Iron on tent seam sealer

I think I’m going to have a go at repairing our old backpacking tent, after being told by Terra Nova that the lifetime warranty doesnt apply to the seams. So has anyone tried this, how did it go ? are all the different makes of sealer much the same or is there a stand out winner. Thanks

Typical STW answer /non-answer… But I’ve used clear silicone sealant thinned with white spirit a couple of times, it works really well.

You need to pitch the tent on a dry day, then paint the mix onto the seams, preferably from the inside. Leave the tent up until completely dry.

It does make the seams appear a bit darker. I’ve not used the tape, so can’t comment on that, sorry

I’ve done ours with a liquid sealer, I turned the tent inside out and put it up, then painted it on. It works ok, I could probably do it again but I’ve no leaks I’m aware of so I’ll wait a while. Being on the inside means you can’t see it and doesn’t need to look perfect. Mcnett was the brand

Personally I wouldn’t be going anywhere near my tent with an iron!

Have you asked terra Nova for a price to repair? They did some work for me, it wasn’t cheap but was ok value and extended the tents life massively

Yeah, I’ve used a mixture of white spirit and silicone sealant on a couple of my tents. It has worked really well.

Need to pitch the tent on a dry day and work from the inside with a small brush. Quicker than it sounds.

I haven’t used the tape, but it looks faffy to me.

You guys who used silicone and white spirit, how thin did you make the mixture?

I’ve never tried it but it sounds good

Thanks for the info, thinning silicone sealant seems tricky ? Terra Nova told me that the tent was too old for them to repair and then tried to get me to trade it in and buy another one from them !

Terra Nova told me that the tent was too old for them to repair and then tried to get me to trade it in and buy another one from them !

https://www.scottishmountaingear.com/repair-service/tent-repairs

These guys do tent repairs

Sorry for the double post, wordpress error or something, thought it had disappeared into the ether.

Thin clear silicon till it’s brush able, I just put a squirt of sealant into a small container then gradually mix in white spirit until it runs about a bit. It needs to be thin enough to work into the thread holes.

There are people on YouTube with better instructions, but I don’t think you have to be very exact.

@dropoff, it’s actually really easy to do, particularly if you aren’t too precious about the tent.

Iron is very high risk. I tried to reattach a bit of dislodged seam on my Madison shorts and melted another bit that I didn’t mean to even touch.

I used aquaseal then covered the seams with adhesive spinnaker tape as I wasn’t convinced the seams were that strong without some form of tape across it.

Took a little while but is properly strong now,  and the sealant is covered so not tacky

You guys who used silicone and white spirit, how thin did you make the mixture?

I’ve heard this as a method for repairing sections where the waterproof coating on the fabric has peeled away but not for seams.

Buy some tubes of sealant, put the tent up without the inner and apply lines of it to the seams inside and out. It’s really easy and no need for thinning. Just make sure you get the right kind of sealant for the fabric.

I’ve never tried it but it sounds good

I prefer the white spirit neat. More refreshing and a less odd mouthfeel.

I’ve painted this onto our family tent from the inside before and it works well. Dries a bit sticky so it’ll accumulate a bit of fluff and grit but it’s kept the rain out. Think I applied this back in 2021 and our tent has had some proper soakings since then including a few days of biblical lake district rain which eventually came through the nylon panels whereas the seams were fine.

https://www.trekitt.co.uk/equipment/repairs/stormseal-seam-sealer-100ml-bottle-with-foam-pad__54892?currency=GBP&chosenAttribute=STO%20OSEAL&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA9bq6BhAKEiwAH6bqoJwc1YhK6jUmdT8DDiC8bbdcy4izqFo4OkV5VJulqwCRVASJtw4F0BoC3C8QAvD_BwE

I’ve used the tape and an iron to seal up an old Gore-Tex jacket. It works, but TBH a liquid sealer is the best option.

I’d not bother with the home brew options though – just get the correct stuff.

I’ve used the tape and an iron to seal up an old Gore-Tex jacket.

What tape did you use Marko? I have a Rab jacket which is old but still in great condition apart from the tape.

I have used seam sealer in a tube – works really well.  comes in two forms – one for silicone and one for proofed nylon

https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/seam-grip-sil-silicone-tent-sealant/

@slowoldman

Couldn’t find any in the UK at the time, so it came from Aliexpress.

Some on Ebay here: Seam Sealer

However the one I used is clear and very thin, so hard to apply without a bit of practise first. I should add that you must place a bit of sacrificial material under the iron as (and trust me) it makes a mess of the iron when it get too hot and melts on the iron.

Not sure I’d bother again. More than likely I’d use the seam sealer option or perhaps the one I linked to as that looks a bit thicker?

Thanks Marko.