Went away for the weekend, four families, we took 2 kestrels and 2 nevada xls.
The weather turned ferocious on the second day,
After several hours of constant wind driving torrential rain , the kestrels both had water coming in,where the wind was driving the rain at the side and the fly was being pushed against the inner tent., and coming in under the vents too and all the tents were bending badly.
We had pitched with back of the tents to the wind, but it changed direction on saturday and was coming side on. This went on all through the night, so no sleep again. We were all afraid the tents would come down on us. We were kept busy having to re peg guys and the pegs were being ripped out and bent shapeless.
the tents were even lifting off the ground, pulling the pegs out of the ring and pin loops too.
i shared out my new delta pegs, between the four tents, putting them on guys on the side that was taking the wind, and this did improve things a lot, they stayed put when the other pegs didn't,although we even had one of the deltas break.
Sunday was much better. the wynnsters dried out in no time when the rain stopped sun came out.
Sunday night was cold but calm.
Raining this morning but not too windy. Went to the site cafe for lunch,and the rain stopped while we were out. Only the wind had returned with a vengeance came back to find one kestrel completely flattened and the other one half down. Within seconds the other kestrel flattened too, both had several shattered fibreglass poles, and they have straight steel side support bars , which had bent into arches.
All their stuff was inside the tents, tables and chairs flattened, cookers thrown off stands, and a pee bucket knocked over inside one, (2 and 3 year olds in that tent, before anyone asks why it wasn't empty at lunchtime) This was the new tent I had lent to them, to try it out see how they liked camping.
We had a nightmare job trying to get the poles out without ripping the flysheets, the split poles were like needles. A few tiny little holes in the pole sleeves.
We had to put all the kids in the cars for safety, they were being blown off their feet.
All our windbreaks, which we'd bought on saturday were wrecked, the wooden poles just snapped off at ground level.
I have to say, after all that, the tents did stand up to terrible weather, the wind and rain was exceptional, trees were blown over and power lines came down too. the kestrels were not leaking as in being faulty, and only leaked on the windy side of the tent too. not so bad that we couldn't stay inside them, and no problem wiping up the drips with a tea towel.
they were not leaking at all this morning when it was raining hard from the early hours until lunchtime, when the wind was just above average.
it was the sheer force of the wind beating the rain and the way we were pitched with the side of the tents in the wind the day before.
We'd all said, just before we went to lunch, that if they could handle that they could handle anything. (spoke to soon ) maybe if we had been there when the wind turned gale force, we could have dropped the tents before the poles snapped, but maybe not, as it did happen so fast.
We were just very unlucky this time, no fault of the tents, the weather was just too bad. Lots of tents packed up and went early after the saturday night winds. we saw many tents blown down in our field and there were several caravan awnings ruined, I saw 3 being dumped in the skip on site in the 10 minutes I was parked there while hubby was emptying the portaloo, and people come and took some of the poles out of the skip to replace their broken ones.
We all still agreed they were very good tents, the living space was great, much roomier than the nevadas. we had 6 adults and 6 children in one of them last night all sitting having a few drinks, and plenty of room for the kids playing on the floor. This was with 2 tables, and 3 baby buggies as well.
my friends and 2 children used the the big bedroom ,they fitted 2 double airbeds in, and used the small one for storage and loo bucket.
Would still recommend this tent.
We will get replacement poles for it and hope to go again this friday.
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Debbie
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Topic: Kestrel Appreciation Society!!
