Just how soggy can a RTT get?
- Thread starter Delete Me
- Start date
Advocate III
I've had great luck, as far as rain entry, with my hardshell RTT. If it's a torrential downpour with rain blowing sideways, then I might get some water at the bottom of the entry door. Then next day prop up the mattress a bit to dry it, which usually takes little time. It never gets soaked, just damp, and that's usually because I don't zip that door down, even in rain.
I've slept up in there during big rains with great success. I have identical zippered windows on each end and entry doors on each side. I've found that the slight overhang from the upper hardshell is sufficient, even in hard rains, to keep rain from coming in any of the four screen points (two windows, two entry openings, all screened).
The key for me with my style tent is to zip up the window coverings so there is just three-four inches open. The end windows have a covering on the inside of the screen that zips up from the bottom. The main entry, where I have the ladder, has a little awning over it with triangular side panels, and I don't zip any covering over it, even in big rain.
I plan on treating the rip-stop nylon RTT fabric with some 303 Fabric Guard Water & Stain Repellant
before winter.
All in all, through about 250 nights of use in the last 13 months, I've been quite happy with how my RTT has held up to extreme weather. I'm designing a quilted blanket liner to snap or hook&loop to the interior as wall insulation for cold weather camping.
A lot of what you do for water ingress, with an RTT or a hardshell cap (did that for a year and half long trip around the country), ends up being common sense. Don't keep your gear in shape, don't use it wisely during big weather, you end up with problems.
I've slept up in there during big rains with great success. I have identical zippered windows on each end and entry doors on each side. I've found that the slight overhang from the upper hardshell is sufficient, even in hard rains, to keep rain from coming in any of the four screen points (two windows, two entry openings, all screened).
The key for me with my style tent is to zip up the window coverings so there is just three-four inches open. The end windows have a covering on the inside of the screen that zips up from the bottom. The main entry, where I have the ladder, has a little awning over it with triangular side panels, and I don't zip any covering over it, even in big rain.
I plan on treating the rip-stop nylon RTT fabric with some 303 Fabric Guard Water & Stain Repellant
before winter.
All in all, through about 250 nights of use in the last 13 months, I've been quite happy with how my RTT has held up to extreme weather. I'm designing a quilted blanket liner to snap or hook&loop to the interior as wall insulation for cold weather camping.
A lot of what you do for water ingress, with an RTT or a hardshell cap (did that for a year and half long trip around the country), ends up being common sense. Don't keep your gear in shape, don't use it wisely during big weather, you end up with problems.
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World Traveler III
Complete rain out, unfortunately when it was pouring we had to pack up everything. Water retention is a fact just make sure you air it out as soon as you can.
Off-Road Ranger I
This past Friday night we slept in the Mojave Desert and woke up in the middle of the night to a complete downpour, had to pack up in the rain in the morning as well. When we went to set up camp at the next location on Saturday evening, I opened up the RTT cover and unstrapped the velcro tie down straps which resulted in at least a solid gallon of cold water just draining from the folded RTT and going directly down my sleeve. I set up the tent, hopped inside, and everything inside the RTT, including some sleeping bags we left stored in there, was BONE DRY. We've had at least three nights like this one and have never had the inside of the tent get wet.
To reiterate what @Cpol called out: Just make absolutely sure you let everything dry out as soon as you are able. @SwellRunner has a horror story in one of his videos where he forgot to air out his RTT after a very wet trip and his tent was ruined (at least cosmetically) by mold.
To reiterate what @Cpol called out: Just make absolutely sure you let everything dry out as soon as you are able. @SwellRunner has a horror story in one of his videos where he forgot to air out his RTT after a very wet trip and his tent was ruined (at least cosmetically) by mold.
I don't think I "enjoy" the rigor of camping as much I did in the past. I love camping ... just not to the extent that I'd set up a tent in the rain. But then, I don't camp for camping sake. Rather, camping allows me to enjoy something I otherwise would miss out on, like fishing mountain creek head waters or just driving some multiday routes far from towns. But gosh ... kudos to you RTT guys. That some serious biz.
Influencer II
Ive never had a wet interior. Ive set up in the rain, folded up in the rain and drove to new location. It opened dry. I imagine that if I left it closed after folding up in the rain for long enough that it would soak through eventually but after a couple days of this weather it was dry.
