UKH

This is my 3rd tent now and all have roughly been the same price.

Used the oex rakoon 2.1 and its the worst so far, had light to moderate rain fall for around 6 hours during the night and woke up to the rain seeping through the outer tarp on the roof and into the inner, which in turn was causing drips of water into the tent. Its rated at 5000mm and says for use in heavy rain. Take a look at the pictures.

Whats everyones opinions? Just poor quality tent or a manufacturer issue with this specific one? Would nikwax tent spray help?

Anyone else had the same issue?

In reply to MShearer97:

Are you sure it's not condensation?

In reply to captain paranoia:

Its condensation that was turning into water dripping into the tent. I think the issue is the design of the roof being so flat the rain was sitting in little pools on the top. The tent is described as being waterproof and can withstand heavy rain, which is incorrect.

In reply to MShearer97:

The design of the tent doesn't look to have any venting through the roof space. And the flattish roof won't shed water very well, so condensation is likely. That's not the same as not being waterproof, though; the flysheet is not letting water through. It also looks like the inner tent is sufficiently water resistant that water is not coming through to the inside of the tent, bu, again, the flattish roof means drops of condensation aren't running off the inner.

The outer is doing its job of preventing falling rain entering the tent, even heavy rain. The inner looks to be preventing condensation coming into the tent. It's just that the design is a bit poor for condensation, but that's the compromise you meet for a design that tries to maximise inner space with just two poles.

Keep the inner proofed, and you should be okay; water won't enter the tent, even if it does sit on the roof inner. Give the tent a shake now and then, to encourage the water to run off.

I have no connection with OEX; I'm just relating my experience with using many tents over the years.

In reply to captain paranoia:

Appreciate the response. When the condensation on the outside of the inner starts to let drops of water fall in id have to disagree with your opinion of this tent wont let water in. Completely agree the flat roof is the issue, problem is you cant get up during the night to starting shaking water from a tent, there is a compatible tarp for the tent, think that might be the best solution.

Problem for me is i used a quecha tent which was at the same price point and had 0 issues with condensation in much heavier rain and wind. Personally not happy with the first experience but definitely gonna try it again in the next few weeks weeks and see how it goes again.

In reply to MShearer97: are the inner and outer touching? 

In reply to wbo2:

I also thought this, at a couple of points they do touch but more so at the head at the foot of the tent, theres a gap between the roof of the inner and outer. Again i just think because of the flatter roof the water is sitting in the same spot for so long it was causing constant condensation in the same areas.

any tips for helping to prevent as much condensation?

In reply to MShearer97:

You don't have to get up. Or even sit up. You just grab the inner and wobble the tent about.

In reply to wbo2:

With a coated flysheet (as opposed to old skool water resistant duck cotton), the inner touching the fly won't affect the fly's waterproofing (except in the long term due to abrasion). Though it will encourage condensation to pass through the uncoated, water resistant inner...

In reply to MShearer97:

Condensation is water not being able to get out because the flysheet is waterproof.  Ventilation is usually the answer, but if water is pooling on the outside of the flysheet, that might cause condensation to gather and drip from a low point.  The inner should not be waterproof, but a bit of water repellency will fend off drips.

If you're boiling water or cooking inside, this will make condensation far worse.  You can always test waterproofness by pouring water on the outside and see what comes through

In reply to captain paranoia:
 

cool ill set multiple alarms throughout the night to do that when its raining👍🏻

In reply to MShearer97:

The design looks very similar / copy of the Terra Nova Solar 2, albeit >500g heavier and with two small vestibules and less venting options.  However the top of the S2 was flatter and tended not to accumulate water as much, as the fabric was under a lot of tension there - and not being nylon there was no sagging in the wet, which means less pooling. 

The photos certainly look like condensation is the issue rather than leakage, although there may be some seam leakage on the fly which would be challenging to differentiate. Are the seams actually sealed? Can you zip the doors down from the top for some apical venting? The old S2 had a covered flap which allowed the top zips to be left undone which helped a lot. If the seams aren't sealed and you want to keep it, then some flexible seam sealant could be applied to the principal seams on the roof to good effect. 

Looking at the cost, that's a very cheap tent and 5000mmis not much HH; combined with perhaps poor or unsealed seams and not great ventilation, and a decent night's rain, condensation is pretty much inevitable. 

My inclination - if this was feasible for you - would be to try your luck at a refund and put the cash towards a better tent! Even second hand, there are better tents out there for not a huge amount more. 

More practically, with most tents it takes a few trips in bad weather to work out how best to balance ventilation vs weatherproofing. Generally more drafty is good for condensation but cooler. If you can get the cash together for a Durston X-Mid 2 solid I still stand by that being the best 3+ season backpacking tent for UK conditions on the market (at least until the X-Dome is released), but appreciate it's a lot more than the Rakoon... 

Good luck

b