New 10.0 leaking

[pilgrim]

It is not good to have a leaking tent.  I just bought a  2013 Quicksilver 10.  I had it set up in driveway during two day of recent Houston rain and no leaks!!  And supposedly I have one of the old tents that weren't good.

[aznighthiker]

Any updates Susanne ?

[thriftybill]

I've been tenting for 50 years now. I don't own a QS yet, but its basically a tent on top of an aluminum box. So all the issues I have had with tents are going to be something to watch out for with the QS.

I have a motorcycle pop up camper, its a tent on top of a fiberglass box (Bunkhouse brand). In my experience so far, tent leaks are all about seams. That's why pretty much any camping store sells a myriad of seam sealers. If/when I acquire a QS, I will be setting it up in the yard, either waiting for a good rain storm, or dragging out the hose and going to town. I'll leave it in the sun to dry, then repeat a couple of times.

I'm definitely NOT taking it on a big trip until I know it doesn't leak.


While I have been considering a used unit, this thread encourages me to look at a new one, as a warranty would come in handy if the tent is defective. Replacing tents is expensive for Livin Lite, terrible for their reputation, and a hassle for the customer.

I wonder do they use tape on all seams, like most good tents use?

[mary59mac]

Thriftybill,
How do you like your Bunkouse camper? I am have a  QS 6.0 but I can't set it up if I am alone. I would really like something I can tow with my puny Chevy Cavalier that I can set up and take down by myself.  
I have been looking at other motorcycle campers and am interested in an Aspen Ambassador (based in Chicago suburb). Are you at all familiar with that brand?
Thanks!

[pjcd]

I own a 6.0, no issues yet with leaks, putting it up alone is time consuming, but it can be done. It took less time to set up my old Coleman pop up, (when doing it alone).

[mary59mac]

pjcd- My problem is I am short and I don't have the strength to ooomph the top open by myself. I could probably get it closed up alone though. I keep thinking I need a system to jack it up past vertical so it can "fall" open. I had someone make a brace to "catch" it so it doesn't fall too far open and put too much pressure on the hinges, but I just can't oomph it open alone unfortunately. And since I am 62 yrs old it will only get harder for me as I get older.

[pjcd]

lillipets- your right, flipping the bed by yourself can be iffy. it definitely goes up easier with two people.

[christianm]

[quote source="/post/12802/thread" timestamp="1435593254" author="@kinyo"]Here is an update:

On last friday night, I have leak tested the tent with my garden hose for a good 15-20 minutes.

Not even a drop of water inside the tent after the test!

I have sealed the outside seams with this spray:

http://www.mec.ca/product/5018-964/nikwax-tent-and-gear-solar-proof-500ml/

and sealed the inside seams with this stuff:

http://www.mec.ca/product/5002-946/gear-aid-silnet-silicone-seam-sealer/?icid=faithful_companion_mec_silicone_guides_tarp

Both were really easy to apply and the complete job took less than 1 hour. I let the Silnet cure for a good 48 hours before water testing.

I will never know if it's the week of leaving the tent in the driveway with a lot of rain and sun shine that seasoned the tent and resolved the infiltrations or it's the sealing job that work, but i'm glad that this problem seem to be fixed.

I'll keep you posted on the results when we hit out first rain while campaing. And in case, I have a new spare tube in the tent

Kinyo[/quote]SO glad the problem has been fixed (hopefully it's permanent!). If you run into any more issues or need help, PLEASE don't hesitate to contact me. I would be happy to put you in touch with customer service! Happy camping :-) 

[christianm]

Our 8.0 leaks horribly. Brand new 2015. Leaks in all four corners at the seams. Our family vacation was ruined. We will call the dealer tomorrow and try to unload this lemon. Hugely disappointing. 

Suzanne, 
I am so sorry to hear that you've been having issues with your 8.0. Though an apology doesn't get you back your family vacation, it is the first step in making this right! I have private messaged you to see how I can help on behalf of Livin Lite. 

Thanks!

[thriftybill]

Thriftybill,
How do you like your Bunkouse camper? I am have a  QS 6.0 but I can't set it up if I am alone. I would really like something I can tow with my puny Chevy Cavalier that I can set up and take down by myself.  
I have been looking at other motorcycle campers and am interested in an Aspen Ambassador (based in Chicago suburb). Are you at all familiar with that brand?
Thanks!

I have owned an Aspen and the Bunkhouse. The Bunkhouse has a nicer finish for sure, and better resale. Both are very similar functionally. Either is super easy to set up by yourself, both are super light weight, around 300 pounds. Whenever someone asks me how much does it weigh, I ask them how much does your gear weigh? If you put 300 pounds of stuff in it, the weight goes up accordingly.

On motorcycle camping on longer trips, the Bunkhouse and Aspen both just don't tow as nice as my little tear drop cargo trailer (Escapade). So I tow it instead. But my wife will not sleep on the ground. So if we are going together, I am taking the bunkhouse. Realize towing behind a two wheel vehicle is quite different than towing behind a car. And a boxy trailer that might be really small behind a car, is pretty big behind a motorcycle. You notice it on two wheels. And a little sideways push that you would not notice on a truck will make you pucker up on a motorcycle.

We have a full sized pickup along with a small Honda Element. The Element is really limited towing wise, so I have been thinking about pulling the Bunkhouse behind it. Then again, my F150 is so much more comfortable.

The Bunkhouse is really the standard of the motorcycle pop-up industry. Everything gets compared to it. IMHO, the Bunkhouse is the best of that type of pop-up.

Behind my pickup truck, the QS sounds better. Sink, dinette, AC, two beds, heat, stove. All are features that are missing from the Bunkhouse (you can add an AC).

For what they are, both the Bunkhouse and Aspen have good storage. Of course, motorcycle travelers are used to packing light, really light. I rarely/never have the storage on the camper full.

The other really NICE thing about the Bunkhouse and the Aspen is they take up very little space in the garage. I turn them 90 degrees and store them in front of my car. I haven't measured it, but its something like 4 feet wide, and maybe 8 or 9 feet long including the tongue. And its so light, its easy to more around.

[admin]

I'm sorry the dealer let you down like that. After the tent has been soaked and died it should seal up. My 10.0 has been through a bunch of storms with no leaks. It still surprises me because I can see light through some of the stitching but still no leaks.

[idlerockfarm]

I got mine and camped the next weekend without sealing the seams.  I had a towel and paper towels ready, but mine made it through the storm without leaking.  I have a 2016 6.0 and they went back to Top Stitch which had worked well before the years of complaints with another manufacturer, from what I've read on the forum.

I can see light through my seams, too.

Lilipets, I can get the top up, but I have read about people who have a padded pole to keep it from flopping down too fast.  I might need to get that, too.

[debiski]

Our 2014 8.0 has been through a lot of rain and has stayed dry as a bone (knock on wood). It was brand new when we bought it but I think I remember the dealer telling us they had used it at a camping show for demonstration purposes. I keep it set up in the yard all summer, except if I know high winds are approaching so it sees lots of weather. I often wonder if constantly yard camping is depleting the canvas of it's wear value for "actual" camping. We don't get out nearly as often as I'd like and to me, yard camping is my happy place when I have to be home. Any opinions?

[chuck893]

[quote timestamp="1468077123" source="/post/22881/thread" author="@debiski"]Our 2014 8.0 has been through a lot of rain and has stayed dry as a bone (knock on wood). It was brand new when we bought it but I think I remember the dealer telling us they had used it at a camping show for demonstration purposes. I keep it set up in the yard all summer, except if I know high winds are approaching so it sees lots of weather. I often wonder if constantly yard camping is depleting the canvas of it's wear value for "actual" camping. We don't get out nearly as often as I'd like and to me, yard camping is my happy place when I have to be home. Any opinions?[/quote]We are not even sure how many days and nights of camping we've managed with our 8.1 since 2010, but it's a lot. We camped to tour after retirement, so we'd go out for literal months, camping all the way. In 2014 we were out for 99 straight days in "high summer" all over the American west. Rosie is still on her original tent, though storm, wind (on that trip we thought once we were gonna lose her in Colorado when the wind was gusting to over 60 mph), hail, you name it. The original tent still holds, and I've wondered how long that can keep up because of the intense UV she's been exposed to, sometimes camping at 7 or 8,000 feet. We had to pull in our horns last year because of inevitable health issues so our camping days seem to be behind us, but it was a great run while it lasted, and Rose still probably has some outings left in her if we can manage it. I'm not saying you shouldn't worry about the UV exposure (I did), but if it gets some shade from trees or something it may be tougher than we think. 

[debiski]

I keep the camper parked on the east side of the house, so it sees sun for 4-5 hours a day. The remainder of the day it's shaded by the house (see picture). The house also blocks nearly ALL wind and a good amount of rainfall. It's tucked in by the house, a large tree, and the neighbor's garage so she's pretty protected.

In case anyone is wondering why it's parked so CLOSE to the house...that's actually our property line. Our neighbors said they didn't care if we made it wider but I didn't want it to become an issue in the future so we just kept the pad small.


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