Getting the vomit smell out of an old tent

[ravenleg]

Hi, my dad has several old North Face tents from the early 70's that are still good solid usable tents with one major caveat. They reek of that vomit smell from the material breaking down.

Has anyone ever successfully removed that smell? I read somewhere that one guy recommended washing the material itself in the washing machine on delicate and then spraying it with Nikwax.

Opinions or other suggestions? I'd really like to dust some of these tents off but not until I can stand to breath inside them through my nose.

[KMACK]

Throw it out and get a new/used one.

[kayak karl]

try washing with baking soda.

[lori]

If it smells like that, it's probably not even waterproof. I'd be more worried about that than the smell. Time for a new tent.

[RGB]

Go to campmor.com. You'll probably save money by buying a new/used tent instead blowing money trying to salvage and maintain those old tents over the years.

[hobbs]

Hi, my dad has several old North Face tents from the early 70's that are still good solid usable tents with one major caveat. They reek of that vomit smell from the material breaking down.

Has anyone ever successfully removed that smell? I read somewhere that one guy recommended washing the material itself in the washing machine on delicate and then spraying it with Nikwax.

Opinions or other suggestions? I'd really like to dust some of these tents off but not until I can stand to breath inside them through my nose.

that article is correct!! granger products are biodigradable...But it take time and effert..You do have to recoat the whole tent tho, after doing this...No I have no affiliation with them but had to do the process myself on my sisters tent for her kids...

[Wise Old Owl]

Nothing Lasts Forever and THEIR HEAVY!

[Skyline]

This once worked for a friend who needed to get skunk spray out of his bivy:

Find some land with good dirt (not sandy or rocky) and dig a hole the shape of the item's footprint. BURY the item at least a foot deep. Cover with all the dirt dug up. Leave it for at least a week. Dig it up carefully, then hose it off, and hang to let it dry.

Worked for the skunk spray, surprisingly.

This method came courtesy of Rusty of Hard Time Hollow after other methods failed. We were both skeptical, but it did work.

[kayak karl]

they are his DAD'S tents. let him wash them and try them out. maybe his dad or dads memory will camp with him. why do yous always want people to ditch old gear? you got to start somewhere. get out of your chair and have fun.

[Wise Old Owl]

Good Point KK, what's left of mine though decorate the basement.

[Lostone]

The vomit smell is the water proofing breaking down nothing you can do for it. We have 10 troop tents in that state currently.

here is the reference from campmor......Line 31

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/...___tentinfo#31

[kolokolo]

Find some land with good dirt (not sandy or rocky) and dig a hole the shape of the item's footprint. BURY the item at least a foot deep. Cover with all the dirt dug up.

After you've buried it, go buy a new tent.

[RGB]

Agreed ^^^^^^^^

[Turtle Feet]

From the '70's? It's time to move on, the the dead rest in peace.

I just let my 20yo cut a hole in the bottom of an old (from the '80's) 'pup' tent of mine - he's using it as an ice fishing shanty. I'll admit, it sort of broke my heart to see it happen, but in reality, the tent has been given a new life.

There is so much fantastic technology out there now to enhance your camping experience - spring for some new shelter!

[lori]

I know someone who wanted to try out his 70s era North Face Tent over this past new year's - it was raining for two days, pretty heavily, where we were camping.

Hmmm, are there wet tent fly contests?

(It came in through the floor too, long before he got his pad/bag out of the car.)

[Jim Adams]

That smell is the water proofing break down that Lostone mentioned...it is usually caused by the tent being stored in a "hot" area such as a car trunk. It will NEVER come out.

geek

[4eyedbuzzard]

Like others have said, the urethane coating is breaking down. No way to stop it. If it were a valuable high end / collectible tent like a Moss, you might consider having it chemically stripped and re-coated. That will run more than the price of most new tents.

Basically, it's now good for a play tent or the trash.

[Tinker]

When polyurethane breaks down it emits a urine smell (must be one of those pesky "urethanes").
I threw out an old tarp with that problem and had constant delamination problems with poly coated rainwear, but I used to use it because it was cheap. Silicone (not silicon, that's sand) impregnated nylon (silnylon) uses lighter fabrics than were available in the 1970s and the silicone isn't a coating, it actually saturates the fibers of the fabric and fills the spaces in between. Water doesn't bead up and roll off like it does on a new poly coated tent fly or tarp, though, probably because they haven't figured out how to make a DWR stick to the silicone.
Yep. Time for a new tent.

[mweinstone]

i like vomit smell in a tent. leave it.

[Tinker]

i like vomit smell in a tent. leave it.

Make him an offer, Matty.