UKC

Hi
I have a msr hubba hubba, that I have had for quite a few years now. My problem is the groundsheet lets water through. Only where things are resting though. So under my mat, under my bag, if I lay clothes on the floor and such. Not just a little, they get soaked. Even when the weather is fine and there is just a little morning dew. The first year I had the tent it was fine, but when this started happening, I returned it and was given a new inner, but that got just as wet as the old one straight off. When camping from the boot of a car I just put a tarp under and its fine, but when backpaking a tarp is too heavy and takes up too much space.
What I'm wondering is has anyone else had the same problem with the hubba hubba,as all the reviews I read of it are good. Also more impotantly, can I improve it with nikwax or something?
Thanks
Chris

In reply to chrisatwcr:
Are you certain that it's not condensation?

Perhaps try camping with a tarp under only half of it and see what happens?

(Although the tarp may just be insulating to some extent and reducing condensation accordingly? )

I guess its possible its condensation, but even if Im not in the tent, just stick it up and chuck my bag in there, it will be wet under the bag after an hour or two. I will do some experiments with a hose pipe this week.

In reply to chrisatwcr:

I had a very similar problem with a Macpac Olympus that had been leaking more or less from new a few years ago and sent it back to Scottish Mountain Gear (Macpac official repairers in the UK), they looked at it, agreed it was a bad batch of fabric and repaired it foc under warranty. I wonder whether it might be the same thing?

On the other hand, if you've had it a few years, it could just be wear and tear. See how the feedback to this thread goes, then maybe try posting a thread with the title of the tent in the title - could catch some others who may, or may not, have had similar problems.

In reply to chrisatwcr:

Lightweight groundsheets leeking seems to be a regular issue on various forums. I reckon your best bet would be to use fabsil gold on both the inner and outer surfaces of the groundsheet. It looks and feels a touch odd after applying but I'd still go for both sides as a belt and braces approach.

In reply to chrisatwcr:

http://www.amazon.com/Gear-floor-sealant-brush-8-Ounce/dp/B00278BSU4

In reply to chrisatwcr:

I think it's condensation. The way to check is to put something in the water under the tent to see if it comes through i.e. if you put salt on the ground you'd expect the water coming through to be salty.

In reply to chrisatwcr:

I had this problem but with a different manufacturers tent, and I am sceptical of the condensation theory. Scottish mountain gear, mentioned above, replaced the whole groundsheet and I haven't had a problem since.

I had a heavy weight ground sheet put in, as it was being used as a base camp, but they offer a range of fabric weights. Good service, phoned me up to check if I really wanted to put such a heavy weight floor in, charged as per estimate, and delivered in time frame they specified.

In reply to chrisatwcr:

If it's everything that's getting wet and your not in the tent, it's not condensation - you need a few hours could manage it.

Most likely it's the groundsheet it's self - most light weight fabrics aren't particular waterproof, and often rely on coatings rather than the material being intrinsically waterproof. One of the reasons why virtually every tent model now comes with a footprint as an "extra".

I've had this same problem with F10 and TN tents in the past - it's definitely not just your hubba hubba.

It's one of the sacrifices for light weight - you accept that its' not going to be as robust or as waterproof as a heavier duty fabric.

Cheers,

Stuart

I have just ordered a bottle of the recommended gear aid tent sealant. I have also ordered a ground sheet for it, as I think carrying a few hundred gram sheet will be lighter than carrying bag of damp gear. Using it again in a week so will be able to test it out.

In reply to chrisatwcr:

I have an MSR nook and have never had problems with condensation so I doubt it would be a factor with the Hubba Hubba.

The groundsheet is definitely worth it. I tend not to use the tent without (unless I'm travelling super-lightweight).