Tent storage

[riverfever]

About 5 years ago I bought a new Sierra Designs, 2 man, convertible tent w/ the footprint. I was living in St. Louis and mostly doing overnighters in the winter. I seam sealed the tent before it's first trip. It worked great and never leaked in rain storms. About 3 years after buying the tent, I spent 2 weeks backpacking through Colorado. I woke up in the middle of the night wet and found about 1/8" of water on the floor. It looked to be coming in through the floor as the walls were dry. When I got home, SD told me to use a spray on product (forget the name) and treat the tent. I did. The next time I used it was during a pretty good Colorado summer storm and I was laying inside waiting things out when the water started coming in through the floor and directly through the fly and walls. I probably could have stayed drier under a tree. I ended up driving into Gunnison and buying a HUGE Coleman tent from Walmart and stayed very dry. I haven't used the SD since then. I spoke with them recently and they said they would look at it if I sent it in. I'm getting ready to do that. Here's my question:

When I bought the tent I was told to pack it like it was when purchased (folded in a particular way and kept in the stuff sack). That's how I packed it when backpacking for space concerns. When I get home though, the tent is taken out to air out and then I stuff it inside a North Face mesh bag and hang it in a closet. I am going to explain this to SD in a letter when I ship it back for inspection. I just don't want them to tell me that I've ruined the tent b/c of my storing methods. What do you all think? Have I been doing wrong? Thanks.

-river

 

[mountainpete]

River,

I used to go through the process of folding my tents, but I have to admit that I no longer do that. I have found that folding the tent in the same place all the time cracks the waterproofing seal in those areas faster and leads to the issues like you are having.

So what I do is I bag my tents like a sleeping bag - I stuff them. Then when I get back home, I pull them out of the bag, let them air out and then place them in a large rubbermaid container in a randomly folded way.

As for your specific situation though, I would take the way you fold the tent completely out of the picture. As far as I have seen Sierra Designs doesn't have a "recommended packing method" and what you have done is exactly what was recommended to you at the time of purchase. With the amount of leakage you seem to be getting, there are greater factors then just the way it was stored.

Send your tent in to Sierra Designs and either don't include storage information or just say that you stored it according to the instructions given to you by the dealer at time of purchase (which you mentioned is what you have done). As with any warranty claim, only give as much information as necessary :elkgrin:

Hope that helps.

Pete

 

[Tucson T4R]

It sounds like a good storage process to me. I have used North Face, Moss and Mountain Hardwear tents for many years and stored them all in a similar maner with no problems.

 

[riverfever]

Thanks Pete and Brad. I'll send it off Monday. Hopefully they will come back with good news b/c I don't have a backpacking tent anymore. The Coleman is big enough to run around in but good for vehicle camping.

Good ideas on storing the tent. What you mentioned about folding it along the same lines all the time is exactly what someone mentioned to me and I figured I ruined the tent. I'll post back what SD says.

 

[7wt]

I just got a Big Agnes SL 2 in November and have been debating on how to store it myself. I have spoken to BA and most people there like to stuff it like a sleeping bag. So I tried it and it is so much easier to put back in the sack no. I was worried it would come out all wrinkled but it doesn't. I went with the stuff method due to the construction of the tent. The fly is a super lightweight silicone coated design and I wanted it to last as long as possible by not creasing it in the same sopt over and over. Once I get it in the sack, that's were it stays until it's ready to go again. I put my tent, my MSR black light cookware, and my two MSR stoves with their fuel all in a small action packer I dubbed the "weekend in a box".

 

[mountainpete]

<quick hijack>

7wt,

How do you like your Big Agnes? I'm planning on doing the West Coast Trail in May 2008 and will need a new tent for it. The BA was on my list to research.

Pete

 

[7wt]

So far so good. I choose the tent because I liked their sleeping bags and I like to keep things in the family. I also considered the MRS Hubba Bubba but thought the side vestible and the narrow floorplan a little undesirable. The SL2 has only two drawbacks as far as I am concerened. The first is that it has a vey small vestible. I don't have a pack so I can't say if one can fit in there but it is small. No biggy for me because my truck is my pack. The second is while it is a free standing tent, it does require a lot of guy outs when the wind picks up. There is seven on the rain fly. These work very well though, standing up to a 35-40 MPH wind storm in Borrego a while back. I prefer to use it without the fly when the weather permits, just the footprint and the body. On the plus side, it is VERY light and very compact. It is supper easy to pitch and it circulates air very well. I haven't had one problem with condensation at all. It looks good, I like the color. That is my opinion and I am not sure what it's worth, I haven't had a new tent in about 15 years and a lot has changed. This is my first stab at the new supper light camping gear and I was a little concerned it wouldn't hold up but so far so good. I have about 15 nights in it with all sorts of weather. One side note, in the pics you can see that I use the MSR ground hog stakes, I only use those because I had some given to me and I like the little cord tied to them, it makes them easier to pull up. I use the ones it comes with for everything but the main body.

 

[mountainpete]

Thanks for the report and pics - very helpful :camping:

The first is that it has a vey small vestible. I don't have a pack so I can't say if one can fit in there but it is small. No biggy for me because my truck is my pack.

I'm especially glad you pointed that one out because it's a deal-breaker for me. I have come to love vestibules and consider the extra tent weight worth it. To me, the vestibule(s) must be able to fit the packs and boots of its residents.

Pete

 

[7wt]

Look in to the new Emerald Mountain. The thing is suppose to be a cavern. It has an optional super large vestible. http://www.bigagnes.com/str_tents.php?id=em2&PHPSESSID=996b1f89c965fb8f2d80813557f81ab0

 

[mountainpete]

Look in to the new Emerald Mountain. The thing is suppose to be a cavern. It has an optional super large vestible. http://www.bigagnes.com/str_tents.php?id=em2&PHPSESSID=996b1f89c965fb8f2d80813557f81ab0

That's got potential - 4lbs 12oz with the vestibule. Not bad at all... Thanks :luxhello:

 

[riverfever]

Update:

Well I set the tent up tonight to look at it and get some pics before I send it back tomorrow. Nothing too crazy looking with the tent itself. There are some little whitish marks on the floor of the tent but they don't really show in pics. More interesting is the fact that the side of the fly that is NOT facing out is peeling. It looks like the waterproofing material that just peels right off. I guess that might explain the fly leaking but still not sure on the floor or walls of the tent. I put the tent, fly and footprint in the mesh bag I store it in and will just box that up for shipping. Sorry these pics are so huge. I need to figure out how to downsize them. I'll post back when I hear from SD.

-river