Tents hate me!

[VirginiaWoolf]

Last summer (under a different name) I related the sad tale of our brand new Vango tent (Breckenridge) with 6 leaks, discovered at the beginning of a week's holiday 7.5 hours drive from home - naturally we discovered the leaks due to awful weather. The tent was duly replaced, even as we put the second new one (another Breckenridge) up we found the holes in the roof.........
So, after much agonising and hours of tent porn we bought a different beastie altogether, a Robens Evenstar XL, which we used for the first time last week (3 nights away; weather forecast got it wrong, awful rain) - which leaks in 11 places. I don't mean little 'stitching needs to swell' leaks, I mean drips all over the tent including right through into the bedrooms (damp sleeping bag, anyone?) This is particularly unfortunate as I am not a huge fan of camping in the first place! - But DH and the DC are. Are we jinxed/unlucky, or is something out there trying to tell me something!!!!!? We've paid quite a lot for what were supposed to be quality tents, what's going on?
(Exhales. Relaxes on sofa)

Sorry, just needed to vent there.
Wah! Shouldn't have mentioned the word 'vent' as it's the seams around the vents that leak. Wah!

(Looks for corkscrew....)

Hmmmm, seems you are very unlucky. (Whispers, are you sure you are not over stretching the tent when you are erecting it...).

SHA - great name! Thanks for replying to my feeble whinge. I don't think that we're overstretching it; DH is always in charge of the erection process and he's quite experienced....... Are they really that delicate??? (Tents, I mean )

Also, what about taking duct tape to stick over the leaky areas?

Hmm, I suppose so - just that we'd hoped that with a (series of!) posh new tent(s) we wouldn't have to patch them up on the first trip in that way! We do realise that new tents often leak a little when brand new, but this was something else. Just seems bizarre to have had 3 consecutive duds!

Had a similar problem with a Coleman tent we bought last year- wasn't the seams, the fabric simply wasn't waterproof. I've never had this before. I hope you find a good tent soon. You have been very unlucky to have this happen three times.

When we took the tent back to the shop, there was a big stack of the same tent in the returns section- it must just be a bad batch, but we had lost so much confidence it it wee just took it back and went elsewhere.