My tent zipper failed in a downpour near Lake Tahoe

I was camping at Fallen Leaf Lake last month when a sudden storm hit around midnight. The main door zipper on my three-year-old tent just gave up, letting in a steady stream of water. I had to use a roll of heavy-duty duct tape from my repair kit to seal the door flap shut from the inside. It worked, but I was stuck in there until morning. What's a better tent brand that won't fail like that in wet weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wesley3mo ago

Ugh, that sounds like a miserable night. Duct tape saves the day again, but being trapped is no fun. I'd be looking for a new tent too after that.

hugo2363mo ago

That bit about being stuck inside until morning really hits on something. It feels like so many things we buy now are just made to fail after a few years. You expect a tent to be a solid shelter, but the zippers or seams go first. It's not just tents, it's like every product is built with a hidden timer. We end up patching things with tape, literally or with quick fixes, because the basic reliability is gone. Makes you wonder what happened to just building things right the first time.

matthewh281mo ago

Man, isn't that always the way? You pay good money for something that's supposed to keep the weather out and the zipper just gives up at the worst possible time. It's like they build everything now knowing the first major storm is going to test it all.