Re-waterproofing a tent

[B the Hiker]

I rummaged around a bit in the archives, and I'm certain this has been asked, but I couldn't find the thread.

I have a 2017 Big Agnes tent. Went up to Baxter last week, and in one day we received over an inch of rain. Now in all fairness, that is a lot of rain very quickly, and a number of tents in our party started to fail.

My floor soaked through in spots.

Since the floor doesn't have to breathe, is there a product out there I can use to treat it to reinvigorate the waterproofing?

(I have been trying to clean it just with water and a wet rag, but that only goes so far.

Brian

 

[sierra]

I rummaged around a bit in the archives, and I'm certain this has been asked, but I couldn't find the thread.

I have a 2017 Big Agnes tent. Went up to Baxter last week, and in one day we received over an inch of rain. Now in all fairness, that is a lot of rain very quickly, and a number of tents in our party started to fail.

My floor soaked through in spots.

Since the floor doesn't have to breathe, is there a product out there I can use to treat it to reinvigorate the waterproofing?

(I have been trying to clean it just with water and a wet rag, but that only goes so far.

Brian

This is something I did years ago. I think the product is a urethane-based coating and it does go on the inside. I remember doing two coats and it worked quite well. I do not remember where I bought it, maybe EMS because back than that was the only option around, but I bet REI has it.

 

[TEO]

Seam Grip TF Tent Fabric Sealant

That said, a well-made tent, such as a Big Agnes, that is well-cared for shouldn't be failing after only six years. In my experience, PU coatings will get tacky and/or flake when they begin to fail. If your tent doesn't have either of those symptoms, it could have been condensation.

 

[peakbagger]

If the polyurethan coating is failing, folks scrap it off and recoat with silicone sealant thinned with Naptha. Obviously a no smoking operation and done in well ventlated area.

 

[rup]

Bigger problem in that love my NR westine (70s), but it de-lamonated years ago, and smells like hell. Thinking of heavinf it as I'm unsure it can be saved.

 

[NH2112]

Bigger problem in that love my NR westine (70s), but it de-lamonated years ago, and smells like hell. Thinking of heavinf it as I'm unsure it can be saved.

That’s from the delamination, if the fabric is still sound it can be recoated like mentioned above.

 

[B the Hiker]

Seam Grip TF Tent Fabric Sealant

That said, a well-made tent, such as a Big Agnes, that is well-cared for shouldn't be failing after only six years. In my experience, PU coatings will get tacky and/or flake when they begin to fail. If your tent doesn't have either of those symptoms, it could have been condensation.

The problem was an inch of rain in less than a day, with pooling under the tent.

In all fairness to the tent, it wasn’t the only one that failed under those conditions. Actually, somewhere close to half the tents did.

I think the solution is just to keep it clean and dry when stored and hope I don’t have to deal with that much rain again.

The vestibule held up nicely, thankfully.

 

[Bergamo]

I have heard Aqua Seal Poly Coat has done the job of re-waterproofing.