Tentipi top cap leakage?

[mark a.]

We have a Tentipi Varrie 7 Cp. The Varrie has the fancy cap design which means you can open and close it from the inside. 99% of the time it was great.

However, a few times we obviously hadn't quite got the setup perfectly correct because the overlap between the main cap and the tent was only a few mm in places. This meant that wind could easily blow the cap in a bit, allowing rain to drip into the tent.

Has anyone else come across this? Occasionally we would put up the tent just right so that the overlap between cap and tent was sufficient, but it seems rather sensitive.

Any tips to prevent this from happening? In theory I could sew on an extra strip of material but if there's a simple solution I'd rather do that first.

Thanks,

Mark

 

[Mike Benis]

Have you tried ringing Caspar the importer at Nordicoutdoor? He's pretty straightforward and open with advice.

Cheers

Mike

 

[mark a.]

I've tried Stunning Tents (who we bought it from) but they haven't come up with any major suggestions. Tentipi never replied to my emails (although that might be a language issue).

Does Caspar still sell Tentipi? When I last spoke to him he tried pushing his new own-brand tipi on to me instead.

 

[sandbender]

However, a few times we obviously hadn't quite got the setup perfectly correct because the overlap between the main cap and the tent was only a few mm in places. This meant that wind could easily blow the cap in a bit, allowing rain to drip into the tent.

It is a setup problem, I think that you pegging out the tension straps too far from the pole. how easy is it for you to set your varrie up, do you have enough garden space or can you only do it when away on a trip somewhere? As with most things if you do it often enough, getting it right becomes second nature.

Loosen off all the main tensioning straps before you pack the tent away and don't over-tighten them when initially setting up (don't worry if its windy the main straps will still hold the tent in place when not under tension), sort out the pegging down of the edges first, then peg out the guy lines and then tighten the main tensioning straps. I think that will help solve your problem.

 

[mark a.]

We did learn over time that you really do need to get the pegs exactly the right distance out from the central pole - too far or too short and it all goes wrong. We also found that the more tension there is in the ground straps the worse the overlap problem is (not too surprisingly because it stretches things down) but you need them to be tight in strong winds to prevent the tent flapping around.

Unfortunately our tent is too big for our garden so we can't practice! So although we're getting marginally better at it, I'm worried that if we have a large gap in between uses we'll forget it all over again...

 

[Mike Benis]

Does Caspar still sell Tentipi? When I last spoke to him he tried pushing his new own-brand tipi on to me instead.

Yes, he's stil the main importer fopr this copuntry. I think everyone else gets them through him. As far as I know he's never sold another type. Are you sure you're not getting him mixed up with Oliver at Mad Bear who sells Bison and now his own stuff as well?

Cheers

Mike

 

[mark a.]

We got our Tentipi from Stunning Tents who are the "premier retailer" of Tentipi. They hire as well as sell, so maybe that's why they're top dealer... but I've spoken to Caspar a few times and know he's a good egg. Stunning Tents also know Caspar well, but I get the impression that they get their stuff direct from Tentipi.

It was definitely Caspar who talked about a new tipi - one with a built-in floor, apparently. I can't remember any more details. He was going to send me a brochure but I never got one.

 

[littlebiglane]

I have a Tentipi Varrie CP 9 - I know what you mean. Try playing around (once set up) with tensioning the external elastic 'bungees' that run from the top-cap down the outside of the tent. Increasing the tension on those I found did the trick as it pulls down the edges of the top-cap further.

 

[lupus]

i have the nibba 5 man version and never had a problem yet. you can put more tension on the top cover with the tensioner on the out side.
dose the varie have fiberglass rods to tighten the fit round the top opening like the nibba?

 

[sandbender]

dose the varie have fiberglass rods to tighten the fit round the top opening like the nibba?

Yes it does.

 

[Ciaopaddy]

Littlebiglane said it. I also had the same problem, water dripping in as couldn't pul the cap down far enough. But I was trying to pull it down from the inside. I eventually thought of looking outside and adjusting the straps there - I'd simply never noticed them before, doh !

 

[mark a.]

Tensioning the outside bungees was our first port of call. To be honest it didn't really help much. The bit of the cap connected to the bungee had a decent overlap already - it's the bits in between that were flopping in.

Talking about the fibreglass tensioners, I was wondering why they aren't there on the top cap itself (as opposed to just on the top of the tent). The cap should still open ok and, when closed, the cap will always be taught enough to prevent it being blown in.

Of course when it's 100% properly setup both tent and top cap are taught and seal together nicely. It's just getting it 100% right that's the hard part!