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Hi, this is my first post but the site seems really good and the members helpful so I hope I am in the right place.

Last year OH and me bought a little two man dome for £25 to go camping for the first time to see if we liked it and had a fabulous time.  So much so that we went for a second time in late summer and again enjoyed ourselves.

We decided to invest in a bigger tent (two grown-ups getting dressed on their knees isn't a pretty site) and after much umming and ahhing, decided on a Coleman Megallan6 which we bought two weeks ago.  I have two queries re (1) rain and (2) wind.

Rain:  Like the fools that we are, we decided to go camping this weekend just gone (end of May bank holiday) despite the weather.  Our tent leaked to the point where Monday morning on waking, we saw a mini pond in our living area.  The rain was getting in via the corner seams between the left and back bedroom and the right and back bedroom, and also through the skylight.  On reporting this to a couple of friends, they asked if we had 'seasoned' the tent before we went away.  Complete novices, we had no idea what they were talking about.  They said that 'when we were young' you used to have to set your tent up in your garden, run the hose over it to wet it all over then let it dry in the sun.  After that, it wouldn't leak at all.  Is this the case?  Should we have done this?  If so, because it has now been well and truly soaked, will it be waterproof next time? 

Wind:  The dome and side bedrooms are held up with poles that slip through material slots/loops etc, but the entrance and rear bedroom/back door are held up with poles supported by velcro tabs inside the tent and nothing else.  With the weekend weather, it was fairly windy (but not blowing a hurricane) and the velcro couldn't hold the poles in place.  As soon as you refastened them, they came undone again and the poles collapsed into the living area.  We ended up leaving them down so we could get some sleep and thankfully all the other poles kept their places.  Has anyone got any hints or tips for keeping the front and back poles in place in even the slightest breeze?

Sorry for the essay but any tips will be most helpful.  If not, I think we will end up taking it back to the shop from whence it came for a refund or exchange for something else next weekend.

Many thanks.

"Seasoning" only applies to canvas tents so, no, this is not something you should have done. Your tent has leaked significantly and that is not right. You could try putting seam sealant along the points where the water came in but .....

The velcro tab/collapsing pole issue was identified as a design problem on Magellans last year which I had a vague idea Coleman had sorted out, but clearly not. Shame, because its a great looking tent otherwise.

I think you're about to go back to the shop ...... Mystic MT

well i and the other half had our first trip out camping this weekend with our brand new Coleman Megallan6. we had no problems with any water ingress at all and i was pleasantly suprised considering it rained for 30 hours non stop.

we did suffer with the same problem with the velcro tabs. i found if you wrapped the elastic door  tabs around them as well it stayed put. not ideal but effective.

Thank you both for your replies.

I searched for any past postings re the Megallan6 and found ones from March to July 2006 regarding the poles collapsing etc and that new models have longer velcro strips and ties (described as a belt and braces approach) and that all shops had been provided with storm clips for old stock.  We went back to the shop and explained what we had experienced and found out.  They were really good about it and said that the box should have had storm clips in it but obviously it hadn't.  They said we could either have some storm clips or pick another tent.  We looked at the one on display and the storm clips put the front top seam out of line putting extra strain on the side velcro strips so we decided against that.  Problem was, we couldn't decide on another tent either.  They were very good about it and gave us a credit note to spend when we have made up our minds at a later date.

Topskills - if you are otherwise happy with your tent, you should be able to ask for some storm clips from your shop, apparently they have all been provided with them.

We figured out why the rain got in.  We hadn't tightened the straps for the plastic roof cover so the rain (coming in horizontally) was getting in via the mesh.  Note to self for next time!

We went camping with our friends at the weekend who have a new Magellan 9 the front and back poles have the velcro and then nylon ties over the top of this.

Had no bother with it coming undone, fiddly to tie and velcro but sound.

Unfortunatley there was a huge problem with the poles, it's the second time this tent has been used and first time one of the main poles snapped!  Replacement was sent very quickly great service (world of camping!) but this weekend when we took tent down every pole was buckled bent or twisted Bummer seemed like a great tent waiting for a reply from dealer but I think they are scunnerd now and would rather swap it for something else,  we'll see what the dealer says.

Shame nice tent and great service.