Can I improve tent waterproofing?

[Lien Sdrawde]

Hi. I'm looking at a lighter tent for 3 to 7 night journeys away - and have seen one that has a hydrostatic head of 2000.
My current 1kg heavier tent has a hydrostatic head of 4000......
Can I go mad with some seam sealant and improve the waterproofing or is it more the overall material that they are made of?

Ta very much.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It is the overall material. All seam tape is the same. 1 kg is a small price to pay for a dry night.

Edit: I'm assuming the seams are already taped and you wanted to improve the taping.

 

[mudsticks]

Seam seal the stitching definitely, makes a big difference on lightweight tents.

The seams are rarely bound - to save weight..

It depends on fabric of tent.. But If its silnylon then use silnet 'watered' down to olive oil consistency and apply with a stiffish art brush, just over seams, wipe off excess with tissue as you go.

Imo I kg is a big extra weight to lump up and down hills for any length of time.

My current bike packing tent is 1.4kg

It keeps me perfectly dry,

 

[Blue Hills]

What is the actual weight of these two tents lien?

Have you weighed the sealant?

 

[Drago]

Keep an emerge cycling sheet of thin polythene to drape across it in a monsoon. A coupla hundred grams tops, and it has other uses too. Groundheets immediately deployable emergency shelter, etc etc.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

No, but unless you are camping in a hurricane, tent fabric about to support a 2 metre head of water with be fine if tent is designed well.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

In my experience I have only had water come in from above once through a torn seam. ALL the other leaks have been from the groundsheet.

Depending on whether you choose a product you spray on, or a product you soak into the fabric in a bucket, I would bear in mind you may void your warranty. I am also sceptical that a DIY effort will work as well as (or adhere to) the original factory supplied treatment. Your tent may end up looking like it permanently has dandruff.

 

[mudsticks]

No, but unless you are camping in a hurricane, tent fabric about to support a 2 metre head of water with be fine if tent is designed well.

Agree, and if the weather is that dire then find a B&B, or at least a bothy.

A good taut pitch takes care of everything else - it's worth splashing out on decent stakes to enable that.

 

[alicat]

I've never concerned myself about how waterproof the fabric is. Keeping the outer tent so that it doesn't touch the inner tent and avoiding touching the outer tent when it is raining is a good first step to keeping the inside of your tent dry.

 

[Broadside]

If the fabric has started to degrade through age or UV exposure then brushing on some Fabsil is a great way to extend the life and restore water repellence. I have used it a few times on full size 8 man tents that were leaking and it did a great job giving us an extra couple of years use, which for us translates to about 8 weeks more pitched life.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I usually use a spray water repellent and a brush on seam sealer. Yesterday, I had rain and gale force winds, even in winter. Top speed of 63mph. Not like I'd be out in that, but I can get thunderstorms that can do that, and go right back to being a nice day an hour later.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Hi. I'm looking at a lighter tent for 3 to 7 night journeys away - and have seen one that has a hydrostatic head of 2000.
My current 1kg heavier tent has a hydrostatic head of 4000......
Can I go mad with some seam sealant and improve the waterproofing or is it more the overall material that they are made of?

Ta very much.

As said above, a HH of 2000 should be more than adequate to keep you dry in most conditions, and sealing the seams certainly won't do any harm.

But what else about the tent is different other than the HH of the material?

I've never concerned myself about how waterproof the fabric is. Keeping the outer tent so that it doesn't touch the inner tent and avoiding touching the outer tent when it is raining is a good first step to keeping the inside of your tent dry.

That's spot on!
So consider also the design of the tent. Poor design can mean, for example, a shower of water on opening the door, not enough space to store wet gear, or a complicated takedown in the morning separating a dry inner from a wet fly. Your tent can repel all the rain during the night, but that's not helpful if everything gets wet the next morning as you start your day.

If the new tent is the same design as your old one and you want to save some weight then go for it. If, however, it's a different design, then approach carefully. You will lose the weight, but perhaps lose some advantages you never knew you had.

 

[Lien Sdrawde]

Seam seal the stitching definitely, makes a big difference on lightweight tents.

The seams are rarely bound - to save weight..

It depends on fabric of tent.. But If its silnylon then use silnet 'watered' down to olive oil consistency and apply with a stiffish art brush, just over seams, wipe off excess with tissue as you go.

Imo I kg is a big extra weight to lump up and down hills for any length of time.

My current bike packing tent is 1.4kg

It keeps me perfectly dry,

Ooh ooh ooh - what is it?

 

[Lien Sdrawde]

What is the actual weight of these two tents lien?

Have you weighed the sealant?

2.5 vs 1.6kg and the lighter one has been sealed. I guess my question was based around me believing the actual tent materials were all similar and that it was the joints / seams that would leak.

 

[mudsticks]

Ooh ooh ooh - what is it?

Tarptent Moment - in fact it may only be 1.2 kg .

I used to take a Scarp 1 - totally bombproof withstood 70 mph winds - but slightly heavier at 1.4

Sorry i must check these factoids - but they are both very light - both with solid inners - for the tentage you get .

Not cheap - but as the old adage goes its tricky to find light strong and cheap.

Both go up in less than a couple of minutes with a bit of practice.