Upgrade Your Old Tent to All Weather
Upgrade Your Old Tent to All Weather
Blog Article
Renovating an old tent to be all-weather-capable is chiefly about enhancing its performance in rainy weather and to some degree in cold weather. Upgrade Your Old Tent to All Weather The following explains how you can go about doing that:
1. Increase Rain Resistance:
Clean and Apply Durable Water Repellent (DWR):
Give the rainfly and the body of the tent a thorough washing with soap and water but a mild soap free of detergent. Rinse well and allow them to dry fully.
Treat the tent fabric with a spray-on DWR treatment (e.g., Nikwax Tent & Gear SolarProof, Gear Aid Tent Waterproofing Spray). Coat evenly on the outside of the rainfly and let dry according to product instructions. This causes water to bead up and run off.
Seal the Seams:
Seams are places where leaks tend to occur. Use a seam sealer for your type of tent fabric (polyurethane-coated or silicone-treated).
Pitch your tent or lay the rainfly out flat with underside up.
Clean the seams with rubbing alcohol.
Seam sealer in a thin, even coat on all internal seams of the rainfly and floor. Be particular about seams around stitching.
Let the seam sealer dry thoroughly (typically 2-12 hours, see product instructions).
Think about a Tent Footprint:
A footprint (groundsheet) placed under your tent introduces a waterproof layer between your tent floor and the ground and prevents damage to it from water and dampness. It should be slightly smaller than your tent floor so that water doesn't accumulate between the footprint and the tent.
Check and Repair Damage
Inspect for any holes or tears in the rainfly and tent body. Fix small tears with repair tape (such as Tenacious Tape) made for outdoor use. For bigger tears, patch with waterproof material and seam seal the edges.
Make Sure to Pitch and Guy Correctly:
Always keep your tent taut and deploy all guy-out points, particularly in windy weather and rain. Tensioned guylines keep the rainfly in its shape and avert sagging and contact with the inner tent, which results in leaks. Upgrade to non-stretch guylines.
2. Enhance Cold Resistance (Limited by an Old Tent):
Replacing an old tent for serious cold weather camping is tricky since the basic design (ventilation, single vs. double wall, weight of materials) is not necessarily optimized for keeping warm. Still, there are a few things you can do to assist in keeping a little warmer:
Insulate the Floor:
Put a high R-value sleeping pad in it. This is most important for staying warm since it keeps you from the cold ground. Consider adding a second pad on top of it.
Use a ground cloth or tent footprint as an additional layer of insulation from the ground.
Use blankets or foam pads under your sleeping pad for extra insulation.
Minimize Ventilation (Cautiously):
Although ventilation is important to avoid condensation, in extremely cold temperatures, you may wish to reduce excessive airflow if condensation is not a big concern for you in those particular temperatures. Partially closing vents (if feasible) could potentially trap a bit more body heat. But never block ventilation entirely because this can cause lethal carbon monoxide accumulation if heating devices are being used (which is usually not advisable in small tents) and extreme condensation.
Use a Tent Liner (If Available):
There are some manufacturers that provide universal tent liners constructed of fleece or other insulating material. If you can get one to fit your tent reasonably well, it will help to create a small increase in warmth by holding a layer of air in place.
Select a Smaller Tent (For Future Trips):
Smaller tents have less volume of air to warm with your body heat. If you often camp in the cold, look into a smaller tent for those excursions in the future.
External Covering (Emergency Blanket/Tarp):
Draping a sturdy emergency blanket (mylar/thermal) or tarp across the exterior of your tent may reduce radiant heat loss and provide an added windbreak. Get it well secured away from the tent body to create an air gap for insulation.
What You Likely CANNOT Easily Change
Single vs. Double Wall Design: Single-wall tents are less effective at dealing with condensation in cold and wet conditions than double-wall tents (inner tent with mesh and a freestanding rainfly). The single-wall cannot be converted to double-wall.
Fabric Weight and Insulation Value: The intrinsic insulation value of the tent fabric itself is tricky to alter. 4-season tents today employ heavier, more dense fabrics that resist wind and hold some warmth.
Ventilation Design: Your tent's fixed ventilation points are tricky to alter appreciably.
Key Considerations:
Age of the Tent: If your tent is very old, the coatings and fabric may have broken down significantly, reducing the effectiveness of waterproofing and any upgrades. Fabric tends to break down and get brittle with age.
Weight and Packability: Additional layers or larger rainflies will add weight and bulk to your tent, and this is an important consideration for bikepacking.
Condensation Control: Be aware that minimizing ventilation for heat can cause increased condensation, leading to moisture on you and your equipment, ultimately leaving you colder. Opt for a balance between heat and ventilation.
In summary, you can certainly enhance the rain resistance of an older tent with thorough cleaning, DWR treatment, seam sealing, and a footprint. Cold resistance is more constrained and is largely a matter of upgrading your sleep system and possibly adding outer layers. If you expect to camp often in demanding all-weather conditions, particularly cold and heavy rain, you may ultimately have to replace your tent with one designed for such conditions.