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Hi all,

I have two tents which recently started losing their waterproofing along the inside seams of the fly. I've never had to reseal a tent before, and I know there's a lot of information out there, so I thought I'd ask some of the old pros (and new pros) on this site what you would suggest for the following:

1. Which seam sealing product(s) do you think work best?

2. Any tips on the best method to use? I know I can find directions online, but anything beyond what I'm likely to find out there that you may want to suggest?

3. Has anyone ever had the glue give out on the hooks on the inside of fly that hold it to the tent poles? Which glue do you prefer for resticking those back on?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Did you bother to seam seal the outside of the seam when you first got them? If not, I would start there with McNett Seam Grip. Hands down, unless it is a silicone coating in which case go to the hardware store and buy a tube of clear silicone sealer.

If the seam sealing tape is delaminating, this too can be solved with Seam Grip (or silicone sealer if silicone based). Same for gluing the hooks back on. I'm surprised they weren't sewn on really.

Stupid question probably, but how do I know if it has a silicone coating?

Most tents use polyurethane (PU) to coat the fly. SilNylon (used in light weight tarps) uses silicone (obviously) and some techy, high end tents use silicone coated nylon and polyester fabrics. Mostly likely yours is straight up PU, otherwise the tent would have been advertised as being silicone coated as it is more expensive, more UV resistant, stronger, etc. and is generally a selling point.