Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

[Mike]

I have a couple of older canvas tents that I would like to keep alive.

I love them for winter camping when precipitation comes down as snow, but I would like to expand their use to the summer months.

The reality is that yesteryear's canvas never was that great keeping rain out and it is even worse now that it is old.

At least one of these tents has some kind of rubberized coating on the top. It works much better than the tents without the coating.

Of course, I have used high quality waterproofing on all the tents, but it really doesn't cut it in heavy rain.

I am thinking about putting some kind of rubberized paint or coating on the top of my other canvas tents.

Does anybody have any experience or knowledge they can share? Can anybody recommend a rubberized paint or coating?

[renodesertfox]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

Here's what I just started using this spring on my Kodiak but haven't taken that tent camping yet, only pitched it twice at home to test Ray and Rain for myself. First to apply it and the second time to test it in a rain storm. So far I'm really pleased, very much would love to get away from tarping the tent. It's a huge time waster! Ray & Rain seems like a very good product, the reviews I've read were helpful!

http://rayandrain.com/OnlineStore/ta...AN,ProductName .

"Ray and Rain is a unique solvent based micro-polymer canvas waterproofing chemical that imparts a durable, invisible protective coating specifically formulated to waterproof outdoor fabric.

A single application will create or restore superior waterproofing, stain and soil resistance. It is also the only product specifically formulated to prevent water damage and stop fading caused by the sun on all types of outdoor fabrics including canvas and nylon.

Made for waterproofing material, it will protect your investment and extend the life of your tarp, tent or sleeping bag. Safe and non-toxic. Easy to apply; no mixing, simply spray on. Dries to the touch in about 4 hours. Fully bonds to an invisible, lasting finish with maximum U.V. protection against soil and fading in about 72 hours. 1 gallon of Ray & Rain Repellant® canvas waterproofing product will cover approximately 1500 square feet (length x width) of medium weight fabric."


It also speeds up the drying time after a rain from days to 4-6 hours. I purchased 2 - 1 gallon size containers and used a sprayer from Ace Hardware and I have no complaints. I will purchase more in about a year, after I convince the wife to getting a Springbar for our winter camps!

PS. Gonna pitch all my nylon tents this weekend and apply this product to them as well!

[Mike]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

Thanks, RDF. The claims look good and it is good to see a product made specifically for canvas.

Let me know how it works for you and your impressions.

Did you give it the water-hose test yet?

[renodesertfox]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

Thanks HS, I watched 2 vids, I'm sold! Straight from the manufacture they only sell it to wholesalers ONLY but amazon has it starting at $63 a quart. Two separate coats must be applied and the triggers bottles for bottom coat & then another bottle for the top coat cost $35 a piece. It does discolor some material like canvas & leather. Even at $63 a quart it's very expensive, I'll have to wait on inheritance to pay for it for tent protection! Wow vids are worth watching! Would be very expensive for tent protection but for tool protection it's ideal! After I get the M101A 1/2 ton trailer refurbished I would love to coat that with Ultra Ever Dry! Would have to take out a second mortage on the house. Looking forward to my little purchase this morning to apply it to most of my hand tools! The comments on utube are hilarious!:rolleyes:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...RY%2Caps%2C274

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPM8OR6W6WE

[renodesertfox]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

Yes the Kodiak has been wet tested and I really soaked it, took 8 hrs to dry. If I had the "Hero" portable hot air blower from Mr. Heater which runs off propane the tent could have been dried faster. That's another piece of gear I'm interested in!

[Fischer]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

Please let us know how these go and how they feel on fabrics, too! Very interested for our boat and its interior cushions in addition to canvas tents outside warranty period. I'm interested also in how it affects the breathability of the canvas. I know Kodiak only promotes that Kiwi Camp Dry because they say the others affect breathability.

There's a lot of great information on this forum!

[Fischer]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

The comments on utube are hilarious!:rolleyes:

"I'm gonna put this in my teeth and never brush them again."

"Spray it on the kids and they'll never get dirty again!"

[renodesertfox]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

Yes I did HS, thanks! After I posted here I went to amazon and their checkout system advised me that I was buying 4 bottles instead of two. & the same was true for the quarts. & Duh, should be my user name instead of RDF! haha!

[terasec]

Re: Anybody know anything about rubberized coatings for tents?

Rustoleum has started selling a product called NeverWet. Looks to be a possible competitor to Ultra Ever Dry since an 18oz can is only $20 compared to the much more expensive Ultra Ever Dry plus you don't need a car paint sprayer and air compressor for this new product. I don't see anything in the literature yet about durability though - that might make a difference.

The new NeverWet is available at Home Depot:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleu...4232/204216476

Some videos about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoKXTlqmUb8
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f3e_1371657131

2-step kit covers 10 - 15 sq. ft.

$20 for 10-15 sq ft can get pricey on tents

a 10'x10' tent can easily have 200-300 sq ft of surface area