I only used my tent once, it was dry when I packed it away but when I got it out again it was covered in black sticky blotches is this a common issue? Is the tent a write off?
when you used it for the first time, where you under some trees at all? f so then its the sap from that and im sorry to say you tent is due for the bin
It looks like a synthetic material so it's possible that the material has been contaminated by something which has reacted with it. Is the whole tent like this? If this was a brand new tent I would be talking to the retailer.
is this the actual tent cos its strange how its on one panel not any others. Assume is an older tent?
Other than than delamination of coating where its been stored and the layers of plastic have reacted incl some damp in the air/gasses from something close by like in a shed? Delamination has made it sticky and some layers have come off hence the difference in colours.
I would say it is an extremely bad case of mildew but I have never seen a tent that bad before.
There seems to be a curve of black at the top which corresponds to the 'swing' of the top guy rope. Could it be that you thought the tent was dry when you put it away but the guy ropes were wet?
Failing that, it looks as if something has been sprayed onto it which has destroyed the waterproofing allowing mildew during storage, or has reacted with the polyester. Did you clean it with a detergent or wash it down with anything before packing it away? Was anyone playing with bubbles at your last campsite? Has it been stored in a totally dry place or a damp shed?
Lots of possibilities which perhaps you can narrow it down to, but to answer your question, I think the tent has had it, unless you are prepared to put up with it in that condition and it is not leaking.
Where the black has come through corresponds with the blacked sleeping compartment, nowhere else on the tent is affected. Could it possibly be that the internal coating has somehow melted and permeated through the outside layer? Is that possible?
Quote: Originally posted by betteridge109 on 28/8/2021
Where the black has come through corresponds with the blacked sleeping compartment, nowhere else on the tent is affected. Could it possibly be that the internal coating has somehow melted and permeated through the outside layer? Is that possible?
A polyester tent has a layer of Polyester on the outside which isn't very waterproof in itself, and a layer of Polyurethane on the inside which is waterproof. Then, the outside is usually sprayed with a silicon spray which helps rain water to bead and run off.
When the outside silicon protection wears off after several years, the polyester outer layer soaks up moisture although the tent itself remains waterproof due to the inner layer. This becomes noticeable with darker, damp patches showing on the outside. This can cause condensation on the inside due to cold water being retained in the outside layer (I hope I have explained that adequately).
So, to answer your question as to whether the blackout bedroom pod can cause the blackening of the outside of the tent, I very much doubt it. However, if you thought the outside of the tent was dry (and it may well have been in the air), there is a possibility that there was still a lot of condensation/moisture on the inside of the tent which, during storage, has permeated to the outer layer and caused mildew.
Although polyester tents are waterproof, they are still 'breathable' and any water trapped on the inside when packed away has to go somewhere and may well leach to the outer layer and cause mildew.
I cannot say that is your problem because I am no scientist and just repeating things I have learned over the years about polyester tents and drawing my own conclusions as to what might have caused all that blackening which, as I said before, I have never seen as bad as that.
It is always good practice on going home day to open up your tent completely for an hour or so before packing away to make sure the inside, as well as the outside, is aired and dry.
Having said all the above, I repeat that I have never seen that sort of mildew damage on the outside of a tent before and it looks to me as if it has been sprayed with something...especially since the rest of the tent is unaffected.
At your last camp, was there anything behind your tent that could have expelled a fluid or gasses onto the back of your tent? You weren't at a steam engine fair and in close proximity to an exhaust? Your car wasn't parked at the back of the tent and expelled excess oil or fumes onto the back etc; etc; etc? It looks pretty odd to me to be honest so I am just sort of trying to offer some sort of explanation, but only you know what conditions your tent has been in used and stored in.
I have also now seen an earlier comment that it could have been caused by sap dripping from trees. Trees can drop all sorts of muck down onto a tent and that actually is a good possibility...never a good idea to pitch directly underneath trees.
Is the tent fully pitched at time of pic, and was that how it was pitched on the previous camp?
Those guylines at the rear need to be used (to separate the flysheet from the bedroom inner) and the vent needs to be guyed open.
If the initial camp was guyed out as in the pic, that could be the problem. Damp layers in constant contact, and lack of venting?
The guys appear to be hanked as new?
Just trying a process of elimination. Nothing more sinister than that!
If some substance like tree sap got in to it, the tent could have felt dry to water, but then the sap went mouldy.
Can you leave it in the fresh air to dry and then brush off as much as possible, then hose down with clear water and a very gentle rub with a clean cloth and see if it comes off?
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Topic: Black sticky blotches
via mobile 28/8/2021 at 11:49am
