Tent Care, Waterproofing, and Repair
Storing Your Tent
Store the tent in a cool, dry place. Ideally, store it loosely in a cloth bag instead of its stuff sack.
If you have a non-freestanding ultralight tent, don’t roll it up with the stakes inside—they could damage the thin fabric. If you must store them inside, place them on the tent before rolling it up. Don’t insert them after it’s rolled up.
Use a Footprint
It’s wise to place a footprint under your tent. Not only will it protect your tent from abrasion and punctures, but it will help keep it clean and dry. It will also reduce absorption of odors.
Push, Don't Pull
When sliding a shock-corded pole through a tent sleeve, push rather than pull. If you pull the pole, it will come apart, put stress on the shock cord, and get hung up in the sleeve. Push the pole slowly and gently so it doesn’t get caught on the sleeve. Have someone stand at the other end of the sleeve and help guide the pole through so it doesn’t snag.
Zip Carefully
Don’t guy the tent so tightly that it pulls apart the entrance zipper track.
Always zip slowly and carefully while watching to ensure that no fabric gets stuck in the zipper. If the zipper track is U-shaped or C-shaped, be careful as you zip around the curves.
If the fabric starts to get stuck, stop immediately. Hold the zipper track at a point ahead of the zipping direction, and gently unzip in the opposite direction. It may help to gently pull the fabric away from the zipper track while unzipping.
If your zipper gets stuck often, lubricate it with Gear Aid Zipper Cleaner + Lubricant
Avoid Sunlight
Avoid leaving your tent in the sun for days at a time. UV light eventually degrades tent fabric, especially nylon. Nylon is stronger and more abrasion-resistant but less UV-resistant than polyester.
Avoid Food and Odors
Although many backpackers like to eat inside their tent at night or in the rain, this isn’t a good practice. The smell may attract rodents, which may chew holes through the tent while you sleep. Don’t think they won’t! The smell may also attract raccoons or bears. It’s not a good idea to store toothpaste, soap, deodorant, or any scented item in your tent.
Breaking Camp
When it’s time to take down your tent, remove the rainfly, unzip an entrance, gently lift the whole tent, and gently shake out any dirt inside. Watch your surroundings so the tent doesn’t get caught on a tree branch or bush.
Next, disassemble the tent. If the tent fabric, rainfly, and footprint are wet with condensation (they probably are), shake the water off. If you have a towel, wipe off the remaining moisture. Spread out the tent, rainfly, and footprint on dry ground. If there’s no dry ground, you can carefully drape them over tree branches, but only if you can do so without snagging or poking them. Be extra careful with the mesh. If you have an expensive, thin, ultralight tent, this method might not be worth the risk.
Leave the tent components to dry in the sun while you eat breakfast, break down camp, and pack your gear. The goal is to get your tent as dry as possible before packing it in your backpack. You’ll dry it more thoroughly after you get home.
Drying Your Tent
As soon as you get home, pitch your tent outside without the rainfly and let it dry. Spread the rainfly out separately to dry. Don’t procrastinate! If you arrive late at night and are worried about your tent being stolen if left outside, spread it out in your garage. If you don’t have a garage, spread it out inside your house or apartment until you can dry it outside the next morning. Make sure your tent is thoroughly dry before you store it. If you don’t take these steps promptly, your tent will likely be destroyed by mold! I’ve seen an expensive tent rendered useless by mold only a few weeks after it was purchased.
Cleaning Your Tent
Never machine-wash or machine-dry your tent. Gently hand-clean it with a non-abrasive sponge in a bathtub full of cold or lukewarm water. Use a tent cleaner such as Nikwax SolarWash, or use unscented dish soap such as Dawn Free & Clear. Most soaps and detergents will damage the durable water-repellent coating. Be careful when lifting the tent out of the water—the heavy weight of the waterlogged fabric can pull down on the mesh and damage it. Don’t soak the tent for too long—the polyurethane coating may hydrolyze and release a sweet, fishy odor that will attract animals. Rinse thoroughly and air-dry completely before storing.
Waterproofing Your Tent
Most tents come with sealed or taped seams. If your tent seams aren’t sealed or taped, you should seal them yourself. Seal the seams on the underside of the rainfly and the inside of the tent. If the fabric is standard nylon or polyester, use Gear Aid Seam Grip or equivalent. If the fabric is silnylon, use Gear Aid Seam Grip SIL Silicone Tent Sealant or an equivalent silicone seam sealer. Clean the seams with a cloth and alcohol, apply the sealer, and let it cure.
If water is no longer beading on your rainfly, it may be time to refresh the durable water repellent (DWR). Otherwise, the fabric can become waterlogged, stretch, and sag. First, pitch the tent with the rainfly. If the rainfly is dusty, spray it down with water and let it dry. Then, spray the rainfly with DWR such as Nikwax Tent and Gear SolarProof Spray. Wipe away excess coating, and let the tent dry.
Repairing Tent Fabric
If your tent has a tear or hole, you can patch it. For the tent fabric, use Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Hex Patches or Flex Patches, or equivalent. For the mesh, you can use Gear AID Tenacious Tape Mesh Patches. Follow the instructions on the package. If you are out on the trail, temporarily use Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Repair Tape or duct tape until you get home and can make a permanent repair.
Repairing Tent Poles
If your tent pole breaks or bends on the trail, temporarily fix it with a pole repair sleeve if one is included with your poles. If a pole repair sleeve isn’t included, you can buy a generic one such as Gear Aid Tent Pole Splint before going backpacking. After sliding the sleeve over the break or bend point, wrap it with duct tape or equivalent (you should always carry tape). If you don’t have a pole repair sleeve, use a tent stake or a sturdy, straight stick as a splint and wrap tape around it. Replace the pole after you get home.
If the shock cord has worn out, buy a proprietary replacement shock cord from the tent manufacturer. If they don’t sell replacement shock cord, you can buy it in various diameters at outdoor product stores such as REI.