Gear

Hi

I have lurked around the site for some years, but never posted, mostly because I haven't been so outdoors-y for the last couple of years. 

I have a young family, and decided it was time to invest in a family tent, as my others were not really up to the job - both canvas ridge-tents of different sizes (I said it had been a while!). I eventually settled on the Outwell Arkansas 5, a nylon 5-man tunnel tent, and used it this weekend for the first time. The weather was not kind, but on Friday and Saturday withstood everything the weather could throw at us and sheltered my family plus a couple of others who had smaller tents with no living space.

However, on Saturday night, with heavy rain overnight, we had water inside. The contents of the living area was covered in a fine spray, and there were puddles on the roof of the inners. So my question is really - what might I have done wrong in pitching it for the tent to fail like this? I had it as taut as I could sensibly make it, but the fly sheet still had a bit of 'sag' between the poles. Is this my problem, or am I still in canvas tent mode? Are my expectations just too high?

I also developed a tenuous theory that I had saturated the flysheet from the inside with condensation (I cooked a meal for the six adults in there on Saturday night, and it was pretty chilly), and that allowed the water in from the outside. Please tell me that is as ridiculous as it sounds....

Thanks for your opinions.

 Claire

As I am well on the south side of age 40...I understand what you are saying regarding condensation. I suspect that you have a combination of factors there. Cooking inside for 6 (boiling water), gas (I presume) flames for some time, significant number of bodies inside the tent, cold weather and rain outside....quite a combination.

 I'm not sure you will ever find the answer...because you'll never quite replicate the conditions....but good luck

Condensation for sure.  I have an outwell Indiana and that is prone to condensation problems, thought it was leaking but checked and re-checked and defo condensation. 

 6 adults, raining and cooking inside = condensation.

 I've super sprayed the flysheet with a jet and nothing comes in trust me, the fly sheets are excellent on these tents.

A fine spray is not condensation. Condensation gives big drops which might get launched by heavy rain on the fly sheet. But that doesn't give a fine spray.

A fine spray exist when the downpour gives more hydrostatic head than the outerfly can cope with. For instance when the hydrostatic head of the outerfly is 2000mm a heavy downpour can cause a spray since the pressure on the fly can build up to a higher number than 2000mm. This will result in a fine spray.  

Condensation on the fly can be released as a fine spray, if the outer is hit by big, heavy raindrops.

Mind you, i don't think the OP will be caring after all this time.