All things Outdoors – Camping like loons!

What is the best way to protect my tent?

When you head out into the great outdoors your tent is more than just a place to sleep—it’s your home away from home. So like the night follows the day, it just makes sense to protect and preserve your tent’s integrity. One great way to do this is to use a urethane coating.

In a hurry? Here is a table of contents:

In addition to this one, we’ve done a series of articles on maintaining your tent:

• How to clean your tent
• How to waterproof your tent
• 9 of the best seam sealers

Lots of folks clean and waterproof their tents, but what about the underside of your tent? Groundsheets need love, too. One great, often-overlooked way to protect your tent’s floor is with urethane coatings—a camper’s best friend when it comes to waterproofing and fortifying fabric against the elements. Below are nine of the finest urethane coatings that promise to keep your tent in great shape – providing years of extended use and camping adventures.

What urethane coating should I use?

Good question. Different people have different favorites. That’s just how we are. Still, we feel like you can’t go wrong with these:

1. Gear Aid Seam Grip TF Tent Fabric Sealer

For those seeking not only seam protection but also overall fabric coverage, Gear Aid offers this fast-drying formula designed specifically for tents. It dries to a clear, flexible coating that resists cracking or peeling even after repeated foldings of tent material.

2. Kiwi Camp Dry Performance Fabric Protector with Silicone

Kiwi strikes again with their silicone-infused protector which serves as an excellent barrier against moisture while enhancing durability—ideal for high-wear areas of tents exposed constantly during outdoor adventures.

3: Atsko Sno-Seal Water-Guard Extreme Repellent Aerosol

Atsko provides heavy-duty repellency in aerosol form. This makes the application process pretty easy. As with all aerosols, take care to apply evenly across large surfaces. This is particularly great when dealing with family-sized or expedition-grade tents requiring extra care and handling due to demanding conditions they’re put through regularly. But, it’s great for my 3-man tent too.

4: Aquaseal FD Flexible Durable Repair Adhesive & Cure Accelerator

Another one from Gear Aid! Aquaseal isn’t simply about sealing; it also repairs! This adhesive plus accelerator combo works wonders on both rips and tears, effectively turning them into water-resistant patches without the need to replace entire sections. This saves time, money and effort in the long run!

5: Stormsure Flexible Repair Adhesive For Outdoor Equipment

When you’re looking at all-around performance, including resistance to abrasion as well as water resistance, Stormsure stands out as a strong contender. It’s flexible and especially useful for gear such as backpacks, boots, or pretty much for anything where toughness is equally important alongside waterproofing.

6: Trek7 Aqua Armor Fabric Waterproofing Spray Natural Fabrics

For classic canvas-style tents, Trek7 is a favorite. It waterproofs the canvas without sacrificing the tent’s ability to ‘breathe’. It’s kind of a ‘best-of-both-worlds’ combo of traditional modern technologies allowing you to enjoy your tent for many years.

7: Iosso Water Repellent Concentrate Treatment Solution

Here at Lone Loon Song, we’re suckers for eco-friendly stuff, and Iosso presents a concentrated mix you combine yourself, giving you the freedom to choose how much to apply depending upon the size and scope of whatever project you’re dealing with – A little goes a long way. It’s pretty tough in varying weather conditions.

8: MiraZyme Odor Eliminator & McNett Revivex Air Dry Waterproofing Spray Combo Pack (DA081)

For those who like their waterproofing with a ‘refreshing scent’ (Not really a game changer for us) but it does keep the water out. Kill two birds with one stone – applying a scented, durable layer to protect your stuff when you get some surprise rain.

9: Barge All-Purpose Cement Rubber Leather Wood Glass Metal Glue (TF)

As the name implies, this product will pretty much attach anything to anything else. It can be applied directly onto seams (which take the most stress once the tent is up) strengthening existing bonds and helping to reinforce your tent’s stability and helping to preserve your beloved tent.

Which Urethane Coating is Right for My Tent?

We’re glad you asked, because it’s important. Here are the vital things to keep in mind.

• Material Compatibility: It’s really important to make sure of compatibility with your specific type of tent fabric before purchase.
• Durability: Everybody has different needs. You have to find the ‘sweet spot’ for you, balancing your kind of outdoor adventures with how much urethane you need. We can’t really help you with that. That’s sort of beyond the range of this article. As my buddy Frizzle says “Hard to say, not knowing.”
• Ease Of Application: This is non-negotiable. Less time applying leaves more time in the outdoors. The brush-on, roll-on, spray-on options are all pretty good. You really can’t go wrong with any of them.

Conclusion

The important thing to take away here is that a little extra preparation goes a long way to making your tent more comfortable, and comfortable for a long time. If you love your tent like we do, (no, not your tent, our tent!)take a day to urethane your tent.

We hope you have found this helpful.