Tent sealing

[hootyhoo]

Do you seal on the inside or the outside of the tent?
Is one way better than the other?

[wrongway_08]

I do both inside and out, every seam.

Set up the tent, stake it out on the tight side and then seal it inside and out. Let it fully dry and then take baby powder and coat the seams - this will keep then newly sealed seams from sticking together the first few times you pack the tent.

(I have had tents seams that fully cured but then would stick to themselves when packed the first time.... really sucks.)

[Wags]

thompson's water seal tbh

[stranger]

On major seams or high stress seams I seal both sides, like the ridgeline of a tarp or the area around a guy point. Even if the tent is factory sealed, you might want to seal the other side to be sure.

It's not a bad idea to set up the tent in your yard if possible and soak it with a hose, then retighten stake points and guys, helps stretch the seams a bit before sealing.

Personally, I've found the index finger to be the best tool of applying sealant, much better than anything else I've used

[Tinker]

You probably know this already, but you don't have to seal the top of the tent (unless it's a single wall tent), just the floor and fly seams. If you're referring to sealing large areas of fabric, only use coating on the shiny side of the fabric, which will be smoother, too (it has some sealant on it already). Most often, the outside of the floor and the fly are not coated. They are usually treated with a "durable water repellant" (dwr) treatment (similar to Scotchguard) which is only temporary and not really that "durable".

[Wise Old Owl]

I agree with Tinker, the seam sealer stops huge downpours only from coming in by the cotton threads of cheaply made tents. The solutions stop the wicking action of threads on a seam from bringing in the heavy water.