Most People Do This the HARD Way - Seam Seal a Tent or Tarp and Make Repairs - Seam Sealing Guide

Seam Sealing is one of those events that most of those who are involved in the outdoors will have to at least entertain the idea of at some point and time.

A lot of people really hate the process and in fact, there are web sites, videos, reddit pages dedicated to just how terrible the process is.

Why do so many people hate it so much?

Simple answer - it takes time, it can be insanely messy if you do it incorrectly or if you use one of those brush attachments that are often included….and once you have it on your hands, it can be difficult to remove.

In other words, if you don’t know what you are doing, it SUCKS! If you know what you are doing, it can actually be fun.

What I’m going to show you today is a method that I’ve developed over the years and it works incredibly well. Anytime that I have to seam seal a tent either because it didn’t come seam taped from the company or because it has developed a leak this is the process that I use.

It is the simplest, least messy, and does an excellent job of making the shelter waterproof once again.
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What You Will Need :

Seam Sealer -

Tip : Depending on the material that you are seam sealing, you will need different types of Sealer - In this case, the tent features SilNylon so a Silicone seam sealer is required

Tip : Some sealer’s can be diluted but I tend not to do this as I have personally had better experiences with nondiluted applications. To each their own….

Acid Brush - some seam sealers that you can buy will come with one of these, they are safe to use. Other kits involve a brush head….those are complete pieces of crap and will make the biggest mess. Do not use them! Acid brushes are also called Flux brushes.

Syringes with Curved Tip - often referred to as a dental Irrigation syringe - These run about $4 for one, or $5 for 4 or 5 of them.

Tip : These have a rather small tip opening - if you feel that not enough is coming out, you can use a pair of scissors or your knife to cut the tip to make it larger.

Optional : Latex or Vinyl Gloves

Tip : Latex gloves have superior resistance to tear, puncture and are also more waterproof because it is easier to control the level of microholes, therefore safer for risk jobs eg with biological material. Vinyl gloves, being devoid of natural proteins, can also be used by people allergic to latex proteins but can’t be used in all medical situations.

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Seam Sealing Instructions :

It is vital that you do this on a beautiful day in dry calm conditions. If you are going to do this outside, make sure there isn’t a chance of rain or you can really mess this up.

If there is a chance of wind, DO NOT DO IT! You don’t want the sealer moving when you are doing this - any sort of major Fluctuations could cause issues with the curing in the way that it adheres to the materials.

remember, seam tape goes on the inside of a tarp or tent, seam sealing goes on the outside. It’s never the other way around.

Only seam seal in temps above 60F or the sealer may not cure correctly.

Steps :

Clean surface and dry if need be.
Apply a thin bead over the seams on the outside of the tent or tarp
Use the acid brush to spread sealer over the stitching making sure to provide complete coverage.
Once you have completed the sealing, you will need 3 - 6 hours depending on the conditions for it to cure. Do not do anything to the shelter until it is completely dry…..when you think it's dry, wait another hour or two…the longer that it can sit and cure, the better the application will be. If you don’t wait long enough and if it doesn’t cure properly, you can have issues with stickiness, degradation of the sealer and so on.
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[karenway]

Great way to seal a tent. One thing I might comment on though, is to start at the top instead of the bottom, reason being if you have a higher tent ( as I do) and need to reach the top, you run the risk of brushing up against what you just brushed on as you lean in, making a sticky mess and possibly ruining some clothes. I decided to start at the top and work my way down. So far so good. Great process with the syringe and brush. Lots of helpful tips for someone who’s been away from camping for many years and will be using an old tent that was never sealed.😳 Thank you, Sir!

[PerfectSnowball]

Just use industrial grade silicone sealant, it's exactly the same product for a fraction of the cost.

[JimRodgers]

Great tutorial! Your suggestion to use syringes is a nice tip. Seam sealing tents and tarps is a good idea. It protects the threads and adds strength to the seams as well as keeping out moisture.
I would add one suggestion: after the seam sealer cures, sprinkle small amounts of baby powder on the treated seams, then brush it off. This will reduce the tackiness of the sealer and prevent it from sticking to itself or other parts of the tent body when you pack it away.

[kristiandawe]

This is the best method I've seen for sealing a tent, I'm definitely doing this to my tent

[amorphousblob]

This is the video is the holy grail of tent seam sealing. I wish I had discovered this video a few tents ago. I just finished seam sealing my Tarptent Double Rainbow and even though its still a pain to do, this technique worked like a charm. Thanks Outdoor Gear Review guy! :-)

[HillbillyHiker]

Thank you....that took some of the fear out of doing it myself. Was going to try brush on bottle before I watched this video. Will try your way now. Thanks Luke.

[antonslegers]

Great video, but one remark. The official instructions on the website say to seal the round guy line points from the inside as well.

[Eulenspiegel]

Bravo. I always thought this sealing is done from the inside :) Secret revealed lesson learned, another pleasant to watch video from you. Thanks Luke.

[mlsknnr]

Luke, thanks for the video. I have never had to reseal a tent other than my canvas hunting tents (after years of use), I learned something today. Thanks again

[er]

The middle of the tieoff too. Separate the loop and seam seal. This is a very handy procedure. Thanks for sharing.

[ONE_CLASSIC_GUY]

The best video I have seen on seam sealing a tent flysheet.

[wisenber]

I've used similar methods, but I thin the silicone with mineral spirits. A giant tube of silicone sealant from the big box store costs less than the little tubes. The thinned mixture spreads more evenly and cures faster allowing a thinner and neater coat to be applied.

[paulmilsaps]

Hi Luke, great video I learned a lot. You stated that different materials need a different type of sealant. My question is how do I know what I need for my tent? My tent under the description for material it just says synthetic.

[exclusivelynailsbyjessica]

Im about to seam seal our 8 person tent and I am SOooo glad I found your video first! I was definitely going to use the crazy brush head that came with this stuff. 😅

[sheilasunshine]

This was the seam sealing vid I was looking for! I’ll be doing my skytrekker this weekend!

[flintliddon]

Thanks. Love getting practical knowledge. Could you post which sealants are used with which tent materials?

[howardsmith]

Just rewatched the video as I'm about to seamseal my 2nd tent. First tent never leaked, best sealing video on youtube. If you're unsure about doing it, watch this, covers everything! Thanks.

[zachariahlee]

One of the most informative post on one of the most underrated must do's. Thanks for vary important information..well Done Sir...

[michaelhill]

Just got a new tent...SOOO glad I saw your video before appling the seam sealer...the curved syringe was a key factor...more precise less mess and waste...BIG Thanks 🙂

[klaralawmaresova]

Thanks for the video, I am considering this tent and feel less intimidated by this process. The most valuable thing I'm leaving with however is the phrase 'The most important thing to keep in mind is that you're doing your best.' I think this will be my new mantra