZJ]

Hltoppr covered it well, may i just add a few others.

Get yourself a good groundcloth (new tarp etc) and cut it to the shape of the floor...making sure that none sticks out from underneath. Tarp sticking out beneath could catch the rain and funnel it between the tarp and your tent.

Find yourself a few cans of "camp dry" or 3M silicone and spray the tent body below the rainfly..can even spray the rainfly if you like.

That tent should serve you well for 3 season camping. In snow and heavy rain you may find you need a 4 season tent....i picked up an L.L. Bean 4 season South Col at a retail outlet in Maine during one of the end of season sales. It pays to look around if you can..

 

[vanguard]

Thanks for the replies guys. My current plan is to use this at least until it gets cold again, which is probably around November. At that point I may add a winter tent to the lineup if it makes sense.

I actually did sleep in the rain last night in my backyard to test it out. It was only a light rain but it worked great. I took the time to spray it with extra waterproofing before its first rain earlier that day.

 

[OverlandZJ]

LOL...in the backyard! :victory:

I remember my first tent back in the 80's...it was also a Coleman. We bought it for a trip to Northern Maine and wanted to test it out. We ran over to the NJ Pinelands for a forecasted downpour to test it...rained like hell. We were in great shape though...i still remember having a few cold ones and watching Cheers on the battery powered TV in a thunderstorm.

Memories...

 

[Wanderlusty]

I was really pleased after I got the Coleman Exponent Cadence 3. You can pick that one up at Dicks for about $129.

It may not stack up against some of the big boys, but it is a four season tent that does a lot for the $$$.

Checking Coleman's site, it looks like the Cadence is gone and replaced with this:

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=9870A340&categoryid=11070

Well, crap ********'s doesn't even carry it anymore....

Anyway, I think it is a nice tent for the money. Probably still available somewhere. And the Krypton 3 will probably be found cheaper in a few months, too.

I know what it is like to do this on a budget. I'd sure like to have some of the equipment some of these guys roll, but I just don't have that kind of money. So I found the best I could buy within my budget, and have been happy with it.

 

[paulj]

From looking at the Target picture, I would expect the darker colored fabric to be waterproof (or at least water resistant). This would include the lower tent body walls, and the fly that covers the upper part. The combination should keep most of the rain out.

4 season tents are stronger, to withstand snow and wind loads, and have less mesh (or covers over the mesh) to keep wind and wind blown snow out. The rain fly may also reach closer to the ground. With your model, wind could get under fly and tear it, or carry rain in.

A ground cloth was mentioned. This mainly serves to keep the bottom of the tent clean. It also may help reduce abrasion. You trim it so water does not flow into the space between ground cloth and tent floor.

I also like lining the inside of the tent floor with a plastic painters drop cloth, say 4 mil. This can be larger than the floor area, rising up the sides 6 inches or so. This keeps dirt off the floor, and acts as a inner protection against any water seepage.

The ground cloth and liner are not required, but add some peace of mind. For extended Pacific NW rains, I've also gotten in the habit of rigging a poly tarp over the whole thing. I also like rigging a tarp of some sort over the dinning area.

paulj

 

[calamaridog]

The Coleman tents with the WeatherTec system work well for 3 seasons. Big 5 has them on sale frequently.

Some are made in China and some are made in Sri Lanka. The ones made in Sri Lanka seem a little better quality.

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

LOL...in the backyard! :victory:

I remember my first tent back in the 80's...it was also a Coleman. We bought it for a trip to Northern Maine and wanted to test it out. We ran over to the NJ Pinelands for a forecasted downpour to test it...rained like hell. We were in great shape though...i still remember having a few cold ones and watching Cheers on the battery powered TV in a thunderstorm.

Memories...

Hey John!

Just don't stick those rabbit ears up too high in a thunderstorm!!!!!

.....or you might ruin your beer!........hehe

 

[OverlandZJ]

Hey John!

Just don't stick those rabbit ears up too high in a thunderstorm!!!!!

.....or you might ruin your beer!........hehe

********...dont think i ever realized that.

Seriously....a small antenna could attract a strike? In a dense pine forest? :smilies27