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I think your friend was getting a lttle mixed up, only cotton tents need a bit of a soaking your Coleman mckenzie will be just fine, it has an HH of 4000which  indicates a very high level of proofing ihope this puts your mind at rest!

Sxis is right about the fabric been watertight with a 4000 mm HH, but occasionally on a new polyester tent, the seams can leak.  You could use seam sealant before you go, or just put up with a drip or two with the first rainfall, as the stich holes will shrink and become waterproof after this. 

Quote: Originally posted by missElaineous on 20/7/2010

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Sxis is right about the fabric been watertight with a 4000 mm HH, but occasionally on a new polyester tent, the seams can leak.  You could use seam sealant before you go, or just put up with a drip or two with the first rainfall, as the stich holes will shrink and become waterproof after this. 

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That's OK. We must be both right then.   

I don't like putting seam sealent on a brand new tent.  It always looks yellow and messy when I do it.  With one of my tents, the first time I used it, after heavy rain, the window seams leaked.  I was going to seal it after it dried but before I got chance it rained again, and this time it didn't leak, and has been fully waterproof ever since.  Have you got room and time to hose it down at home Cazzyb?

We take seam sealer with us in the 'repair bag' as a matter of course. We used our Vermont L for the first time in Cornwall and had three days of torential rain. The only drips in were ones on seams where they were under tension, ie where the bedroom inners hung, and there were only about four places it came in - not bad in my opinion for such a big tent.

Because the rain lasted so long on our first trip the drips soon built up into enough on the SIG to be annoying but a few dabbs of sealer soon sorted it out when we had enough of a lull in rain.

Otherwise your tent should be completely watertight at a 4000 hydrostatic head, we have used a 3000 HH tent (our Sungpak) in horrendous driving rain in Pembrokeshire and the only ingress of water was up through the air vents as it was driven by the wind and from some of the zips.

Cheers

Quote: Originally posted by Outed on 21/7/2010

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I think missElaineous is getting confused - A Polyester tent of 4000HH will be completely seam sealed and will not leak at all even on first use - I think she is confusing leaky seams with condensation maybe?

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haha, yes, I do tend to get confused sometimes..  .. it's the medication.. ..  but in one of my rare lucid moments, I noted that the Wynnster (5000 mm HH) definitely leaked through some of the window seams on it's first use but has not done since in two years of regular camping in heavy rain (as you do in this country) Condensation would have been apparent on the tent fabric not just the seams and a tents HH is the fabric rating, nothing to do with the seams.  I have also got a tent with only a 2000 mm HH but the seams are taped so not had any problem with seam leakage. 

 I am not saying Cazzys tent will do this... the seams will most likely be taped which should prevent this happening.  There is a different between the actual fabric leaking and the seams leaking.  The latter is easier to rectify, and can even rectify itself as in my Wynnsters case.

Quote: Originally posted by missElaineous on 21/7/2010

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Quote: Originally posted by Outed on 21/7/2010

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I think missElaineous is getting confused - A Polyester tent of 4000HH will be completely seam sealed and will not leak at all even on first use - I think she is confusing leaky seams with condensation maybe?

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haha, yes, I do tend to get confused sometimes..  .. it's the medication.. ..  but in one of my rare lucid moments, I noted that the Wynnster (5000 mm HH) definitely leaked through some of the window seams on it's first use but has not done since in two years of regular camping in heavy rain (as you do in this country) Condensation would have been apparent on the tent fabric not just the seams and a tents HH is the fabric rating, nothing to do with the seams.  I have also got a tent with only a 2000 mm HH but the seams are taped so not had any problem with seam leakage. 

 I am not saying Cazzys tent will do this... the seams will most likely be taped which should prevent this happening.  There is a different between the actual fabric leaking and the seams leaking.  The latter is easier to rectify, and can even rectify itself as in my Wynnsters case.

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