Rain ruined my tent at Yosemite last fall, now I check everything twice

I was camping near Yosemite Creek in October when a sudden storm hit at 2 AM. Water came through the seams of my three season tent like a sieve, soaking my sleeping bag and clothes. Turns out I hadn't sealed the seams since I bought it two years ago, and the fly was too short to cover the mesh. Lost about $60 worth of gear to mold after that trip. Has anyone else had a tent fail on them in heavy rain, and what did you change about your setup afterward?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyc331mo agoProlific Poster

Seam sealer is one of those things you learn the hard way (like me with a flooded Big Agnes tent in Olympic National Park). I switched to seam taping everything before each season now, and I also pack a small tube of McNett Seam Grip just in case. Another game changer was getting a polycro groundsheet that extends past the tent floor edges, keeps the splash from seeping up. For your fly issue, you might try rigging a small tarp over the tent, or just upgrade to a model with a full coverage fly, the extra weight is worth not waking up in a puddle.

kevin_carr1mo ago

Did you read that thread about seam taping being hit or miss depending on temps, @abbyc33?