UKH

Hi,

I was wondering if someone maybe able to offer me some advice. I have had a Terra Nova Voyager since 2009, it has been used very sparingly (maybe 30 nights at most). This weekend I noticed it has started to develope a wet patch under my feet on both nights I was away. It is not condensation related as this was the only part of the tent to be wet, there was too much water and it was well ventilated.

I have done a basic visual inspection and can not see any hole, due to the pattern of the wetness and the lack of pooling I think it is more likely that the material itself is leaking. What should I do about this? I have contacted Terra Nova and am waiting for a reply. I have looked at getting a footprint but the current ones don't work with a 2009 voyager (or so the TN website say) are there any basic home tests I can do to check it is not a small hole or two?

Thanks in advance
Stu

In reply to stu84:
find something to support the inner a couple of ft off the ground(I used a table frame when I tested for something similar). Turn the inner upside down and peg it around the support with the tent sitting over the table. Pour in some buckets of water. Peek under the support to inspect the area you suspect.

You can probably fix pin pricks with seam sealant(some zig zags of this on the ground sheet stop your mat slipping around too)

Edit: If you still want a footprint that fits try to get hold of some Dupont TyVek (it is light and heardwearing)from a roofer or a builder. You can buy it yourself but the rolls are quite large but maybe somewhere does it off the roll. Cut to shape and fit some palstic grommets and make shockcord extenders to the suitable points.

In reply to ultrabumbly:

Thanks, I was thinking some form of basic pressure test would be the way forward. I will give it a go when I have some time free.

In reply to stu84:

I use some laminate flooring underlay under my tents, a little bulky but very light (it's about 2mm thick) protects the groundsheet and solves condensation problems too.

In reply to stu84:

My Voyager groundsheet has always leaked from new. If I kneel on it the pressure is sufficient to force water through, ditto when lying down the bottom of the thermostat gets soggy almost like an upside down Turin shroud. I have to use the footprint as standard, which solves the problem but which also defeats the object of a lightweight tent imho.

In reply to angry pirate:

Just out of interest, why did you choose not to send it back when this first happened - if it was new? I also tend to use a cut out bit of cheap tarp as a footprint, to make my tents last better, but I'm pretty certain the groundsheet on my 2000 Terra Nova Solar 2 is still waterproof when I don't use the tarp. Are you sure the wet thermorest wasn't just condensation? That is quite normal.

In reply to TobyA:

This is pretty common behaviour on lightweight groundsheets as far as I can tell - any light weight tent I ever owned did it to a greater or lesser degree and any tent with a cheap plastic groundsheet didn't.

I don't think its condensation - where is there any volume of moisture laden air between the waterproof mat and the groundsheet ? far more likely, since it only appears between the groundsheet and something on top of it that it is effectively wicking through (remember the old canvas scout tents and what happened when you touched the inside when it rained ?)

In reply to TobyA:

Can't comment on the sending back, but the coating to make fabrics waterproof does not last forever. Especially so, when we're talking about lightweight fabrics.

This has happened to some of my tents (and they are not condensation, but indeed the groundsheet not being fully waterproof anymore). Reproofing should help (plan on doing it myself), as will adding a waterproof groundsheet underneath, this can be Tyvek, a cheapo tarp or what ever...

In reply to HeMa:

I've had this problem with a couple of lightweight tents.
I found putting a ground sheet under the tent causes other problems. Rain water gets trapped between the external groundsheet and the underside of the tent. Then it leaks through.
Now, I put the groundsheet inside the tent. This works well.

I've got a Mountain Hardware Trango2. Great tent that has withstood many storms, but the groundsheet lets it down.

In reply to stu84:

A friend had a similar problem with a voyager and contacted a company (Scottish Mountain Gear I think) and got them to fit a heavier duty ground sheet. Less of a light weight tent now, but actually waterproof groundsheet! Sad that most tents groundsheets aren't inherently waterproof now, and rely almost entirely on coatings for their water resistance. Assumption is that you'll buy a groundsheet to go with it, or tolerate getting wet to save the extra weight.

In reply to StuDoig:

Not most tents - family tents have inexpensive and waterproof groundsheets almost as standard.

In reply to GrahamD:

haha true - it's only "high performance" tents that seem to leak!

Cheers,

Stu

In reply to TobyA:

At the time I was a lot younger and more naive and just assumed that thin groundsheets tended to leak so bought a footprint for it. By the time I'd twigged and contacted Terra Nova, their response was that I should have returned it when it was new. Not quite in the spirit of the lifetime guarantee it came with but ho hum. I won't be troubling them with my business again.
Definitely not condensation, kneeling or pressing hard on the groundsheet in damp conditions will bring water through immediately.

In reply to stu84:
Modern Groundsheets are pants. The best I have come across are MacPac which are a bit more robust. Still nothing like the ancient Blacks Arctic Guinea and Good Companions groundsheets that were bombproof and a bit heavy but lasted a lifetime.