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Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

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  • #1

    Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

    Hi all.
    I needed to find a tent where I can have electricity due to a necessary medical device
    After researching tents for the past year I decided to purchase the Coleman Red Canyon
    http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-17-Foo.../dp/B000W7BHJY
    It got good reviews including staying dry after lots of rain.
    Coleman states:
    Coleman's exclusive Weathertec System is guaranteed to keep you dry from unexpected wet weather on your camping trip
    And:
    Coleman's exclusive Weathertec System is guaranteed to keep you dry and offers leak-free protected seams, weather-resistant fabric, waterproof floors, zipper protection, and a wind-strong frame.

    Before putting the tent down, we put down a tarp and folded under.

    Well about an hour after the rain started, the waterproof floor was wet.
    My child (who needs to be hooked up to a medical device at night) was on standard air mattress. The floor seemed to be more wet under that mattress .... but the floor was wet on about 60% of the floor.
    Being anxious about electricity in the tent and having her hooked up ... I was thinking about having her sleeping on the raised air mattress as that part of the tent seemed drying but then I saw that the tents was actually dripping in two spots above that bed ... like a continuous drip coming from the the wall not the mesh or seems.

    We ended up having to leave the tent and find a hotel for the night as it just did not seem safe to use the electricity.

    SO here are my questions ...
    Is this typical of any tent to leak ... or do you think I just got a defective one?
    Is it worth it to return the tent and just do an exchange (and in the future not only put a tarp below us but also above us)?

    The tent also ended up with holes in the floor from pebbles even with the tarp down.

    Thanks

    J
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

    I own a Red Canyon and have had good luck with it 6 years so far. You should seal seams well and then about every other year reseal. Have not had the issue you describe.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

      I started out with a Red Canyon. I never had a problem with it leaking. Couple of questions about the set up of the tent. Are you completely sure that the tarp was totally under the tent. If some of the tarp was sticking out of the tent, it is possible the water pooled between the tarp and the tent. Second, did you set the tent up in a low spot? If you did, or didn't dig a drainage trench around you, the water could of pooled underneath you. I don't think I was subjected to a long rain storm in that tent though.
      Nights camped in 2019: 24
      Nights camped in 2018: 24

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

        Yes, your Coleman tent is junk - no full-length rainfly, D-shaped doors, dated pin-and-ring design, cheap fiberglas poles, no welded seams, etc. Get a real tent (off Ebay if you're a bargain-hound like us) from companies like Big Agnes, Sierra Designs, Marmot, NorthFace, Mountain HardWear, etc. at 60$ off MSRP new-with-tags) and enjoy dry sleeping and rain/wind integrity. Buy a decent AGM battery and convert your devices over to DC for safety reasons. Then find the person who sold you an air mattress (or cot) for use in an unheated enclosure smack them about the head! No one should lose good sleep on an air mattress or cot since its R-value is 0.75, thermo negative, meaning while you sleep the cold air sucks the heat out of you while it works 24/7 to achieve temperature equilibrium. Buy decent self-inflating air mattresses with lifetime warranties that have 5.0 or better R-values!
        “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
        ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

          Originally posted by tplife View Post
          Yes, your Coleman tent is junk - no full-length rainfly, D-shaped doors, dated pin-and-ring design, cheap fiberglas poles, no welded seams, etc. Get a real tent (off Ebay if you're a bargain-hound like us) from companies like Big Agnes, Sierra Designs, Marmot, NorthFace, Mountain HardWear, etc. at 60$ off MSRP new-with-tags) and enjoy dry sleeping and rain/wind integrity. Buy a decent AGM battery and convert your devices over to DC for safety reasons. Then find the person who sold you an air mattress (or cot) for use in an unheated enclosure smack them about the head! No one should lose good sleep on an air mattress or cot since its R-value is 0.75, thermo negative, meaning while you sleep the cold air sucks the heat out of you while it works 24/7 to achieve temperature equilibrium. Buy decent self-inflating air mattresses with lifetime warranties that have 5.0 or better R-values!
          Click image for larger version Name: First Up.jpg Views: 4 Size: 20.1 KB ID: 69883
          A 15+ year old no full-length rainfly, D-shaped door, dated pin-and-ring design, cheap fiberglass poles, no welded seams tent.

          A tent from the companies you mention, even with a deep discount, can still cost way more than a traditional Coleman dome. And not everybody has the willingness (or resources) to set themselves up for 12 volt operation.

          And you just can't seem to give up on the air mattress issue, can you? Despite testimonies from several people that your physics don't seem to affect real life experiences, you just... can't... let it go. Why?
          Last edited by MacGyver; 07-02-2014, 08:56 PM.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

            I think he has issues with listening to experience. Maybe he needs to take some of that money and seek help. My Coleman's work for me and thousands of others. Wish he would quit bashing others choice of gear. I have looked at some of those "high dollar" tents on ebay and have never seen one for even close to 60% off. Maybe I haven't looked enough. The same with air mattresses. That better than you attitude needs to take a hike!

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

              Originally posted by frank6160 View Post
              I think he has issues with listening to experience. Maybe he needs to take some of that money and seek help. My Coleman's work for me and thousands of others. Wish he would quit bashing others choice of gear. I have looked at some of those "high dollar" tents on ebay and have never seen one for even close to 60% off. Maybe I haven't looked enough. The same with air mattresses. That better than you attitude needs to take a hike!
              :yipi:
              “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
              – E. B. White

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                Do what I do, consign the "broken record" to 'the pit' - use the Ignore List. Avoid the Noid.
                As to the OP, some good points have been raised, about the placement of the tent, and the need for seam sealing before using the tent. It could also be a faulty product. Even the best company occasionally lets a lemon out to the public.
                A tarp can be placed over the tent to help keep direct rain off it. But the leaky floor is definitely a major problem.
                Longtime Motorcycle Camper. Getting away from it all on two wheels! :cool:

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                  I don't know anything about Coleman tents, but I wonder if we are seeing a big time condensation issue? If the rain fly was on the tent, I find it surprising that water would drip from the ceiling of the tent, first time out.

                  Is the medical equipment involved here something produces water vapor?

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                    Guess what I was going to say, has already been said.
                    Last edited by 05Kingquad700; 07-03-2014, 02:14 PM.
                    Nights camped in 2019: 24
                    Nights camped in 2018: 24

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                      I share an opinion from my own personal experience regarding cheap tents. We'll agree to disagree and I'm cool with it. Many moons ago (as the Indians would say) we owned Colemnan Tents, Ozark Trails, and other similar brands - our experience is that they are junk. Granted, we camp year round in desert, mouyntain, valley and ocean environments. We don't camp as a novelty, we do it as a matter of course. These tents have no rain or wind integrity, break their poles, fall apart, and it is due to their cheap dated designs and poor fabric/pole choices. For an occasional campout or two in mild weather - perfect. Please, just don't ask us to call them quality. We've been there and done that. LOL, as far as the air mattress issues, please...Scientific law isn't open to interpretation, but you're welcome to live in your fantasy world. I make my living through the application of those laws, and I'll stand by them and provide chapter, verse, experimental proofs, etc. The R-values of air mattresses and cots are 0.75, thermo-negative. 5.0 R-values are thermo-neutral. If your seller can't provide them, just move on or join the peanut gallery. Tents: I've bought 3 of those "high end" tents new-with-tags off Ebay at 60% off MSRP. If I can do it, anyone can.

                      Typed from the white sands in the heart of the Carribbean, Antigua, W.I.
                      Last edited by tplife; 07-03-2014, 03:24 PM.
                      “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                      ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                        I have not seen too many 60% off deals, but it's not too hard to find 25% to 30% off on current or recent model tents from name brand manufacturers. If you can keep looking, 25% to 30% off is possible to find on all of the Marmot tents, sooner or later.

                        My best find was the little 2P backpacking tent I used this weekend. Retail is $220. I saw a deal for it last winter at half price ($110) including the factory footprint and a little dinky but serviceable gear loft. Nice solid 3 season tent that goes up easy, works well, and should last for a very long time (if properly dried and stored).

                        I think the problem is that people want really, really big tents for $150. It's hard to make good really, really big tents and probably impossible at the lower pricepoints.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                          Edited.
                          I changed my mind.
                          Last edited by MacGyver; 07-03-2014, 05:40 PM.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                            My mother told us kids often that it is often not what you say but the way you say it that is the problem. Good advice that anyone can use.
                            “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
                            – E. B. White

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: Tent guaranteed to keep you dry is quite wet inside!

                              Originally posted by James. View Post
                              My mother told us kids often that it is often not what you say but the way you say it that is the problem. Good advice that anyone can use.
                              From Cool Hand Luke:
                              "What we've got here is failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach." (With particular emphasis on the second part!)

                              Comment

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