A heavy rain in the Smokies taught me a hard lesson about tent seams

I was camping near Gatlinburg last fall when a storm rolled in and my brand new tent, which I thought was waterproof, started leaking right along the top seam. I spent a cold night in a puddle and now I always seal the seams on any tent I buy, no matter what the box says. Do you guys seal your tent seams right away, or do you trust the factory job?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameron7242mo ago

Honestly, I learned the same lesson but with a cheap tarp. It was supposed to be heavy duty, but the seams just split in a downpour. Now I check and seal everything before it matters.

the_amy2mo ago

But is it really that big of a deal?

xena_anderson1mo ago

Did you just catch it by the time water was seeping through or did you have a chance to test it before the storm hit? I'm always curious if people wait until something fails or if they actually go through the trouble of setting it up in the driveway with a hose. Because I've been guilty of the "it looks fine" approach and then regretting it when the weight of the water turns it into a saggy mess. But with tarps specifically, do you find the seam tape is usually the weak spot or is it more about the grommets pulling out?