Tent Care

Tent Care in the Field

Tip #1: When selecting a setup spot, look for an established campsite with a smooth, level surface with no vegetation. Clear away tiny debris (pine cones, twigs, small rocks) that could jab you in the back or poke a hole your tent floor. Avoid disturbing a site any more than that. As prescribed by Leave No Trace principles: "Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary." Also from LNT: "Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent."

Tip #2: Use a footprint.This is a custom-cut ground cloth designed specifically for the floor plan of your tent. Footprints protect your tent floor from abrasion; in the morning they provide a clean surface where you can fold up your tent.

A footprint also discourages rain water from collecting under the tent floor. This commonly occurs when using a generic ground cloth that extends beyond the tent's perimeter. If using a generic ground cloth, tuck any excess material under the tent floor.

Other tips:

• Avoid sleeping atop any uneven surfaces. Low spots can collect runoff.
• Stake your tent tautly and use guylines to keep the rainfly taut.

Other wetness may be the result of condensation. This occurs when the ground and footprint are cold, and the tent floor is slightly warmer. You can't prevent this, so just be sure to dry out wet items before long-term storage.

Tip #3: When you climb inside your tent, leave boots or camp footwear (and all the debris clinging to them) outside or in the vestibule.

Tip #4: The sun's ultraviolet rays cause nylon to degrade. If your campsite offers little or no shade during the day, cover your tent with its rainfly. The rainfly's urethane coating helps it hold up better under the sun's glare.

Tip #5: If your tent is a freestanding model, pick it up and shake out debris in the morning before you pack it away. Pick up any trash that falls out and pack it out.

Tip #6: If you forget your stakes, lose them or the ground is too hard to permit staking, dig out some cord, collect a few melon-size rocks and follow these steps:

1. Tie lengths of cord (or fishing line, even dental floss) around 4 rocks and attach 1 cord/rock combo to the exterior webbing at each tent corner.
2. Push the rocks away from the tent until the tent is as taut and stable as you can make it.
3. Leave about 1 foot of cord between the rock and the webbing. Then place a second rock (and a third and fourth, if needed) atop the cord. The additional rock (or rocks) pushes the cord to ground level and adds weight and friction for security.
4. No cord? Find some smooth rocks and gently place them atop each tent corner. If the rocks are super-smooth, you could consider placing them inside the tent to anchor the corners. The possibility of abrasion, however, makes this a risky move.

Tip #7: With shockcorded poles, resist the urge to whip them around to cause the sections to "snap" together. It's fun, yes, but all that snapping could chip the section fittings and weaken the poles. It's better to fit the sections together one at a time by hand.

Tip #8: When disassembling a tent, first separate a shockcorded pole in the middle rather than starting at the end of the pole. This eases tension on the entire cord while it is stored.

Tip #9: What if a tent pole breaks? Most tent manufacturers include a pole repair sleeve that can straddle a damaged pole section and act as a splint. The diameter of a pole sleeve is slightly larger than your tent pole, so it can slip over a bent or broken section pretty easily. If tape is available, it's good to secure the sleeve by wrapping a few strips around both ends.

Tip #10: When packing a tent, avoid folding the tent or rainfly fabric on the same crease lines time after time. Over the years those creases could become permanent and grow brittle. Fold a tent in different places each time you pack it up.

Tent Care at Home

Tip #1: Got a new tent? Set it up at home first before going to a campground or into the backcountry. This lets you become acquainted with its assembly process in a no-pressure setting and confirms that you have all of your tent's stakes, guylines and accessories.

Tip #2: When you store a tent, make sure it is dry. No tent-care rule is more important. Wet tents, or even damp ones, invite mildew. After a trip, unpack your tent and inspect it carefully. If you detect even a trace of moisture, set it up in a shady spot (a garage, for instance) and let it air dry. If you have the space, store it loosely outside of its stuff sack. Avoid storing a tent in damp basements or hot attics.

Tip #3: To clean a tent, use a non-abrasive sponge, cold water and a non-detergent soap. Gently scrub soiled areas by hand. Avoid household cleaners such as dishwashing liquid, bleach, spot removers or laundry presoaking products. (Why? Virtually all household soaps are perfumed and will attract bugs, mice and other critters. These soaps also mask a tent's durable water repellent [DWR] coating.) Rinse thoroughly, then set it up in a shady spot and let it air dry completely.

Tip #4: Do not machine-wash a tent. If placed in a traditional top-loading washing machine, the back-and-forth churning of a washer's central-axis agitator could snag the tent and overstretch it or even pull apart its seams. In a front loader, repeated tossing and tumbling can wear off waterproof coatings. Machine-drying a tent is never an option; too much heat could cause the material to distort or melt.

Seams and Waterproofing

The floors and rainflys of nearly every tent come with factory-sealed seams. Seam tape is used to plug the tiny holes created by sewing needles when fabric sections are stitched together. One exception: ultralight tents that use silicone-treated nylon rainflys. Why? Seam tape does not bond to silicone.

Considerations:

• Any tent that is not factory-sealed must be sealed manually using seam sealer, a liquid or glue-like product with a built-in applicator. Follow directions on the product. Seal seams at home prior to camping in the tent. Typically, seam sealer should be applied to the coated (shiny) side of the floor or rainfly. Seam sealer can also be used to plug seam leaks on a heavily used tent.
• Well-worn tents (and single-wall tents) may also need to have the waterproof coating of their floors or rainflys rejuvenated. The latter becomes apparent when you notice your tent rainfly or walls increasingly sagging due to rain or dew. Wash-in or spray-on products used to revive waterproof/breathable outerwear can be used for tents, too.

Removing Mildew

Mildew can develop any time your tent is stored wet. It looks bad, smells bad and can damage your tent's waterproof coatings. Don't let it start.

Alas, if it already exists, here's what to do:

• Try some light scrubbing with a sponge.
• If mildew is still apparent, mix 1 oz. of MiraZyme® (or similar product) to 20 gallons of water in a bathtub and dip the whole tent. (Note: Lysol® also works, but its scent is attractive to bugs and critters and is thus not recommended).
• For spot treatment, use 0.5 oz. of MiraZyme (or similar product) per 1 gallon of water and thoroughly scrub afflicted areas by sponge.
• Set up the tent in a shaded spot and allow it to air dry.
• Then, mix 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of concentrated lemon juice with 1 gallon of hot water. Rub solution into the visible mildew and, again, allow the tent to dry.

This procedure will stop mildew growth and eliminate the odor (including food odors), but it will never remove the stain.

Care of Your Canvas Tent

About canvas tents – “Finished size” of a tent is the size after it is sewn together.  Canvas is 100% cotton and cotton shrinks.  You should expect your tent to be smaller after the tent has been preconditioned.

Shrinkage – All tents made from natural fibers, like cotton, will shrink and this will affect the “finished size” measurements of the tent.  The exact amount of shrinkage is impossible to predict.

Preconditioning your tent – In order for your tent to have its own natural water repellency, the tent must be wet down thoroughly to allow the fibers to swell and shrink to a tighter weave.  The easiest way to do this is to set the tent up, you must guy out the sides, the front end and the back end, and stake down the bottom if using a freestanding frame.  If you do not guy the sides, the roof may sag and water could collect above the eaves causing the frame to collapse under the weight.  Before wetting down the tent, zip the door shut.  If the front corners of the tent are guyed out too tightly toward the sides, the zipper door may not operate smoothly.  Check the tent often to make sure it is not straining or sagging.  If using a freestanding frame be sure to allow your tent to dry thoroughly on the frame before putting it away.  Never put a damp tent into storage.

Freestanding Tent Frames – Because of the unpredictability of fabric as to shrinkage, it is almost impossible to get an exact fit on any tent frame.  Our years of experience with fabrics has given us an “average” shrinkage factor.  This average is what we use when figuring what measurements to use when making frames.  However, there are still times when some adjustment of your framework will be necessary to get a good fit.  The best time to decide if adjustment is necessary is after the tent has been set up on the frame, wet down and dried thoroughly.  When using a free standing frame, it will be necessary to use a fly or tarp over the top of the tent.  If the tent roof is allowed to rest on the rafters, water will have a tendency to “wick” through and you will get drips inside the tent.  A fly will keep the roof of the tent dry and wicking will not occur.

Mildew – One of the most common problems that occur in canvas is mildew.  Even if the tent or tipi is made of a fabric that is mildew resistant, it will mildew if left damp.  Mildew is very destructive to cotton fabrics as well as other materials.  Mildew usually forms when tents are put in storage when damp but it can start while set up for no apparent reason.  Mildew can start in a very short time and under certain conditions of humidity and temperature.  If mildew has started to grow, it can be stopped from spreading by thoroughly drying the tent, preferably in the hot sun and applying a cleaner such as IOSSO Tent & Camping Gear Cleaner.  This cleaner is made to remove tough dirt and mildew stains.  Afterwards you may find it necessary to treat the tent with a water-repellent compound such as Canvak.  If using another treatment, be sure to read the label to make sure it is safe for use on canvas.  After any treatment has been applied, make sure the tent dries completely before putting into storage.  If the tent is left up for an extended period of time be certain to occasionally air out the tent so that the humidity inside the tent, from cooking, bodies, etc, can dry.  Keeping grass and weeds trimmed around the bottom of the tent is also important since dampness clings to foliage and does not allow air to get to the fabric.  Do not delay in drying your tent when you get home!!!

Wood Burning Stoves – Always use caution when using a wood burning stove in your tent.  Even flame retardant fabrics will burn when in contact with a flame source.  Unless flame retardant material is specifically ordered, we use non-flame material in our tents.  With a little care and common sense you will have no problem with these fabrics.  There are several things you can do to reduce the chance of damage when using a stove in your tent.  Sparks and embers that make it out of the stovepipe and fall back on the tent are the main problem.  Remember to set the tent up so the prevailing wind will blow sparks away from the tent and not onto it.  Use of a spark arrester cap over your stovepipe is highly recommended and in fact, required in National Forests.  Additionally, it helps to put small holes in the stovepipe above the ridgeline.  This provides oxygen for more complete combustion of the sparks before they leave the pipe.

Winds – Intense winds can cause extensive damage to your tent and frames.  Be sure to set your tent up using all the stakes and ropes provided, even if using a freestanding frame.  It will be necessary to also guy the tent out front and back using the grommets provided in the ends of the ridge if used in windy conditions.  Frequently checking the stakes and tightening the guy ropes if they loosen during periods of high winds will keep things together.

Snow – Snow should not be allowed to accumulate on the tent.  The simplest and most economic method of dealing with snow is to use a common plastic tarp as a tent fly.  It not only provides a waterproof and slippery surface for snow to slide off of, but also provides an air space for greater warmth in the tent.  If possible, maintain an air space between the fly and the tent roof to increase breathability and insulation.  If you do not like the looks or noise of the plastic flys, Reliable does offer a woven fabric (XL-Tex) that is made to fit the configuration of the tents and will provide excellent protection.

Proper use and care of your tent will insure many seasons of camping pleasure.