We are thinking of taking the opportunity on our first camping hol to add extra waterproofer to the seams and toggle points on our tent (after we have checked that is doesn't leak cos we don't want to invalidate the warranty.)
Any recommendations as to the best type to buy? Spray or paint on? Which brand?
I was told by the camping shop, when asking about waterproofer, that the modern poly-whatever tents can't be waterproofed like the old canvas ones were?? I queried this saying even my jacket can be sprayed but they seemed to think it didn't work. We used to take a candle camping with us and run it up and down the seams to calk them (again canvas - not sure if that would work with a modern tent, which incidentally generally only have a weatherproof life of about 5 or 6 years! ) Jenny
Fabsil . i used it on a leaky spot on my Royal andorra last year. It stopped the leak and it was the spray on type. Always have a tin with me while camping
I got Fabsil paint on type also, because I thought it only took half an hour or so to dry. On reading the instructions properly it says it takes 6 hours to dry, so I havnt been able to waterproof it as I've got nowhere to put the tent up for that amount of time.
Hi tech waterproof jackets that rely on waterproofing treatment for their waterproofing have a finite life. My top notch mountain biking jacket now seeps water in, after harsher treatment than my tent will ever get! It's been washed and proofed a few times, and it's just at the end of it's life.
It lasted well given the conditions it operated under, but it was looked after.
I would imagine UV is a bit of a waterproofing killer, along with bird droppings, tree sap, and the chemicals present in our rain.
I reckon we also trade off some life span for the lightness of the tents these days.
As Gary Fisher said about mountain bikes and their components:
You don't need to use Fabsil on a nylon/polyester tent - the waterproofing is in a PU membrane on the inside of the fabric. However, you may need to seal the seams if you can't see any clear tape on the inside of them.
Fabsil dries very quickly on canvas tents, but I think the 6 hour warning is so that you don't sleep in the tent too soon after coating it - the fumes are quite strong at first.
You don't need to use Fabsil on a nylon/polyester tent - the waterproofing is in a PU membrane on the inside of the fabric. However, you may need to seal the seams if you can't see any clear tape on the inside of them.
Fabsil dries very quickly on canvas tents, but I think the 6 hour warning is so that you don't sleep in the tent too soon after coating it - the fumes are quite strong at first.
It also melts plastic so keep it away from your tent's windows when applying it and make sure your tent is completely dry (6 hours is a good time) before folding away.
--------------------------------- Brainhertz (clique of 1)
It melts plastic?! What can we do to seal the seams on our roof windows then? They took a battering a couple of weeks ago in the storms and started to leak and I won't go in it until theyre fixed!
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Topic: Waterproofer
