Set up Cabela Alaskan Guide in heavy rain?

[Conscientia]

I recently got an 8 person Cabela Alaskan Guide tent. It has worked great, most recently in Western Pennsylvania as the remnants of Hurricane Delta passed through. How can you set this up during a heavy rain without having the whole tent be soaked inside and out? I talked on the phone with someone in Cabela's camping department and he didn't know. He suggested getting a large tarp to put over the tent while setting up. I am not interested in adding another piece of equipment to take up room in my car. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[MT257]

not sure you can get it set up with out it being a bit wet during a rain event unless you put something over the top of it. Good luck.

 

[Tim in Wa.]

I had one and loved it but always had the same concern. My plan was to suspend a large tarp over it.I never had to do it

 

[2rsquared]

I have the Cabelas Outfitter Extreme Weather Tent. It is the one that was advertised to withstand winds from a jet airplane. I think it's similar to yours.

I did what this guy did in this video...

I made a "pitch kit" with paracord and cheap tent stakes. It properly spaces the tent frame/poles so that you can set up the outer rainfly first, then set up the inner tent while working inside and out of the rain.

This homemade "pitch kit" also allows me to set it up by myself.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Conscientia]

2rsquared--that's a different tent. the Alaska guide is a dome.

Tim in Wa.--your post gave me an idea. the problem with a tarp besides taking space in my car is that it's heavy. they wouldn't let me upgrade to aluminum poles (my brother in law has the 8 person alaskan guide and they had let him upgrade but said it wasn't available to me in spring 2020 when I bought the same tent) and the fiberglass poles are heavy and already a bear to lift up when threaded through the triangle of sleaves at the top of the tent. So having a tarp on it, and working in the rain, seemed like a non starter. But at least, I think, if I bring just a roll of polyethylene it won't take much space and it doesn't have to be very rugged because it's just temporary till the fly is on. and it should be light enough not to cause extra problems about lifting.

I'll have to try this some time.

Another idea--I have extension poles I bought from Ace Hardware to put the vestibule flap up (there's more to it but that's another story) and maybe there is some way i can use one to lift the center of the tent up from the inside. temporarily when the tarp/plastic is on it and it is hard to lift up. have to have some kind of light plywood shape so not to pierce anything above and something to put it on to preserve the floor and bottom of the tent. I'm not sure if this is a good idea but i'll report on it if i try it.,

and another thing--there are some problems with the tent design that i have some solutions for and there is no video about it so hopefully i will make such a video, some day when i have too much time on my hands.

 

[Rokwiia]

I had the 6-man Guide and now have the 8-man Guide tent. Not sure you can avoid getting wet.

You can make sure all doors and windows are zipped up. Then, you can jerry-rig something at home to cover the ceiling mesh area (velcro strips with solid fabric?) of the tent. That should stop most of the rain fromgetting inside the tent.