Tents are designed to stand up to the elements, but they need proper care if you want them to last more than a season or two. To find out how to protect your multi-hundred-dollar investment, I asked three tent repair experts for their top repair聽tips. Here鈥檚 what they said.
#1:聽Pick Your Camping Spot Wisely
It all starts with a proper pitch.聽鈥淚t helps to set up your tent in a protected area instead of an exposed ridge,鈥 says Charlie Lane, a repair tech at MSR聽who fixes up to 200 tents per month. He doesn鈥檛 want you to miss out on a great view, but Lane warns that your tent might get unnecessarily battered by the wind on a聽ridge.
#2:聽Build and Stake Your Tent Properly
Tent manufacturers design their tents to withstand a windstorm and downpour, but pieces will break聽if they鈥檙e improperly used. Lane sees a lot of snapped tent poles and ripped rain flies because users didn鈥檛 follow instructions. He suggests spending the extra time to double check that everything is taut and correctly inserted.
#3:聽Keep Your Tent Clean
Oil聽and dirt will eventually ruin your tent鈥檚 waterproof fly, so when it gets noticeably dirty聽you need to clean it the same way you would clean your Gore-Tex jacket. MSR makes ,聽but mild soaps also work. Hand聽wash only, and make sure the fly is fully dry before you pack it away.聽
#4:聽Dry Your Tent
The seam聽tape will peel or the聽polyurethane coating will break down if you store your tent when it鈥檚 wet, says Lindsey Stone, operations manager at聽, a Seattle-based authorized聽Gore-Tex repair shop. It鈥檚 also likely to get moldy.聽Stone suggests setting up your tent at home every time you return from a trip聽to let it fully dry out.聽
#5:聽Don鈥檛 Store Your Tent in a Stuff Sack
Hauling your tent in a stuff sack to a campsite is fine, but when it鈥檚 sitting in your garage,聽Lane suggests storing聽it in a looser sack to give聽the materials room to breathe. The extra space also keeps the fly and seam tape from getting crimped.
#6:聽Be Kind to Your Zippers
Stone sees more zipper repairs than anything else at her shop. That鈥檚 because users yank them聽too hard. To give your zipper a little extra life, Stone suggests being patient if they get caught on a piece of the tent聽and cleaning them with a wet cloth or something like聽, which includes a brush and lubricant. Cleaning your zippers will ensure dust and sand don鈥檛 eat away at the metal.聽
#7: Wax Your Zippers
Waxing the zipper聽track keeps it sliding聽efficiently. It also prevents dust and sand from getting in.聽Lane says products like Zipcare are great, but candle聽wax also works.
#8: UV-Treat Your Tent
Stone says she often sees tents that are so battered by the sun that their rain flies and outer walls are as brittle as paper. To prevent this decomposition, she suggests using a product like聽, which acts as a sunscreen for the outer fabric.聽
#9: Rinse Your Poles
鈥淲e see a fair number of poles come in that are corroded by saltwater or salt air,鈥 says Iris Diligencia, a repair tech supervisor at MSR. She says the salt oxidizes your poles and eventually causes them to break. Diligencia suggests rinsing off your poles even if you weren鈥檛 right on the beach.
#10: Don鈥檛 Rely on Duct Tape for Long-Term Repairs
Yes, duct tape is great for a quick fix when you tear your tent on the trail, but the tape will聽break down and peel off over time. For a longer-term fix, Stone suggests using聽, which is more durable and has a stronger glue.