After 3 failed trips, I realized my tent was actually waterproof the whole time

I was at Lost Lake last weekend and woke up with a wet sleeping bag for the third time this year. Turns out I had been setting up in a low spot where water pooled up under the floor. Anyone else ever blame their gear for user error like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_dixon671mo ago

hmm yeah that "water pooled up under the floor" part isn't quite how it works usually. Most tent floors are coated with a waterproof layer on the inside, but the outside fabric is just regular nylon that can soak up moisture from the ground. So even if you're not in a puddle, if the ground is damp or you're on wet grass overnight, the moisture can seep through the floor fabric and make things feel clammy. I learned this the hard way when I started camping and blamed my cheap tent for everything. What actually helped was using a ground cloth underneath the tent to block that moisture from the ground, and making sure my tent footprint was cut smaller than the floor so water wouldn't pool on top of it. idk if that's your exact situation but it's something worth checking before you call it user error.

white.alex1mo ago

Woah, slow down there buddy. How is waking up with a wet sleeping bag "no big deal"? That's a miserable way to start a day of hiking or fishing. You're saying a little damp ground is gonna soak through a tent floor? I've camped on soaked ground plenty of times with a $50 tent from a big box store and never had that problem. I'm not saying you're wrong about the ground cloth trick, but plenty of folks get by just fine without that stuff. Maybe your tent really was just that bad?