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Hi all,

I was given a top tip the other day which I think is a good one having suffered in the past with mold on the flysheet of our old Diablo many years ago. Harsh lesson learnt back then and we always make sure the tent is 100% dry now before finally packing it away when back home.

However, the tent flysheet may well be dry but the guy lines can retain moisture for a long time after the tent dries out. We have even removed guy lines in the past to be on the safe side and it was this that came up in conversation the other evening having met a fellow camper when out and about.

Remove your guy lines, grab a small can of Grangers Fabsil and throw them into a clean bucket and pour the grangers over the guy lines. Leave them soaking overnight and then leave them to dry for a good 24 Hrs. Re-fit them to the tent and you now have water repelant guy lines that are also UV protected so wont fade and look all washed out. Dry tent, dry guy lines, no chance of damp creeping in when packed away, happy days. 

Oh and a word of warning. The Fabsil seems to make the guy lines flame proof so if like us your going to take the oportunity to replace your guy lines at the same time, cut them to length first and seal the ends before treating them. As an additional tip, for those like us that like things neat and tidy and got us out of the above problem having not cut ours first, electrical shrink wrap tube cut to inch long lengths and then molded over the end of the guy line works great and looks really good too.

Been trying to get 2 minutes all day to get back on here. I forgot to say that its a good idea to use a bucket with a lid or cover the bucket with cling film when the Fabsil is added to stop it drying out.

Hi mcguire6078,

Yes your right most modern guy lines are made of nylon as it is far stronger and more stable in changing weather conditions than hemp or cotton as it does not expand or contract due to moisture levels.

However, most quality tents will have cotton sheilded guy lines fitted. The sheild, a woven cotton tube that protects the inner nylon line, is there to prevent snagging and damage to the important inner line and to also improve the grip of the lock plate as well as sheilding the inner line from UV damage which causes nylon to break down and become brittle over time.

Now not all tents come with cotton sheilded guy lines in fact most entry level tents have standard single core lines I admit, although these can still harbour moisture within the weave of the line and cause damage if packed away damp as I am sure there are sadly a number of people on here who can confirm.

oops !