MSR dragontail lets water flow straight through- any opinions?

This last week I used a MSR dragontail tent that belongs to the project that I work for (I do field research). I used it 3 nights and never received huge amounts of rain but on the 2 afternoons that it drizzled, it seamed that as much moisture worked its way into the tent as fell outside, it just took longer to sit on the wall and permeate slowly, before pooling on the floor. Now I don't see a huge amount of uproar on the internet so I assume that mine must be a one-off case, because no one would buy a tent like this and not return it. My two hypotheses are: 1) upon close inspection the tent has been stored damp and there is some mildew/mold in some areas but I don't think it explains the total leakage, 2) Inside the tent bag there is a tag that says "SAMPLE"- does anyone know of MSR using different materials for sample products? doing something silly like reversing the breathable wall material (it seamed like the material was trying to pull water from outside into the tent) or any other reasons to explain my situation?

Thanks for any input

I've sat in the rain and snow in mine a few times and although the inside can develop condensation (single wall tent), I've never had pools on the floor. Do you have any photos of the tent or the setup? Where was the main water flow coming in?

I`d go with your sample theory. Especially if the tent belongs to a project you work for, I`m sure they`ll try to get the best quality for the cheapest price. Its a sample for a reason, it was probably set up in a store somewhere as a floor model. Either that or someone used a hell of a lot of bug spray in or around the tent...

The first time I tried to blame it on condensation, but the second time it spent a short rain sprinkle in the afternoon without people in it and the pools were just as big. The moisture was collecting across all of the material, beading and then running to the floor (not seams particularly).

I've included the only picture I had, this was the first time it was set up. The second time I made sure everything was as tight as it could possibly be and the moisture still came in.

I kinda like the bug spray idea since I have no doubt that a field tech last year would not have though twice about filling the tent with deet...

thanks for the continued input

If you sprinkle water on the rain fly, it should bead up and run off rather than soaking in. If it doesn't bead up, then the DWR, water repellent coating on the fly is not working right. This could be due to improper storage or overuse of other chemicals like bug spray (or age although your tent isn't that old). You can try recoating it with a spray-on DWR. I used the Nikwax spray-on product (think it's called Tent and Solar Proof) on a much older backpacking tent, and after recoating it is much better. Probably won't make it expedition-worthy, but should at least hold off a moderate rain.