Water proofing tarps & quilts

**mr hvac** · 02-04-2014, 22:44

Has anybody ever used sofsol heavy duty silicone waterproofing on a silnylon tarp? Or what has anyone done to stop the fine mist that comes thru the tarp ? And since I'm asking what about water proofing top quilts Also..

**zooshooter** · 02-05-2014, 01:51

Your rain tarp shouldn't be letting ANY water through. If it's under warranty, return it. You don't want to waterproof a topquilt with anything that will impede its breathability either.

**jackleberry** · 02-05-2014, 02:12

You don't treat silnylon with anything. You deal with the mist in a downpoor by hanging the tarp high enough. PU coated tarps don't mist as much, but they weigh more.

**cesnyderces** · 02-05-2014, 02:48

Might be experiencing condensation.

**DavyRay** · 02-05-2014, 05:38

Originally Posted by mr hvac

Has anybody ever used sofsol heavy duty silicone waterproofing on a silnylon tarp? Or what has anyone done to stop the fine mist that comes thru the tarp ? And since I'm asking what about water proofing top quilts Also..

Tell us more about this. Silnylon is quite good. You should not get rain coming through it except at unsealed seams. Another poster asked about condensation. What I think he was talking about is the condition where condensation forms on the inside of your tarp, and rain pounding on the outside makes the condensation splash off under the tarp. I have had that happen.

The solution to that is all about tarp suspension. Look at how tight it is, how much distance between tarp and quilt, shape, and so on.

**sr1355** · 02-05-2014, 07:41

I have never experienced misting under a silnylon tarp. A lower quality silnylon certainly may have this issue as we have seen PLENTY of fabric samples pass through our shop looking for alternate and lighter fabrics, most of these fabrics did not cut the mustard for us and I have no doubt there would be some misting if we had used them. We are using a USA Made Silnylon which exceeds 3500mm in Hydrostatic Testing. It is possible that it may be condensation that is being knock loose by the rain but it also is possible it is misting depending on fabric quality.

WP top quilt, I do not know of a treated to WP your TQ shell and would not recommend it. Waterproofing would certainly keep moisture out but it would also keep moisture in. A quilt needs to breath as we release 1/2-3/4L of water while we sleep through perspiration and respiration. Trap this either in your quilt or on you body and it will have a cooling affect.

**f1prb22** · 02-05-2014, 13:25

I too have experienced misting in the past, so I just bought a Cuben tarp instead.

**VictoriaGuy** · 02-05-2014, 13:59

I found some info at the Hilleberg tent site which may be useful to you. (I picked up an older Hilleberg tent..)
Hilleberg tents use a silnylon-type fabric for the outer tent; the inner tent is a very light, very breathable nylon fabric.

For retreating our outer tent fabrics, we recommend Nikwax Tent & Gear Solar proof, which is easy to use and does not contain fluorocarbons. Set up your tent and wash it with a sponge and lukewarm water. Spray or brush the Tent & Gear Solar Proof on the fabric and wipe off any excess liquid. Once the tent has dried it is ready for use.
Please note that Tent & Gear Solar Proof should not to be used on a new tent, but only on one that has lost its water repellent ability. Note also that we always recommend that you protect your tent from harmful UV rays by avoiding pitching it in direct sunlight and/or by using a tarp as sun protection.

Retreating your inner tent
If the water repellency of your inner tent has diminished over a long period of use, you can use Nikwax TX.Direct® Spray-On, which works well on fabrics – like those in our inner tents – that need to have both air permeability and water repellency. As with Tent & Gear Solarproof , spray on the TX Direct, wipe off any excess liquid, then let it dry.

If you would like more information about these products and to find out where you can purchase them, please visit www.nikwax.com.

I've used a couple of other Nikwax products and they seem like good stuff, though pricey. I'm waiting for warmer weather to treat the older Hilleberg tent, so can't report on the TX.Direct or the SolarProof products.

**mr hvac** · 02-05-2014, 21:27

Thanks for all of the info. I will try to tighten up my suspension. It was cold 39* and I was in a massive down pour that lasted 4-5 hrs. It very well could of been condensation.

**Oms** · 02-07-2014, 06:40

There has been a lot of discussion about "misting". Do a search to read up on it. I have had this problem in the past. I was using an OES Deluxe which I consider a quality product. It was pouring out at the time. I thought it was mist from the rain, but on closer observation it appeared to be coming through the material. I don't think anything is 100% waterproof. Cuban might be as close as you can get at this time. Only time will tell about any of the materials. I remember when Spinn was the all the rage. I am not an authority on materials, but wouldn't have a problem spraying my sil with a quality water repellent. As a matter of fact I believe I did spray a one of my tarps once because of this scenario. My brother-in-law washed his in some water proofing from REI. Haven't seen any bad effects.