wisconsinwalter
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Sure-Fire Ways to Improve Your Roof Top Tent
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Waterproofing Tent
Hi folks,
There were a few people asking about re-waterproofing a tent, and my wife and I just re-did ours so I thought I'd share with you the process. I just came back from a week camping in Oregon where it rained non-stop, and I was made brutally aware that my tent was no longer waterproof. In fact, I'd hesitate to say it was even water resistant. This was a combination of at least 150 bed nights in varying climates from +50 Celcius (Vegas in July) to -30 Celcius and snow (Calgary in December), as well as the fact that while in Oregon I was packing up and moving every day so the tent was constantly put away wet. Still, it needed some work.
First you'll need to visit your local camping store (We used MEC, but REI should stock this stuff if you are in the US) and buy the following:
Tech Wash by Nikwax. There are equivalents by Graingers and other companies; this was just available. Tech Wash will preserve any existing waterproofing treatments. More waterproofing = dry sleeps. Dry sleeps = happy campers.
And this:
We needed 3 full bottles to do our tent and fly. You can buy it in larger containers and may save a few bucks. Others have also reccomended a product from West Marine that you brush on so that's an option too.
Now, to get started.
First, you need to disassemble your tent down to it's component pieces. We have a Tepui Kukenam; as far as I know most tents are put together the same way.
The cover comes off by sliding the fabric-coated rod out of the channel in the tent base.
Next, the tent fly comes off. You need to undo the straps (three on each side) completely.
Once that is done, you need to lift the fly off the tent. The fly is supported by 3 aluminum poles that slot into sewed pockets on the body of the tent. The center pole is a bit longer than the end ones.
When the fly is off, and the poles are out, set it aside. It's time to tackle the main tent body!
First, haul out the mattress -- you can see some of the Oregonian rainfall that made it to Edmonton on the return trip!
Sadly, all of our hands were busy so we didn't get too many photos of this next step. I'll explain it as best as I can.
The tent body attaches to the tent base the same way the cover does -- a fabric-covered plastic rod fits neatly into the channels on the base of the tent.
Fold the tent up and stand it on it's end so that the "break" in the base -- the middle of the tent -- is resting on the floor. Think of it like an alligator's mouth, and the alligator is about to munch on your ceiling. Then, starting at either side, carefully remove the plastic rod from the channel. You'll have to pull it out both plastic rods on the same side at the same time to prevent it from binding up. It should look like this as it's coming apart:
And you should be left with two bundles of fabric (Fly and tent body) and your base:
Next, it's inside to the bathub. Fill it with a bit of water -- enough to cover the tent body, according to the ratios on the Tech Wash packet, and get your hands in there (they say to wear gloves).
Baically I just swished the tent body around for a long time, kneading and squeezing etc. until I was certain it was as clean as I could get it, and then did the same with the fly. I thought "If my hands were the agitator of my washer, and my washer takes 15 minutes of agitation per cycle, and this tent looks like 4 or 5 washer loads worth of fabric, I should mess about with it for an hour or so". So that's what I did!
For reference, this water was totally clear when I started. Obviously it was a bit dirty! Washing and removing this dirt means less small particles rubbing against the fabric which means my new waterproof coating will last a bit longer as will the fabric itself.
When done, you need to rinse like your life depends on it. I rinsed my tent body in fresh water about 5 times, and the fly about 3 times. When I was confident I got all the detergent out, I transferred it to a bucket and brought it back to the main tent body.
Re-assembly of the tent body is exactly the opposite of disassembly. Simply feed the plastic tubing into the channel till it's back together.
Once the tent is reassembled, open it up and let it drip-dry for a few hours. You don't want it totally dry -- you want it to be a little bit damp for best results - but you don't want it to be dripping wet either.
When that's done, start spraying down the tent body with the SolarProof. This provides UV protection and waterproofness.
Wipe it down. The instructions say to "wipe off the excess" but I'm fairly certain that it means spread the excess around to ensure an even coat. We used a damp cloth and did just that.
When it was dry, we hit it with another coat and spread that around too.
Finally, we reinstalled the fly -- installation is exactly reverse of removal -- and sprayed that down with water in a spray jug. Once it was moist, we gave it a wipe down with a cloth to make sure it was evenly damp, and used the waterproofer again.
The final step is to make sure your seam tape is intact. If not, you'll need to buy some new seam-sealer and re-coat wherever it's damaged.
It's a bit cold to arrange for a massive downpour here in Alberta, but we did test it in the garage. The tent passed the Garden Hose test with flying colors, and the water beads up nicely and sheets right off.
This will easily give us another few seasons out of a well worn RTT. Our next project on this is to replace the base panels that have gotten a bit dented and dinged over the years from the ladder hitting them.
Happy to answer any questions, I've subscribed to this thread so I'll get notifications!
Hi folks,
There were a few people asking about re-waterproofing a tent, and my wife and I just re-did ours so I thought I'd share with you the process. I just came back from a week camping in Oregon where it rained non-stop, and I was made brutally aware that my tent was no longer waterproof. In fact, I'd hesitate to say it was even water resistant. This was a combination of at least 150 bed nights in varying climates from +50 Celcius (Vegas in July) to -30 Celcius and snow (Calgary in December), as well as the fact that while in Oregon I was packing up and moving every day so the tent was constantly put away wet. Still, it needed some work.
First you'll need to visit your local camping store (We used MEC, but REI should stock this stuff if you are in the US) and buy the following:
Tech Wash by Nikwax. There are equivalents by Graingers and other companies; this was just available. Tech Wash will preserve any existing waterproofing treatments. More waterproofing = dry sleeps. Dry sleeps = happy campers.
And this:
We needed 3 full bottles to do our tent and fly. You can buy it in larger containers and may save a few bucks. Others have also reccomended a product from West Marine that you brush on so that's an option too.
Now, to get started.
First, you need to disassemble your tent down to it's component pieces. We have a Tepui Kukenam; as far as I know most tents are put together the same way.
The cover comes off by sliding the fabric-coated rod out of the channel in the tent base.
Next, the tent fly comes off. You need to undo the straps (three on each side) completely.
Once that is done, you need to lift the fly off the tent. The fly is supported by 3 aluminum poles that slot into sewed pockets on the body of the tent. The center pole is a bit longer than the end ones.
When the fly is off, and the poles are out, set it aside. It's time to tackle the main tent body!
First, haul out the mattress -- you can see some of the Oregonian rainfall that made it to Edmonton on the return trip!
Sadly, all of our hands were busy so we didn't get too many photos of this next step. I'll explain it as best as I can.
The tent body attaches to the tent base the same way the cover does -- a fabric-covered plastic rod fits neatly into the channels on the base of the tent.
Fold the tent up and stand it on it's end so that the "break" in the base -- the middle of the tent -- is resting on the floor. Think of it like an alligator's mouth, and the alligator is about to munch on your ceiling. Then, starting at either side, carefully remove the plastic rod from the channel. You'll have to pull it out both plastic rods on the same side at the same time to prevent it from binding up. It should look like this as it's coming apart:
And you should be left with two bundles of fabric (Fly and tent body) and your base:
Next, it's inside to the bathub. Fill it with a bit of water -- enough to cover the tent body, according to the ratios on the Tech Wash packet, and get your hands in there (they say to wear gloves).
Baically I just swished the tent body around for a long time, kneading and squeezing etc. until I was certain it was as clean as I could get it, and then did the same with the fly. I thought "If my hands were the agitator of my washer, and my washer takes 15 minutes of agitation per cycle, and this tent looks like 4 or 5 washer loads worth of fabric, I should mess about with it for an hour or so". So that's what I did!
For reference, this water was totally clear when I started. Obviously it was a bit dirty! Washing and removing this dirt means less small particles rubbing against the fabric which means my new waterproof coating will last a bit longer as will the fabric itself.
When done, you need to rinse like your life depends on it. I rinsed my tent body in fresh water about 5 times, and the fly about 3 times. When I was confident I got all the detergent out, I transferred it to a bucket and brought it back to the main tent body.
Re-assembly of the tent body is exactly the opposite of disassembly. Simply feed the plastic tubing into the channel till it's back together.
Once the tent is reassembled, open it up and let it drip-dry for a few hours. You don't want it totally dry -- you want it to be a little bit damp for best results - but you don't want it to be dripping wet either.
When that's done, start spraying down the tent body with the SolarProof. This provides UV protection and waterproofness.
Wipe it down. The instructions say to "wipe off the excess" but I'm fairly certain that it means spread the excess around to ensure an even coat. We used a damp cloth and did just that.
When it was dry, we hit it with another coat and spread that around too.
Finally, we reinstalled the fly -- installation is exactly reverse of removal -- and sprayed that down with water in a spray jug. Once it was moist, we gave it a wipe down with a cloth to make sure it was evenly damp, and used the waterproofer again.
The final step is to make sure your seam tape is intact. If not, you'll need to buy some new seam-sealer and re-coat wherever it's damaged.
It's a bit cold to arrange for a massive downpour here in Alberta, but we did test it in the garage. The tent passed the Garden Hose test with flying colors, and the water beads up nicely and sheets right off.
This will easily give us another few seasons out of a well worn RTT. Our next project on this is to replace the base panels that have gotten a bit dented and dinged over the years from the ladder hitting them.
Happy to answer any questions, I've subscribed to this thread so I'll get notifications!
Rattler
Thornton Melon's Kid
I redid my waterproofing after 5 years use of my Mombasa. I spoke with my old boss whm does a lot of marine upholstery and a good friend who manages a West marine. I ended up getting a gallon of this stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Wa...4309637&sr=8-3&keywords=star+brite+waterproof
I opened the tent up on a garage floor and removed the rainfly. I wiped it off with a soapy water solution. I then applied the Starbrite with a spray bottle going in a horizontal pattern the first time. the second was a vertical pattern. I then repeated 2 ore times. I reinstalled teh rainfly and repeated those steps on that part. It has held up great after 2 seasons.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Wa...4309637&sr=8-3&keywords=star+brite+waterproof
I opened the tent up on a garage floor and removed the rainfly. I wiped it off with a soapy water solution. I then applied the Starbrite with a spray bottle going in a horizontal pattern the first time. the second was a vertical pattern. I then repeated 2 ore times. I reinstalled teh rainfly and repeated those steps on that part. It has held up great after 2 seasons.
How does one go about redoing the waterproofing on a hard shell RTT? I am getting an Air Top, and spent yesterday evening and tonight reading through this thread and some others - I really appreciate everything everyone has written, btw - and after seeing the pics of the Tepui being taken apart to be waterproofed, I'm glad the company with the Air Top got back to me before either of the places with the Autana Sky did, because not only am I more positive I can put up and take down the Air Top, I would never be able to get a fabric RTT back together again!!
Does anyone here have an AirTop (or Columbus, or other by that company) on a regular SUV? I have a Dodge Journey, and I'm going to be using it on property I bought in the desert for a week or so at a time while I'm building a cabin. I somehow don't think I'm going to be able to load my Journey down with all the cool accessories that are available to the larger vehicles (but I do have an ARB fridge in the back).
Thanks!
nuclearlemon
Adventurer
i've been meaning to do an led light in my maggi ever since i broke the tabs that hold the lens trying to measure for an led bulb and then found the switch flies out with the lens missing.
was looking for the correct size to fit without too much modification, but a vendor came out with these, so i'll be putting them in soon
http://www.grote.com/lightform/
Everyone is always looking into plugging in LED strips inside their tent, then running a cord. Has anyone ever tried a small LED lantern that just hangs from one of the poles up top? I'd rather have something battery operated than running cords. I've seen some small ones on Amazon, such as these:
http://www.amazon.com/Supernova-Ext..._sbs_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0RHRK65ZF79J0EMSYB24
http://www.amazon.com/Camping-Lante...8-14&keywords=led+battery+lantern+backpacking
Seems like they'd have enough light to see where you put your stuff. I don't need it for reading or anything like that. What is yall's opinions on these things?
http://www.amazon.com/Supernova-Ext..._sbs_sg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0RHRK65ZF79J0EMSYB24
http://www.amazon.com/Camping-Lante...8-14&keywords=led+battery+lantern+backpacking
Seems like they'd have enough light to see where you put your stuff. I don't need it for reading or anything like that. What is yall's opinions on these things?
Kcdude
Adventurer
I purchased two of these from Lowes on sale for $2/ea. Two lighting stages, fold out hooks on the back to hang from your tent, magnetic back so it sticks to my trailer, remove from the tent and use as a flashlight.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_569189-50584-FT-LOW1424_4294644950__?productId=50237911&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=
I saw that at teh checkout last time I was there and almost grabbed one. I wish it hung to where the lights were straight down instead of on the side. That doesn't make sense to me. It probably still gets the job done, doesn't it? Is it bright enough?
Wow, good to know. Thanks a lot. Harbor freight gives them away for free sometimes.
I use these for everything. I have about 5 of them sticking to my tool box, one stuck under the hood of every vehicle for emergencies, I use a couple hanging from the handles in the burban or in the tent when camping for interior light. They run on 3 AAA batteries and will last for several days if left on.
1MK
ExploreDesert
I use a few of these around the rig. Put a piece of velcro on the backside and then other pieces in any areas you would need to mount it and you have light. Last all weekend on a charge. I have one that goes on the center bar in the tent, one by the ladder for a night light and one under the tent for a bed light.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IA9FA8U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IA9FA8U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1