How do you waterproof a tent?

[spokette]

Silly question I know but please enlighten me. Want to reinforce the waterproofing of our tent before the next camping trip.

TIA

what's it made of?

Fabsil paint or spray usually does the trick.

Does one NEED to do this? (Asked on the long excited camping thread but oit got lost ) We're going to Vendee, so hoping for very little rain - new this season tent. Will it be OK without

Tent has polyester flysheet and nylon doors.

Funnypeculiar, my tent has a hydrostatic head of 2000mm so want to reinforce it if that is possible.

Slubber, do you have to paint on Fabsil using a paintbrush?

Thanks

fp, with new tent no way, unless it leaks .

Most leaks happen through the seams so a lot of folk will spray/paint their seams if the tent is a few years old.

HUGE debates as to whether you should re-proof a canvas tent.

thanks spokette

and slubber

spokette, yup I think so. Check at camping shop but those giant tins of fabsil i think are for painting.

Pitch it in barn?

Sorry, no idea, but if you have a new tent, funnypeculiar, it shouldn't be necessary. We gave our new tent a rigorous test drive in Cornwall last August - I don't think it would have struggled in the Vendee.

We had a canvas trailer tent and half pitcched it inthe garden and used a spray watering can thingy - it took ages and stank and the fabsil was a rip off too. If it needs doind though....... ours was 8 yr old when we did it.

FP, the only time our tent has ever leaked, was in the Vendee last year To be fair, it was very torrential rain for more than 12 hours, and it only leaked a little bit on the seams - no puddles of water, just a few drops! And our tent was 6+ years old.

BTW, the other 12 days in the Vendee was hot, hot, hot and sunny! Where are you going? We were at Les Biches - lots of very tall pine trees, very relaxing!