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Sorry-I know I'm a total novice at this but I could do with some wisdom from experienced campers.Been reading all about the leaky tents which troubles me as we've yet to try out our new tent.The thing is -what's the difference-advantages v disadvantages etc between canvas , nylon and poly cotton(bearlake) tents?We 've just bought a bearlake and I'm getting confused about which material needs sealing(how do you do it ?)and which don't?Sorry-I know it's probably like an idiot's guide question but this is my first ever tent!

Thank you so much!

I belive most of the recent "horror" stories revolve around the Vango Killington (unusual for a problme with Vangos).  Must leaks on this type of tent revolve around the seams not being properly sealed.  All tents can loose waterprofing over time either by prolonged exposure to direct sunlight (be careful when buying an ex-display tent) but can be resealed

Mike J

PS If you dont know something and somebody can help - IT AINT A DAFT QUESTION

I think we have to get this in perspective, if you have had a problem tent, leaks etc, you are more likely to complain about it on message boards like this. I am pretty sure the vast majority of tents purchased are okay, we all tend to get a bit paranoid when we read about a problem tent, especially if it is a model we have just purchased ourselves.

Quote: Originally posted by MikeJ on 30/5/2007

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I belive most of the recent "horror" stories revolve around the Vango Killington (unusual for a problme with Vangos).

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Quote: Originally posted by Valk_scot on 30/5/2007

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I thought the recent tales of woe revolved mostly around various Outwells, actually.

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I said on here a couple of days ago that "THANKFULLY" I don't have any Outwell tents.

Yesterday, I took a bus ride to Go Outdoors in Wigan. It is in the old B&Q building. Round the back, where the garden centre bit used to be, there is an open air tent display with about thirty models of different makes. I closely inspected all tents, from a Robens Fortress through to an Outwell Nevada XL and everything between. The only brands with water inside them where ALL the Outwells on display and one solitary Kyham. The rest were dry inside despite the fact it had been bucketing down for days.

Thank goodness we have this web site to highlight flawed brands and to point potential victims in the right direction.


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Summer? What summer?

When we bought our Outwell Montana 6 2 years ago we did so at Bristol Rugby club in a thunder storm, and the Montana was one of the few that didn't have a lake inside it!  That was the deciding factor for us, it was rock solid and bone dry.

Maybe Outwell are having problems since then but I can't fault ours.

Ali