Rooftop Tent Fabrics and Care

[Christian P.]

I just uploaded a great article written by Martyn. He discusses fabrics and maintenance of your roof top tent.

Very interesting reading.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/resources/rooftop-tent-fabrics-an-care.html

 

[hurricane harry]

Great article, thanks.
Something the author talked about, and is not comonly brought up in the threads i have been reading, is moisture. In this area of the country, the northwest, it rains all of the time. You have to be able to open and dry out your tent after every trip, or it will get ruined. One of the huge drawbacks for me in chosing a RTT.

 

[benedmonson]

This is an excellent article for those with RTT's! Great job Martyn.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[JKJenn]

Article was very helpful for me as a new RTT owner. A couple of follow-up questions:

2. After gently showering a poly-canvas tent, should you then apply a waterproofing treatment?
3. If you are caught in the rain and have to pack up, will your bedding get wet if you leave it inside of the tent when you fold it up?

 

[Martyn]

Article was very helpful for me as a new RTT owner. A couple of follow-up questions:

2. After gently showering a poly-canvas tent, should you then apply a waterproofing treatment?
3. If you are caught in the rain and have to pack up, will your bedding get wet if you leave it inside of the tent when you fold it up?

Showering the poly-cotton allows the cotton fibers to expand, fill any holes around the stitching and tighten the weave of the fabric. There is no need to waterproof the fabric after doing this. A note on this. If the poly-cotton has been coated with a waterproofing layer on the outside of the fabric then this technique will have no effect on the fabric. This wetting down technique only works on poly-cotton that has the waterproofing absorbed into the fabric itself. My article goes into depth on the advantages of fabrics that have the waterproofing, UV resistance, mold resistance, and color absorbed by the fabric rather than being sprayed on.

Regarding folding the tent away wet, there shouldn't be a problem with the bedding getting wet if the tent material had a high degree of waterproofing in the first place. The material of the tent folds upon itself with all the wet outer layers folded to meet other wet outer layers. The dampness is not transmitted to the inside of the fabric.

Hope that helps.

 

[JKJenn]

Showering the poly-cotton allows the cotton fibers to expand, fill any holes around the stitching and tighten the weave of the fabric. There is no need to waterproof the fabric after doing this. A note on this. If the poly-cotton has been coated with a waterproofing layer on the outside of the fabric then this technique will have no effect on the fabric. This wetting down technique only works on poly-cotton that has the waterproofing absorbed into the fabric itself. My article goes into depth on the advantages of fabrics that have the waterproofing, UV resistance, mold resistance, and color absorbed by the fabric rather than being sprayed on.

Regarding folding the tent away wet, there shouldn't be a problem with the bedding getting wet if the tent material had a high degree of waterproofing in the first place. The material of the tent folds upon itself with all the wet outer layers folded to meet other wet outer layers. The dampness is not transmitted to the inside of the fabric.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, Martyn. I do not know for sure how my tent (ARB Pilbara) was/was not treated. The description says, "Manufactured from high quality, cotton / poly ripstop fabric -breathable, waterproof & mold resistant" but another description said water resistant instead of waterproof. I also found this description: "13oz rip stop Polyamide milspec canvas."

I contacted the ARB customer service about another question about the tent today and they said they didn't know much about this tent because there were such a small amount of them and they are shipped directly from the factory. Guessing this could be one of the Chinese made tents.

 

[enzo]

I'm wondering if my ARB Simpson III is treated from the factory.

 

[JKJenn]

I'm wondering if my ARB Simpson III is treated from the factory.

I found out my tent is:

1. 300gsm Poly/cotton ripstop canvas – PU coated – greatly improved water proofing ability and mould resistance

2. All seams with welded seam tape – greatly improved water proofing ability

Guessing the Simpson II is the same since it is also 300gsm Poly/cotton/ripstop canvas.

Found this info on PU coating.

"You need to look after PU-coated fabric. The PU coating itself can absorb water molecules - that's how it 'breathes' after all. The technical term for this behaviour is that the coating is 'hydrophilic' (water loving). But as a result, water can act as a very slow solvent to polyurethane. So if you pack up a wet PU tent for a very long time the PU coating may eventually stick to itself and become one big ball of goo. Actually, it will probably become a big ball of mould first, but that's another matter. "

Not encouraging.

 

[enzo]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Martyn]

I think it's safe to say that any of the less costly roof top tents have all of the treatments sprayed onto the external side of the fabric. Some of the treatments are absorbed by the cotton, and others are layered or coated onto the outside of the fabric.

Waterproof vs Water Resistant is very important as it effects breathability. Waterproof fabric has no breathability with breathability increasing as water resistance decreases. The balance is finding a fabric that has both a high degree of breathability and a high degree of water resistance.

As I say in my article when buying a tent get inside it, close all the windows and vents and stay inside the tent for 10 or 15 minutes, if it starts to smell like a locker room the fabric isn't very breathable.

 

[Mike S]

For those who own AutoHome tents, we have provided a great deal of information about our fabrics (including ISO standards and ratings) on our website, and a section on care and cleaning.

Specs are here: http://www.autohomeus.com/details/anatomy.php

Care and cleaning information is here: http://www.autohomeus.com/info/care.php

 

[Mike S]

Waterproof vs Water Resistant is very important as it effects breathability. Waterproof fabric has no breathability with breathability increasing as water resistance decreases. The balance is finding a fabric that has both a high degree of breathability and a high degree of water resistance.

More specifically, finding the balance that Martyn mentions is dependent on the actual design of the tent (which determines the fabric specifications) and upon the conditions of use. Breathability of the fabric is critical, water resistance vs, waterproof... you do NOT want "waterproof" as you will have a portable sauna with nearly zero breathability.

 

[cnynrat]

Thanks, very informative article!

 

[Corey]

Thanks Mike for adding the AutoHome links.

 

[Martyn]

More specifically, finding the balance that Martyn mentions is dependent on the actual design of the tent (which determines the fabric specifications) and upon the conditions of use. Breathability of the fabric is critical, water resistance vs, waterproof... you do NOT want "waterproof" as you will have a portable sauna with nearly zero breathability.

Well put Mike.

Autohome produces some of the best tent fabrics on the market. Your reference to the care and cleaning is very good.

I haven't used the 303 products but have had great luck with Nikwax Cotton Proof for the Eezi Awn tents. It's very dependent on the make up of the fabric and the treatments applied to the fabrics. Best to talk to the manufacturers or importers prior to putting any chemicals or cleaners on your tent.