I have a couple tents on which the seam tape is starting to peel off. About 90% of what I find online about PU-waterproofed tents is that once it starts to fail, it's irreversible (and not really fixable), so how long you keep it after it starts to fail depends a bit I suppose on your tolerance for imperfect waterproofing (early on), and ultimately sticky nasty smells (later on). Every now and then I see something that implies you can fix such deterioration / delamination.
Is peeling seam tape basically the same kind of failure as peeling PU coating on the non-seam part of PU-coated fabrics? Or is it a different thing that can actually be fixed? I've been assuming it's the same stuff, and it's not really fixable (except maybe short-term - scrubbing off the loose bits and trying to apply sealant to the rest, meanwhile the rest of the original coating continues to age and fail).
If it's the case that I'm seeing the early signs of unavoidable waterproofing & PU-coating failure, then it is time to consider replacements. Currently I have a light, trekking-pole supported 1P tent (Sil/PU hybrid) for backpacking and a freestanding 2P double-wall dome for frontcountry camping. That combo has worked fairly well for me, so I may stick with it. (no pun intended! )
But I am tired of PU tents failing due to coating issues, long before they otherwise wear out. I always dry my tents 24 hrs before they get put away for the next trip, but I still only get a few years on average out of PU-coated tents. Unless it's a manufacturing problem, the only reason I can think of is that, after thorough drying out, I put the tents away as they came - in their stuff sacks. I don't store them loosely, as I do quilts and sleeping bags. Perhaps I should, but I'd rather not take up even more closet room with camping stuff loosely stored. I'm thinking if I could move to silnylon or silpoly, maybe this wouldn't be an issue. (Not interested in DCF)
This brings me to the question - I can't find many non-PU-coated tents that are freestanding 2P double-wall. Most silnylon or silpoly are single-wall or hybrid and not freestanding. I think I found three tents, two by Nemo and one by Tarptent, that fit the bill. Does anyone have other suggestions for a frontcountry tent replacement that fits the bill?
As for the 1P backpacking tent, the Durston X-Mid appeals most to me right now. Not a fan of "pre-ordering" anything after being burned in the past (non-backpacking related); may wait for his deal with Kaviso to expire and see if I can order it once he has everything back under his own roof and inventory. I guess they may still sell out though. Many other UL tents catch my eye. FWIW I am a bit tall at 6'1" and live in the southeast, so ventilation is often critical. Am considering giving another go at hammock camping, but I often am in designated sites (regardless of frontcountry or backcountry) so unlike long-distance and through hiking I don't often have the option to just keep hiking if suitable trees aren't in the immediate vicinity of the designated site.
Thanks for your thoughts - TZ