Rainproof a tent?

[AllisonG]

OK, I need all the heavy hitters, the big kahunas, the grand poobaas of tent camping.!
Do I have your attention?
This is the story:
We're going campin at FW the second week of Oct in 06'. All I keep hearing is that it rains really hard during that month. The last time I went camping and it rained my tent flooded so bad my air mattress could float!
I was a Girl Scout but our tents were made out of canvas and never leaked. Now that I am a Mom, wife and the family camping expert I NEED YOUR HELP!!! Please Please Please help me!!??
I need your tips, tricks, comments, suggestions, lectures, urges, instructions, guidance and recommendations in all matters of keeping the rain out of your families tent-- for a week of camping......
Thank you in advance! I appreciate any help.

 

[Gillian]

I'm no expert, but the 2 most important rules about staying dry in the rain are
1. don't touch the sides of the tent in the rain or rest your stuff against them
2. make sure your tarp is UNDER the tent and not sticking out the bottom. If it is sticking out it will channel water under the floor of the tent, which will most likely leak. You may need to cut a groundcloth to fit the size/shape of the tent.

There are waterproof sprays and seam sealers that can't hurt.

I have also read that you can make a waterproof floor in your tent with another plastic sheet on the inside, but I don't really know anything about how to do it or how well it works. Some tents have a kind of "bathtub" floor that might be better at keeping out water.

 

[videogal1]

I'm no expert, but the 2 most important rules about staying dry in the rain are
1. don't touch the sides of the tent in the rain or rest your stuff against them
2. make sure your tarp is UNDER the tent and not sticking out the bottom. If it is sticking out it will channel water under the floor of the tent, which will most likely leak. You may need to cut a groundcloth to fit the size/shape of the tent.

There are waterproof sprays and seam sealers that can't hurt.

I have also read that you can make a waterproof floor in your tent with another plastic sheet on the inside, but I don't really know anything about how to do it or how well it works. Some tents have a kind of "bathtub" floor that might be better at keeping out water.

A third really important rule set relates to tent placement:
1. Not on downhill slopes or at the bottom of one
2. Not in dry creek beds
3. A small trench around perimiter of tent with a "tail" trench on lowest side leading away for drainage.

 

[klmall]

Most of the advice given above is great. Newer tents tend to be fine but whatever tent you are using put it up in the backyard and hose it a bit to see where it leaks. You can buy seam sealer to apply easily to the seams as a precaution also. Seams are the likely culprits for leakage in any tent. Also be sure you are putting the tent up correctly, no folds or wrinkles etc.

To truly ease your worries you might look into getting a plastic tarp that can be erected on poles above your tent, thus sheltering it from rain entirely. Just be sure that you leave air space between the plastic tarp and the tent. Also stake out the poles for the tarp at angles and use adjustable lines that can be tightened as necessary.

With so many people camping as at places like FW I recommend not trenching the ground in any way. It's actually illegal in many public campgrounds. We used to do that when I was young camper but it really isn't necessary and does damage the topsoil. Carefully placing your plastic groundcloth (cut to fit the base of the tent exactly) under the tent will be sufficient.

And you might want to bring a small fan (battery or electric) to air the tent. October can be hot! This forum will offer lots of other good hints.

(Advice based on 40+ years of camping; still camping usually in small tents!)

 

[AllisonG]

Wow! Thank you so much for so many helpful ideas! The tent that flooded back in 2001 has been thrown out. The flood happened at FW. We were in Epcot all day and came home at the end of the night to find our stuff floating around the tent. FW helped us out sssoooooo much! We had 2 small kids at the time who were hungry, cold and tired. I was a crying mess, I couldn't believe what happened! But it all ended well.
So we bought our new tent last year. I sealed the seams, used ground covers and used the rain flies. There was condensation inside the tent and small puddles after a soft evening rain. So I was thinking if October is rain season then I need to be extra prepared in the rain proofing department.
#1- I'm gonna definitely water repellent the rain flies
#2- I may get a fly/screen house to use in front of tent as foyer/mud room
#3- I will use 3 layers of cover. 1) plastic throw away on bottom then 2) 6 mil tarp cut an inch smaller then tent and 3) 6 mil tarp cut for inside tent.
#4- I will erect tarp w/ poles above tent.

If there is anything else that anyone can think of. No matter how small you may think it is PLEASE share with me. I am all ears!

 

[We4mickey]

Don't forget to have a great time! Honestly October is one of our favorite times to go and unless there is a tropical storm or something. We have had wonderful weather and very little rain. Have fun!

 

[donac]

We have been there several times in AUg when it rains even more than Oct. The tarp over the tent is one of the biggest investments that you can make. Bring lots of rope and poles to hold it up.

 

[clkelley]

If you do put a tarp over your entire tent, just make sure there is plent of angle for the rain to drain off of the tarp. If there is not enough angle the tarp could fill with water and collapse your poles.

I generally don't put a tarp "over" my tent, just over the entrance. I also use a commercially premade fly instead of just a tarp and poles. The tarp, poles, and ropes, just seem like too much work.

I also thoroughly coat my tent with seam sealer and all of the material with a Scotchguard substance.

A fan during the daytime is a must and open those windows as wide as possible to keep airflow going. Us humans create LOTS of condensation, plus Florida humidity doesn't help.

The three layers of plastic on the ground seem to work the best for me.

Supposedly a properly cut ground cloth is all you need, but there always seems to be a little bit of water in the bottom of the tent. So the plastic inside just keeps that little bit of seepage from soaking into your stuff.

Also stake down at every available point on your tent and rain fly. The new freestanding tents and instant popup canopies make it tempting to not stake them down, but stretching everything out to it's maximum and anchoring it at the correct points are one of the key things that keep you drier in the new tents.

Carol