New tent questions

[hsmamato2]

Well, we won't be camping at WDW anytime soon,but we camp locally in the summer,so i have a few questions for you experts
We just bought a new tent(after 3 years of getting wet when it rained in a cheap old tent)
it cost about 250.00 on sale,is a good brand(Eureka) heavy walls/floor,etc. We can't set it up yet though,it's too soggy/wintery here,no room indoors!
has a good rainfly,
my first question is, to seal or not seal? I've heard both -and wondering what YOU do?
2nd question.... ground tarp or not ground tarp while camping? again,I've heard both,what do YOU do?
Again, after 3 years of using a ground tarp under the floor(no edges showing) for rain days,and getting wet when the water puddled underneath and soaked through anyway,I'm thinking maybe we should just let the water get away from our tent,and the only way to do that is to plant it on the grass!
All opinions are asked for here......

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Well, we won't be camping at WDW anytime soon,but we camp locally in the summer,so i have a few questions for you experts
We just bought a new tent(after 3 years of getting wet when it rained in a cheap old tent)
it cost about 250.00 on sale,is a good brand(Eureka) heavy walls/floor,etc. We can't set it up yet though,it's too soggy/wintery here,no room indoors!
has a good rainfly,
my first question is, to seal or not seal? I've heard both -and wondering what YOU do?
2nd question.... ground tarp or not ground tarp while camping? again,I've heard both,what do YOU do?
Again, after 3 years of using a ground tarp under the floor(no edges showing) for rain days,and getting wet when the water puddled underneath and soaked through anyway,I'm thinking maybe we should just let the water get away from our tent,and the only way to do that is to plant it on the grass!
All opinions are asked for here......

We have a Eureka and have had it a good 10 years! Love it! It has never leaked on us, even in serious downpours! We do seal it now that it is older, but it still looks new so I'm not sure it's completely necessary. We do use a ground tarp, too. It helps protect the bottom of the tent and keep you dry.

 

[disneystick]

If it is not factory seam sealed...I would sealed...this prevents the moisture from soaking into the seams then it can puddle inside your tent.

Next...Ground cloth YES...it prevents the moisture from touching your tent. Every time you walk...your feet is mashing the tent to the wet ground and some ground still have moisture that comes thru even when it has not rained. All you making sure that your ground cloth is tucked under your tent all the way...some folks don't. What this does is when it rains...the ground cloth collects the rain and pool it under the tent and by tucking the ground cloth exactly under the tent...this won't happen.

Enjoy your new tent...Eureka is a good brand. Our Boy Scout Troop uses this brand. And Happy Camping!

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

We bought a Eureka Copper Canyon last year and used it at the Fort last October. It did "sweat" around the bottom edges but wasn't enough to puddle and would be dry by the end of the day. Also, DS(11) was the one who sprayed the fabric protectant so I don't know if he got all areas very well. The only thing I don't like about the Eureka is that it doesn't have the polyethylene bathtub tent floor like our Coleman did. The Coleman was the driest tent we've ever had, it went through some demon storms without any leaks.

 

[clkelley]

Most definitely ground cloth. I also put a sheet of plastic "inside" the tent in the floor. So if some does seep up from the bottom it's under the plastic and not soaking into your bedding.

 

[hsmamato2]

thanks for the replies- does a plastic sheet inside make it uncomfortable? like sliding when you walk? Our old tent was coleman, and it leaked badly,go figure!
I think seams are factory sealed,but some say to do it again.....
don't know why water always puddled under the tent, we always kept the tarp tucked under it- no matter what i did, we got wet! Last trip I had a tarp BIGGER than the tent strung over most every inch,but some rain hit the far corners,and, you guessed it, made puddles on the edges! My only rule is mom must NOT get wet while camping!

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Our tents say it was factory sealed but we seam sealed them anyway. And use the fabric protectant. We use the painters plastic under the tent and use a tarp inside the Eureka. I haven't been in the Eureka in a bad storm. I think we had a few small sprinkles last October (did we Carol?). But if we did, we stayed dry.

 

[clkelley]

Our tents say it was factory sealed but we seam sealed them anyway. And use the fabric protectant. We use the painters plastic under the tent and use a tarp inside the Eureka. I haven't been in the Eureka in a bad storm. I think we had a few small sprinkles last October (did we Carol?). But if we did, we stayed dry.

Not week 1 (the week you were there), there wasn't. It looked like it rained right before we arrived and not another drop for my entire 2 week trip until about 1am Saturday morning, it rained all night until about 9am (right when I needed to pack up) Blech!!! I had packed up everything except for one shelter and my rug before the rain, but they got soaked. It also rained for 4 days once I got home.

 

[cruising spud]

We just bought a tent a few weeks ago. A Copper Canyon by Eureka. Haven't used it yet, but the folks over at rv.net suggested sealing it with a tube of "seam grip." This is not a spray. Tenters seemed to feel that this was the best sealer to use. I went to Amazon.com and ordered two tubes-hoping two will be enough. Think the total cost (with shipping and handling) was about $16.00.

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

It took one and a half bottles for me to seal our Copper Canyon so you should be fine, that is if the tubes have as much in them as the seam sealer we purchased at Wal-mart.

 

[ntsammy5]

I haven't sealed a tent in years and I no longer use a ground cloth, except in winter. JMO, but sealing is unnecessary and a ground cloth is redundant and in many cases a ground cloth actually holds in water. Setting up in snow is another matter though. I've camped for 50 years in all kinds of weather and terrain from jungles to mountains but I'm always willing to listen to another persons misinformation.

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

I haven't sealed a tent in years and I no longer use a ground cloth, except in winter. JMO, but sealing is unnecessary and a ground cloth is redundant and in many cases a ground cloth actually holds in water. Setting up in snow is another matter though. I've camped for 50 years in all kinds of weather and terrain from jungles to mountains but I'm always willing to listen to another persons misinformation.

Cool! What brand/model tent do you use at the Fort? I'd love to not be able to seam seal and stay dry. How do you manage the clean-up of the wet coquina on the bottom of your tent?

I've never camped in the snow but I have in the Amazon Rainforest. Even the natives used a ground cloth....granted it was layered palm leaves from nearby trees and the over tarp was, yep, it too was palm leaves

 

[ntsammy5]

How do you manage the clean-up of the wet coquina on the bottom of your tent?

Sweep it off then when we get home, sweep again. The only times I camped in the jungle was without a floor, using military equipment so that's really not a fair comparison. Current tents are a few off brand, Wenzel, Swiss Army, Mountain Hardwear and a 20 year old Hillary. A little seepage is always expected with that one. There's no such thing as a completely waterproof tent.

 

[clkelley]

There is NO WAY I'm gonna bring any of that wet coquina home with me!!! Blech!! I always put a ground cloth underneath my tent and then at the Fort I toss down some of the really thin disposable plastic first. That stuff keeps the coquina off my tent, and it goes in the trash!!! I leave it AT the Fort!!!

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

Sweep it off then when we get home, sweep again. The only times I camped in the jungle was without a floor, using military equipment so that's really not a fair comparison. Current tents are a few off brand, Wenzel, Swiss Army, Mountain Hardwear and a 20 year old Hillary. A little seepage is always expected with that one. There's no such thing as a completely waterproof tent.

But which one do you use at the Fort? And model?

 

[ntsammy5]

But which one do you use at the Fort? And model?

Sorry, I thought I mentioned that, but obviously not. We use my sisters RV at FW. No tent campoing there.

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

I have to agree with Carol, using the painter's plastic makes clean-up a snap! I learned that trick from her a few years back. I realized how much I missed it when we forgot ours last time. Sweeping got rid of the big chunks but a lot of the fine sand just smeared around. Finally just took some towels, got down on hands and knees and a lot of bicep work, dried it up.

I think those of us who purchase the department store tents and don't have a multitude of tents to switch out, we tend to use the same tent over and over until it wears out so seam sealing and ground cloths are an extra insurance for the cheaper tents and it has so far, not failed us. I still don't trust my Eureka since it doesn't have the polyethylene floor so I will use the ground cloth and tarp inside until it fails me. We've only used it once and haven't gone through a storm with it....yet.

I do agree that no tent is completely waterproof but we did go through a Florida storm back in March but that was with our Coleman and if we hadn't seamed sealed it properly, I think we would have gotten wet but we didn't....not a drop. There were tales all over the campground how so many people, some in pop-ups were soaked. The laundry room was a madhouse.

 

[hoosiergirl]

I've read about the tarp on the inside of the tent. Do you folks use the same type of plastic for the floor covering as for the groundcloth under the tent? And what is the purpose for it? I'm guessing that it's again to help extend the life of the tent flooring as well as an easier way to keep it clean. Do you have any trouble with it slipping around?

 

[Tent Camping Mom]

This may be overkill but here's what we do and why:
1) Put painter's plastic directly on the coquina tent pad (for easy clean-up/protection for the tent bottom and helps as a moisture barrier).
2) Tarp inside the tent that reaches from corner to corner, we use two slightly overlapping because our tent is so large (for an extra assurance of moisture protection in case some water seeps in).

Addendum - Our next camping trip to the Fort, I may use a tarp on top of the painter's plastic (I don't know if it will be necessary or not) but like I said, I don't trust my Eureka and the last thing I want to do is be floating around on air mattresses inside the tent.