There are two possible sources of confusion.

The first comes from the fact that if a tent is made from silnylon (silicone impregnated nylon), the seams need to be sealed by hand, using a silicone based sealer. That's because the factory-applied seam tape used on urethane-coated tents won't adhere to silnylon and there's no mechanical substitute.

The second source of confusion comes from the old untreated cotton canvas tents which, if you touched them from the inside, would leak at that point. Nobody uses these tents any more except for historic re-enacting (I have one for Civil War re-enacting, but the canvas has been treated--not historically accurate, but it doesn't show).

IMHO, setting up a new tent in the backyard before your first trip with it is always a good idea! While you're at it, test it with a garden hose. That's especially a good idea with a silnylon tent that you've seam sealed. I remember sitting through several evenings of thunderstorms with a new tent, feeling like the Dutch boy and the dike because I had missed a small spot!


Edited by OregonMouse (05/02/16 02:32 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey