Are all tents waterproof? The simple answer is no, not all tents are waterproof. First, you want to check to waterproof tent ratings, if the hydrostatic head rating is lower than 1,000 mm your tent is not considered waterproof. Keep reading if you want to learn what hydrostatic head means and what other factors you should take into account before buying a “waterproof” tent.
Are all tents waterproof? The short answer.
The short answer would be that not all camping tents are waterproof. First, a fabric can only be considered waterproof if the hydrostatic head rating is higher than 1,000 mm. I will explain what hydrostatic head means in the next section – titled waterproof tent ratings.
That said, your tent might have a very good hydrostatic head rating, it might still not be completely waterproof. There are multiple design flaws that could occur, which might result in a non-waterproof tent.
One of the most common tent design flaws is water seeping in through the seams. Now, you could apply/improve the seam sealing yourself – some tents are already seam sealed when you buy them, some are not. Additionally you could apply DWR (durable water repellent) yourself, in order to improve the waterproofness of your tent.
Additionally, tents might be poorly designed so that water might seep in through ventilation holes or entrances when there is a lot of wind in combination with rain. This might not be the biggest issue in milder circumstances, but it might be very problematic when you have to spend the night in a storm.
In case you are looking for solid, waterproof tents, after hours of research, I decided to share my knowledge by creating a list of the best lightweight 2 person tents.
Are waterproof tent ratings a correct indication?
You could use the waterproof rating as an indication, but you shouldn’t interpret it as a magic number that is directly linked to the waterproofness of your tent. It’s only linked to the waterpoofness of the fabric that was used in that tent.
On top of that, manufacturers are often very vague/incorrect with the ratings that are given. Often, manufacturers will create their own rating systems or use lesser known waterproof ratings (not all waterproof ratings are hydrostatic head ratings). Also, there are plenty of manufacturers that don’t even provide any type of rating.
So there is no easy way for you to find out how waterproof your tent actually is. The best you can do is look at multiple reviews and manual tests (with a water hose for example). Try to find honest reviews from people that have used that tent during stormy weather. Those are the most valuable reviews when it comes to learning about the waterproofness of a camping tent.
Meaning of waterproof tent ratings
As I already mentioned, there are multiple types of waterproof ratings that are used for tents. The best-known type is the hydrostatic head rating. Let me start by explaining what hydrostatic head means:
The hydrostatic head (HH) rating (also called the water column rating) is the most common way of rating the level of waterproofing. These ratings will indicate how waterproof a fabric is. They might be used for tents, but also for other waterproof gear like jackets. These ratings are determined by testing how much water a fabric can hold before the water starts to seep through. This is tested by holding a tube filled with water over the fabric and see at when it starts to leak.
For a more in-depth explanation of the hydrostatic head rating, take a look at this article.
The ip rating or Ingress Protection Rating is another common way to rate the waterproofing of certain fabrics.
The biggest problems with these ratings is that they do not always seem to be correct. A lot of manufacturers don’t even present these ratings to the customers.
What does a “waterproof tent” actually mean
It’s hard to come up with a definition to answer this question. However, I will give you an explanation about the waterproofness of tent fabrics.
Even when water start seeping through your fabric, it’s not like it will actually rain inside your tent. The inside of the outer wall of your tent will simply become wet. Note, that condensation (with a poorly ventilated tent) could basically result in the same result.
If you use a double wall tent, the outer wall might be wet in the inside, but the inner wall will still be completely dry. The most important thing is to make sure that nothing is touching the outer wall.
In certain tents, water might be collected at the bottom of the tent. Once again, the design of the tent is to blame more than the waterproofness of the fabrics that are used.
Not too long ago I wrote an article about the 4 best waterproof hiking jackets. In this article I also talked a lot about waterproof ratings and hydrostatic head. However, for a jacket, these ratings are a lot more important than for a tent.
Why? Well, jackets will constantly touch your body, which means that once water starts to seep through, your clothing underneath will become wet very fast. In a well designed tent however, nothing has to touch that outer wall and waterproof ratings become a lot less important.
If you start looking at these ratings, you will also notice that waterproof ratings on jackets are a lot higher than on tents – now you know why.
How can you improve the waterproofness of your tent
There are a couple of things you can do yourself in order to improve the waterproofness of your tent.
The first and most obvious measurement would be to apply DWR. Note that most new tents will have a DWR finish, but DWR wears off after a while. Reapplying/reviving this DWR could really improve the overall waterproofness of your tent.
Another thing you could do, is seam seal your tent. Now, if you bought a brand new tent, it might be seam sealed by default. If this is the case, you are good to go. If you tent isn’t seam sealed, you could do it yourself.
Some tents really have leaks at the seams. If this is the case, seam sealing is obviously super important. In all cases, you could apply seam sealing just as a precaution. Better safe than sorry, better dry than wet!
Also, if your tent got damaged, you could try to repair it with some simple tent repair tape.
Seam sealer and DWR spray can simply be bought from amazon.
For a more in-depth guide to how to waterproof your tent, you could take a look at this article: How to waterproof your tent.
Conclusion
In the end, there is no magic number to decide how waterproof a tent is. Yes, it can be helpful to know the waterproof rating (hydrostatic head) of the fabric that was used in your tent. But don’t give too much value to this number.
The design of a tent is a lot more important than the actual waterproof rating of the fabrics when it comes to staying dry.
As I already said, reviews of real life experiences are a lot more valuable than numbers in this case.
So, are all tents waterproof? No, they are not, but at the same time, it’s pretty hard to define a waterproof tent. Note that waterproof does not mean that water will never be able to seep through, it simply means that a fabric will provide a certain amount of resistance before it does. Generally, a fabric needs to have a hydrostatic head rating of at least 1,000 mm before it can be called waterproof. If it has a lower rating, it will be called water-resistant or water-repellent.
Note that 1,000 mm hydrostatic head is very low for a jacket. For reference: I would only recommend jackets with at least 10,000 mm hydrostatic head.
In the end, reviews and research are the only thing that will make sure that you stay dry during the night in your camping tent. If you are looking for a solid tent, I wrote multiple articles about hiking/camping tents.
In case you are looking for a lightweight 2 person tent, you should take a look at the following article: best lightweight 2 person tents.
If you are more of an ultralight hiker, you might be more interested in ultralight trekking pole tents.
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