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Hi all, we've just returned from our first weekend camping in the Uk and had a great time, but having now put up the tent and used it for the first time we have some questions.

Firstly, is there a magical way of putting up a tent (ours is a EuroHike Sandringham), should the poles be more of a horseshoe shape or a 'U', we were finding that some parts were really tight and others really loose.

Also, inside the tent we found 2 female clips hanging from the ceiling (no males in sight) and some velcro hooks at intervals running down one half of the inside of the tent.  We have no idea what these might be for.

Lastly, we've decided to get some waterproofing spray and were wondering which the best would be and where to get it from

Any help would be gratefully received.

Sorry don't know about the poles but the clips and hooks might be for a couple of lights with the velcro used for holding the cables steady.

We have used Fabsil for waterproofing which any camping shop will sell.

Hi Sally. I can't help regarding the poles or hooks, but I can tell you that you shouldn't need to waterproof a tent which has only been used once.

It could be that there was a lot of condensation in the tent - this happens with synthetic tents, particularly if the weather is cold or damp outside. All you can do is to open all the vents to get rid of the condensation.

The other reason for finding water inside a new tent is that the seams aren't sealed. Can you see any clear tape covering the inside of the seams? If not, then you just need to buy a tube of seam sealer. If you use seam sealer, leave the tent up for at least 24 hours afterwards, as it can stick the fabric together if it's packed away. 

Fabsil is mainly used for canvas tents - it's like an oily coating which soaks into the cotton fibres. I doubt that it would sink into polyester/nylon. Synthetic tents are proofed on the inside with a polyurethane coating. This coating is added to the fabric before the tent is manufactured. Hope this helps.

Hi Sally,  i think the velcro hooks maybe to hold an electric cable used to power a hanging light, i have something similar on my tent and am told thats what it is, hope this helps.

pauline.

Quote: Originally posted by Skatty on 29/8/2007

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From experience ,if its a Eurohike ,waterproof and seam seal it EVERYWHERE!!

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Yep and i'll 2nd that. Not the best tent for being waterproof from new

In defence of the Eurohike tents; we have two (a big Grassmere tunnel and a small two man dome) and think they are great.Both have been subjected to torrential rain and winds and have stood up well - we have found them to be both sturdy and fully waterproof and have had no problems on that front at all. The dome is now 5 years old but the first time we used it was a total washout; thunder storms and torrential rain, but the tent remained totally dry inside with no leaks at all.

I have to say that we have found ours to be great value and really reliable tents.

Quote: Originally posted by lumpyk8 on 29/8/2007

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Oooh I wondered what the velcro was for! I found it ver handy for keeping my specs in at night

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