Superfly Maintenance

[DRobertson]

Hey yall, I've really been eyeballing the superfly, and i have a few questions about it.

First of all, Do i need to seam seal the ridgeline of the tarp? or only the side tie outs?

Secondly, What is the easiest method to seam seal this tarp?

Additionally, Does sil-nylon need treated every once in a while? Ive heard rumors that silnylon needs recoated temporarily.

Id appreciate any answers. Thanks!

[TallPaul]

You do not need to seam seal the Superfly ridgeline.

The pull outs are optional.
Last year, I sat in a rain storm in my non-seam sealed Superfly, and I did fine. The pull outs had some drips, but since they are pulled out away from the hammock, it didn't get me wet.

However, I did seam seal the pull-outs after this, because I also happened to sit under the tarp while I cooked some coffee, and I had to avoid the drips.

[rhjanes]

What tallpall said

[TallPaul]

The easiest way to seam seal is to pick up some at an autoparts store, like the Permatex flowable silicone. This has a nice small applicator for what you are using it for.
Then setup the tarp when it will be dry for some time, and apply the silicone to the pull outs. I recall somewhere Brandon said one side is fine. I did the insides.

As far as treating it in the future, just spot check the pull outs. You shouldn't need to do anything to the rest of the tarp.

[rhjanes]

for a cheap and good applicator, stop by a home improvement store, head into the plumbing area. You want there throw-away brushes used to apply the Flux when soldering.

[AkFly]

I got caught in a rainstorm last fall and did not have any leaks from the seam but I did have a small drip from each of the pull outs I was using (I was only using the pull outs on one side). On that trip, I just happened to have a tiny tin of SnoSeal so I rubbed a thin film layer onto all four of the pullouts the next day and let it dry in the sun. The forecast rain for the rest of the trip never came, but a month or so later, I got caught in a classic Florida torrential downpour and not a drop from the pullouts. During my summer hiatus though, I will go back and and reveal them with something a little more durable like the Permatex silicone.

[hutzelbein]

The seam sealing question was asked and answered only 2 days ago:

Does the Superfly need seam sealing?

I don't want this to come over aggressive, and I know that the search function is not very good - but it actually is a good idea to at least give it a try

With regards to the re-coating from time to time, I have never heard about this. My silnylon tarps (all WB) never showed any sign of decay, but I'm not a super heavy user (I'm using them on average 1-2 months a year - have been a hammock convert for 4 years now).

[Boothill]

First of all, Do i need to seam seal the ridgeline of the tarp? or only the side tie outs?

Secondly, What is the easiest method to seam seal this tarp?

i have a warbonnet bmj and have been is some pretty serious storms here in the black hills and have never had any issues with leaking

i did seal the pullouts, did both sides, didn't see what it would hurt to be sure they were sealed good

if you do any sealing one thing you might want to do after the sealant has dried is to dab a little bit of talcum powder or something similar on the actual sealant so that it doesn't stick to it's self, it will be very "grippy" after it has first dried

and if you ever make it over to the hills to hang, let me know

boot

[mobile_cabin]

+1 on the talc powder. Did this on my Tarptent Contrail when I sealed it. Would have been a mess had I not.

i have a warbonnet bmj and have been is some pretty serious storms here in the black hills and have never had any issues with leaking

i did seal the pullouts, did both sides, didn't see what it would hurt to be sure they were sealed good

if you do any sealing one thing you might want to do after the sealant has dried is to dab a little bit of talcum powder or something similar on the actual sealant so that it doesn't stick to it's self, it will be very "grippy" after it has first dried

and if you ever make it over to the hills to hang, let me know

boot