tent rain guard

[thunderson5]

so was not really sure where to post my question so sorry if its in the wrong place.but hey i am in a mini van but also have a tent for more room and was just wondering i have a coleman 6 person easy set up tent but did not come with rain guard,can i use one of those blue cheap tarps if i tie them off with para cord or whatever to my tent stakes on the corners of my tent atleast for a temporary solution?

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Coleman are not bad tents. They are just not terribly light.
A few years back when I was car camping up and down the west coast, my cheapo tent from Big 5 sporting goods utterly failed in Point Reyes. I got soaked.
Picked up a Coleman '4 person tent' someplace north of Santa Rosa. Which is really a 2 person tent. It has held up really well.
But like I said, it's no ultralight. I hiked in to one campsite later in that trip and it made a huge difference in my pack weight!
As far as adding a tarp for a rain fly. Make sure the sides of it clear the corners of the tent. In other words, like a roof on a house it has to stick out over the sides a bit. The more the better.
Otherwise its basically funneling all the water it catches onto one area of your tent.
It's also a good idea to rig it separately if you can. Most tents aren't designed to be load bearing.
Sometimes I just rig a line between trees or the car and a tree. Feed teh grommets from one side on the line and stake the other grommets int the ground. It makes a big square with one end up high. Then I pitch the tent under that.

Don't forget a footprint or ground tarp under the tent. This really helps keep ground water from seeping in.
But that opens up the whole topic of drainage, flood plains and reading the terrain.

 

[TravelingZombies]

I wouldn't use a blue tarp personally, I use the brown/silver tarps and found them to be more durable. We always use one over our tent if rain is expected and have one large enough for us to sit under if it's raining. I also use 3/8 inch rope to tie it off with.

 

[thunderson5]

Coleman are not bad tents. They are just not terribly light.
A few years back when I was car camping up and down the west coast, my cheapo tent from Big 5 sporting goods utterly failed in Point Reyes. I got soaked.
Picked up a Coleman '4 person tent' someplace north of Santa Rosa. Which is really a 2 person tent. It has held up really well.
But like I said, it's no ultralight. I hiked in to one campsite later in that trip and it made a huge difference in my pack weight!
As far as adding a tarp for a rain fly. Make sure the sides of it clear the corners of the tent. In other words, like a roof on a house it has to stick out over the sides a bit. The more the better.
Otherwise its basically funneling all the water it catches onto one area of your tent.
It's also a good idea to rig it separately if you can. Most tents aren't designed to be load bearing.
Sometimes I just rig a line between trees or the car and a tree. Feed teh grommets from one side on the line and stake the other grommets int the ground. It makes a big square with one end up high. Then I pitch the tent under that.

Don't forget a footprint or ground tarp under the tent. This really helps keep ground water from seeping in.
But that opens up the whole topic of drainage, flood plains and reading the terrain.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

agree on blue tarps. Though I love the color blue, they let through too much light.
The silver/brown tarps are great. Especially if they have those rubberized corner grommets.
I always use mine brown side up so I don't blind other campers in the area. Though if it is up over 100 I've been known to throw caution to the wind and use them silver side up.
I also have a really robust black/green tarp that has a slightly rubbery feeling. Excellent tent footprint, but also works as a rain fly when needed.

 

[Skyman6529]

If your Coleman is what it's called in "instant cabin", you are in luck.

Amazon sells a rain fly that goes corner to corner o
, and has Guy lines to make sure the water runs off correctly and it doesn't blow away in the wind.

For anybody reading and interested in finding a decent tent in the nylon/rayon era of paper thin tents, the Coleman instant cabin line is a good one.

They truly are easy to set up with one person, stable, have room to stand in, and will hold in some heat.

let me see if I can find a link to the rain fly.

I am pretty sure this one is it. it is for a Coleman 6-person instant tent. Read the description and check to make sure it will fit your tent specifically.

Sorry to be so talkative, I'm really excited about these tents there's some of the best made budget tents I've seen in a long time.

https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Rain...+instant+cabin+rain+fly&qid=1634157028&sr=8-3

 

[MGfromBC]

Here's a helpful tip for anyone using a tarp over anything. This assumes that you have a collection of trees, poles or at least one of the previous and your vehicle. To support the middle of the tarp in the classic pup tent shape, I wrap one end of a ratchet strap around a tree at the required height and put the hook on the strap. I do the same with another strap on another tree. Then I hook them together, pull the straps semi-tight in the ratchets and then ratchet them up tight. The tarp goes over the strap. There won't be any sag in the middle and you won't be placing unnecessary strain on the tarp or the grommets.

MG