To stick down that seam tape or not...

November 2, 2008 12:15 PM

Following up to this question, my tent seam seal failed to stick down some of the taped seams that were coming untaped. Is it supposed to be able to stick them down or is that irrelevant as long as the seam seal goop absorbs into the stitching etc. I just thought that since when I bought the tent some of the taped seams were stuck down properly and some were peeling up, that maybe that was responsible for the leakage.

I followed the directions, cleaned the area with alcohol first, applied liberally, let it dry for several hours, and lo and behold it didn't stick that tape down.

posted by who else to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

As long as you have sealed the stitch holes, it shouldn't leak - seams usually leak through these holes. If you have the tent up when it's windy, though, the holes may stretch again and need another application.
posted by dg at 12:54 PM on November 2, 2008

Generally, I use seam sealer as a substitute for seam tape, not in combination. It's not quite as pretty, but seems to last longer.
posted by JackFlash at 1:46 PM on November 2, 2008

dg's question is the important one. What stress has the tent seen. Airport luggage apes, super tightly packed sack, strong winds, ...? The best thing I've found is Guyzero's suggestion. Tape will only move the drip a couple cm.

Long term suggestion, next tent be careful that the internal tent has seams higher than those on the external skin. This way leaks of the out most skin drip below the seams in the internal layer and miss you.
posted by RobGF at 10:11 PM on November 2, 2008

Response by poster: You know what, I think I goofed. I remember I only applied a test amount, and in that area it did actually stick the seam tape down. Crisis averted!
posted by who else at 11:18 AM on November 3, 2008