Can anyone give a ballpark figure in years or amount of trips please? Nylon & canvas.
It is huge amount of work, prep & many seamgrip tubes just to do a mid sized tent.
Will the outside coating degrade far quicker than the inside due to UV exposure? Or just yellow?
I’ve never heard of this — and repairing tent seams sounds like something out of the the 20th century, heavy canvas, pegs, guy ropes and meat skewers for holding down the groundsheet — yet it is advertised as ’ ideal for sealing interior and exterior automotive and RV seams and joints.’
I would have thought it better to buy a tent that didn’t need this work.
I’ve only used it on ground seams of older-school tents. It should last a few seasons of packing and re-packing.
As Evan Drake said, a newer style tent probably won’t need this. Do you use a tent footprint or tarp under the tent? That’s a must. Also, most worthwhile tents have a rain fly (may be optional) that should shed MOST of the water away from your tent.
You shouldn’t get wet at all if you have a proper floor and a fly overhead. We’ve spent a full week camping in one spot during the rainy season, and never had a problem at all.
??? It’s not about buying a better tent, it’s about prolonging the life of the tent you have. It preserves the stitching and seals up the small needle holes on the seams. It’s a maintenance thing but optional IMHO.
In my experience, I haven’t had a modern tent really last long enough to absolutely require it. The zippers, screens, fly, usually break down before the seams. If you take care of your tent, keep it out of the sun (as much as possible) and never store it wet, you’ll be OK.
Also, the footprint/tarp as campp suggested is a must.
Are you talking about on a nylon tent, and also on a canvas tent, or on a single tent that has both nylon and canvas (which I’ve never heard of)?
The sealant has a life expectancy of about 10 to 15 years, which is considered “permanent.” If the tent is older than that you may want to give some serious thought to a new tent.
It is a big job to redo the sealant but it can be done; you first have to remove all the old sealant. The smelly stuff that takes two or three days to dry is better and somewhat longer lasting than the water based stuff, but the water based sealer can be used for a quick job when you’re in a hurry.
Yes, the parts exposed to the sun will degrade more quickly than the interior parts.
Some new tents (the more expensive ones) are seam sealed at the factory, some are not and should be sealed by the purchaser, even if the seams are taped – taped is not the same as sealed.