# Waterproofing a tent, redneck style? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 20, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724 "2013-08-20T17:21:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/1 "2013-08-20T17:21:10Z")
I have a 20 something year old dome tent that I was thinking about taking on a creampuff 3 to 4 day hike. The tent is old and cheap, and I don’t have a big attachment to it. This spring, I sprayed silicone based water seal on the outside, and used seam sealer on the interior seams. This weekend, I deliberately pitched it in my back yard and slept in the rain to test the job. I woke dry, but there was water near the door and to one side, presumably from the base seam. Did I mention cheap? There is no bathtub floor. My question: given nylon construction, why couldn’t I use the spray rubber sealant as advertised on TV for gutters and the like to seal the base seam? Aesthetics are 90% don’t care, FWIW. If this won’t work, I could either take a tarp with me to pitch overhead, or get a better (and smaller, lighter) tent to take wih me. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/2 "2013-08-20T19:58:16Z")
Tents with rain flies are designed to breathe, the fly protecting from the rain but the rest of the tent allows moisture to escape. Otherwise the water from your breath will condense and drip on you, making everything in the tent damp. The lack of a bathtub floor is the easiest thing to solve - use a ground cloth. Either a blue tarp, or a sheet of plastic slightly smaller than the tent footprint should stop or nearly stop water coming through the floor. If you are having problems with the fly you can try stringing a tarp up over the whole tent once it’s set up. That rubber spray will make the tent difficult to pack or stuff, and may not be able to deal with the stresses of folding and stuffing on fabric like that. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/3 "2013-08-20T20:20:33Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > My question: given nylon construction, why couldn’t I use the spray rubber sealant as advertised on TV for gutters and the like to seal the base seam? You could, but that stuff is expensive! Beginner Redneck: Auto Undercoating spray Advanced Redneck: Flat Black spray paint. The “99 cent” kind ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/4 "2013-08-20T20:41:58Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Beginner Redneck: Auto Undercoating spray > Advanced Redneck: Flat Black spray paint. The “99 cent” kind Environmental Redneck: Green spray paint. The “99 cent” kind. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/5 "2013-08-20T20:43:16Z")
True Redneck: Drink beer until you don’t care you’re getting wet. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/6 "2013-08-20T21:07:24Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > You could, but that stuff is expensive! > > Beginner Redneck: Auto Undercoating spray > Advanced Redneck: Flat Black spray paint. The “99 cent” kind $12.99 in the “As Seen On TV” rack at the local Wally\*World; cheaper than the clear spray I used on the outside. BTW, I’m taking along a Tyvek scrap for the groundcloth. That won’t help the seam leaks, though. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/7 "2013-08-20T21:08:06Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Environmental Redneck: Green spray paint. The “99 cent” kind. > > 😃 Only if it come in Flat. (Seriously. Flat “tacks up” better) > [@runner pat](#): > > True Redneck: Drink beer until you don’t care you’re getting wet. And who needs a damn tent, anyway! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/8 "2013-08-20T21:24:19Z")
I’ve used scotchgard on tents most of my life. We once spent a full day scrubbing mildew off tents and air dried. Then used several cans of scotchgard on them. It does need a lot of drying time. The material will stick together if it’s folded too soon… ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2013, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/9 "2013-08-20T22:13:24Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > BTW, I’m taking along a Tyvek scrap for the groundcloth. That won’t help the seam leaks, though. If there’s no water against the tent floor the seams won’t leak. A waterproof ground cloth, that’s slightly smaller than the tent’s footprint so water won’t come off the fly and under the tent, should take care of 99% of your problem. But I suspect it’s not the seams but the floor material that’s simply porous. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/10 "2013-08-21T01:12:59Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > And who needs a damn tent, anyway! 😃 I think George Hayduke preferred it that way. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterproofing-a-tent-redneck-style/666724/11 "2013-08-21T22:57:25Z")
A redneck would probably make his own seam sealer; just mix (odorless) paint thinner / mineral spirits with some silicone caulk. Scroll down to the [bottom of this page](http://www.tarptent.com/ttvideos.html) for a video demo. It takes a long time to mix the stuff so you can go real redneck and use a paint stirrer on an electric drill if you have one. If you do decide to go with a new tent, I did a lot of research this spring and replaced my 20+ year old tent with a Tarptent Double Rainbow – very spacious for one and room to sleep two, weighs in at 42 ounces including pole, stakes, and lines. I live along the Appalachain Trail and have seen quite a few Tarptents the past couple of years. The Contrail is very popular with single hikers and is even lighter than the Rainbow.