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Very, very roughly, about six months exposure in total*. A lot depends on the amount of UV it recieves during this time, of course, and the quality of the fabric. A cheapo tent in the South of France will not last as long, while if you only camp in May in Scotland in a top quality tent it will last longer.

(*Based on the manufacturers expected lifespan of a tent being 5-7 years of "normal" use, which manufacturers take as two weeks main holiday and a few short breaks per year.)

Quote: Originally posted by Surfspud on 21/1/2009

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Thanks...so it looks like when the fabric starts tearing or I can see daylight then it needs replacing.

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Actually you're more likely to start seeing faint milky looking marks in the roof area, and notice that the fabric is starting to feel stiffer. These are both signs of delamination of the tent fabric. It is possible to extend the lifespan by perhaps one more season at this point by giving it a coat of Fabsil. But this is an expensive and time consuming exercise and imho the money would be better spent on a new tent.

the lifespan of our tents has always been in direct proportion to the strength of the wind!!!!!! But there again, we do like clifftop peninsula sites!!!  Had 2 Khyams and are looking forward to trying out our new bear lake 6.....yippee!!

Quote: Originally posted by Surfspud on 21/1/2009

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I have to agree there that a new tent would probably be a better way to spend the money.

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If you're fond of the tent you have it might be worth keeping an eye out for it being discontinued (if it isn't already) with the view to picking up a new one at a bargain price. It's extremely useful to still have poles, inners etc from an older tent of the same model to use as spares.