We have always used Fabsil. We don't use the spray - we buy the large cans and use a paintbrush to paint it on. It's very effective and we've waterprooofed a trailer tent, polyester tents, bivvies and fishing umbrellas with it. I even waterproofed my wet weather (fishing) trousers with it.
I have just waterproofed my cotton force 10 with Fabsil liquid. Took me 3 n a half hours to paint it on but the results are fab...
I bought this 2nd hand in April and have been told that it is about 20 years old, but seen minimal use. Not sure if it has been waterproofed before... Any ideas about when I should waterproof it again?
Fabsil is the way to go but I have seen weathershield (I think) used on a tent rather than on masonry that it was intended for. Waterproofing a tent really depends upon the quality of the canvas, how often it is used, for how long , and what conditions it is used in. I have three heavy Scout patrol tents that have been used for 8 years and never waterproofed and a donated canvas tent that we use as a kitchen tent that has been waterproofed 3 times in 6 years. The only reliable way to determine when a tent needs proofing is when it is starting to leak.
------------- Nigel
March 2012 - Dove Meadows
6th July Moving to Hayle
Try NikWax - I was given some of this when I bought my Gelert Colima 3 - luckily we bought it on the firday and stayed on a site nor far from where we bought it - it leaked and so took it back - they replaced the tent and gave us some protection products - NikWax can be used on all surfaces and is only abiout £7 for 500ml - they also gave the leaking tent a thorough look over and it turned out there was a nick in the roof - I carry these products in all my tent bags now!
------------- Degsy Rowlands is my love, my life and a lunatic!!!!!!!! Louise x
Man made tents do not need proofing - they get their waterproofness from the PU coating on the inside, so spraying stuff on the outside does not increase the water resistance - it all depends on the state of the PU coating. Once the PU coating is degraded and starts peeling away from the fabric no amount of spraying will restore the waterproofness and it is time to get a new tent! the UV spectrum in sunlight is the main cause of this degradation - this is why man made tents have a much shorter life than cotton ones.
The only benefit you get from using a water proofing treatment on a man made tent is that in heavy rain the water will sit in little beads on the outside and run off, which may slightly reduce the likelihood of water wicking in through weak points.
What you do need to do is to check the seams on a manmade tent as these are the vulnerable points. Man made fabric does not expand when wet so it does not seal the stitch holes like cotton canvas does. That is why there is heat welded tape on the seams in order to seal the stitch holes. However, at points where there are multiple stitches, (typically the toggle points that you attach the bedrooms too, or roll up window covers too etc) it is likely that the seal is incomplete. Therefore rain on the outside with be able to soak through (called "wicking").
So when you get a new tent, stick it up and wait for rain or turn the hose on it - examine inside for wicking points like these, and when the tent is dry, treat them with seam sealant - this comes in a little bottle with a sponge applicator tip and is applied by running the tip slowly along the seam whilst squeezing the bottle, ensuring that coverage of the seam and stitching is even and soaks in. Seam sealant is very sticky, and needs 24 hours to dry so leave the tent up long enough for it to be completely dry otherwise you risk your tent getting glued together by the sealant. When treating dangling toggle loops, weight them with a tent peg to keep them hanging away from the tent walls whilst drying.
As Val says, cotton canvas is naturally waterproof because the fibres swell when wet and seal up the fabric- but once it gets a little worn, the application of a proofing treatment is needed. I used to have an old 2nd or 3rd hand frame tent and we treated it by painting on fabsil about every 5 years, which was all it needed.
Quote: Originally posted by PigletandTigger on 14/5/2007
ekkl, what is your tent made of?
I don't think you need to waterproof "plastic" tents, it's canvas that needs to be waterproofed.
Here are the specs:
Berth : 6 man
Flysheet : Polyester 190T
Taped seams
Double coated
Hydrostatic head : 1500mm
Last time out it rained, tent was alright inside not a drop of water to be seen but on the top of one of the three sections, a puddle appeared and the top of the section dipped inwards.
Possibly I hadn't secured the tent tight enough I don't know to be honest but I have thought the water would slide off instead of settling on the tent instead if I waterproofed it myself.
ekkl that sounds more like either an erection problem which proofing will not solve, so maybe you did not have it taut enough for the rain to run off. Also bear in mind that the fabric stretches when wet so that makes it more prone to sagging. IN the rain one needs to tighten the guy rope to compensate for this ( but remember to looseon then again when the sun comes out or else your tent can shrink and end up ripping if it is then under too much tension!)
On the other hand it could be a slight design flaw so your tent may always be prone to water gathering on any horizontal surface outside.
With an HH of 1500mm that means a column of water 1500mm high can sit on the fabirc without seeping through so you should be okay most of the time ( but that is in lab conditions not a blustery hillside with the rain coming at ya like horizontal stair rods!!)
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Topic: Waterproofing My Tent.............
problem which proofing will not solve, so maybe you did not have it taut enough for the rain to run off. Also bear in mind that the fabric stretches when wet so that makes it more prone to sagging. IN the rain one needs to tighten the guy rope to compensate for this ( but remember to looseon then again when the sun comes out or else your tent can shrink and end up ripping if it is then under too much tension!)
