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Discovered the shocking truth about tent waterproof ratings while soaked in a rainstorm last June
Last summer I was camping near Lake Tahoe when a sudden storm hit. My tent was supposed to be waterproof to 3000mm, which I thought was plenty. But after 3 hours of heavy rain, water started seeping through the floor and walls. I looked up the rating system on a gear forum later and found out most brands test in controlled lab conditions, not real rain with wind pressure. The 3000mm number is just a column of water pressing down, not sideways rain slapping against the tent. That stat really caught me off guard because every product description talks about those numbers like they're absolute guarantees. Now I always check for taped seams and a good fly design instead of just the millimeter rating. Has anyone else had a similar experience where a tent's rating didn't match real world use?
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hugobarnes25d ago
Isn't that just how camping gear marketing works though?
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