What exactly is the waterproofing/mildew treatment used on these tarps?
1994348
I cant really tell. It seems to stiffen the canvas and is smelly-kind of waxy. It does work. I use the tarps outdoor in the hot sun. After a couple of months they seem to soften and the smell goes away. My last one lasted about 3 years before it began to fall apart. Mold has never been an issue.
1994349
It only states "water resistant" and outdoor use only. I know this is not what you need to know. But it is what it is
1994350
I have used to cover my farm tractor and haven't seen any mildew. I don't know what it is treated with but I like the tarp.
1994351
Good question. I looked at the company website and on the packaging but couldn't find any information at all. Not until I received it did I find out (printed on the package) "For outdoor use only" and I had planned to use it indoors. From the smell of the tarp you can tell that it's treated with something but I don't know what. You might be able to call the company and find out but I didn't bother. I figure I'll use it outdoors instead of indoors.
745442
I had product stay dry under the canopy when all the walls were up. The issue is of relative humidity, if too high condensation forms inside of the canopy and drips down onto things. I covered things up when closed for the night. I haven't used it extensively though so can't say how long the waterproofing will last.
678830
The tarps we have are made by Chicago Tarp. Amazon sells them in several sizes. Really GREAT tarps. Heavy and strong...no need to waterproof.
1670880
Yea Vlad, that happens with almost all tents that don't have a "all covering" rain fly. Something to consider, just use a regular ol' light weight tarp for situations that you might incur rain. Works perfect. I thought that adding spray on water proofing would work to resolve that issue, but has limited efficacy.
662421
Hi Howie,I was caught in a small rain and the roof does seem waterproof...you need to dry it off before packing it up...which was impossible for me...so I opened it up when I got home, dried it and wiped it...otherwise it WILL mold. My side zippers are not rugged at all...I have zipped them right off twice now! There's no catch at the end to stop them from doing that - it's frustrating to me...but maybe I'm doing something wrong? Hope this helps.
639377
They have a light coating of something that appears to waterproof them (not sure of the material- possibly a lacquer).
2256025
Hi, This is a tarp with a reflective coating on one side. I don't know how the coating is applied, or if it is a layered sheet adhered to tarp. It is a multiple use blanket, and I just used one camping last Fri., and it it worked well and took off the chill in the early morning. I bought several and I am going to add some more grommets to a couple of them. I also used one Sat morning about pre dawn to get some extra sleep in the car, blocked out the sunrise and retained the body heat. Temps were in the mid 50's and they worked very well.
1266767
per the manufacturer, Mcnett, Thank you for contacting us. Typically when coating a fabric in polyurethane, manufacturer's will coat the underside or inside of the fabric. The polyurethane makes the fabric "waterproof." Manufacturer's will also typically apply a water repellent (like ReviveX Nubuck, Suede & Fabric Waterproofing Spray) on the opposite side of the fabric on the outside. This water repellent causes water to bead up and roll off the fabric. It is the fabric's first line of defense. In case water does begin to penetrate into the fabric, the polyurethane coating will prevent it from soaking through completely. It is the fabric's second line of defense. That said, you will not typically apply the water repellent to the polyurethane coated side. Instead, it is usually applied to the outer fabric to help water bead up and roll off the fabric. The funny thing about polyurethane is that manufacturer's use it to waterproof fabrics, but one of the quickest ways to break down a polyurethane coating is by saturating it in liquid. This is the reason the coating is typically applied to the underside or inside of the fabric and it is also the reason why manufacturer's recommend that you don't store polyurethane treated fabrics (i.e., backpacks, tents, etc.) wet or damp. The moisture may cause it to break down. That said, I would not recommend spraying anything directly onto the polyurethane coating. Again, water repellents like ReviveX Nubuck, Suede & Fabric Waterproofing Spray should be applied to the opposite side of the fabric on the outside. I would recommend covering any metal parts, simply because I'm not sure how they were treated or manufactured and because of that, I do not know how they will react to any type of liquids. Covering it with a piece of Scotch tape should suffice.
262315
The first time we removed the covers and simply put them in the washing machine. Since then we have protected them by spraying the covers with"Sunbrella" fabric guard. This product is a water repellent and now all we do is wipe them with a damp cloth.
1843206
You could always spray it down with waterproofing spray (the kind for boots/tents, etc) - this is what I do with all of my bags. Works like a charm.
1809664
I apologize if you have already received an answer to this elsewhere, and if you are more experienced than I am assuming from your post. I understand from your post that by "bathtub" you are referring to the material, but generally tent manufacturers use the term to describe a floor on which there is a lack of seams which touch the ground. Seams are an inherent weak spots when it comes to waterproofing, because no matter what your material is made of, once you puncture it with a needle, you've made a very un-waterproof hole, which then requires further treatment (i.e., taping or sealing) to make it waterproof again. Most modern tents use a "bathtub" floor. It is so common, that most higher-end manufacturers don't even refer to it any more; it seems to be a given. This tent's manufacturer website identifies the floor material on this tent, as "75D 185T Taffeta Floor with 2000mm coating". For comparison, the Eureka Apex 2XT uses, "75D polyester taffeta, 800mm" and the MSR Hubba uses, "40D x 238T ripstop nylon 6 3000mm DurashieldTM polyurethane coated". All three are intended to be light weight and waterproof. The tarp material you're referring to is woven polyester which is then often coated (I believe). It is heavy, it is waterproof, and it is noisy. In the time after canvas tents, it was often used as tent flooring. That is not the case any longer. Very often, ground cloths are used to protect the floor of your tent from damage by rocks and roots and whatnot, and to provide an additional layer of (very) minimal insulation, and perhaps a small degree of wetness protection. The best argument for a ground cloth, however, is damage prevention. If the tent costs a hundred bucks (or over two hundred like the MSR Hubba), and the ground cloth costs twenty, then it's easier to replace the ground cloth. I hope this helps.
1714171
Hi Max,All Aqua Quest tarps have heat-taped seams, so you don't have to worry about it. As far as reinforcing the already taped seams, I can definitely find out for you.CheersBen - Gear Out Here
1086873
Since it's pretty much rawhide, I use leather cleaner (not conditioner) and melted beeswax for weatherproofing. You can buy it at any hobby store for a couple dollars
1572467
I checked the can but it says nothing about washing. I'm almost certain that machine washing would reduce the effectiveness of the waterproofing or remove it totally.
692138
In regards to washing these covers, I suppose you could do that if you went to a large commercial washing machine but for the most part this material is pretty stiff because of the plastic waterproof backing .Hosing them off after spraying them with a mixture of oxy clean and a detergent would be the best way to clean these.
430120
The covers are indeed waterproof. I have them covering some fabric furniture outside; however, as I mentioned in one of my reviews the larger covers are made with two or more pieces stitched together. I have seen leakage at the seams of some of these on the covers I have. This started occurring after the first Arizona summer (a few months after purchase). Temps get as high as 108 here so this may have contributed but days with high winds did thread the edge of the cover where the velcro attaches to the material causing holes there as well. Keep that in mind if you live in a windy area.
1337740
Oh, yeah .. waterproof and very very permanent ......... like removing anything that has been mounted/fixed with gorilla glue/ There is no UN-doing/ I used outside for hose hanger and bird-bath fix/