Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

[Mike]

I was camping this weekend with my 33 year old Eureka Alpine Meadows 4 tent. The Alpine Meadows is discontinued now, but it was the same as a Timberline design, but with an added pole in the middle of the tent which holds the sides out to create more room inside the tent.

I have always slept soundly through bad weather and rain inside my Eureka tents because I have grown to trust them and rely on them in bad weather.

Well, one heck of a storm kicked up with howling winds and side-ways rain this past weekend. I checked the tent from the inside during the storm waiting to see where the first signs of leakage would occur. I thought this storm was just too much for any tent.

To my comfort, not a single drop of rain or moisture got inside the tent. We slept through the entire night in that wicked storm without rain coming in or accumulating anywhere in the tent.

I am surprised, not only how well designed and well made the tent was when I received it new, 33 years ago, but also how well it has held up for the many decades of active camping I have done with it. Some time ago, the water-proof coating on the inside of the fly started sticking together, so I re-coated the fly with waterproofing which got rid of the stickiness on the coating and obviously helped waterproof the tent.

[tplife]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

That's great longevity, and I would guess nearly as much from proper care and storage as the structural quality of this well-known Eureka! classic.

[Oldcoyote]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

That's great. What did you use to treat the fly?

[markkee]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

Eureka all the way! I gave my old 2 person Timberline away that I bought in 1978 and really regret it. I am sure that the tent is still in prime condition. Here is a funny store about my old Timberline. My buddy and I hitch hiked to Wyoming in the middle of the winter. We set the tent up under the bridge over pass on a small concrete slab under the bridge. There was barely enough room to set up the tent. We were elevated and well protected. Not even a lonely highway patrolman bothered us because the tent was brown and hidden in plain view. I sure miss those days.

3 days later, we had the tent set up in a meadow near my friend's cabin. We forgot to stake down the tent. It blew around the meadow for a full day unattended and sustained no damage. We found the tent laying on it's side.

This tent never leaked. Never sealed the seams.

I did a lot of winter camping in it. My friends and I would have hitch hiking races across the country in the middle of the winter. It held up good in the snow.

[Mike]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

That's great. What did you use to treat the fly?

I use Star Brite fabric waterproofing. You can get it in spray, but I buy it by the gallon and brush it on.

Sell for about $12.00 for 22 ounces.

The rainfly's original waterproof coating had deteriorated and was sticky like tape. After the Star Brite, however, the rainfly is silky and, as I mentioned, effectively waterproof. Not a drop of water came into our tent during a full night-time of blowing hard rain. However, this Eureka has never leaked since day one.

Part of the reason for the successful rainproof is the tent design that keeps the full-cover rainfly several inches away from the inner tent. I have seen some tents where the rainfly sags and touches the sides of the inner tent when wet. This would naturally tend to leak unless the rainfly was exceptionally waterproof.

[dave wyath]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

thirty three years is quite impressive. my longest lasting tent was about ten years

[markkee]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

If your longest lasting tent was about 10 years, you probably camp a lot!

[Mike]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

The key to making a tent lasts a long time is to take care of it, of course, like all things.

One of the main things that kill tents around here is sand and moisture - Not drying out tents thoroughly before packing and allowing sand to get into the tent - and packing with sand inside the tent.

If you can keep sand out of your tent, it will last a long time.

Also, camping in the shade helps keep nylon tents alive longer. I have seen tents owned by people who like to camp in the open sun. Their tents tend to deteriorate until they start to rip like toilet paper. It tears in another place as you try to repair a tear somewhere else.

[hwc1954]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

Yeah. Storing them wet kills any tent (mildew).

UV exposure kills them. As you say, the material just falls apart.

Third thing, with modern fabrics, is storage in hot, humid conditions. The polyurethane (PU) coating the makes the rainfly and floor of the tent fails -- gets sticky and starts to flake or peel off. Good reason not to store tents in a hot attic or a hot garage.

[ecichlid]

Re: Three Cheers for my 33 year old Eureka Tent

I use Star Brite fabric waterproofing. You can get it in spray, but I buy it by the gallon and brush it on.

hank you for that!

I have an Apex 2XT that I use as a solo tent for car camping. There is not a better tent for the price. Yes, there are better tents, but not without paying more.