View Full Version : Waterproofing the Rainbow's floor
This was prompted by some comments about getting some water inside a Rainbow pitched on uneven ground. Maybe these remedies are very obvious to some, but maybe not.
All of the Tarptents have a "floating floor" this makes it easy to lift the floor up (keeping the fly down) to have higher sides. If the water comes in from the bottom because of pressure, then ( if you don't use a groundsheet) just coat all of the floor with a mix of silicone and mineral spirit (about 1 to 3-4) . The surface that you coat will pick up dirt, so choose if you want an easier to clean inside or outside. Warning : make sure that the floor is fully dry (it can take over 24 hours) before you fold it up. ( a patched hole in my Lighthouse floor is a reminder for this tip...)
Back to lifting the floor, you can just reduce the length of the hoop on the sides (or by-pass it) and or also prop the corners up.Boots, Nalgene bottles, stones, anything that you can find, will do.
Franco
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Rainbow%20mods/TT-Rainbow-wp1.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Rainbow%20mods/TT-Rainbow-WP2.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Rainbow%20mods/TT-Rainbow-WP3.jpg
Ramble~On
02-07-2009, 19:24
I've never had any problem with water getting in through the floor - pitched on level or uneven ground and the Rainbow has seen some heftier weather than it was designed to take - I admit to abusing the hell out of it when I first got it because I wanted to see what it could take. Maybe it's just me but the floor in mine is waterproof.
There was one time during serious wind driven rain where the mesh perimeter was folded in such a way that some water running down the outside was able to work its way into the tent - that was user error - no fault of the Rainbow. I wish that the vents were much larger and that there was a bit more of a lip overhang where the body meets the mesh along the perimeter....
Rumble On
"I've never had any problem with water getting in through the floor - pitched on level or uneven ground "
Neither have I, in fact I have used the sides up as in the above pic (to reduce wind and stop rain sprays) but only have used the corner lift with the Contrail on one or two occasions . Never experienced water being forced through the floor but I have been lucky enough not to need to pitch on saturated ground.
A bit like misting some will never experience it others do.
"I wish that the vents were much larger "
Lucky you, I only have one in mine (original version). Not a big deal for me, but I do like the 08 mods.
Franco
Never experienced water being forced through the floor but I have been lucky enough not to need to pitch on saturated ground. This is the situation that Red Hat was talking about in the other threat that you are talking about. Happens a lot in Maine. If you setup even in a little depression up there, just a little bit of rain will flood you out. I was camped this summer right at the Carabassett river and one guy put his Lunar Solo on what looked like a perfect spot. Didn't look like a depression at all, but it ended up flooding the tent after a night of rain. Lucky for him he was sleeping on a BA insulated air core that kept him dry.
SMD DUO has a 4 " floor.If you need more?FL can dump water fast and long and NEVER...even with a tilt NOT A DROP.:D
garlic08
02-07-2009, 21:50
Franco, I've never heard of the coating idea. Do you know how much weight that adds?
Hi Garlic
Not sure of when/ why/where it came about but Jim Wood published that here :
http://jwbasecamp.com/ (http://jwbasecamp.com/)
Never tried this myself but I am convinced that a higher dilution, say 1 to 5, could be used to coat the fly to stop rain penetration that (very occasionally) causes misting with this type of silnylon. Never bothered my self because it has only happened two or three times and was very minor. Most of the reported misting is from condensation knocked off the inner.
As for the weight, I did take notice of that when I coated my Lighthouse ( I did both inside and outside, just for fun...) from memory one coat was about 3 oz.
The extra coating is basically the difference between 1.03 oz silnylon and some heavier stuff like the Kerlon (Hilleberg)
Note that the SMD shelters come with the same floor as the TT as well as the slightly heavier version, about 3 oz extra for a solo version.
Franco
skinewmexico
02-07-2009, 22:39
I've had that same thought about coating the fly for misting.
NOTE,SMD has a 4" floor and TT comes less.That is what should be said.
Seal both and see ...what needs more.:-?
Slow
Me :Never experienced water being forced through the floor but I have been lucky enough not to need to pitch on saturated ground.
Garlic :This is the situation that Red Hat was talking about in the other threat that you are talking about
IE from under, not over.
You only need to read it as fast as you can move your lips. So give it another try.
Franco
I'm not THE TT SETUP BOY......RRRRR HOLDER ...that YOU LOVE TO PUSH.:D
BTW i have setup when 2" never come in or under in my duo.
Slow
From the SMD site :
If you select the Ultralight Floor option, additional care should be taken in site selection of your tent. While it's waterproof, your body weight can force water through the floor if it pools under the tent. An additional layer of 3MM plastic cloth placed under the tent can minimize this effect.
Note that the standard floor is 4 oz heavier. With 3 or 4 oz silicone coat you will end up with a similar level of waterhead. However some chose to use a separate groundcloth or as in my case, nothing at all.
BTW, you should establish your own set up record for the Lunar Duo. Since I have not seen a time posted for that, you will be guaranteed the result.
And , hard to see from my shots (due to the compression) but the ruler shows the edge of the floor at about 4". That is irrelevant for what we were talking about but it is useful to the ones that want to minimise splashes.
Franco
TwoForty
02-08-2009, 01:50
I didn't even know that a person lying down could exert enough pressure to make silny leak with damp ground. If you have pooling under your tent, you probably deserve to wake up wet.
I used this method to coat the floor of my TT Squall (inside and out), and I was really happy with the result. Before I coated it, the floor seemed flimsy; now it's bomb-proof. It did add an ounce or so to the weight, but I'm pretty sure I could get away without a groundcloth now, which would save even more.
garlic08
02-08-2009, 10:45
I didn't even know that a person lying down could exert enough pressure to make silny leak with damp ground. If you have pooling under your tent, you probably deserve to wake up wet.
Amen! I learned real fast!
Since I learned that lesson, I have not used a ground sheet with my Contrail (two thru hikes now) and have not gotten even damp, from above or below.
If the ground is wet when you put up your tent, and you kneel in your tent, IMO your knee will eventually get wet in a Tarptent. Too much pressure. I used to carry a 2 mil ground cloth, but it was too slippery. So I just treated the inside with a 1:4 ratio, and now no slipping, and no need for ground cloth. I have kneeled in the tent a lot on wet ground, no issues. I also treated the whole fly with a 1:5 ratio, and have never seen misting. But I have never been in true gulley washer, but in my back yard, my hose is pretty strong, and no misting from that.
Slow
From the SMD site :
If you select the Ultralight Floor option, additional care should be taken in site selection of your tent. While it's waterproof, your body weight can force water through the floor if it pools under the tent. An additional layer of 3MM plastic cloth placed under the tent can minimize this effect.
Note that the standard floor is 4 oz heavier. With 3 or 4 oz silicone coat you will end up with a similar level of waterhead. However some chose to use a separate groundcloth or as in my case, nothing at all.
BTW, you should establish your own set up record for the Lunar Duo. Since I have not seen a time posted for that, you will be guaranteed the result.
And , hard to see from my shots (due to the compression) but the ruler shows the edge of the floor at about 4". That is irrelevant for what we were talking about but it is useful to the ones that want to minimise splashes.
Franco
Did i ever say ul floor...no.
The point is SMD tub is better setup then TT.
As far as speed in setup...i can tell you my shoe size if you want.:rolleyes: