Originally Posted by
fuzz2050
I'm going to have to disagree about the lifespan of the tent though, my tent (or one of them) is going on thirty years old, and it's just starting to show it's age. It did cost an arm and a leg when it was purchase, but it's decades of great service have been more than worth it. It's still lighter than most of the tents on the market right now. The only reason I'm still not using it is because I loaned it out, (big mistake) and the borrower let the fly mildew, so the waterproof coating has begun to wear off. I've done some work to renew it, but there is only so much can be done.
A heavy tent will probably last longer like you experienced, but the tents I was talking about were backpacking and ultralight bicycle touring tents; and these people were either hiking or touring a lot, not once or twice a year or even a month, but all summer each and every day. I guess if someone wanted the ultimate in durability for a tent they should look into a Springbar made of canvas that weighs 20 pounds for a 2 person tent; at least with a tent of that heft you would be getting a great workout hauling it around. I also know that tents built 30 years ago are not the same as the ones built today...today's tents are not up to par. I had a family tent that was 30 years old too when I replaced it due to discoloration and like yours the waterproof coating was coming off, and the one I replaced it with cost more, of course with inflation, but is no where near the quality.
Thanks for the tarp info, interesting stuff.