Does seam sealing improve strength, tear resistance, along the edge of a tarp, or is it mostly for aesthetic purposes?
Would there be a reason not to seam seal other than to reduce manufacturing costs and/or reduce weight?
Does seam sealing improve strength, tear resistance, along the edge of a tarp, or is it mostly for aesthetic purposes?
Would there be a reason not to seam seal other than to reduce manufacturing costs and/or reduce weight?
Seam Sealing is for water proofing,,unless you have a smallish hole or such say in a down jacket or quilt,,seal it up and no loss of down,,also if you tear a hole or punchr or tear a silnylon tarp,,you can patch it quickly and let it dry in a hour or 2 good to go in the field,,but really needs a longer time to dry..say over nite,,used primarily on tarps to seal the sewed edges or panel pulls on the sides. Many uses for seam sealing as I keep a smaller part of a tube in my repair kit when backpacking..Now for cuben,,its a different repair issue,,you can get cuben tape material from Zpacks, or for temp repair,,duc tape till you get back to home to repair.
2nd CAG, CAP 2-1-5 5th Marines, 1st Mar. Div.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_Action_Program
So, I have to seam seal this tarp. I know nothing about the process except for what I've read on HF. Does anyone have any tips-n-tricks? Any seam sealer recommendations?
i know that when i ordered my tarp it came with sealed seams and brian's website http://www.outdoorequipmentsupplier.com/products.php still states: # Comes fully seam sealed and in a matching stuff sack so you shoyuld be good to go
No you do not have to seam seal OES tarps. The only seam that requires water proofing on any given tarp is the ridge line and the seams of the doors if you have any. and Brian does an excellent job of that on all his tarps. Also his tarps are edged with grosgrain and are strong already so it's ready to go! I have been hanging under a Macat Ultra for two years now and it is superb.
Hootenanny Hang June 11-13, 2021
Love many, trust few & always paddle your own canoe. American Proverb
Adventure is Calling... nolilearn.org
Another MacCat Ultra owner here (Spinn model) and all you have to do is pitch it over your hammock and go to sleep
Mike
"Life is a Project!"
To be clear, I ordered the tarp and now it's at my residence. It was supposed to be seam sealed. It showed up without seam sealing. I didn't want to bring it up, I didn't think it was necessary. I'll deal with it... So... any tips-n-tricks and/or seam sealer recommendations?
That sounds like a huge Oops on Brian's part. I'd contact him via e-mail to see what he might be able to do about that (ship it back for sealing, etc).
You might take a close look though. He does such a neat job it's a little hard to tell it's been sealed. When in doubt, take some closeup pics of the ridgeline seam and post them here. I'm sure one of our guys can give you a yes/no on the sealing issue.
My 4-season came sealed but still developed a slight drip where some loops were sewn on the underside of the ridgeline. A little dab of flowable silicone from the parts store and problem solved.
Good luck....
Hootenanny Hang June 11-13, 2021
Love many, trust few & always paddle your own canoe. American Proverb
Adventure is Calling... nolilearn.org
A lot of the cottage industry guys just don't have the space to leave them set up to dry. There are two ways to do it, messy or neat. Both will stop it from leaking. I'm probably the worlds worst (aesthetically) seam sealer and I have had the privaledge of doing it on two of my tarps. Just make sure all sewn through threads and the folded seams are covered thoroughly. I have tried the little brush that comes with the Silnet and the little foam brushes I use for grout sealer, but I am too impatient and choose to use the tube as an applicator. So far, no leaks.
We are now ready to start our way down the Great Unknown.We are three quarters of a mile in the depth of the earth.We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknow river yet to explore.What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls rise over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture many things. The men talk as cheerfully as ever; jests are bandied about freely this morning; but to me the cheer is somber and the jests are ghastly. Powell 1869
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