Coleman Hampton Tent - Worst Purchase Ever

[Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 08:35
Last edited 10/04/2017 - 14:32 by 1 other user

Bought a Coleman tent last week for a two nights camping trip with the family. It is raining now and the tent leaks from the stitching of the windows.

Is it a common problem in the tents? At the moment we are planning to cover windows with with more tarp. I will post later how it goes.

PS: Ray's outdoor staff have been quite helpful. They​ agreed to take back the tent and gave me store credit. Will buy another tent.

Tossing up between…

http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/Product/Boab-Geo-6-2ENV-8-Per…

http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/Product/Wild-Country-Yarra-9P…

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  mskeggs on 09/04/2017 - 08:59

  +2

  Most tents advise you erect it and hose it down before first use. This causes the thread in the stitching to swell eliminating any gap in the needle holes.
  I never bother, figuring it will get the same effect after first rain.
  It is normal for a tent to let in the occasional drip of water, and if you lean stuff against the tent wall it can cause it to soak through.
  If it is a trickle or stream then you have a faulty product.
  We put a big tarp over the top if heavy rain is expected.

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    [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 09:04

    Yeah, we did the hosing part after we bought the tent. The side on which the wind is hitting is the worst. The amount of water coming in is a fair bit and we have had two towels completely soaked just to try to keep dry.

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  [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 10:28

  Coleman tents are pretty much junk these days
  I would always recommend a decent fly / tarp over your tent anyway, weather can be unpredictable

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 11:25

    I have tarped it all around bar the door. Looks alright for now.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 11:30

      Good stuff, should fix it up for you
      tents aren't the same as what they used to be

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  timbo13 on 09/04/2017 - 10:29

  +2

  Hi ms, first if you are in Vic, this weekend was definitely not a good time to camp with severe storms and heavy rain forecasted.

  Second, is this the tent you have? http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/Product/Coleman-Hampton-Tent/…

  I would say that is definitely not designed for wet weather, let alone windy wet weather. The fly is not a full fly. The only thing that fly is going to be good for is to protect you from some early morning dew. For protection from any rain, you really need a full fly.

  We got through lots of rain and storms almost bone dry in just a cheap wild country dome tent with a good fly that had a good distance between the inner walls. Avoid tents with fly's that are very close or touching the inner walls - the water will leak through where they touch and if it's windy it will push them together.

  We now have a Coleman instant up 10p gold
  https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/coleman-instant-up-10-…
  Which is much better and sturdier with proper steel poles. The fly takes a long time to drain and dry though. It's like the water droplets stick to it instead of running off. The canvas tents drain and dry off much quicker like the black Wolf tents, but they are more expensive and weigh a bit more. It makes a difference when you need to pack up after rain - otherwise you pack up a wet tent and have to unpack it all to dry out when you get home.

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    [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 11:31

    Hi Timbo,

    Yes, I am in VIC. I know about the weather but the trip was planned a while back, so couldn't change it. In hindsight, I should have purchased the kind that you have linked. We went and purchased few tarps from Aldi today and I have covered all the sides that were leaking. Hopefully it will hold off the water, otherwise we might just pack up and go home.

    I will talk to Ray's outdoor about the tent. I have taken some pics of the leaking water and a video. Hopefully, I can return and buy a better tent.

    • 

      Randxyz123 on 09/04/2017 - 13:18

      -3

      @ms you didn't answer the question, what kind of tent did you purchase?

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 13:45

        +2

        Hi, it's in the title. The tent is Coleman Hampton 9 person tent.

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        Randxyz123 on 09/04/2017 - 18:33

        @ms: Hmmm I would set it up again back home. Maybe in the rush to set it up in the wet weather you didn't do it correctly.

        I'm waiting on the negs that this wasn't your fault. It's possible you got a dud but also possible it wasn't put up properly.

        Reviews look ok to me. https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Hampton-Family-2-Room-9-Perso…

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        [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 19:09

        @knick007:

        Maybe in the rush to set it up in the wet weather you didn't do it correctly

        Hi, I setup yesterday and there wasn't any rain when I setup the tent. It did start to rain after midnight though. I thought initially that a bit of water is normal, but it did get to a point where I could not keep drying as I used my two large towels to dry the water.

        It is possible I made a mistake setting up the tent, but my opinion is that even without a mistake, it would have struggled to keep out the water.

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  garffi on 09/04/2017 - 13:11

  Isn't there a product to seam seal the tent? I think it's supposed to prevent water from leaking through the seams, not entirely sure though…

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  BuyoTheCat on 09/04/2017 - 14:14

  Unfortunately this tent is not the right kind of tent for this weather. The fly is the main thing that keeps the rain from the sleeping area. Water that does seep through the fly, rolls off away from the inner wall. The few drops that make it through the fly will not penetrate the inner wall.

  In warm weather, the hampton tent will be good because the lack if a full fly means that air circulates well and you dont get condensation inside.
  Different tent for different conditions.

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    [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 17:23

    this tent is not the right kind of tent for this weather.

    I agree with you. I think I have learnt a lesson here.

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 18:53

      Sadly I agree with that the tent is just not up to the conditions. Bushwalking and most smaller tents are sold as 1 season - 4 season for a reason so the buyer could make a kind of informed choice but family tents are sold as just that family camping tents… go figure.

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  peterpeterpumpkin on 09/04/2017 - 18:25

  Just for statistical interest, how many people (and half-people) did you sleep in it?

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    [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 19:10

    Two adults and three kids.

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      peterpeterpumpkin on 09/04/2017 - 19:13

      Thanks for the info. Sounds like it would have been quite comfortable if not for the rain.

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        [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 19:14

        It is a fairly big tent. Without rain would have been no issues at all.

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  kouk on 09/04/2017 - 19:50

  I would try ask them if you can swap it for this one here http://www.raysoutdoors.com.au/Product/Boab-Geo-6-2ENV-8-Per…

  Had mine for a couple years now and been through decent rains without a single leak.

  My one is this one, http://www.bcf.com.au/Product/Wanderer-Geo-Elite-4-2ENV-6-Pe…
  but i believe they're the same design just rebranded. Ignore the 8 person part though. I wouldnt put more than 6 in there, 4 in the main room and 2 in the front room.

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  chumlee on 09/04/2017 - 19:55

  At least you can say you live in the hamptons

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  [Deactivated] on 09/04/2017 - 20:50

  New tents need to be wet down before use, the stitching swells, and all is good. Running wax over the stitching afterwards and scotchguarding (I heard they have a test specific product now), helps.

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  [Deactivated] on 10/04/2017 - 15:50

  I have returned the tent to Ray's and getting another one.