Tarptent question

[sir limpsalot]

If I'm not mistaken the Lunar Solo and Duo are made in the USA and I've never gotten wet in them and Ron himself has said in this thread that with the silnylon he's using now he hasn't had any reports of misting.

I absolutely would say without a doubt buying a "Made in USA" Lunar Solo and Duo is not settling for an inferior product.

All things being equal, and I've already posted asking for downsides to the 3500mm fabric and recieved no responses, more waterproof = superior

[garbanz]

I just mailed my Moment back to Henry. He said he would "Mist-Proof" it. Chances are he would do the same for you 10-K. Tarptent has an excellent customer service reputation similar to ULA and their line of packs. I, too spaced out Tarptent's admitted caveat about "wind driven rain" otherwise ....Next time Ill read the fine print.

[Bags4266]

This thread will open up pandora's box with people wanting to return their tents to Henry for "Mist-proofing". Me being one of them due to getting soaked, not misted.

[10-K]

I just mailed my Moment back to Henry. He said he would "Mist-Proof" it. Chances are he would do the same for you 10-K. Tarptent has an excellent customer service reputation similar to ULA and their line of packs. I, too spaced out Tarptent's admitted caveat about "wind driven rain" otherwise ....Next time Ill read the fine print.

That's interesting..

Did he say what he was going to do to mist proof it?

[Singletrack]

If I'm not mistaken the Lunar Solo and Duo are made in the USA and I've never gotten wet in them and Ron himself has said in this thread that with the silnylon he's using now he hasn't had any reports of misting.

I absolutely would say without a doubt buying a "Made in USA" Lunar Solo and Duo is not settling for an inferior product.

10K, I think what Ron is saying that it is sort of like playing Russian roulette not to have other sources, if he were to loose his USA sources. And to stay in business, and be competitive, he probably needs to obtain newer types of silnylon. I really like Made in the USA., but I can see where he and others are coming from. Imagine, walking into Walmart and purchasing some type of tarptent, made in China, for half the price. I would not want to see that.

[Sassafras Lass]

Waiting for Henry to pop by and reply to all of you . . . . .

I'm nervous of my Double Rainbow for a completely different reason - both hubby and I are - ahem - overweight to some degree or another - hopefully the DB will prove more spacious as we shrink away on our thru!

According to those who know, would it be advisable to use the seam sealer over the entire panels of the tent walls?

[10-K]

This thread will open up pandora's box with people wanting to return their tents to Henry for "Mist-proofing". Me being one of them due to getting soaked, not misted.

Should be interesting...

I wouldn't think it would be free though - or at least I would expect to pay a reasonable fee including shipping both ways.

The misting info is right there on his website for all to see.

Whatever treatment he's going to apply I'd be willing to bet it's something that could be done by the owner at home.

[Bags4266]

10-K that is what I was thinking you probally could buy the $5. can of sil spray and save yourself the postage.

[10-K]

10K, I think what Ron is saying that it is sort of like playing Russian roulette not to have other sources, if he were to loose his USA sources. And to stay in business, and be competitive, he probably needs to obtain newer types of silnylon. I really like Made in the USA., but I can see where he and others are coming from. Imagine, walking into Walmart and purchasing some type of tarptent, made in China, for half the price. I would not want to see that.

There was a thread not too long ago about buying hiking gear made in the USA and of the list, at least 2 now that I know of is (or will be soon) outsourcing production to China.

Now, I'm a realist and have a rudimentary understanding of the economic reasoning behind the decision to outsource but I think when you essentially become a shipper of your own product instead of the manufacturer you lose claim to "Made in USA" status.

[Singletrack]

If anyone finds out what he does to Mist Proof a Tarptent, please post it here. I would like to do my own.

[ronmoak]

Atsko sells a product Water-Guard Extreme (http://www.fntpost.com/Products/Boot...+(12+oz.+Spray) for 5.95 that we've used to help recondition older tents. It's easy to use. Just make sure to thourghly clean your tent before using.

[garbanz]

That's interesting..

Did he say what he was going to do to mist proof it?

Nope. If he reads this thread he'll probably piss on it! lol

[10-K]

I just got a reply from Henry Shires regarding how they mist proof their tents. Seems very simple and I'm going to get right on it.

Hi Thomas,

We wipe the tent with Atsko Silicone water guard (2 coats letting the tarptent dry between coats).

http://www.atsko.com/products/waterp...ter-guard.html

Thanks,
Henry

[garbanz]

Great. We're dealin with good people here who will do a double back flip to help if informed there's a problem with their gear. Only thing is I tend to get po'ed is something doesnt set up outta the box.

[10-K]

Great. We're dealin with good people here who will do a double back flip to help if informed there's a problem with their gear. Only thing is I tend to get po'ed is something doesnt set up outta the box.

Well, the misting isn't considered a defect - it's a known property of the material used to make the tent.

Based on the popularity of Tarptents I'd say that people either know about it and accept it or don't know about it and haven't experienced the misting - or maybe they attribute it to rain knocking condensation off the tent wall - who knows?

I'm going to treat mine and move on.

[Big Dawg]

I just got a reply from Henry Shires regarding how they mist proof their tents. Seems very simple and I'm going to get right on it.

Hi Thomas,

We wipe the tent with Atsko Silicone water guard (2 coats letting the tarptent dry between coats).

http://www.atsko.com/products/waterp...ter-guard.html

Thanks,
Henry

I wonder how much weight that would add to a tent,,,, a few ounces I would assume.

[Singletrack]

Well, the misting isn't considered a defect - it's a known property of the material used to make the tent.

Based on the popularity of Tarptents I'd say that people either know about it and accept it or don't know about it and haven't experienced the misting - or maybe they attribute it to rain knocking condensation off the tent wall - who knows?

I'm going to treat mine and move on.

Same here, I have known about the misting, before buying. I like Tarptents, and learned the hard way, to find a spot back in the woods that would deflect hard wind driven rain. This helps alot in most cases.
I guess you just spray it on a rag, and wipe it on?

[10-K]

I guess you just spray it on a rag, and wipe it on?

I've ordered 2 cans of the spray stuff and will probably set it up in freestanding mode in the basement and spray it directly on the tent.

I'm going to do 2 coats, 24 hours apart.

[HeartFire]

p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } 10K - Sorry I didn't see your question. (I've been busy sewing). My manufactured tents are made in China. When my business got to the point that I just couldn't sew fast enough, I went about looking for a place to have them made. It is very difficult to find out this stuff. People that have similar business can be very tight lipped and refuse to tell you their sources for materials, services etc. I don't quite understand why this is, but that's the way it is. I searched and searched, found one or two places in the states, but the quality from these places was not up to my standards (it was pretty lousy). I finally did hit on a very reliable manufacturer with a very good reputation that is quite close to me geographically, They were very interested in manufacturing the tents, but to have them made here they would have charged me 3 times what you are now paying for the tent. That's just not acceptable economics. They also wanted much much larger minimums than I could afford. I would have loved to have had them made here, but American companies make it very difficult for the small entrepreneurs to get small quantities. The minimums are so large that it makes it almost impossible for the small company to get what they need. I am working on some group buys with other small companies to get the products I need, but that too is a big hassle.


So, this somewhat local company suggested they send the tent to be made in China, they have had a
long standing relationship with this factory, and the work is impeccable and they have fair trade practices. I have actually contracted with an American company for my tents to be manufactured, they outsourced them (with my permission) to China.


We went with the 3500mm hydrostatic head silnylon fabric rather than the 2000mm fabric because of the higher quality of the fabric. The 2000mm fabric would have cost me a lot less money, (and I would have charged you the same - the prices were set from when I started making them) but I wanted a better tent, so I went with the better fabric and am making a lower profit. There is no quality issue at all with my fabric, I have all the lab reports and pressure testing reports (with photographs of it). The sewing of
the tents from China is quite honestly better than what I do - but then, they have a lot of different sewing equipment than I have.


The legalities in regards to things saying they are “made in America”; To put a label on a product that says “made in the USA” it must be made of American made fabrics, and sewn here. If it is sewn here but from imported fabrics, it can have a label “Made in the USA of imported fabrics” - it's easy enough to look up these laws on line. I make all the custom tents mysef and they have both a “Cordura” label and a “made in the USA” (flag) label. I had to apply to Cordura's parent company to get the labels and tags. (Cordura does make some fabrics in overseas locations, so not all Cordura brands are US fabrics).

[sir limpsalot]

why, with such a small niche product, are the makers of such unique designs not collaberating on the one key material that is essential to each, yet not the buyer's main decider in picking between them? a co-op buying decision would provide a quality key ingredient to each designer at a reasonable price. the end result would overcome one main objection that buyers have- "misting". no one buys a tarp shelter because they admire one fabric over another: it's about the design. for the same reason you never here a tent buyer say " i bought a msr over a big agnes because it was more waterproof", this would overcome a common objection in the UL shelter potential buyer: "it really won't keep me dry". ron states he and henry buy from the same supplier; if more cottage manufacturers pitched in for a higher-end material.....the consumer would truely be able to make a confident decision to buy a tarptent based on its real benefits.