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I've had good experiences with plastic sheeting placed inside the tent, providing it's big enough to lap up the sides a little. That way the water ingresses/flows beneath the sheeting, leaving everything on top dry. (I like the idea of a shower curtain because it's thick enough to resist tearing).
That'll work... though it doesn't sound much like fun or convenient when you just want to get out of the weather and in to something warm. I'm willing to throw a bit of money at my camping such that my convenience and fun goes up (hence the Hillebergs)... but it will work.Galactic wrote: ↑4 Oct 2022, 3:46pmI've had good experiences with plastic sheeting placed inside the tent, providing it's big enough to lap up the sides a little. That way the water ingresses/flows beneath the sheeting, leaving everything on top dry. (I like the idea of a shower curtain because it's thick enough to resist tearing).
Definitely. But the elasticity of "a bit of money" varies greatly. For me that means a Vaude rather than a Festival Special (which doesn't mean to say that I don't lovingly fondle the Hillebergs on display in outdoor shops
).If you need a seam in the sheet then McNett Tenacious Tape will do what you need to seal it. Unfortunately the long/narrow flavour doesn't appear to exist in the UK, but I got a roll from the US for a fairly reasonable price that arrived in a week with no customs faff.PH wrote: ↑4 Oct 2022, 8:35pm If you like the tent, replace the groundsheet. It isn't a huge job, anyone with a sewing machine will be able to do it, the biggest part is unpicking the old one and that's time consuming rather than skilled. The material from the like of Pennine Fabrics will be about £15.
I wouldn't use a shower curtain as a groundsheet protector, there's nothing wrong with doing so, I just think you could do better. A woven and coated fabric will be just as waterproof, about the same weight if not lighter, but also add abrasion protection.
You don't need a Hille, but I'd question the worth of a relatively upmarket tent if you have to faff around arranging internal extra groundsheets any time it's looking wet. If the weak link is the groundsheet, change it!
I guess I have been camping on harder, stonier ground than you have. I could feel the sharp bits of gravel through the fabric.pjclinch wrote: ↑3 Oct 2022, 7:47am
Blimey. If you can't kneel on a groundsheet without destroying the waterproofing then frankly it's not fit for purpose. I've never been that keen on Terra Nova stuff but frankly I'd expect better of a Quasar. Been kneeling in my Saunders and Hilles for years and the groundsheets are still fine.
Detergent doesn't destroy waterproofing. Detergent works by reducing surface tension of water droplets so they can more easily penetrate the weave of a fabric and thus clean it better, but if the weave is covered by an impermeable layer of polyurethane (which groundsheets typically are) then that's a moot point. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to use detergent (plain water usually enough, if not then warm water, if not then a little pure soap), but it's not waterproofing Armageddon that many people seem to think it is.
For total waterproofing you just need something with sufficient hydrostatic head that water can't be forced through it by the pressures it's routinely subjected to. That can be remarkably thin, though very thin sheets are easier to wear the coating off so they don't last so long and as they have pretty much zero insulation value are very, very prone to condensation.
Pete.
Most tent fabric is 1.5m wide, so you wouldn't need a seam in the floor for a Vaude Taurus. If it did, it's certainly still doable, though not as simple as I'd suggested. A one piece groundsheet on a bathtub style floor only has the corners that need sealing, maybe 100mm in each, I've just used seal sealant.
Sounds like for the most part you have. That also sounds like what groundsheet protectors are for, and when I'm camping on e.g. shingle beaches out of my sea kayak that's when I use a groundsheet protector.
Not really, it would help water penetrate where the coating had been worn off, but pressure (i.e. sitting on it) would be quite sufficient to do that anyway. If you've worn the waterproof coating off that's what makes the groundsheet not waterproof, not the detergent. The detergent would just help that not-waterproof-anyway bit leak a bit more readily.
"Whatever you do, don't wash them with detergent. They lose any waterproofing they may have had."
Camping on soft surfaces is a pretty good idea, which is why most campers choose to do it and why most campsites provide it. Aside from the damage potential it's a lot more comfortable.