Hi Ron,
A couple of my tarps do this. Yes, they
are Silicon coated. And, the tent fly will, also.
Morning routine is to roll it up after
shaking it out. Some moisture and dirt stays
on the tarp. After hiking all day, especially
in the sun, it often sticks together in odd
ways. And, yes, there is some degradation of
the material and coating.
Water (just plain old rainwater) will
dissolve anything to some degree. It will also
de solve into anything, though hard metals and
other things only allow water to dissolve a
molecule or two into a wet surface. Any way,
plastics, especially nylon, will absorb some
of the water...much more than you would think.
Eventually, the water WILL destroy any film
or coating on your tent. This will happen
no matter what. If it gets wet, it will degrade
over time. But, this process is minor...I
anticipate my tarp outliving me. With some
reasonable care, as Don describes.
Of a greater importance is the exposure
to high energy radiation. Mostly, this is
referred to as UV protection by the
manufacturers. This usually causes plastics,
and nylon, to break their long molecular
chains, weakening the fabric.
I expect any SilNylon to degrade. So, I
try to put it away, properly. Sometimes, I do
not, though. Knowing I will be out the
following weekend after this weekend's trip, I
do not try for well dried. If it is pretty dry
in the morning, I just pack it up and leave it.
If I anticipate changing tarps, for example from
a UL canoe trip to a road camping trip for some
base camp style hikes, I will set it up at home,
or hang it out over the cloths line to dry for
a few hours.
Generally, our cloths line is not in
direct sunlight. Setting it up in the back yard
and letting it sit in the sun for a few days,
does more damage(through UV degradation) than
good (by drying the tarp out!) Generally, I
would suggest that you will get about 400-500
days of direct sunlight before the fabric fails.
Or, anywhere from a year to 2 years of
continuous use. At my rate of usage, call it 1
month per year, I should get between 12 and 24
years out of them, though.
As Don suggests, drying the tent, out of
direct sunlight will maximize your usability.
Many of the coatings can be rebuilt by using
a silicone spray on occasion. Even though the
coating degrades, it can be added back.
Many tents use polyurethane coatings.
Poly will absorb more water than nylon. Often
what feels dry is actually still "damp." This
can cause the poly to stick to itself, too.
It will cause the fabric to stick to itself
by softening the material.
And general degradation by bacterial
action can be bad, as you no doubt know. The
water and dust on a tent will provide an
good growth medium for bacteria. These can
release various enzymes/acids that will cause
degradation of a tent fly...even if the
bacteria do not actively "eat" the material.
Generally, water is needed, soo keeping your
tent dry is the primary concern. The next
most important is out of direct sunlight
(though this will kill bacteria.) A good
way to do this is to repack your tent at
intervals...say a month or so.
My thoughts only . . .
jdm
Post by Don LadiginPost by Ron RogersThe other weekend, I used my 3 year old MSR Hubba Hubba tent for the
first time in 6-9 months.
********************
Nice tent!
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Post by Ron RogersIt had been kept neatly folded and rolled
in its stuff sack, stored in my house in a room that gets rather
warm
Post by Ron Rogersin the summer. When I opened up the fly to set the tent up, I
discovered that the coated side was fairly sticky, such that the
folded together, coated side was sticking to itself and had to be
actively pulled apart.
The fly is made of "30D ripstop nylon, 1500 mm PU/silicone coating".
Is this a normal occurrence with this type of material?
******************
No. The tent probably was a little damp when it was put away. I set
my tent(s) up in the attic for a few days and let them dry out
thoroughly before rolling and storing them. I know not everyone has
room to do this!
*********************
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The silicone coating suggests it is. MSR could tell you for sure.
**********************
Post by Ron RogersDoes the stickiness indicate a degradation which will
eventually result in water-proofing failure in the field, or should
I not worry about it?
****************
I wouldn't keep doing this, the temporary stickiness doesn't sound
like it's good for your tent, but it's probably O.K. if no part of
the waterproofing coat has obviously transferred from one place to
another. Don't be shy about contacting MSR and learning what they
have to say about it.
Best, Don L.