Help! My tent leaks!

[cox]

Hi all, I have a Eureka tent that I have used for a few years, and like very much, but it seems to have one flaw. When I put down the "footprint" plastic under the tent, the fly does not cover it. When there is heavy rain, the fly drips water on the footprint, and it eventually seeps through the floor wherever there is pressure on the floor, presumably by capillary action. I end up with moisture under my sleeping pad, boots, etc.

In Denali, I got a dose of Alaska weather the other day, getting rained on for about 20hrs. I ended up with a puddle at the lowest corner, along with a soaked pair of pants that I was using as my pillow.

So I see two options: I can either get a new tent with a much bigger fly (hard to find...), or find some means of improving the waterproofing of the floor. Any suggestions on either?

[wcrosman]

Michael,

First your should be sure to seam seal all the stitching in the tent and fly. There are recoating products you can use on the floor and or walls. I've a product I just, yesterday, used on my camera pouches inner bag. Its called Aquaseal Poly Coat http://www.aquaseal.com/polycoat.html. Just went to their site and found the product is recommended by Eureka.

I personally have never been a fan of 'footprints' . IMO they are just a place for water to get trapped between the floor and the ground. The ground may get wet but unless you've set your tent up in a stream or lake water tents to percolate down into the ground. I cannot do that between and floor and a footprint. Just my $.02.

[skagitswimmer]

Firstly, if you are in Denali you ought not to complain. I'm stuck here in the office on a sunny Sunday. Seriously though, I have had the same problem with many tents and now have a "footprint" that I keep a tiny bit smaller than the floor of the tent, usually by folding in the edges to go under the tent. My theory is that the groundsheet is really only to protect the floor. I don't have a seam in the floor of my tent so a seam sealant wouldn't help for me. There are spray waterproofers but you are on your own - I haven't tried any lately.

[cox]

Thanks, guys. I'm back in the sillycon valley now, but I did have a great trip in places where my cell phone doesn't work.

Thanks for the suggetions, guys. I probably should reseal the seams and fly, before I have a problem. I use the footprint to prevent damage to the tent floor, since I often set up without enough time to police the ground for sharp objects or it's simply not possible to remove them all. I think Stephen's suggestion about trimming it down is a great idea. I'll try the sealant Tom recommended on the floor as well. Thanks again.

[rbritt1268]

Originally Posted by cox

Thanks, guys. I'm back in the sillycon valley now, but I did have a great trip in places where my cell phone doesn't work.

Thanks for the suggetions, guys. I probably should reseal the seams and fly, before I have a problem. I use the footprint to prevent damage to the tent floor, since I often set up without enough time to police the ground for sharp objects or it's simply not possible to remove them all. I think Stephen's suggestion about trimming it down is a great idea. I'll try the sealant Tom recommended on the floor as well. Thanks again.

I remember waaayy back in the day when I was a boy scout there were two rules for keeping water out of your floor. 1) like it has been suggested, never allow your footprint to extend past your tent walls as this is a perfect aquaduct for seepage. 2)if you are able, dig a small trench around your tent starting on the uphill side towards the downhill side thereby allowing any rain that accumulates a means of escape to somewhere other than your bedsheets.
Good luck!

Yes, use seam sealer, but you can also get a spray can of a panel sealer which is most often used for the sides and top, but can also be used for the floor. A tent without sealed seams is like an umbrella with holes in it.

[cox]

Thanks, Jim. Have any brand names for the panel sealer to recommend?