I recently aquired an older tent and had some questions about waterproofing the rainfly. Before I took it camping a couple of weekends back, I did some basic waterproofing maintenance to both the rainfly and the main tent. On the inside of the rainfly, I used Gear Aid Seam Sure Water-Based Seam Sealer to seal the seams and sprayed a full can of Atsko Silicone Water-Guard on the outside. There were also a couple of burn holes in the rainfly where I used Gear Aid Silnet Silicone Seam Sealer to patch the holes. For the main tent, I applied Gear Aid Tent Sure Polyurethane Sealant to the tent floor and on the doors.
Before I got a chance to test the waterproofing we went camping. Of course that night there was a torrential downpour and we had a slow leak coming through the top seams of the main tent. I didn't seal those areas so that is one task left to do. The main issue however is the rainfly is still absorbing water in some sections and water goes directly to the main tent. Other areas bead the water sufficiently. Maybe I did not apply enough of the silicone water-guard on the outside of the rainfly?
One thing I should disclose is that the rainfly had a slight tackiness and smell to it when I got it. I've read online that this could mean the rainfly is on its last legs. Is this the case? After applying the silicone spray and allowing it to dry, I dusted it with some baby powder. This seemed to help with the tackiness.
Thanks!
Lance
