I have an older two-room tent, it’s still in great condition except it leaks. I was in a rainstorm and the whole tent leaked, not just the seams but the actual roof fabric also. Can you recommend a great spray sealer and seam sealer? Or am I wasting my time and need another tent? – Ramon Elgin, Illinois
I love this: “I have a great tent ... it just leaks.” Hmmm. I think the leaking part is what the tent is supposed to prevent.
My own view is that the tent is kaput. Tents don’t last forever – the sun breaks down the fabric, inside storage can lead to mildew that eats the material and so on and so on. Re-sealing the seams is one thing. But the leaking fabric tells me that the waterproof coating has de-laminated or worn away.
For small repairs: Such a tent is fixable in small patches with McNett’s Gear Aid Tent Floor Sealant ($10). But you’d have to paint most of the tent. Besides, even though the fabric may look fine, chances are it has lost much of its tensile strength. The whole thing could just rip to shreds in a strong windstorm.
Replacement options: There are a lot of tents out there that offer good quality and won’t break the bank. A good example is the Eureka Tetragon 1210 ($229). It’s a two-room (or one – it’s up to you) that sleeps six. Polyester floor and fly, fiberglass frame, good ventilation. Eureka’s Suite V6 ($299) also is a two-room, six-person tent, and adds a covered but not fully enclosed screened front porch. Or, there’s Eureka’s big Copper Canyon 1610 ($350) – sleeps six, two rooms, and screened front porch.
There are others: Coleman’s WeatherMaster 4 ($229) sleeps four, and has a screen side-room for buggy conditions. Or there is the GigaTent Mt. Kinsman 8 ($250). A real bargain – a big eight-person tent with three rooms and a screened porch. That’s pretty luxurious.
To ask a question of the Gear Guy, you can find Douglas Gantenbein at www.outsidemag.com.
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