Hiker Deals

Here’s a great article on tent care and repair from GetOutdoors.com. They focus on things that a lot of people forget or just don’t know about, like preparring a new tent so it will last longer and repairing the tent in the field. I do have two things to add though:

1. …after watching how easily and quickly tent fabric burns - I don’t like their idea of using a lighter to warm duct tape up so it will stick to the tent better. Since duct tape always leaves that sticky goo behind and just doesn’t stick well to wet fabric - it’s well worth the $6-8 price to pick up some tent repair “tape” from a gear shop. This stuff is usually ripstop nylon with adhesive on one side. To get the best seal, cut two matching pieces big enough to cover the hole and apply one to each side of the tent fabric.
2. I’ll add to their point about airing out a tent after every trip. ALWAYS air it out - no matter how rushed or tired you are. Mold and mildew can ruin a tent (or make it so smelly that you can’t live in it). When tent fabric is wet long-term it weakens the waterproof coating on the fabric. You can end up scratching it or even peeling chunks of the coating off the fabric just by pulling the fly out of the stuff sack.