Older tents and water repellency

I have two Tarptents, one purchased in 2007, the other in 2010.

Do I need to be worried about their water repellency? Put differently, does tent fabric tend to lose its ability to repel water because of age?

My older tent, most similar to the Protrail, always had a tendency to "mist" during a heavy rain. My Rainbow does, too, but not as much.

Before starting off on my grand adventure southbound, I'm starting to get a bit nervous that the "mist" is more a sign of age than of the inherent demon of a single wall tent.

For those with old single wall tents still in use, any thoughts?

AFAIK, Silnylon doesn't delaminate like PU coated fabrics. The misting is a characteristic of silnylon (also they sag when wet). If those things really bother you, you can get a Silpoly tent like this: http://www.trekkertent.com/home/home...h-tent-15.html

SMD Lunar Solo now uses silpoly as well. https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/lunar-solo

I was worried about the same thing, and contacted TarpTent a couple of years ago. They said that the silnylon would not delaminate or wear off, and no waterproofing was necessary. They did recommend washing the tent as described on their website if it gets too dirty or stained.

Flemdog, yes, the misting issue bugs me. I have a down bag and I try to keep it as dry as toast, which of course is much harder if not impossible if the tent mists in heavy rain.
I will absolutely take your advice when it's time to replace mine, but I spent a lot of cash on these things and I hate to spend more. I may regret it, but I'll be going with my Tarptent Rainbow.

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I lived in silnylon tents for the last 15 years and yes they do wear out. First off, old silicone coated tent flies seem to get little "chew" holes on occasion which require patching with McNett's silnet sealer---so I always carry a tube with me on every trip.

Second, silnylon suffers from UV damage just like any other tent---and so with age the fabric tends to rip much more easily than when new.

Third, the floor is often the first thing to go out on an old tent so check for pinholes and redo seams with sealer. Also, the hydrostatic head of these floors aren't as good as when they are new---and this can be easily tested by placing the floor of your tent atop a water puddle in the grass and sit on it for 5 minutes---to see if any water sponges up from your weight.

Beyond all this, a tent should be regarded as a disposable item like socks and boots and stuff sacks etc and Replaced periodically. They wear out like any other piece of gear.

I had a 2001 Wanderlust Nomad 2-4-2 tent that got a lot of use.
I really enjoyed that tent...so much so that I kept it way longer than I should have.

The silnylon eventually got very thin and part of the rain droplets would force their way through to the inside.
Ended up spraying the outside of the tent with silnylon spray for the last two years or so that I used that tent.
That worked great, but it didn't last long. I had to spray it several times a year.

Finally Mother Nature made the decision for me that it was time for a new tent when she sent a green 4" x 12' branch through the tent in an early pre-dawn storm.

Anyway, the silnylon spray really did help a lot for a short time...maybe a couple months before needing sprayed again.
One can of spray worked to cover the two person tent and only cost a few dollars at local stores.

Have you tested your tents using a lawn sprinkler? That should answer the question for your current tents.