I endured the prolonged rain/wind event of July 26-27 during a five day BWCA trip. After a while, the fly of my Sierra Designs Comet CD tent permeated water which dripped onto the mesh ceiling and down into the tent. It was not the seams that leaked. The fly fabric simply passed the water. I had to take the footprint from under the tent and place it over the fly to stay dry.

It was the first time EVER that I've had a such a tent failure. I haven't used the tent in several years (I've been using a smaller backpacking tent), but it was properly stored and I erected and checked it before the trip. Everything seemed to be in order.

The tent itself is 10 years old. Is there a way to treat the fly to regain reliable water repellency? Oddly, the bathtub-style floor did not pass water. Only the fly.

In my experience, once a fly starts letting water through its done. You could try a spray on water proofing like McNetts. Ive never had great luck with bringjng afailing fly back to life.
If I were in your shoes I would contact The manufacturer and see about purchasing a new fly. If that's not an option it would be tent shopping time.

Spray with camp dry or similar product, seal the seams with seam sealer and you will be good for a couple years.

quote walllee: "Spray with camp dry or similar product, seal the seams with seam sealer and you will be good for a couple years."

+1

Are you sure it was not condensation?

butthead

quote butthead: "Are you sure it was not condensation?butthead"

+1 My thought also.

quote butthead: "Are you sure it was not condensation?


butthead"

My first thought , should be able to test out at home and see if the fabric is wetting out


If it is shot contact SD, i think they have a lifetime warranty on their tents

Testing with a sprinkler/hose is the way to go to eliminate condensation as a cause

At first I thought it was condensation, but trust me, I had LOTS of opportunity to study the situation. The fly material was passing water, plain and simple. The amount of water dripping was directly proportional to rain intensity. And once I rigged the footprint as a secondary fly, problem over. I wish I had done that earlier, but I was unsure whether it would work and whether water would start coming through the tent floor after removing the footprint. Thankfully, it didn't. I was really, really glad I had the footprint from the manufacturer. The grommets made easy work of securing it in the wind.

Tomorrow, I will call S-D and see what they say about warranting the fly.

Since the tent is 10 years old it could have had the PU coating on the fly finally breakdown. From what I understand that coating does not last as long as the Sil coating on tarps and other items.

My Alpha 3 did that a few years ago. I was pretty upset. The tent is a beast, but the fly only lasted three outings.
I contacted SD, and they sent a new one plus gave me a coupon for a very generous discount on a future purchase, but I have never used it.
My confidence is gone now and now I only use the tent in fair weather or with a CCS tarp near by.

quote butthead: "Are you sure it was not condensation?


butthead"

If it did what mine did, it's for sure not condensation. Mine looked like it had Vaseline rubbed into it. It was really weird. It looked like cloudy, greasy spots everywhere, but didn't feel any different.

Most of these major tent manufacturers are looking to cut corners anywhere they can - to reduce weight. It's great that they have been able to reduce a couple pounds over the years on comparable tents, but at what costs??? I gladly carry a few extra pounds if I know it makes the tent more weatherproof.

I have an MSR Zoid do the same thing. Second time used in the BWCA and lots of heavy rain and the water came right through the fly. Called the manufacturer and they refused to do anything about it Finally got some spray-on waterproofing, gave two coats, and tried it again and no leakage.

quote WhiteWolf: "Most of these major tent manufacturers are looking to cut corners anywhere they can - to reduce weight. It's great that they have been able to reduce a couple pounds over the years on comparable tents, but at what costs??? I gladly carry a few extra pounds if I know it makes the tent more weatherproof. "

I don't know if I agree with that, in general the tents I buy today are much better than the 15 years ago, I don't think they are cutting corners, I think they are giving the customer the choices they demand. Not everyone buys a tent expecting it to last forever. Many people knowingly want a tent that is as light as possible even if it sacrifices long term durability, if manufactures didn't offer these options they would be loosing out on sales to companies that do. If you want a heavy 70D floor with a 5000mm water proof rating you can have it, but it will cost you in the weight department.

To make the rain fly waterproof again use a deck sealer like Thompsons deck Sealer. First, make sure the fly is completely dry then using a foam brush put on a coat as thin as possible. It will take a couple days to air out to get rid of the solvent smell, but it will be waterproof for several years.

Don't know if it would have helped enough, but I treat my fly when I get home after any trip where it got wet. The water beads off the fly, lessening the moisture if I have to pack it up wet. Making it more water resistent when I set it back up.

I am a "dry" fanatic. Only my feet get wet.

Maybe contact the manufacturer about getting a replacement fly. Eureka Tents has been reasonable on this in the past with me.

quote deerfoot: "Maybe contact the manufacturer about getting a replacement fly. Eureka Tents has been reasonable on this in the past with me."

If I remember correctly, SD owns Eureka too. They were great at helping, I was just a bit let down that it happened in the first place.
From reading thru these replies though, it doesn't seem to be a big deal to fix the one you already have.
However, on my third and last trip with my fly, the window fell out too.

Just got off the phone with S-D. From code on tent, it appears the tent is at least 13 years old. The Rep said I could treat with McNett and regain reliable water repellency, but it would lose breathability. I believe it is time to retire the tent. He did offer to send me a discount code for another S-D product. He did not offer any other repair or replacement options.

Could have been due to the age of your tent. That stinks.
Hell, look at it this way, at least you get to do some gear shopping now!