after talking about this via Pm with Caveman... I felt I should clarify that I was using a CRL under the tarp. I had thought of this as the possible point of failure (i.e. me getting dripped on) but I couldn't pin point the problem. Either way, like Caveman said above me.... "it can't hurt"
The camper formerly known as HikingDad...
When I received my tadpole with pull-outs, I emailed Marty and asked if I needed to seam-seal. Here's his response verbatim:
"I WOULD DO THE PANEL PULLS, AND IF YOU DO THOSE, YOU SHOULD GO AHEAD AND DO ALL. WE HAVE HAD ONLY 4 TARPS LEAK, AND 3 WERE AT THE PANEL PULLS. THE RL IS 99.9% WATER TIGHT, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW. TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND, GO FOR IT."
I hung my tadpole and dutifully sealed the pull-outs and the inside of the ridgeline. Used 'Permatex Flowable Silicone Windshield and Glass Sealer', available at your neighborhood's friendly auto-parts store (or wallyworld).
Last edited by Gravity; 11-04-2013 at 16:40.
My brand new camo Tadpole is currently pitched in my yard in a sustained rain and it has developed a drip leak along the center seam. So, another vote for seam sealing here.
I had a CRL underneath initially but repitched it with it above the fly once I noticed the dripping. It helped with dripping near the ends but a drip point remained in the middle for the duration of the deluge even though I kept wiping it down with a towel.
When I received my tadpole with pull-outs, I emailed Marty and asked if I needed to seam-seal. Here's his response verbatim:
"I WOULD DO THE PANEL PULLS, AND IF YOU DO THOSE, YOU SHOULD GO AHEAD AND DO ALL. WE HAVE HAD ONLY 4 TARPS LEAK, AND 3 WERE AT THE PANEL PULLS. THE RL IS 99.9% WATER TIGHT, BUT YOU NEVER KNOW. TO HAVE PEACE OF MIND, GO FOR IT."
I hung my tadpole and dutifully sealed the pull-outs and the inside of the ridgeline. Used 'Permatex Flowable Silicone Windshield and Glass Sealer', available at your neighborhood's friendly auto-parts store (or wallyworld).
And if you want to have some fun and see the Tadpole in action during an AT thru-hike, point your browser to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sTft2mLI0k
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