tent longevity

Wife and I have a 8 year old Redverz tent that the rainfly is beginning to show its age with cracks and now small holes from packing /use from, the sun. no issues with zippers or seams, is there anything that could be put on rainfly to to help protect from the sun. Yes I know 8 years is a good run for a tent that has seen alot of use. Probably will order another Redverz tent but want to delay sun damage.

I'm sure there are spray or wash on products that will help with UV protection/damage. Odd to me, I have a tent that has to be close to 20 years old with no damage at all. I would get in touch with Redverz direct and ask them their thoughts on it, maybe they will get you into a new fly? One other thing to consider is how you pack your tent. If you roll it or fold it the same way every time you can create wear points at the folds etc. Personally I stuff my tents so it's always random. Good luck.

If the rest of your Redverz is in good shape, could get a replacement rain fly?

I too would check with the manufacture. I had a similar issue with an older North Face tent (Kelty) I really liked it, but there was no replacement for the rain cover. North Face then offered me any tent they made for half price! I bought a light weight 2 person tent because I thought I'd be using my DRZ 400e for traveling as it was my only bike. It's a great tent, but not as roomy as my previous one.

I have a couple Eureka tents my dad gave me. He used the heck out of them then gave them to me. He used to fly way up to the NW Territories and canoe camp. Plus elk hunting in the Rockies. I haven't used them much but they have to be 30-40 years old and in good shape.

With the newer materials it seems that 10 years is about it for a fly, unless you get a Hilleberg or Exped tents that have the extra UV inhibitors in the fly materials that are made for high alpine camping in the winter and summer... Hopefully Redverse will help out the OP.

I'm a huge fan of Big Agnes camping products. My 10 year old Copper Spur tent probably has at least 150 days of backcountry/motorcycle camping and it's still completely waterproof and going strong.

Tent longevity

Some last better than others. I've found that a four-season tent is a bit heavier but generally lasts longer than a lighter three-season tent. Just make sure that it has enough ventilation for those hot and humid summer nights that you may encounter. A double wall tent (tent+ rainfly) although heavier has given me much longer life than the single wall tents.

I had been using a Mountain Hardwear "Nightview", a three+ season tent that finally gave up the ghost after 19 years and over 400 nights of use. Last year I replaced it with, and highly recommend, the EXPED Orion 3. It provides lots of fresh air and a bombproof shelter for storms. Most of my other tents, usually bought for lighter weight, have not fared as well but would usually give me at least five years. Storage also matters. I lost several tents due to delamination mostly due to storage in humid areas (i.e. the South).

I've used a lot of tents over the last fifty years, and for weight, watertightness and design, today's crop would have had me and my friends drooling.

DaveSlash5 said:

Some last better than others.

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If we get three years out of a tent it is just fine. But when touring in the summer (too hot at home in Texas Big Bend) we usually tent 60 to 90 days a year.

My Nightview must be 20 years old and it's still going strong. I switched out to an MSR HubbaHubba mostly for the bigger vestibule space but it is also a little lighter. I have to say that Nightview is a very well made piece of kit and will stand up to just about anything weather wants to throw at it and I wouldn't hesitate to use it in winter if I was of a mind to. I too spent many many nights in it. That being said I should sell it as I doubt I'll want to go back to it and I really need to start getting rid of stuff I don't use anymore.

We have a ten year old Nomad that is what is now called Redverz. It is in good shape but gets limited use. It is too big for my taste for taking on long trips, so we use it for rallys when we will be in one place for a few days.

Hi Skibum69,

The Nightview was one good tent; I'm glad yours is still holding up. Mine gave out due to UV degradation of the fly after a LOT of use and developed a multitude of pinholes. It was tough getting rid of the rest of the tent, which was still good, but I have too many tents in my "collection". If I could have acquired a new fly I would still be using it. The orange fly really made it visible at the rallies.
I decided to upscale to a 3 person tent to get a bit more elbow room. The Exped Orion 3 is a bit of a palace after the Nightview, but at about the weight and pack size I like it. It is also great for ventilation.

I just checked in the garage and I still have the poles and ground cloth for the Nightview. If you have need of them just let me know.

Both of my 30+ year old Eureka tents are still going strong. Like me, they are getting a little tattered and faded, but they still keep the bugs and rain out. I'd contact Redverz and see what they say about it.

Thanks for the offer Dave, I just set mine up in the living room today to check it out and it'd in surprisingly good condition all the way round. As I haven't even looked at it since I got my HubbaHubba I just put it up for sale on Kajiji which is the Canuck equivalent to Craigslist. That and a cook set and sleeping pad to try to move stuff taking up space. I hadn't looked at it in a couple of years and forgot just how Nic a tent it really is. I liked the colour as it made for a good mood if you were trapped for awhile.