When to re seam seal a tent

[misterfloyd]

Hello to all

i have a tent that was seam sealed in 2013. I have used it a lot on lots of trips and it has taken care of me in some hellacious storms.

My question was, is it time to re apply some sil net to it?

I do not notice any light shining through, but I do notice it getting thin in some places.

is it time to touch it up, or reapply what is already on there?

I ask because I like being dry

Any information is appreciated and gratefully accepted.

best,
floyd

[HeartFire]

Floyd, I don't know which tent you have, but since you mention silnet, I'm going to assume is a silnylon tent. If it's not leaking - it doesn't need to be 're-seam sealed' if the fabric itself seems to be soaking up water more than it had, you could spray it with Atsko silicone water guard - If you're very concerned about the seams, you could either re-seal it before your trip or take aong a tube of silnet if needed with you.

Judy - LightHeart Gear.

[Lyle]

In my working with aquariums and fiberglass travel trailers, all cautions I have been given (along with some first hand experience) is that new silicon will not bond to old silicon. The old silicon needs to be completely removed, even the residue, before additional silicon will bond. I don't believe you would be able to accomplish this with a tent.

Perhaps, if you have leaks, you could apply new silicon to the opposite side as the old was, ie, if the old seam sealer was on the outside of the tent, erect the tend with the fly inside out, and apply a new coat to the inside. Would probably work.

[misterfloyd]

Hi guys

thanks so much for The replies!

Sorry about not giving enough informations. It is a six moons skytrekker.

I bring this up since the last trip, last week we had a really bad storm. Now I slept through the entire storm but everyone I was with said it was bad. I woke up and found some water in my tent I doubt it was splash back since I was on grass so I really am grasping at straws. I noticed some of the sealant was not as stout as years past so that is why I'm asking.

i do appreciate your help and any other opinions.

In in the past I have always felt with nylon tents so sil nylon is new to me so to speak

thank you so much for your help

floyd

[gotts63]

when u got a leak

[Tipi Walter]

There's seam sealing and then there's re-coating the fly. As others have said, only re-seam seal when the tent starts leaking. Regarding re-coating the fly, well, when it gets worn out it's best to upgrade to a new tent.

Plus, on long backpacking trips I always carry a tube of McNett's silnet sealer. The fly on my tent is silnylon, and when I see small pinholes a dab of silnet solves the problem.

[Bronk]

How to seam seal your tent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wARB3Ljv404&list=UUo0au6mUTwRbg-fc5WNaUEA&index=20

[eggymane]

There's seam sealing and then there's re-coating the fly. As others have said, only re-seam seal when the tent starts leaking. Regarding re-coating the fly, well, when it gets worn out it's best to upgrade to a new tent.

Plus, on long backpacking trips I always carry a tube of McNett's silnet sealer. The fly on my tent is silnylon, and when I see small pinholes a dab of silnet solves the problem.

Hey Tipi- since you use a Hilleberg have you ever tried 'massaging' the kerlon back together? I've never had to do that yet but from other forums it seems to work rather well

[Tipi Walter]

Hey Tipi- since you use a Hilleberg have you ever tried 'massaging' the kerlon back together? I've never had to do that yet but from other forums it seems to work rather well

What's odd about Kerlon fabric is it seems to get insect chew holes on occasion---perhaps because it's a ground-hugging full length fly which traps insects and they chew from the inside of the fly out. These chew holes or other small holes could be massaged together (never tried it, thanks for the tip) but when I see such a hole I want to seal it with silnet and forget about it. The silnet solves the problem very well.

Finding these small holes happens in two ways---Set up in the sun and see the light come thru the hole . . . or during a heavy rain look for drips down onto the inner tent canopy.