Might as well bump this again. Most of it has been said, but I'll add that with tents you generally get what you pay for. I wouldn't buy a new tent that costs less than ~$150. And if the place you're shopping for tents has more than a few tents for under $100, I probably wouldn't recommend getting your tent there. That's not to say that WalMart, Target, and the like don't have some serviceable tents, but they sell more bad tents than decent tents. And many of the nicer tents sold by more outdoor-oriented stores have lifetime warranties in case you ever snap a pole or have the shock cords go limp. The above may sound harsh, but a tent is THE piece of gear that can make the difference between a horrible camping experience and a fun one. All it takes is cutting a trip short once, or having to hang sleeping bags out to dry, and the cost difference between a nice tent and a cheap one seems trivial. I can tell you that sitting in a nice Kelty tent during a pretty severe thunderstorm knowing we would stay dry sure beats my old cheap tent where you hoped you wouldn't get too wet. All that said, a tent with a full rain fly is a must. The fly should come almost to the ground on all sides. If there's an open side at the door, the fly needs to have a pretty good awning/overhang so rain doesn't easily drip/blow onto the tent itself. Most good tents have taped/sealed seams from the factory but I usually use SeamGrip on floor corner stitching to keep the holes made by the threads from getting enlarged by stress/age. A footprint and/or tarp under the tent can help keep water out from under then tent floor. These MUST be smaller than the perimeter of the tent floor so any water shedding off the tent/fly walls doesn't run onto the tarp/footprint and then between it and the tent floor. Depending on the temperatures you camp in, you might look for tents that have vents in the rain fly. There are even some tents that have zippers in the tent that provide access to the rain fly vents from inside. If it's raining out and the tent gets steamy (or cold), you can open or close the vents without having to go out in the mud/rain. So I'd recommend getting a new tent: no tarps to try to hang and make sure they don't collect water, no Easy-Ups to lug around, just a good tent/fly/footprint combo that does the job right all by themselves.

deckeoboe: If they tilit in it seems to me more rain would get in. It seems like the rain often comes down at an angle. If the window tilted out at the bottom, then less rain would get in. This is all in theory, or at least in my head. I have sliders right now and rain gets in and has ruined some of our blinds and window sills. I've read read as well that tilt and turns are common in europe, often with a similar rainy climate. So I would imagine they must be good in rain, but I just don't see how.

Thanks, abbisgram and cathyyg! I appreciate both of your answers. Abbisgram, I hadn't considered the idea that after changing out windows the awnings may no longer fit. Thank you for pointing that out! Cathyyg, folks out here use awnings more for rain than sun, perhaps because it rains so much here! :-) However, after reading your and abbisgram's advice, and finding out how much awnings cost, I have abandoned the idea for now. I'm lucky in that so far the windows don't appear to be leaking. The water marks on the ceiling in the LR and back bedroom appear to be coming from the roof. I'm hoping the snow coat will stop that until I can afford to get the roof over next summer/autumn. The two places where the floor has soft spots are by the front and back doors. I just put in a new screen door in the front, and I hope that will help until I can get the roof over. I had first thought of awnings for front and back doors, just to try to get less water cascading down from the roof. Although the windows aren't leaking yet, I was acting with an over abundance of caution. Of course, you are both right: awnings will not stop 100% of the water, but I was thinking that even if they stop 85% of it, that would be better than nothing. The previous owners put in two new double pane windows. But when I put in new windows, I'll do all of them so they match. Yes, cathyyg, the new roof over will be sloped. We don't get snow like you do, but we get some, and once in a while we get a lot. You and abbisgram are right: water/moisture is the enemy! My renovation will take nearly three years, because I'm paying cash for everything as money becomes available. I'm prioritising the structural integrity of the house first: roof over (with insulation), siding and insulting the walls, all new vinyl windows, insulated skirting, repair subfloor where necessary and overlay with 3/8" plywood, insulated vinyl or laminate flooring throughout (use large area rugs in LR, bedrooms). Am I missing anything here?? When that's all done, we can start the beautification phase, lol. A big kitchen overhaul, remodel bathrooms, paint/wallpaper throughout, etc. And knock out big/ugly china cabinet separating LR from K/DR to make it open concept. I had originally thought of the awnings as a stop-gap measure. But WOW are they expensive!! So I'm not going to do that; however, what would you think about awnings just for the two doors??? I would really value your advice! And anyone is welcome to chime in with their two cent's worth! THANK YOU!!

If it's shady, or at least shaded in the afternoon, Geranium macrorrhizum. If it's mostly sunny, G. 'Biokovo' or 'Karmina'.