Seam sealing question...

[mindi]

I got my tent sealed, but I didn't do the bottom of the door where it meets the floor. Do I need to do that? I'm out of sealant...
Mindi

[fiddlehead]

You didn't mention what your tent is made out of. Perhaps you can use silicone caulking to do the rest. You might get wet the way it is. Silicone caulking is fairly cheap and easily found at any hardware store. good luck

[hikerjohnd]

Ditto on needing to know which tent. If you get caught in a downpour then it is likely you will get wet, but if the seam is at the top of a bathtub style floor and well covered by the rain fly then you may be OK.

[Just Jeff]

Is there a zipper there? If it's not waterproof, not sealing the seam won't make a difference. Same thing if it's a mesh door at that point. Guess that goes with which tent you have, though.

[mindi]

I have the Six Moons Designs Lunar Solo enhanced. I do think I have some silicon caulking around that I can use if you all think it's a good idea. Thanks everyone

[RockyTrail]

Mindi,
Your tent is made of sil-nylon (siliconized nylon). About the only thing that sticks to that is silicone sealant like GE Silicone II that is sold in hardware stores. You can also get it from Henry Shires:

http://www.tarptent.com/cgi-bin/surf...=&Submit=Go%21

You probably should seal the short wall below the door where it attaches to the floor; the idea is to get a waterproof "bathtub" consisting of the floor and walls all around so you won't get flooded in a downpour, however good site selction should prevent that.

If you mix the sealant in a cup with some mineral spirits (add it sparingly to desired texture) you can paint it on very easily to the seam from the inside. But work quickly, the stuff gels up in about 4-5 minutes. If you have some leftover, paint some stripes on your inside floor, it will act as a no-slip surface for your pad and bag. Happy hiking, RT

[orangebug]

Any hardware store carries silicone sealant. Make a slurry of it with mineral spirits and paint it on with a foam brush. Move quickly while inside the tent. It doesn't hurt to hit the outside. You might want to use straight silicon sealant for the beads along you floor to make it more of a non-stick surface. Write you name, add sparkles, make patterns to personalize your tent.

[K0OPG]

I have the sierra designs Mach 1 and bought some "seam sealer 3" that is water based. Is the silicone thinned with mineral spirits better? I have not seam sealed it yet. extreme procrastinator. I haven't used it either.

which is better seam sealer 3 or the silicone stuff?

[nhalbrook]

Try using a silicon caulk made for windshields. It is thin to the point of being runny. Get it at an auto parts store.

[hikerjohnd]

Move quickly while inside the tent. It doesn't hurt to hit the outside.

Have I been doing this wrong all these years??? I thought you sealed the outside and it didn't hurt to hit the inside if you wanted to... I never sealed the inside, just the outside - but have never had leaks either.

[Michele]

So, what all gear needs to be seam sealed?

I have the MSR Hubba, seam seal all of it & it's rain fly seams?

How about Equinox silnylon stuff sacks? (the one for my food?)

Anything else?

Gosh, just when I thought I was remembering all the details, I read this post and realized I'd totally forgotten about this small yet hugely important task. (thanks Mindi!)

[QHShowoman]

Have I been doing this wrong all these years??? I thought you sealed the outside and it didn't hurt to hit the inside if you wanted to... I never sealed the inside, just the outside - but have never had leaks either.

Actually, I think you're doing it the correct way (from everything I've read and from what we recommend to customers who buy tents where I work) although I am sure there are different schools of thought on this and it probably doesn't matter very much.

As I understand it, the whole purpose of seam sealing is to seal up the little holes created when sewing together the pieces of the tent to make the seam waterproof. If you have your tent set up and are sealing the top of it from the outside, it stands to reason that the force of gravity will allow the sealant to pentrate each needle hole, since it will drip towards the inside of the tent. If you seam seal from the inside, while the tent is set up, it's not going to penetrate the needle holes very far.

[RockyTrail]

Some people don't seam seal anything and they live to tell about it .

But it's a good idea to seal tents around the floor-wall junction (to keep puddles out) and any ridgeline or tie-out seams overhead otherwise you can get those annoying drips at 3am. I've always seam-sealed from the inside, but like QH said you probably could do it from outside. Just swab it on there it doesn't have to be pretty. And some rainflys have factory taped seams so you don't need to seal those (look for a clear tape glued on the inside of seam).

Also there are two distinct types of seam sealer; one type is made for polyurethane-coated fabric (traditional nylon tent material) and the other type is pure silicone caulk like GE Silicone II for the ultralightweight sil-nylon material. The polyurethane type is commonly sold at outfitters or even wal-mart camping section; the GE Silicone II you can find in a hardware store near the plumbing.

When the sealer is dry, you may notice that it "sticks" to other areas of dry sealer in your tent. Just take some talcum powder or trail dust and rub it on the sealer and it will dampen down the "stickiness." With use, it will do this naturally.

I wouldn't worry to much about seam-sealing a stuff sack unless for example you use it to cover your bag when strapped to an external frame pack (it's out in the rain). But it's up to you.

More than you wanted to know...

[orangebug]

Have I been doing this wrong all these years??? I thought you sealed the outside and it didn't hurt to hit the inside if you wanted to... I never sealed the inside, just the outside - but have never had leaks either.

No, I'm a bit of a belt and suspenders sort of guy. I figure if I'm gonna lay down some silicon beads on the floor, go ahead and hit the seams from inside. And the fumes are a plus, also.

What were we talking about?

Oh right! Seam sealing. I also quickly hit the seams on the exterior.

[mindi]

Thanks for the input, everyone!
I'm going to hit the autoparts store and see if I can find some of that windshield stuff to get the floor sealed. Of course, now I have to wait until I get another rain-free day off..lol..
I did all my seams both inside and outside. I guess that's why I ran out of sealant before I got the floor by the door...
Mindi

[hikerjohnd]

No, I'm a bit of a belt and suspenders sort of guy. I figure if I'm gonna lay down some silicon beads on the floor, go ahead and hit the seams from inside. And the fumes are a plus, also.

What were we talking about?

Oh right! Seam sealing. I also quickly hit the seams on the exterior.

Whew! But I may try sealing the inside next time the beer starts running low...

[Jerm]

So, what all gear needs to be seam sealed?

I have the MSR Hubba, seam seal all of it & it's rain fly seams?

How about Equinox silnylon stuff sacks? (the one for my food?)

Anything else?

Gosh, just when I thought I was remembering all the details, I read this post and realized I'd totally forgotten about this small yet hugely important task. (thanks Mindi!)

no need to seam seal a new msr hubba. the tent comes with factory taped seams. as far as the silnylon food bag goes, i had mine seam sealed with silicone, untill i got a sea-to-summit sil-dry bag.