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  1. #1
    Senior Member L84toff's Avatar
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    How to seam seal tarp?

    Hi all, I am wondering how to correctly seam seal my tadpole. Seems like this is simple but some vids show to seam seal inside the tarp, some outside, some both, some lay it flat on the floor, some pull it tight.

    What say the wise folk of Hammockforums?

    About the 1 thing I know for certain is to use tape to make a nice straight line. I figured there must be a thread on this but alas, I could not find one.

  2. #2
    Senior Member Bubba's Avatar
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    I seal the inside and do it under tension so the stitch holes open as much as possible. Back in the day I used to use Sil-net but nowadays I use Permatex flowable silicone. I got mine at Canadian Tire in the auto section. Its flows well and gets into the seams. I have never found the need to use tape. The goal is to get some silicone into each stich hole so you don't need much and using tape may make you use more than you need. When its done you won't even see the silicone anyways. It helps to apply a little talcum or baby powder to the silicone once its cured so it does not stick to any other parts of the tarp when packed. That's just how I do it.
    Don't let life get in the way of living.

  3. #3
    Senior Member L84toff's Avatar
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    Thanks Bubba, that's what I was looking for

  4. #4
    Senior Member MAD777's Avatar
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    Any 100% silicone will do the job. I use GE Silicone II from Walmart because it's cheap. Mix it 1 part silicone to 4 parts mineral spirits (buy the odorless kind). It takes a lot of stirring to get it to mix, so be patient.

    Like Bubba said, pitch the tarp tight to open up the stitch holes. I seal both the top and bottom, just to be sure.
    Mike
    "Life is a Project!"

  5. #5
    Senior Member
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    +1 what Mad777 said

  6. #6
    richtorfla's Avatar
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    I seal both sides like Mad does. I used sil net. Never have tried making my own. Might have to try that.

  7. #7
    Senior Member flatline's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by L84toff View Post
    Hi all, I am wondering how to correctly seam seal my tadpole. Seems like this is simple but some vids show to seam seal inside the tarp, some outside, some both, some lay it flat on the floor, some pull it tight.

    What say the wise folk of Hammockforums?

    About the 1 thing I know for certain is to use tape to make a nice straight line. I figured there must be a thread on this but alas, I could not find one.
    is your tadpole leaking?
    i have upwards of 25 trips (50ish nights) with my tadpole and i have yet to seal mine.
    just curious.
    __bob__
    Last edited by flatline; 01-29-2013 at 19:56.

  8. #8
    Senior Member Black Wolf's Avatar
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    I seal all mine .. Permatex Flowable windshield .. pull the tarp tight .. hang it low .. use a small hole in the tube .. stuff works better then any other method I've personally used ..
    HYOH ..
    "The wise man questions others wisdom because he questions his own, the foolish man because it is different from his own." Leo Stein

  9. #9
    Senior Member L84toff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by flatline View Post
    is your tadpole leaking?
    i have upwards of 25 trips (50ish nights) with my tadpole and i have yet to seal mine.
    just curious.
    __bob__
    Yup. Strange thing actually since we used both Tadpoles on a trip out east where we got hit with a massive t-storm (I think it was July 5th) this past summer and stayed perfectly dry. I was actually amazed at how dry everything was.

    Later in the year I went for an overnight hike and got rained on pretty good but not nearly as hard as the July trip and it leaked right in the middle. Less than 10 nights on them both and only mine leaks as far as I know.

    Not a huge deal, already have some seam sealer so I'll seal them both. I was just curious what the best way to seal it was. Seems it truly is HYOH.

  10. #10
    Senior Member flatline's Avatar
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    i guess i'm lucky, so far.
    i bought some flowable Permatex to seal mine about a year ago.
    but since i haven't leaked yet, i haven't sealed yet.
    __bob__

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