by rucksack » Mon 28 Feb, 2011 2:35 pm
Nuts and tasadam .. I may have managed to identify (and perhaps even solve), the leaking that I have been experiencing in the vestibule of my Nallo 2 every time that it has rained. I went for a walk over the weekend to Daming Shan (Daming Mountain) and camped Friday & Saturday nights at around 1,000 metres, the latter beside a bamboo forest with zero breeze. On both nights, I unzipped the back and tied back the two flaps; left the front door open about 30 cm from the top and left the inner door open down to half way, (so the top half of the door was just the mesh). There was no condensation either night. Nil. None. Not on the inside of the outer, not anywhere - and certainly not in the vestibule. My mind turned to another ‘culprit’.
As I stood there, contemplating my first cup of morning coffee - and I was looking into the rising morning sun at the time - I suddenly noticed that there was sunlight coming through the front pole sleeve, where it abuts to the green fabric of the outer tent. (Mine is green, not red.) Strange, I thought, not exactly where one might expect to see light. On closer inspection, I discovered the problem. The sleeve has a visible row of double stitching on one side. On my outer, at the very top of the sleeve, the black fabric has pulled away from the bottom row of the two rows of stitching in three quite separate places, leaving one hole about 3 mm wide and 15 mm long at the very top and smaller ‘openings’ on either side. And, all three holes match the points where the inner tent directly clips to the outer. I am thinking now that the fabric has been over-tensioned in the sewing. When the pole is inserted and tensioned (according to Hilleberg instructions for erecting the tent) and the inner is clipped in, (adding it’s own tension of course), the fabric in the sleeve has been overstressed and simply pulled away from the stitching. In all three instances, the stitching is completely intact, but the fabric has pulled away allowing rain to get into the tent.
I think that the rain has principally been entering through the top most 'opening' though, (which is by far the largest hole of the three), and then running down the zip fabric underneath until its journey has been ‘interrupted’ by the two elastic loops, (where it then drips onto the Footprint). This would explain why the leaking has only happened when it has rained (though many times there has also been very condensation friendly conditions, so confusing the 'discovery') and why it has leaked equally on both sides of the front door, but not anywhere else.
When I got back to Shanghai last night, I inserted the front pole into the sleeve and seam sealed the three sections of stitching with SILNET. On the centre 'hole', I had to seam seal from both sides, to close up the gap. I am hoping that I have identified the problem, but I live on the 15th floor, so doing a ‘hose test’ is a bit tricky. I will have to wait for a rainy day to see if I have really solved the leaking. Fingers crossed. (When I first wrote to Hilleberg, their response was that it was most likely condensation, but that it could also be a fabric issue in terms of the sewing. I am now most definitely thinking that it is the latter, especially after measuring the amount of the water that leaked into the vestibule last month, when I was walking on the Wilmot Range. And without that morning sunlight piercing the the front sleeve on the weekend, I might still be searching for the answer to the leaking. Some days.)
The walk on Daming Shan was good. The area has only been accessible for the past 7 years, after local farmers cut a few trails up the mountain side. It’s steep (very in places), often quite exposed (best not to look down) and the thin soil over rock makes for some interesting manoeuvres, especially when the track is wet (which it was in places). However, if I have managed to solve the leaking, I will be a doubly happy camper on my next outing with the Nallo 2.
rucksack
Last edited by
rucksack on Mon 28 Feb, 2011 5:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I just remembered you mentioned the downmat. Didnt want to deflate your excitement... ok, go ahead, get excited 
