Inevitably, tents will take a touch of a combat once you’re in the wild bivouacking, bikepacking or packing. Similarly this applies to encampment tents, particularly if they’re left up, exposed to the weather for days on finish. Sustained use will take its toll, a bit like constant pitching and packing away. Over time, this can probably have an effect on a tent’s weather-resistance, well-rounded performance and general sturdiness.
So, a bit like a bricks and mortar home, tents would like a bit aid – that sometimes is more than a fast clean after a bivouacking trip. It’s worthy, we promise. Given a bit care and a spotlight, you’ll guarantee your tent can stay your most responsible bivouacking companion for years to come back.
What damages your tent
Many different environmental factors will have an effect on the performance of your tent and limit its effective lifespan.
Exposure to the elements: Over time, the consequences of wind and rain will weaken the material of your tent. This will cut back water resistance and compromise handicraft or durability, leading to rips or tears.
Ultraviolet (UV) light: Constant exposure to the sun’s rays will injure a tent by degrading the material. Tent-care specialists Nikwax claim that in some cases, simply period of time of ultraviolet illumination exposure will result in a discount within the tear strength of the tent cloth by fifty per cent. Ultraviolet illumination injury additionally affects the fabric’s ability to repel water. If your tent starts to appear light or bleached, it’s probably because it suffered ultraviolet illumination injury. These risks increase in high ultraviolet illumination areas, cherish bivouacking at altitude or in hot, arid environments like deserts.
Dirt and dust: A build-up of grime will quickly begin to have an effect on your tent’s performance. That’s as a result of dirt and mud cut back the effectiveness of a tent’s DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating, therefore the cloth ‘wets out’ instead of water beading and running off the tent. This might cause your tent to leak. Additionally, water, dirt or dirt sitting on the tent cloth reduces its breathability. This suggests vapour within the tent will now not tolerate the material, inflicting condensation. This explains why even though it isn’t descending outside, you generally still get damp within the tent.
How To shield Your Tent
Although tents are made of different materials ought to be cared for in several ways there is specific measurements that apply to all or any tents.
- Make sure you shake off any wetness from your tent.
- To help shield your tent from ultraviolet illumination injury, dig in shaded spots wherever potential. Don’t leave your tent up unnecessarily.
- Try to guarantee your tent is dry before you’re taking it down. Air it totally by gap the doors before you pack it away.
- Sweep or shake out the within of the tent before you’re taking it all the way down to get eliminate grit, insects and dust.
- If potential, brush or sponge the dirt from the sides thus you don’t pack it away muddy. Try to make sure the side of the piece of cloth is facing outward as you pack it up.
- When packing away, leave the door zips slightly receptive permit air to fly.
- If you have got no selection but to pack away a wet tent, remove and air it as shortly as potential once you get home. Detach the inner and suspend each inner tent-fly and also the inner set dry. If you’re on the path, try and pitch up a bit ahead of usual and fold back the door, thus you have got time to air the tent before planning to bed.
- Store your tent in a very cool, dry place. If you have got no selection however to store your kit somewhere vulnerable to damp, sort of a shed or garage, then use sealed storage boxes or plastic crates to confirm wetness can’t get in.
How To Clean Your Tent
If you’ve managed to pack your tent away dry and dirt free, there shouldn’t be needing to unpack and clean it once more. However, once in a while it’s an honest plan to convey your tent a lot of thorough clean, that is additionally an honest chance to perform alternative maintenance.
- Never place your tent within the washer, regardless the kind of material.
- It’s best to wash a tent once it’s pitched, thus set it up in in a very well-drained space of the garden. If you don’t have outside house, suspend it over the bath.
- Shake out the tent and sweep with a soft brush to get rid of all dust.
- Do not use a detergent to wash tent cloth, as this will injury it. Instead, use a specialist product like Nikwax Tent & Gear Solarwash, Storm Tent Wash or Grangers Tent plus Gear Cleaner. Spray equally to the skin of the flysheet, operating in sections. Rub in well with a humid textile or sponge, taking note to significantly dirty areas.
- Rinse totally till the water runs clear.
- Leave the tent pitched to dry naturally or leave it hanging over the bath, with the lavatory extractor fan switched on.
Make your tent waterproof again
Over time, the waterproof coatings of tent materials will degrade, affecting performance. However typically you wish to reproof your tent depends on how often you utilize it, and in what conditions. If water droplets appear to soak into the material of the flysheet instead of beading on the surface, it’s time to reproof your tent. You would possibly notice that your flysheet looks to darken once it rains, that is additionally an honest indicator.
Firstly, attempt resealing the seams of your tent, which is the main purpose for water ingress. Pitch your tent with the tent-fly within dead set provide access to the inner seams. Employing a textile, clean the seams with lotion.
Then apply seam sealer, like McNett Seam Grip for polymer (PU) coated polyester or nylon flysheets, or SilNet for silicone polymer nylon (sil-nylon) flysheets. Alternative product can be used. However, it’s necessary to make sure that the merchandise you select is appropriate for the material of your tent. Due to the fact that the completely different coatings of laminates have an effect on the adhesion of specific product.
Most budget and mid-range bivouacking and packing tents have a nylon of polyester flysheet with a polymer (PU) coating. The nice news is that, additionally to resealing the seams, this cloth coating will be reapplied with a product like McNett TentSure. It will be used on the face of the piece of cloth and also within the flysheet. However, it shouldn’t be used for sil-nylon tents, cuben fibre tents or polycotton/canvas tents.
It is safe to refresh the DWR treatment on each artificial and sil-nylon tents. This can be applied to the skin of the flysheet and can be done simply with a proofing spray. Sensible product embody Nikwax Tent & Gear SolarProof, Grangers Tent + Gear Repel, Storm Tent Proofer or McNett ReviveX Tent Water Proofer. Most of those are best to be used on a wet or damp flysheet. Apply equally to the material. once a couple of minutes, use a humid textile to wipe off any excess spray. Leave the tent to dry fully before packing away.
Polycotton and canvas tents don’t usually ought to be treated with proofing product. That’s as a result of the fibres swell naturally once they get wet, rendering them weatherproof. it’s still necessary to stay them clean and dry, however, to protect against mould and mildew.
