Hi guys.

Two Years ago I bought a used Goudplevier off marktplaats. It is a few years old but it looks very good. No stains at all.
When I was camping with it last year everything was great, wind and rain were no problem for the tent.

This year though I realised that in very heavy rain it was kind of leaking. There were no real leaks visible, but it seemed like there was something like mist or "water dust" coming through the fabric. I felt it very light on my skin and could even see it against a light source.

It also smells weird when it is raining. The inside of the tent starts smelling kind of moldy even though there is no mold visible anywhere.

My questin now is, is this normal in very heavy rain to have this sort of "visible dampness"? Does someone know what that means for the tent. Can it be reproofed or should I just accept it as it is?

Thank you for your answers!

The fibers of the fabric must tighten, this is normal with cotton. That it smells in the tent can be a lack of ventilation, and depends on the ground you are standing on. never impregnate cotton tents. If the tent really leaks (is not the case now) then you can do it as an "emergency measure" otherwise not. When impregnated, the cloth can no longer breathe.

So it is normal to feel tiny drops on my skin in the tent and see tiny drops in the air during heavy rain?

only the first time after the tent was in store.

The tent is about 15 years old. So that probably means something is up with the fabric and the rain proofing then right?

Years is not important, userweeks counts.
De waard say 40 -50 userweeks.

real leaks starts at the seams at the tent, most at the roof/ front seam.

You can vacuum the the fabric. (Dirt can be in the fibres) use a small soft brush at the cleaner.

Do you know if De Waard repair service can do something about that like professionally reproof the tent or something like that?

Or do I just have to live with the interior getting damp and slightly wet when it is raining heavily?

De Waard cant help with reproofing.

When you are sitting in a !!!totally dry tent!!! (really, really bone dry) and the rain starts and then you feel slowly rain/fine drops coming through, then you may have a problem. If you go to bed and heavy rain comes overnight and the next morning the tent is inside moist on the inside walls and wind leads to small rain drops flying around in the tent, then it could be very moist air overnight and certain coldness that lead to very strong inside condensation and very fine moisture particles coming through from the air, which is okay IMHO.

We are just back from the Bretagne (Brittany) and we have had in a similar cotton tent from another here well respected manufacturer in 12 days often rain showers with no effect, but I would say in 12 nights roughly three mornings where the inside of the tent felt exceptionally wet/moist when going with the hand over the inside wall/roof, without !!!any!!! visible leakage. That came from certain temps and standing very close to the water line in the dunes of that campsite. The rest of the time the tent was bone dry, also when raining. The tent had such a behavior from the start when we bought it new.

Goudpleviers have been made in various cotton varieties over the years and some of them may behave differently than others. Until you clearly see a continoues dropping of drops, a clear spot of leakage, I would not worry. Unless your cotton is worn out, which we can only judge, if you post some pictures and even then it may not be clear. Reproofing a tent is like the last hope and I would only touch that topic, as I said it before elsewhere, when all, all, all, all, all, other alternatives have failed. Also know, that when reproofing, it will not only change the properties as Kaatje said, but also you need to reproof the whole roof, as otherwise the reproofed "parts" will get a slight different color tone.... reproofing was very common on lightweight cotton tents, probably the lightweight cotton has different properties and of course breathes differently.