I love this鈥�”I have a great tent鈥� it just leaks.” Hmmm. I think the leaking part is what the tent is supposed to prevent!
The Tetragon 1210
The Tetragon 1210My own view is that the tent is kaput. Tents don鈥檛 last forever鈥攖he sun breaks down the fabric, inside storage can lead to mildew that eats the material, and so on and so on. Re-sealing the seams is one thing. But the leaking fabric tells me that the waterproof coating has de-laminated or worn away, which is fixable in small patches with 鈥檚 Gear Aid Sealant ($10). But you鈥檇 have to paint most of the tent. Besides, even though the fabric may LOOK fine, chances are it has lost much of its tensile strength. The whole thing could just rip to shreds in a strong windstorm.
There are a lot of tents out there that offer good quality and won鈥檛 break the bank. A good example is the Tetragon 1210 ($239). It鈥檚 a two-room (or one鈥攊t鈥檚 up to you) that sleeps six. Polyester floor and fly, fiberglass frame, good ventilation. Eureka鈥檚 Suite V6 ($299) is also a two-room, six-person tent, and adds a covered (not fully enclosed) screened front porch. Or, there鈥檚 Eureka鈥檚 big Copper Canyon 1610 ($380), which sleeps six, and has two rooms, AND screened front porch.
There are others. 鈥檚 WeatherMaster 4 ($229) sleeps four, and has a screened side-room for buggy conditions. Or there is the GigaTent Mt. Kinsman 8 ($250). A real bargain鈥攁 big eight-person tent with three rooms and a screened porch. That鈥檚 pretty luxurious!