Pinholes in floor

I had a tent which months of actual use. Even though I used a groundsheet under the floor, there were eventually a number of small holes which I could only detect because they let in water if I had to pitch on a particularly wet spot. I used Gear Aid tent sure tent floor sealant to reseal the entire floor, and was very pleased with the results. The floor looks like a new tent's. If you go this route, I'd recommend a careful cleaning of the floor first, and then careful application. The tent sure comes with a good brush for application. It took about half an 8 oz. bottle to seal my fly creek 2. REI carries the product, as do a number of others.
Jim

Seems a better application method than brushing on "Tent Sure" would be using a small roller with low knap to get thinner, more even distribution.

Glad to hear that tent floor sealer has worked for similar situations. We have another scout campout this weekend, and I'll just use my TarpTent for that (kinda nervous about leaving that pitched for 8 hours while we're away from camp but oh well). I'll grab a bottle of that goo and the bomber will live to see another day!

After my pct hike I noticed my bevy had dozens of small holes that could only be seen when the bevy was held up to a light. Put a small dab of silicone on each hole and problem solved.

You won't get too many more holes, if any. Not sure how widespread they are, but if you can locate them, tenacious tape might work well. As to bringing the tarp tent, take the big tent and throw some plastic under it (or its footprint if there is one) and you'll be fine. Not like one more hole will matter, and you'll spare the tarp tent risks. Just a thought.

I've held the tent up to light and can't see the holes. The only reason I know they're there is because I got pricked by the dried out foliage. Even when I got pricked and looked for evidence on my hand or on the tent bottom, I couldn't find anything.

I'm not worried about the holes getting bigger, I'm just worried about leaving it setup for a couple nights with a 60% chance of rain the whole time, knowing that those holes are there.

I probably am making too big of a deal out of it though. I can just use my bomber and leave the TarpTent in the car as a backup since it'll be a short walk away.

Kier,
Don't use Tent Sure on a TarpTent. It is for polyurethane coatings.
Brushing in a thin dab of clear NAPA Permatex flowable silicone windshield sealant for holes that are visible using a back light should do it for the TarpTent. Clean the surface first and give it several days to dry at low humidity.
A lot of folks have silicone dots on their TarpTents floors anyway to keep their sleeping pads from slipping around.

Thanks Samuel – the pinholes are in the floor of my bomber tent, not the tarptent. I'll keep that in mind though should I encounter a similar problem with my TarpTent.

'Bomber' – means aPU proofing?
Any PU sealant will fix that. Or Coghlans adhesive nylon fabric.

Cheers

With apologies to The Doors:

Pinholes in the floor.
Pinholes in the floor.
Into my tent they bore.
I hope I don't get more.
Like a dog with a leaky bone,
A shower head alone,
Pinholes in the floor.

Dude ya gotta love your tent.
Dude ya gotta love your tent.
Other shelters came and went.
It won't fail ya, don't get bent.
Your scouts on you depend,
Your tent's life will never end,
Gotta love your tent, yeah….

Thanks Roger – this one's a silnylon. I guess that makes it a high end bomber.

Douglas – I'm honored :)

> this one's a silnylon.
OK, then dobs of silicone sealant. Try McNett silnet maybe.

Cheers

Found this post today after a weekend (Girl) Scout camping trip. I got a chance to sleep in new Tarptent Rainshadow 3 while my troop of 1st and 2nd graders took over my Seek Outside Redcliff. It was so dry and dusty that I washed all of my fancy toys when I got home. Sadly I see a ton of pinholes in the bottom of my new Tarptent. The lame thing is I even had a Tyvek groundsheet for my RS2 that I could have used under it but left at home..lesson learned. We were at Bandelier National Monument and it’s basically hard desert dirt there.

Mainly I’m reviving this thread because of Doug’s awesome song lyrics just a few posts above. And I’ll try dabbing seam sealant on the floor.

I’ve read that you can take construction grade silicon and dilute it with odorless mineral sprits until it’s a brushable thickish fluid and brush it on the floor.  Rolling it on with a foam roller would probably also work.  Let it cure and put on as many coats as you want. I would start by cleaning the floor first with water and second with denatured alcohol.   Your tent will gain weight but that shouldn’t be an issue for a car camping tent.  I’ve never tried this so you’re on your own, but it makes reasonable sense.  If you search the web there used to be a DIY pdf file on the subject.

Aw shucks Rachel, you’re making me blush…. :-)

It is possible to mix mineral spirits and silicone caulk to coat most any floor, even those that are PU coated on one side. The film it leaves should “just” be continuous, not breaking apart into droplets. Just wash, then coat the entire floor on the material side. That should fix any pinholes. I had trouble with some PU cracking and pulling loose from the fabric where I folded and rolled it. It sealed these leaks just fine.

Kier – You’re truly privileged to have Doug honor you with some of his artistic/poetic creativity in this way.  His “Ode to Kevin” was all about me pooping between trees…

You win!

Doug – Keep them coming!  At some point BPL will be publishing a book of “Doug’s Best”