Tarptent Seam Sealing Woes

Hello everyone!

I'm new to this forum and I must admit that I joined this group in hopes of finding a solution to a problem I'm having with my Tarptent.

I somewhat recently purchased a Stratospire 2, which overall I am very pleased with, but unfortunately I botched the seam sealing. The sealant dried in such a way that the silny flaps that are supposed to cover the vestibule zippers are not laying flush against the zippers. Instead, they seem to have creases that make them sort of stick up, thus exposing the zippers. My wife and I have yet to weather a storm in our newish tent, but I'm afraid that when we do the exposed zippers are going to be a disaster.

I'm pretty sure I know where my downfall was. I used Gear Aid's Silnet, but unfortunately I didn't dilute the sealant before applying it. The thick consistency made it hard not to lay it on too thick and the coverage turned out somewhat uneven(thicker in some places, thinner in others). Does anyone out there have a potential solution? Is there any way to remove sealant without damaging the tent so I can just start over?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Newbie seam sealer

Welcome.
Should have followed Henry's instructions, you'd of gotten a perfect sealing job. I hope someone has a method besides peeling by hand.
Duane

Hopefully Franco will chime in here? He's the Australian rep for Tarptent. You might also want to call Henry Shires. Tarptent is famous for its great customer service, and if there's good advice to be had, Henry will provide it! Definitely talk to him before trying any chemical means!

In the meantime, gently peeling the sealant is probably your best bet. At least it's more apt to peel off fairly easily if it was too thick….

Two things:

1) Don't worry. The zipper angles are very steep and we've never heard of water actually getting through them, even when the flaps stick up, get blown back etc. Water runs off long before it sinks in. Even if it did, the drip lines are well outside your living space.

2) Happy to send you a silicone glue on velcro patch or two if you can't get past #1. Just send us an email request.

For the StratoSpire series, the really critical seam that needs to be well-sealed is the ridgeline including the two reinforced apex points.

Thanks.

Henry Shires
Tarptent
info@tarptent.com

Thanks for the swift responses!

I hope you're right Henry. In the event that the zippers end up leaking, while my living space wouldn't get wet, I wouldn't be able to say the same for items being stored under the vestibule.

As for the velcro option, I may take you up on your offer. I'll set up my tent first and give it a good soak with the sprinkler. Fingers crossed, hopefully I won't experience any zipper leakage.

By the way, thanks for designing such an awesome product. For the weight it feels like a palace and it's super sturdy to boot. My wife and I endured a pretty intense wind storm at Desolation Wilderness and the Stratospire 2 held strong. Hats off!

Thanks!

At the risk of sounding obvious, have you try spraying your tent with the water hose then checking the tent for leak(s)? If the constant pounding of water via water hose at close range don't sprung a leak, maybe you two would be fine during stormy mountain weather... Maybe.. I seam sealed my tarp tent without the dilution method and so far it has held up. But again, I haven't exactly been the worst weather imaginable..