Got caught in a surprise downpour at Lake Chelan and my old tent failed

I was camping at Lake Chelan last spring when a storm rolled in fast, and my old two-person dome tent started leaking at the seams within 20 minutes. I had to bail and sleep in my car, which was a real mess. Has anyone found a truly waterproof tent that can handle a Pacific Northwest soaking?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylan1241mo ago

That exact scenario happened to me on the Olympic Peninsula. My old Coleman turned into a personal rain cloud, with a steady drip right onto my sleeping bag. Ended up buying a Marmot Tungsten after that, and it's been solid through some serious coastal drizzle. The factory-sealed seams are the key thing that actually works.

the_ben1mo agoMost Upvoted

Can confirm, @dylan124, that seam sealing is a total game changer for staying dry.

nathanking21d ago

Gotta push back on that a little. Factory sealed seams are good, don't get me wrong, but they're not magic. I've seen plenty of shiny new Marmots and MSRs leak right out of the box when you hit a real downpour. The real key is seam tape quality and how well it's applied, not just that it's done at the factory. Plus, if you're out in the field and a taped seam fails, you're stuck with a wet bag until you can get home. A properly seam sealed tent with the good old silicone sealer is way easier to fix on the trail. So yeah, factory tape is convenient, but I still think a tube of sealer and a little patience beats it for long term reliability.