Waterproofing tent with "scotchguard"?
CarlHK
I've got a 5-year old Eureka tent that lately has been getting damp/wet
during rainstorms. Is this normal for tents this old? When I first
bought it I never had a problem, even in howling rains.
I was thinking of spraying the whole tent with "scotchguard" to help
waterproof it. Is this a good idea? Any other products out there that
are good for water proofing tents? Please, don't tell me my tent is
finished!!
:)
Carl
Douglas Murray
its certainly not unusual for a tent to start leaking after a number of
seasons. my experience with coated nylon tents is that cheap tents or
expensive tents, each is good for about 150 to 200 service days of use.
after that, leaks develop and ultimately the tent becomes more trouble
than its worth. the decision on whether to spend $100 or $500 on a
tent should be driven by the reasonably worst conditions you expect to
use it in...if you're car camping, a cheapy is the most economical way
to go...if you're on an exposed ridge w/ >50mph winds, a bomb-proof
expedition "A-frame" is probably the way to go. that said...
scotchguard or other silicon based aerosol spray will restore some of
the water-shedding/water-proof character of a coated rainfly or tent,
but may require several cans of the stuff. ultimately it is cheaper to
buy a gallon of Thompson's Waterseal or other bulk waterproofer and
either brush or spray it on the tent. i've always used a garden
sprayer for this application, and my 21 year old cheapy tent is still
serving my daughter for weekend trips. a gallon of bulk waterproofer
will coat a small mountain tent two or three times + a nylon
windbreaker or two, this is a lot more economical than the aerosol
cans.
Dale Lindsley
On 25 Apr 1995, CarlHK wrote:
> Hey everyone!
>
> I've got a 5-year old Eureka tent that lately has been getting damp/wet
> during rainstorms. Is this normal for tents this old? When I first
> bought it I never had a problem, even in howling rains.
>
> I was thinking of spraying the whole tent with "scotchguard" to help
> waterproof it. Is this a good idea? Any other products out there that
> are good for water proofing tents? Please, don't tell me my tent is
> finished!!
> :)
> Carl
It probably just needs to have the seams sealed, floof and fly.
D.L.
>
Andy Hiltz
>
> Hey everyone!
>
> I've got a 5-year old Eureka tent that lately has been getting damp/wet
> during rainstorms. Is this normal for tents this old? When I first
> bought it I never had a problem, even in howling rains.
If you've used your tent on a regular basis, the problem is probably
due to a breakdown in the fabric/urethane coating due to ultra-violet
degradation. This is an unavoidable problem. I had a similar experience
with a NF VE-24. I bought one of the first models that came out (back
in 1978 or so) and by 1987, it was leaking through the rain fly.
I tried plastering the seams with seam sealer, since I assumed this is
where the leaking problem was occuring, but it didn't make a damn bit
of difference. So I called NF to determine if I could purchase a replacement
fly. To my surprise, they had slightly modified the dimensions of the VE,
so they suggested that I mail the whole tent back to them for evaluation.
Three weeks later, a brand new VE 24 arrived in the mail.
Talk about backing up a "Lifetime Guarantee".
I would suggest you try re-waterproofing the fly first. If that doesn't
work, consider purchasing a new rain fly (or possibly tent). I know that
sounds crazy, but nylon only holds up so long to UV rays. (Some of the
earlier tent manufacturers used to make their tents out of dacron to
avoid some of the UV problem.
Andy
Dale Brown
>
> Hey everyone!
>
> I've got a 5-year old Eureka tent that lately has been getting damp/wet
> during rainstorms. Is this normal for tents this old? When I first
> bought it I never had a problem, even in howling rains.
Carl,
First, take a good look at the fabric. Clean thoroughly, be sure to remove
any peeling Urethane. Now, wipe it down good with Isopropyl alcohol.
Go to the store, and buy a spray can of Thompson's water seal.(about $5?)
Stretch the fabric tight (use whatever means necessary), and spray the stuff
on, in layered coats if necessary, just follow the manufacturer's
instructions.
Try this. Give it a shot, thompson'w is good down to like -30, or something
similar.
Dale
Stuart Hayes
>Hey everyone!
>
>I've got a 5-year old Eureka tent that lately has been getting damp/wet
>during rainstorms. Is this normal for tents this old? When I first
>bought it I never had a problem, even in howling rains.
>
the Canadian distributor (Johnson Distributors, S. Service Rd, Burlington
ON (905) 634-0023) I was warned that a couple were showing UV damage.
UV apparently weakens the material. I do not remember if there was a fix
I don't think that there was, at least according to Johnson. These days
nothing is made to last forever.
Regards,
Stuart Hayes
--
Stuart Hayes | sz...@juts.ccc.amdahl.com |Neither Amdahl Canada nor
| sz...@amail.amdahl.com | Amdahl Corp necessarily
Amdahl Canada Ltd. | | hold the same views as me
Bud Kuenzli
> Hey everyone!
>
> I've got a 5-year old Eureka tent that lately has been getting damp/wet
> during rainstorms. Is this normal for tents this old? When I first
> bought it I never had a problem, even in howling rains.
>
> I was thinking of spraying the whole tent with "scotchguard" to help
> waterproof it. Is this a good idea? Any other products out there that
> are good for water proofing tents? Please, don't tell me my tent is
> finished!!
> :)
> Carl
Carl, I'm going to send you a file that I wrote for another person asking
about seam sealing. I camp in very very rainy areas quite often and might
mention a few things. Part of each summer's preparation for me is to get
my tent ready. I most often use a Himalayan Hotel, but regardless of which
tent I end up taking, before the summer starts I take each tent out and
carefully clean the inside out and inspect it carefully at all seams for a
weakness or failure. I inspect the fly carefully and check all seams. If
the tent is not clean, or if the fly is dirty at all, I hand wash it in
woolight (however you spell that!). Then dry by air (not a drier). That
done, I do indeed spray with Scotchguard. You should spray the fly with a
light mist over the entire outer fly. Let dry, and spray once more. This
goes for tents or clothing that is meant to be water proof. Even if your
jacket is vinyl and can't let water through, by using Scotchguard you will
make the water bead up and slide off, which, in the case of clothing,
means it will not need to evaporate off the jacket and cool you down! This
will actually make waterproof clothing warmer! This is very important for
Gore-Tex type clothing. If the outer layer does not bead and shed water,
the gore-tex cannot work well.
Here is some comments on seam sealing a tent...
The flaking problem is because (I'm assuming...) people are still
using the Seam Sealer product from K-Kote that has been on the market for
20 years. It is all that many people know about and they still use it but
a company, McNett I think is the name, now markets Seam Grip. It is FAR
superior. I used to have to re-seal my tents (plural), including my
Himilayan Hotel each year. That tent alone takes a couple of hours if you
want to do a perfect job for severe weather. Seam grip puts and end to
all that once it is applied; at least in the last couple of years it has
not flaked or had to be retouched at all.
To use Seam Grip most effectively you have to start with clean seams.
If you have old seam sealer on them, you have to get any old flaking stuff
off them. IF the flaky areas on an old seam are not wide and if you can
reasonably cover all the way over that old seam sealer, it will not be
critical to completely rid the tent of the old seam sealer. If there IS
old seam sealer on a tent seam, you will need to be sure that your new
Seam Grip extends beyond the coverage of the old stuff. This Seam Grip
stuff is really tough and wears well and sticks well too. Having said all
that...
Set up the tent, and if you are in your house, drive stakes through
your floor or use tape to stretch the tent (grin) and tape it down. This
will stretch the fabric and open the pores of the fabric stitching holes.
If you are really wanting to do this top notch, let it sit for 4 hours or
so and re-stretch it again. (Not critical). Then have the seam grip and
brush, as well as some Isopropyl alcohol and a small sponge ready. You can
buy special "cleaner" for the tent seams but it's just isoproply alcohol.
Now wipe down a length of seam with a wipe of alcohol. (I'm assuming you
don't need to wash the whole tent. The point here is that all seams need
to be clean and free of oil from your hands and body) It need not be wet
with alcohol, just brushed with a sponge to clean the surface. Just be
sure it is completely clean. Then using the brush, brush seam sealer
UNDER the seam fold, and on top of the seam where the stitching is
visible. If there is no fold on that seam, just brush the length of the
seam with Seam Sealer methodically. Extend a bit past the seam fold and
past the stitching itself (just 1/16" or 1/8" to either side is fine) and
continue down the seam. You need NOT make a big thick layer. This stuff is
good. A nice thin layer should be enough, but you do want to run it under
the seam fold if there is a fold. I seal my tent on both sides of a seam.
I seal the seams in the thick cordura stitching too. You will find, with
practice, a good technique of brushing so that it doesn't take forever,
but this is a slow methodical process that can't be rushed too much. You
aren't brushing like painting...it is more a matter of slow pasting the
stuff on. It is fairly thick.
When you find the Seam Grip in a store you will probably see some
Catalyst. I forget what they call it, but it speeds the set up time, which
is normally about 12 hours. The catalyst stuff is excellent and I've used
it extensively and it works fine. You can't tell any difference in the
final product it just takes less time to set up.
Tip: you probably will NOT complete a tent in one setting since, at
the very least, you will have to turn it upside down and finish the bottom
later. Have a small container (open or not...) to put the brush in. Wipe
it off as thoroughly as possible, squeezing all Seam Grip out of it when
you are done, then soak it in isopropyl alcohol till you need it again.
When you look for isopropyl alcohol you will find most of it is part
water...like 20 or 40%. Look for pure or 95% Isopropyl. It is out there
and will work much better.
Last summer my mud boots (Alaska summer slippers) got a bad crack in
the BOTTOM of the lug sole where it flexes as I walk. I washed it, dried
it well, flexed it and applied seam grip mixed with catalyst (this was out
on an Island in Prince William Sound while paddling with my wife). It
worked fine. I used Seam Grip and catalyst on several "fixes" on that
trip. It is a regular part of my repair kit and one that I use most
frequently next to duct tape. Bring the catalyst for field repair if you
are kayaking or can afford the small weight cost.
I recommend that you do indeed use a isopropyl to remove the old flaky
seam sealer stuff before doing this. It is a pain in the ass, but worth
the time in my opinion. You won't get all the stuff off everywhere, but
the flaky stuff should be taken off if you can get to it. I've had seam
grip on for several seasons and there is no sign of a problem. It can fix
small rips and is great stuff!
Nope, don't sell it, not in the business....just an outdoorsman in
Alaska that really likes this product!
--
lth...@northstar.k12.ak.us
Bud Kuenzli, North Pole, Alaska
wl7cik
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