RTT's and Rain

90% of our camping is in the desert and up until this weekend we've never used our RTT in heavy rain. Last night we were camping on the beach and got DUMPED on. It rained steady all night with strong winds blowing the water sideways. As I drifted off to sleep I wonderd if we'd wake up in a puddle.

Morning came, it was still pouring and we were warm and dry.




Once again, I'm happy with the decision to switch to the RTT. Both of my (quality) ground tents would've gotten wet due to the depth of the water on the ground. It was also nice to only spend a minute cranking down the top before jumping in the dry truck vs. 15 minutes tearing down/packing the ground tent.

I'd like to hear some other thoughts/experiences/tips regarding camping in the rain with an RTT. Do the Eezi-Awns, Overlands, etc. also hold up well to the weather?

I've been camping in Central California for the past three weeks. I have both the Maggiolina Small and the Columbus Carbon Fiber Medium.

I have the Columbus with me now on the M101 trailer while I travel here in CA.

The columbus has held up extremely well in the rains the past few weeks. Eventually the dampness does take over inside the tent and I had to dry out the bedding. (due to the tent material folding up (on close up) and contacting the bedding.)

The Columbus tent material is not breathable like the Maggiolina so you must sleep with the zippers cracked open a bit to let the tent breath. This presents a bit of an issue as there are no door awnings.

The only thing this tent is missing is a rain fly, (and an awning). It has the velcro around the top edge like the Maggiolina, but I don't think I have seen a fly for it ( Mike S ???)

I have the winter hood for the Maggiolina and this would help with heavy rains.

All and all, these tents make it really nice to set up and tear down in moments, with all the comforts of home.

On the first trip I went on with the ARB Simpson II RTT, it rained so heavily - it was like a monsoon. I was high and dry, and perfectly comfortable. What a rewarding feeling!

DesertDude- I think you've mentioned before that you treat the fabric on your Maggiolina from time to time? Do you have a procedure to keep the fabric water resistant?

Whereabouts in Central CA have you been camping? I should be heading that direction on the motorcycle this week, possibly camping North of Santa Barbara.

We have been in the rain a few times with our Eezi Awn. It kept us dry, and for the most part we didn't have any problems. We did let the tent sit in the morning sun for a while before we packed up and left.


The issues we had were:
1. Putting Bella up in the tent. Imagine one of us holding her off the ground and under the tent, and the other drying her off with a towel.
2. We kept the rain fly extended out on one side, meaning the poles that prop the fly out were attached. With this configuration, the rain would puddle in the depression created by the poles and the first support bar.







HMR... were you camping locally?

I should add, we have always used the rain-fly, and it has worked great.

Also, I have not applied any type of sealant to our Eezi Awn.
:gunt:

In the 20 or so years I've been involved with RTT's I have only had one tent with real leakage issues. The manufacturer had sourced "identical" fabric from a new supplier. This new fabric had zero water repellant characteristics.

For me the big issue is breathability. What's the point of having a tent where it rains on the inside when it's dry outside?

For those of you with minor leakage problems along seams and stitching rub the area with Bee's wax and you're right as rain (so to speak).

blupaddler said:

HMR... were you camping locally?

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Hi Robb,
We were on the beach north of Santa Barbara.

Here's a shot from our campsite before the storm moved in:

We've been through a few squalls in our Eezi-Awn and it has held up well even in high winds, although it did jettison one of the awning poles once due to the wind.

It's so nice to be up off the ground all warm and dry!

HMR, great photos of your tent being used in extreme wet conditions. Did you shake off as much as you could before you lowered the tent? How did you handle that and how much moisture transferred inside the next time you opened the tent.

Can you imagine being on the ground in that? Last summer in Mexico I used my brother's EasyAwn in serious rain. Although it was much better than being on the ground, I experienced pretty extensive leaking at the seam where the hoops are sewn in. EasyAwn makes an additional rainfly?? If so I wasn't using one. It would have certianly helped.

Last weekend, I had the Maggiolina in it's first heavy rain storm. That experience was exactly as Jeremy's: Dry & comfy, crazy easy breakdown the following morning. :jumping:

Packing up a soaking ground tent, particularly if it's still raining is such a lame experience.

I used a 3M waterproofing treatment on the Maggiolina last year. It did help with the water beading on the outside. I have always found the tent material to transfer water to the inside bedding.

Have you had better luck?

Last year's elk hunt 2 days continued soaking rain- my Eezi Awn kept me completley dry inside- nice and cozy!

viatierra said:

Can you imagine being on the ground in that? Last summer in Mexico I used my brother's EasyAwn in serious rain. Although it was much better than being on the ground, I experienced pretty extensive leaking at the seam where the hoops are sewn in. EasyAwn makes an additional rainfly?? If so I wasn't using one. It would have certianly helped.

Last weekend, I had the Maggiolina in it's first heavy rain storm. That experience was exactly as Jeremy's: Dry & comfy, crazy easy breakdown the following morning. :jumping:

Packing up a soaking ground tent, particularly if it's still raining is such a lame experience.

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Greg

It sounds like you were using the inner tent with no fly sheet attached. The fly sheet would have taken care of any leakage issues as it's impervious.

The seams on the inner tents should not have leaked. I would have your brother either rub them with a Bee's Wax Bar http://www.beeyondthehive.com/ or use a seam seal.

With all tents it's best to be pro active in the area of water resistance and seam leakage. The alternative isn't so pleasant. To test the tent deploy it, remove the mattress, and use a garden hose to simulate rain. Having someone inside checking for leaks is always a plus. If you find leakage along the seams use the wax or seam sealer. If the fabric is seeping try one of the waterproofing products such as 3M.

Martyn, is there more of a fly sheet than the one that covers the top and forms the door awnings? Speaking of Eezi-Awn.