Care and Maintenance Tips For Your Camping Tent

Care and Maintenance Tips For Your Camping Tent

Tree sap, caked dirt, sand, and small pieces of leaves and twigs may all be found in the internal and/or or external parts of a camping tent after use. These may have been brought in by the occupants of the tent. The more occupants who used the tent, the dirtier it is going to be, which is family tents tend to be dirtier. Thus, dirt and debris must be immediately removed even before packing the tent and heading home. However, for the sake of regular maintenance, you also need to clean your tent after each trip. Taking care of the tent entails doing some degree of cleaning, proofing, and repairing.

Cleaning

Cleaning refers to the removal of debris and dirt that may have accumulated from your previous camping trip. First, choose a sunny day during which you can clean the tent. It is important that the tent be allowed to air dry after cleaning. For a more thorough clean up job, set up the tent as if you are on a camping trip so that you can clean it from inside out. Sweep off the dry dirt if present. Then, dip a large sponge in a pail of soapy warm water and then squeeze the excess water out. Wipe all the surfaces of the camping tent repeatedly until all visible dirt and stains are removed. If something has dried on the surface, do not use a sharp object to remove it; soften it first with the soapy water and gently scrub it off. Afterwards, hose off the suds and allow the tent to dry.

Proofing

Another good way of taking care of a camping tent is through proofing, in which you will be spraying the tent with a protective chemical solution that will penetrate the fabric for added protection against the elements. Proofing large family tents may take some time so it is a good idea to plan free schedule before doing this. Once the tent has dried thoroughly after cleaning, fill a sprayer with a universal protector and adjust the nozzle to ensure even coating; a coarse spray is preferred over a fine mist. Next, spray the entire tent, including seams and corners. Remember that the goal is to wet the tent fabric but not saturate it with water. After spraying all the surfaces, allow it to dry for as much as 24 hours to allow the silicon to "cure."

Repairing

When not fixed right away, small tears could lead to bigger damage in the future. Thus, it is important that mending and repairing procedures be performed immediately. The main idea behind preventive repairs is to avoid larger rips and tears from the small ones you have noticed. For large tears, these must be patched with the right type of repair tape. Cut strips of repair tape with a two-inch allowance on all sides to withstand pressure and movement. It is also a good idea to place the tape on both sides of the tear. Generally, to repair rips and tears, you can use a ripstop repair tape or a seam sealer for nylon tents.

By taking care of your camping tent, you will be assured of durability as well as full protection when you need it the most.

For more tips and information about camping tent, please check out http://www.summitcampinggear.com/campingtents.html

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Care-and-Maintenance-Tips-For-Your-Camping-Tent&id=3921959] Care and Maintenance Tips For Your Camping Tent

How to Make a Permanent Patch on a Torn Tent

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Jordan]Wayne Jordan

Dry and cozy in your sleeping bag, you hear the first raindrops hit the rain-fly. You drift back to sleep. You are awakened when the wind picks up, and the sides of your tent begin to shake like a flag blowing in the breeze. That's when you notice the damp floor. You feel the windward side of the tent wall, and discover a small tear. Through the tear, a steady stream of water flows down the inside wall and accumulates on the floor. Unless the rain lets up soon, you know you are in for a night of mopping and wringing. When your tent dries out, you know you will have to make a repair.

To Repair or Not To Repair

Our discussion here is limited to patching a tent, rather than repairing seams, grommets, or frames. Any discussion of patching fabric has to begin with a discussion of the fabric itself because not all fabric is worth repairing. Tent fabric, whether nylon, canvas, or vinyl, is susceptible to a host of ills that weaken the fabric to the point where a repair will not hold. When you repair an area with a patch, the tension that caused the original tear is simply transferred to the fabric surrounding the patch. If the surrounding fabric then tears, you have wasted your time making the repair. Before you attempt to patch a tent, pull on the fabric surrounding the tear to make sure that it, too, does not tear.

Preparing the Surface

If you determine that your tent's fabric is in good enough condition to hold a patch, the next step is to prepare the area to be patched. Both nylon and canvas are woven, and vinyl is sometimes fiber-reinforced; tears often leave ragged, frayed edges. Use scissors to cut away the frayed area; if necessary, cut into the undamaged fabric until all frayed edges are gone. You will be gluing the patch, so clean around the damaged area with denatured alcohol to clean off any fabric treatments and dirt. Clean both sides of the fabric. If the tent is vinyl, scratch the surface around the tear lightly with fine sandpaper to increase glue adhesion.

Making the Patch

The best fabric for a patch is the fabric that matches your tent: use a canvas patch for canvas, a nylon patch for nylon, and a vinyl patch for vinyl. Cut the patch twice as long as the length of the tear, and at least several inches wide on each side of the tear. Cut the patch in an oval shape, because square corners will tend to peel when the tent is flexed. It is important that the patch is sufficiently large. Patches that fail do so along the edge of the patch, because the cloth flexes more at a point where a great thickness (the patch) meets less thickness (the fabric). To prevent failure there, make sure that the edge of the patch is far enough from the damage that the load is sufficiently reduced.

Gluing the Patch

Glue is the best way to attach a patch, because when you use glue, the fabric won't fray and the repair won't leak. The best glue for patching is one which will adhere to the fabric reliably under all the conditions (heat, cold, moisture, packing, etc.). Latex cement is often touted for tent repairs, but avoid it; it doesn't adhere very well in extreme conditions. Contact cement performs well, but can be a little stiff. The glue recommended by tent rental companies is called Barge Rubber Cement, made by the Quabaug Corporation. It can be purchased at Ace Hardware and most hardware stores. Barge Rubber Cement stays flexible in just about any conditions you tent is likely to encounter, and over long periods of time.

Paint the glue on the back of the patch, and on the area surrounding the damage. Give the glue solvents a few seconds to flash off, and then press the patch onto the fabric. Be certain the edges of the patch are well glued. To be certain that the patch is well glued, support the fabric from underneath and hammer the patch with a rubber mallet or roll firmly with a rolling pin or veneer roller. For best results, patch the damage from both sides of the fabric.

Allow the glue time to cure before packing the tent for storage. While you are making the repair, place some of your repair supplies in a plastic bag and pack them with your tent; you never know how far from home you will be the next time to need to patch a tear.

Wayne Jordan is a Virginia licensed Auctioneer, Certified Personal Property Appraiser, and Camping Enthusiast. He specializes in the Valuation and Liquidation of Estate and Business assets. Learn more at his website http://www.waynejordanauctions.com or his blog http://www.wayne-jordan.blogspot.com

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Make-a-Permanent-Patch-on-a-Torn-Tent&id=3685262] How to Make a Permanent Patch on a Torn Tent

Maintaining, Repairing and Replacing Camping Gear

The Spring camping season is upon us. Starting now and going forward we will be hauling out our gear, assessing what is still in good shape, performing maintenance on the gear that needs attention, and perhaps making a list of gear we might need or want. Hopefully, we stored things away in a fashion where loss or major repairs are not necessary. However, due to oversight or maybe just getting in a hurry, we may need to address some problems with our gear. We may also need to shop for gear that is not salvageable or to fill needs that we we now have.

One of the most common issues we must deal with is mold or mildew on tent fabric, sleeping bags, etc. Can these problems be addressed? The answer is sometimes. First lets deal with cleaning a tent.

First of all, avoid using detergents and/or bleach. Yes, these will likely remove the mold, but will likely leave damage that may be worse than what you started with. The damage from bleach is fairly obvious. The damage from detergents is that they often leave a residue that cannot be removed and over time deteriorate the ability of the fabric to be water repellent. One product that is unlikely to damage the material is Nikwax Tech Wash. It's a bit pricey at $26 for a liter (recent price through REI), but much less than replacing your tent. It is advertised as a non-detergent soap that protects waterproof fabrics like gore-tex and those in tents. Set up your tent in a shady location on a warm day. Add the soap to lukewarm water and go at the tent with a cloth or sponge. Pay special attention to areas around seams and zippers. Rinse very thoroughly with a hose. This probably goes without saying, but this time make certain the tent is thoroughly dry before storage.

For sleeping bags, the job is a bit easier in most cases. This is because you are rarely dealing with also trying to preserve waterproofing in the material. First, READ THE CARE INSTRUCTIONS on the sleeping bag's label! Wash the bag with all zippers closed so they do not snag and tear. It is strongly suggested that you take your bag to a front-load washer if you do not have one so the agitator does not rip up your bag's fabric. For down, use Woolite for the detergent. For synthetic bags, use a mild detergent. In all cases, use the minimum detergent required. Wash on the machine's gentle cycle. Carefully remove the bag after washing, supporting the water-soaked bag, again to prevent damage. Use a large commercial dryer on its lowest setting. Pull the bag out intermittently and check for dryness and clumping. You can reposition the fill in the bag if it is clumping up. Dry for the minimum necessary time.

One issue we see on occasion is damage to small electrical devices because they were stored with batteries not removed. Here are a couple of things to remember. One thing you might consider is contacting the battery manufacturer if the device is ruined. A few offer guarantees against damage from leaking batteries. When cleaning, use safety glasses and rubber gloves. Mix a small amount of solution and baking soda. Use a Q-Tip and gently remove corrosion from the battery compartment being as careful as possible not to slop water into the device. After removing corrosion, repeat procedure with clean water. Finally, use a dry Q-tip and dry the device compartment out as much as possible. Finally, let the device air dry until thoroughly dry. The device will likely work just fine.

When you get ready to put together your list of needs and/or wants for the coming year, here is some advice. First, think carefully about the trips you are planning. How can you minimize the gear requirements needed for all the trips you plan. Perhaps a small compromise on the gear you want/need for one trip might allow an item to fill a need on another trip. Often, taking a comprehensive list of camping gear, crossing off as much as you feel you can, and then analyzing carefully what is left, is a good strategy.

One site that offers some tools to help you in this task is rel=nofollow [http://www.family-outdoors.com/CAMPING.htm]Family-Outdoors Camping. They offer camping gear checklists, an outdoor store, and a lot of good practical advice, and resources like links to all 50 states' campground sites.

We all get busy at the end of the year and neglect to attend to all the maintenance needs of our gear. Hopefully, the advice in this article will minimize your need to re-purchase a great deal of gear. We wish you a great season of camping and outdoor adventures!