Hello. Have any of you wise people (or know personally of people) who have had problems with Outwell polycotton tents, specifically the Bear Lake model? We bought one in 2010 and it turned out it leaked like a sieve (literally, no joke). Because we were on holiday at the time, we couldnt return the tent until just after the one year guarantee ran out. After being fobbed off for ages, then going throught the correct channels, we were advised to let the retailer reproof it. This hasnt made the slightest difference, tent still leaks. So today i finally got a what i thought was going to be a sensible response from the retailer.........we will refund the the tent for you.........the tent cost us just short of £900.........refund offered.......£300! Im not looking for consumer advice here, ive become very clued up on that, and am going to be continuing with the proper legal process. Im just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with this product.
Too much polyester and not enough cotton in the blend of the fabric and too loose of a weave would be my diagnosis The cotton is supposed to swell when wet stiffening the fabric and retarding water The best proofer ive ever used on polycotton blends and cotton canvas is a product called thompsons water seal Its available in diy stores and is supposed to be used for waterproofing brick work I proofed my polycotton scandinavian lavvu with it years ago and its not needed topping up and has never let a drop of water through ever
900 quid?! That's a lot of money. Is it a trailer tent? I was surprised to read what you wrote, because I always thought Outwell were a top company. It's not enough to put me off buying a Mountain Road awning from them. The quality in those seem to be top bananas.
Yes, Outwell are tops in this market. I have spoken to lots of people on camp sites with Outwell gear and they all rave about it. I plan to buy a new Mountain Road too for this year.
That's not right, does the rain bead off it? I can send you some proofer , give it a go before you do anything else Al
Yep it was a lot of dosh but the tent (not a trailer tent btw) is very nice, and the price is what makes the problem worse. Ive had a few tents, some of which cost peanuts and dont really deserve to be called tents, and they havnt leaked a drop. they were never reproofed, not looked after particularly well but never let us down. So to have a tent of this quality/price be like a sieve is very dissappointing. We have friends who have the same tent just in the smaller 4man version and theirs is fine, never been reproofed.
If It was the fabric itself proofing correctly should have fixed it Sounds like the tension on the stitching was wrong as its cotton it's not going to have taped seams. It's relying on tight seams to hold the water out then the threads expand and fill the stitch holes to stop water, if the stitch tensions wrong it can't be fixed. Is it just leaking at the seams?
Of course your normal remit under the Sale Of Goods Act is with the retailer. However Outwell is a reputable Danish company owned by Oase Outdooors Group. http://www.oase-outdoors.dk/. As you have had no joy so far you should write (email) them about the problem as they may be keen to protect their reputation and sort it out for you. It cannot hurt to try this route. they may offer you a new tent.
nope it leaks all over not just the seams. in a rain storm you get a spray/mist of water falling everywhere in the tent, not unlike standing under a sieve in a rain storm. i too was under the impression that outwell are a good company but the retailer claims to have contacted outwell about it and have been told outwell arent interested. the tents over one year old.....customers problem. now i know this is b@ll@cks, its actually the retailers problem which is why im sticking to the official way of getting my cash back now
That's not right at all, something's clearly wrong with the fabric I'd get in contact with Outwell yourself I don't deal with them or I'd do it for you. They should be surprised a tent like this has let you down and do something about it Al
Id put money its the tightness of the weave thats at fault The cotton can only swell so far and if its swelled to its maximum and the threads arent pushed tight together then it wont seal up The flight suits wore by fast jet pilots use the same principle and its a dense weave cotton called gaberdine or ventile I used to have a sas smock made out of it and under a heavy down pour it would stiffen up so much rain used to bounce off it and you never got that clammy feeling you get with modern breathable membrane fabrics like goretex
I realise your not after legal advice, but you may find you get more success if you ask for the credit against another model rather than a full refund of £900 as it will "cost" them less and makes it sound like your willing to work with them a little. Plus it doesn't leave you out of pocket either. Win-Win!
