That week of nonstop rain destroyed my new tent's waterproofing

I set up my REI Half Dome in Olympic National Park for a 5-day trip last June and got hit with drizzle every single day until the seams just gave out on day four. Water pooled inside and soaked my sleeping bag, which cost me $80 to replace the insulation. Has anyone else had a seam sealant fail after heavy use like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

riverm4825d ago

Pull the seam tape off and reapply with a heavy duty seam sealer like Gear Aid, that factory stuff is garbage anyway. @simon_sanchez58 definitely knows the struggle, but a few hours of prep before a trip beats waking up in a swamp.

simon_sanchez5825d ago

Wait, you're telling me $80 to fix a sleeping bag is the real tragedy here? Dude, your tent threw in the towel after four days of Olympic mist. Mine got wrecked on day two of a drizzle in the Smokies. Seam sealant just peeled off like cheap wallpaper. Took me three hours to tape it back with repair patches that looked like duct tape. Woke up in a puddle anyway. Sleep system was toast, sleeping bag smelled like a wet dog for a month. You call that a trip? I call that a swimming lesson with a tent.

ellis.rose25d ago

@simon_sanchez58 had the right idea with patches. Short trips in wet zones mean you gotta test the sealant before you go. Honestly, REI might refund you if you kick up a fuss.