Brand new Tent care..before first use.

Just bought a brand new MSR hubba hubba.I usually use canvas camp tents on packtrips.What does everyone recommend as pre use treatements for this fabric? Do you even bother adding more waterproofing before use when new? I'll be checking the seams for leaks for sure,but what about the rest? What can you use on this stuff that 1.)Actually works...I use dubbin on my canvas,painted on and heat sealed,but this tent needs to breathe.
and 2.) won't wreck the fabric this tent is made of?

Give the tent a good soaking to satisfy yourself the seams are sealed tight and won't leak. If it passes, you are good to go. Most bping tents come ready-to-use without further treatment. Sil-nylon single-wall tents often need seam-sealing first, but the hubba-hubba isn't one of them.

Depending on the surfaces you will pitch it on, the tent floor is probably the weakest area for developing leakage problems over time. A foot print cut from 3 mil plastic tarp, just a bit smaller than the tent floor itself, so it won't capture water and channel it under your tent, will extend the life of the floor and therefore of the whole tent. I tend to groom my tent site very carefully and forego the footprint and its extra weight.

The rain fly will last longest if you can pitch in a shady or part-shady place. UV from direct hot sunlight will eventually break down the material. The less direct sun, the better off you'll be.

Don't use anything you're use on a horsepacking wall tent on the hubba - it doesn't need it, and it won't like it

if you are very concerned about your tent floor (I am usually not) I would suggest a small bit of poly, or if you have it a piece of tyvek house wrap cut slightly *SMALLER* than your tent bottom (smaller so it doesn't act as a place for water to drip on and get between it and the bottom of your tent). But it does add more weight. On the flip side it makes a good hitchiking sign (I do carry tyvek for my small one person black diamond that I "Baby" and often set up on rocks, and my tyvek footprint is also an enourmous sign that says "HIKER TO CAR" - works good

Hahaha...our old canvas camp tent said..come on in,coffee's always on!..I used to pack in 15lbs of coffee for a week pack trip cause every hiker that passed us stopped in.More than one or two were saved by our wood stove in bad weather.;)

I too like my wood stove in my wall tent - enough to put one
in a backpacking tent :




But that's really only for winter use.. it usually comes out in hunting season, and will stay out if I do a winter trip.

Unlike my spike camp rig, extra coffee backpacking is starbucks via packets (which are awesome) and forget the stove, my sleeping bag and dry set of clothing is inviolable. if it gets truly awful I just set up, and crawl into dry clothing and sleeping bag.

The big thing is to make sure that tent is clean and dry before you store it! If you have to pack it up wet the last day, try to spread it out and dry it as soon as possible.

It is a good idea to test the tent in the back yard with a hose before your first trip with it. (If it leaks, take it back to the store!) Also, practice setting it up and taking it down at least half a dozen times. You don't want to be trying to set up the tent on a dark, wet, windy night with flashlight in one hand and the instructions in the other!