Chasing the Storm 2

...Later that year, on April 17, 2016, I got to see some more strong weather in a tent. I had treated our Mountain Trails tent with three cans of aerosol tent dry and I wanted to test the tent. That Saturday night (April 16) I camped with the cubs in the back yard.

That evening we got some winds gust of 20 mph. Clay said the wind sounded like the surf of the Gulf of Mexico. The rain came about 11:00 that night and stayed intermittently through the morning. Two drops made it under the fly through the screen and on my face but the tent was otherwise dry.

So far, so good.

With the short fly, lack of vestibule, minimal tie downs and materials used, this is not an extreme weather tent..

Notice the fly barely covers the screened area, top right corner of the photo. Sometimes wind can push rain through.

Sunday (the 17th), I knew a storm was coming. Weather forecasters warned it was fierce, but no one predicted the amount of rain coming. I decided to spend that night, a work night, in the tent. The kids slept in the house. Some of their toys stayed in the tent.

I went to bed late and some thunderstorms pushed up from the arriving front. It was mostly wind and lightning. The near-constant lightning illuminated the inside of the tent. The entire tent drifted and popped in the wind. I woke to the sound of the flapping tent and the flashing lightening kept me up. I felt like I was in a combination wind tunnel and strobe light. Intermittent rain combined with the winds and now and again a mist b;asted through the screen from under the short fly. Just another thing to wake me now and again.

I eventually managed a full hour of uninterrupted sleep. Then the predicted storm struck. I awoke to a couple drops of water hitting my face. It was a little before 1:00 am. The sound of heavy rain on the fly was intense, but there was no wind now. I contemplated toughing it out...but something was different. The air in the tent was damp.

In the beam of my penlight I saw fine mist suspended inside the tent. Also thousands of water drops clung to the underside of the fly. Any gust of wind and they would drip of the fly, through the screen to douse me. My sleeping bag and I would be drenched. The tent floor was damp with fine, near dust like a layer of unpooled spray. Meanwhile the rain pounded, and pounded and pounded the tent fly. It was loud. I waited ten or fifteen minuets for a break in the rain. It never stopped raining, but there was a lessening and I made a dash for the house.

I spent the rest of my pre work morning on the couch. Though less disturbing, the onslaught of rain and lightening continued to disturb my sleep. For a while I regretted abandoning the tent but I had my health and work to take care of. As the heavy rain pounded I felt better about my middle of the night move.

At 4:00 am the wake up alarm on my smart phone sounded. A little later I attempted to go to work. I found all roads a mile from my house flooded. With the exceptions of hurricanes Katarina, Rita and Ike I have not been rained out from work. This flood became locally known as The Tax Day Flood. According to local news sources this storm dumped 24" of rain in 24 hours. Unlike so many other storms that flood Houston, the Tax Day Flood was not a tropical disturbance. It was just a very strong storm system that swooped across Texas from the north west to the south east.

Technically the tent failed, but considering storm and tent design it is hard to complain.

The Houston Tax Day Flood and I pushed the tent beyond its design parameters.

Well, I found out that tent would not endure that kind of exceptional weather. I have a tent now that may stand up to that force, so maybe next time. One thing I have learned over the years. Most people, including myself are concerned with a tents ability to shed the rain. This is important, but I have since learned the wind is a tents real arch rival.

Thanks for reading,

MSM

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