Rant: My $30 Coleman tent leaked like crazy compared to the old Eureka I borrowed from a friend

I finally saved up and bought a budget Coleman Sundome tent from Dick's last month. First night out at Big Sur, we got a light drizzle and water just poured through the seams. My buddy let me borrow his beat up Eureka Apex from the 90s for the second night and it stayed bone dry. The Coleman felt flimsy right out of the bag too, poles bent super easy. Meanwhile that old Eureka has been through 4 seasons and still holds up. Anyone else find the newer budget tents are way worse than the older models?

2 comments

2 Comments

terry_barnes21d ago

Big Sur is notorious for coastal condensation not actual rain though. I've got a Sundome that's been through 3 years of heavy storms in the Sierras and never had a drop inside after I sealed the seams properly with a $5 tube of seam grip. Your buddy's Eureka might have been 10x the price back in the 90s when you account for inflation, that Coleman was $30 for a reason. The poles on these newer budget tents are actually lighter weight aluminum now instead of heavy fiberglass, so they bend easier but they weigh half as much. You can't compare a brand new cheap tent to a vintage premium one without doing basic waterproofing first.

brown.willow21d ago

You've actually convinced me... I was totally wrong about those budget tents.