tent seams waterproof peeling off...?? update: pic uploaded

[ahmondjai]

Hi fellow hikers,

I have recently purchased a Kathmandu northstar v3 tent, took it out and set it up in my backyard, was too happy about my new toy for the afternoon, but upon closer inspection tonight in the dark, found the seam strips are peeling off (ie. not fully attached to the tent wall).
so, came up to this forum and searched for answers, there was one post about the same tent's seam strips peeling off at the corners.

What do you guys recon for a "seam strip peeling off"? Should they not lose its adhesiveness and stick up like this?
Would this be consider faulty?
Would this have a major effect in the tent's waterproof ability when the element hits?

Cheers,
Ed.

[ILUVSWTAS]

I would take it back!!! Also i'd do as many searches on this site on KATHMANDU and you will discover what 95% of people think of their gear.....

[Orion]

It's a flaw and will certainly result in leaks through the seams. You should return it for a full refund.

I had a tent that did this. I had already made a few modifications to it so I chose to seal the opposite sides of the seams the old fashioned way. Otherwise I'd have gotten my money back.

[blacksheep]

this can happen if a tent is put away and stored while it still damp.

[ollster]

I have recently purchased a Kathmandu northstar v3 tent

Bah bow. There's ya problem. I'd suggest taking it back while you can and spending the cash on a good tent (after asking a few question here, of course). Kathmandu are essentially a knock-off company who produce marginal "outdoors" gear and haven't had an original design idea in about 10 years.

(Blacksheep, you're just being too nice!)

[ahmondjai]

Thanks guys~ I'm definately taking it back.
It's a new tent, first time out of the sack and a night in the backyard, lucky I didn't take it straight out to the open environment.
I really like this tent, given at this price point of $375 for a 2 man, 4 season, freestanding tent.........

[pazzar]

Take it back, and go have a look at some different brands. The MSR Hubba Hubba is a good free-standing tent. I highly doubt the Kathmandu would stand up for 4 seasons. A good 4 season tent would set you back a minimum of $600.

[juney]

Yep, it's faulty alright. Yes, blacksheep is right about this happening if you store your tent before it's completely dry, and in QLD storing a tent in it's original stuff sack, even when(you think)it's dry will cause this cos of the humidity up here. But...being brand new it's definitely a refund job - & Kathmandu contribute to landfill once again!!!
Learn your lesson re. Kathmandu gear and don't risk wasting your money a second time - cos odds are it will infact be a waste of money regardless of how much of a bargain it seems.

[ollster]

The MSR Hubba Hubba is a good free-standing tent.

The MSR HH, whilst a good tent (I've got the Hubba HP, purchased from Moontrail in the US), is overpriced in Australia IMO. The straight HH (not the HP) is also not 4 season, it's got far too much netting for 4 season.

If it's anything like my Hubba HP it's pretty stingy with pegs, ropes etc, so expect to spend more on these. It needs a footprint too, as the base is quite thin. I'd be looking elsewhere unless you need ultralight 2 person 3 season, in which case the HH is pretty good.

[ninjapuppet]

Ive also got Kathmandu northstar plus and have taken utmost care with it. Last time i used it was 2 years ago in howling wind and rain and they fly outer kept water out but the floor started leaking in because the floor is actually made of 2 pieces of material sewn together across the middle!!!! I thought this was nuts! I mean, wouldnt it be common sense to make the floor from 1 big piece like other tents?? it looks like they used 2 pices of scrap nylon to sew it together because they didnt have a piece of material big enough for my floor.

I bought a tube of McNett from paddy pallins and seam sealed it - then it became water tight again.... but i dont know for how long!



Tents all look nice when they're new but after a year you can truly tell the quality ones apart from the ones not-so.
I now use a Hilleberg Jannu and would seriously recommend it as a 4 season tent.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Lol. That's awful. I knew Krapmandu were bad BUT.....

[Ent]

A walking partner has the same tent and found it started leaking after a few uses. Lets call a spade a shovel and say Kathmandu stuff is best considered suspect unless proven otherwise. Not all stuff label Kathmandu is bad but much is. In fact be wary of any single brand name that spreads itself thin across a range of products and markets direct. In my humble opinion they are juggling too many balls and some might be lemons as a result.

Cheers Brett

[Orion]

Ive also got Kathmandu northstar plus and have taken utmost care with it. Last time i used it was 2 years ago in howling wind and rain and they fly outer kept water out but the floor started leaking in because the floor is actually made of 2 pieces of material sewn together across the middle!!!! I thought this was nuts! I mean, wouldnt it be common sense to make the floor from 1 big piece like other tents?? it looks like they used 2 pices of scrap nylon to sew it together because they didnt have a piece of material big enough for my floor.

I bought a tube of McNett from paddy pallins and seam sealed it - then it became water tight again.... but i dont know for how long!



Tents all look nice when they're new but after a year you can truly tell the quality ones apart from the ones not-so.
I now use a Hilleberg Jannu and would seriously recommend it as a 4 season tent.

My Hilleberg tent has a seam in the middle of the floor. I've owned many other tents with seams in the floor. Depending on the size of the tent and the width of the fabric roll it may be unavoidable to include a seam. Then again, depending on the dimensions of the tent and the fabric roll width they may also choose to do it for economy (to minimize fabric waste).

In any case it's no drama. If properly sewn and seam taped (or sealed with a quality sealant) it's not the most likely place for a leak.

[ahmondjai]

Took it back, showed them the photos of the peels, they opened up the whole tent and check, the staff admit it's a fault, the strips were not bonded. then, swap for new inner tent and mentioned the faulty inner tent is going into repair dept.
now, the tent had been setup in the backyard again, hope for some really heavy rain soon~~

[Ent]

Brilliant news that Kathmandu stood by their warranty as sadly some do not seeking to put the problem down to user abuse. Hope the replacement works out well and the problem is not generic to the production run.

Cheers Brett

[juney]

stood by their warranty as sadly some do not seeking to put the problem down to user abuse.

Cheers Brett

Can you give as any specifics?

[Ent]

Hi Juney

I think my views with certain brands are well known and generally result in a downward spiral of posts that incur the wrath of the moderators so I think it counter to the site rules for me to go down that path. If you are interested then PM me. I am poles apart in my views from some on this site

Cheers Brett

[ahmondjai]

it should still be counted as a brand new tent, it's 'first use' in the backyard, no rain, no wind, only dew.
if the tent had failed and they denied warranty, despite the carefully unpacking and setting it up for the first time, my choices are only left with either consumer affairs or the tribunal.
anyway, rain is expected in the last couple of days, but I'm still waiting for at least a shower if not downpour, I'll update as the weather turns~

[ILUVSWTAS]

Hi Juney

I think my views with certain brands are well known and generally result in a downward spiral of posts that incur the wrath of the moderators so I think it counter to the site rules for me to go down that path. If you are interested then PM me. I am poles apart in my views from some on this site

Cheers Brett

Ive noticed sometimes your posts end up as a 4 page "discussion"

I have come to agree with you on many of your claims though.

[ahmondjai]

photos of the 1st tent's seam seal strips






after they replaced the inner tent and the tent was setup in the backyard again.
Checked the tent again 2 nights ago, and found that the very same problem has emerged again.
photos of all 6 corner of the inner tent floor:







What do you guys say??
I'm planning to take it back and request a full refund along with the footprint purchased.
one not very happy Kat****du Customer.......

[ninjapuppet]

Hi Almondjai,

I would seriously think that both of yours are defects.
I have a 6 year old Northstar, and it was my first expensive tent. ive probally camped over 100 days in it, and as i noted earlier, it generally didnt leak except in the floor where the 2 pieces of material are joined together. after i seam sealed it, it became watertight again.

heres a picture of my seams, still looking good after many years. I just noticed that some of it is starting to pull away in the middle where the seams are, so some water may accumulate there, but should still be water tight.

I carefully looked at why the floor was leaking before, but couldnt figure out the reason because i had already pulled out the old seam seals and used my own sealant. At the end of the day, your problem is not really a big issue because you can still buy sealant and make it waterproof. However, the price you paid is not cheap, its brand new. It generally isnt a bad tent, but personally i would return it for a refund. I just picked up an Exped Orion for $488 and I must say, it is an awesome tent. Secondly, a Hilleberg Jannu is a lighter tent and structually much more sturdy than a Northstar tent. you cant go wrong with either of these 2 for a 4 season tent. i just knocked my Northstar and it flopped around like mad. theres no way i'd take this into 4 season territory now that ive got access to the Jannu and Orion.


In feb, i went camping with my friend who also had an New orange Northstar tent and that was totally watertight over 7 nights aswell. so that cant be an issue with the new batch/models. i think its just your batch.

[ahmondjai]

Re: ninjapuppet

the seals on yours looks promising, it hasn't come loose where it folds even after 6 years of use.
the one on mine has not leak any water in yet, due to the weather we had recently, and only been setup in the backyard with no wind or anything to test against with, yet, the bonding of the strips has starting to fall apart?
this got me wondering if the quality of the manufacturing line has dropped significantly or just purely bad luck, 2 tent floor which shows the very same problem??

After refunding the tent tomorrow, I'll be in the market for another 2 man, 3.5 to 4 season tent again, due to misses feel the cold a lot.
I'm looking at the Mountain Design overland range, ie. Plateau and Ridge , although prefers the latter.
What's you guys' opinion on them and Mountain design products??

[samh]

HI,
I have not owned a MD tent, but I can sort of agree with what Brett says

In fact be wary of any single brand name that spreads itself thin across a range of products and markets direct. In my humble opinion they are juggling too many balls and some might be lemons as a result.

This doesn't apply to every piece of equipment but with tent. sleepingbag, pack, and shoes I would look for better quality products.
To help you out a little better it would be good to know a few details, e.g. max price, where and what time of the year you want to use the tent, max weight, freestanding or not, 1,2 or no vestibule, where do you want to store your gear at night, any other specific wishes

[tasadam]

Bother that you have been inconvenienced by two faulty tents. Or should I say, one faulty manufacturer (implying that perhaps more replacements would have given you the same result).
So now you are on the right track - seeking advice and looking for something better.

Do you have an upper budget?

[ninjapuppet]

check out the outdoor magazine wind test. they tested a bunch of 4 season tents, and the Exped Orion came out on top, only failing at winds of 120-130kph.
results here: http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage.nsf/b43popup4/4CA164DE277F0A58C1256F2B001E4B0E?Opendocument

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI-BQUDlPxo&feature=related

To my horror, even the hilleberg tunnel failed at less speeds than the orion. Though i think the test was purposely rigged because you generally dont place a tunnel tent side on into the wind like that. http://www.outdoor-magazin.com/test/zelte/videos-zum-test-12-trekkingzelte-vor-der-windmaschine.418066.3.htm#1

My friend picked up a MD plateue for only $150 at a sale earlier this year and at that price, a great tent! However, i would naturally question its 4 season capabilities when a manufacturer discounts their tents like that from 470 down to $150. i think your current northstar tent is a more capable tent.

[ninjapuppet]

being a hilleberg fan, i gotta defend hilleberg by adding that they're the only company out of all those tents that have made provisions to use thicker poles, or even use 2 poles.

With 2 fat poles in each sleeve, i am sure it would come out on top easily. Both our northstar tents would stand no hope in these circumstances.

[tasadam]

I'm a Hilleberg fan too, and I did my own wind testing near La Perouse earlier in the year. It sure gets windy down there.
Who would have thought I of all people would go to Moonlight Ridge again...

The wind gusts were so strong that when they hit the tent, the fabric would whip - literally crack like a whip. I sat some sizeable rocks on the guy rope pegs and with all the buffeting, the ropes have worn on the rocks and will need replaced.

That wind test is flawed, the wind speed meter was held above the tent, the wind speed there would have been greater than the overall speed of the wind due to the wind being forced to compress as it goes over the tent.

[tasadam]

Was interesting to see what actually happens when a tent fails in the wind.
Think I might start carrying my 2nd set of poles for those extreme walks when the wind direction is unpredictable, and for all Moonlight Ridge camping.

[ahmondjai]

Thanks for the input guys.
My last hiking tent which was brought 10 years ago was some not so famous brand when compared, the 'peak' (I think it belongs to the colesman brand), it's a single pole, 2 man (although more like solo), with lots of mesh in the inner tent, virtually made of all mesh inside, which had cost me $170 not on sale price weighted at less than 2 kg if I remember correctly.


mind you, it doesn't leak during the limited use in rain and wind in and around Brisbane, Queensland.

I've taken it to the beach, Girraween, East side of Moreton Island.
the reason I wanted a new tent was the free standing feature, be able to close off the mesh door of the north star v3 tent when needed.
thus, I need a 2 person tent, free standing with a medium to large vestibule (1 or 2, doesn't matter, as long as I can cook in it when the weather turns bad), weight is not a problem (I've been looking at the MD's ridge, 3.2kg or even the Eureka El Capitan AC which has a whooping 4.4kg for the 2 person model.), max price of $600 (being a student has limited access to large amount of funds, the ridge's marked price is $550 while the El Capitan AC is $399.95).
3.5 to 4 season rating as mentioned earlier for missus' cold handle ability. It doesn't have to be ultra strong like those found in mountaineering ones, but perhaps coastal winds, as it will be mainly used in and around Brisbane, but of coz, who would mind when extra comes in handy.
I like the ridge's little skylight window and the Snow valance close off ability, I know it's rather useless, but again, who would mind the extra features.

[ahmondjai]

Update:
The defective tent had been returned and funds had been refunded along with the footprint.
It's a pity that the tent failed, I really like the style and features...
time to hunt for another new tent.....