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 Topic: Reproofing a Polycotton Tent?
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15/4/2013 at 3:14pm
Location: Derby.
Outfit: Karsten 350+Awnings
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Joined: 01/7/2012 Diamond Member 
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Polycotton fibres swell as they get wet, effectively filling any "holes", be they natural (in between the fibres), or caused by a sewing machine needle at manufacture. If the polycotton is dry, and particularly if it has been so for some time, the first time it gets wet may allow some water ingress, before it has sufficiently swelled. This may show as a drip or two, even enough for a puddle, but more commonly, "only a mist", inside the tent, is evident.
This is why it is recommended to "weather" a new polycotton tent. (Soak it, and let it dry). If this first weathering process shows signs of "leaks", let it dry, then repeat the process.
We have done this to two new polycotton tents, and each time, at the first time of asking, no water ingress was evident, not even "the mist".
The majority of the time, it seems, one soaking/drying is all a new tent needs.
Quote from Kampa Filey 6 classic Instructions:
>>>The Filey 6 Classic is manufactured using a high quality polycotton material. The material allows the tent to breath, reducing the incidence of
condensation and making it cooler in hot weather. Before using for the first time it is essential that the tent is erected and allowed to become thoroughly wet before drying and packing away. This weathering process improves the weatherproofing of the tent. The performance of the tent will improve after the first few times it becomes wet and dries.<<<
So, firstly, the easy bit....
CatAndNett.... Don't even think about it!! Buy it, test pitch it, soak it, let it dry, and put it straight in the car..... you are ready to go! 
However, Cavedweller throws up a conundrum, as we are not talking new tent.
Cavedweller,
Had your tent been dry for some time (in a spare room, with central heating)? Was this the first time it had got wet for a while? Was it a particularly heavy downpour, effectively not giving the fibres enough chance to swell and close up? Did it rain again next day, and seem okay?
If it has since been in storage, I would seriously suggest you get it up in the garden, soak it thoroughly, and check. If the leaks are still evident, give it one more try... let it dry, then soak it again.
If it is still showing signs of a leak, ONLY THEN consider a treatment of some sort. Unfortunately, this is where I have to leave..... I haven't a clue on that score, sorry!
Good luck.
Mucker
xxx
PS:
Further quotes from the same Kampa guide...
>>>RAIN
We make our tents as resistant to the weather as possible. Occasionally you may find slight leakage. This is not a fault with the manufacturing process or materials and can normally be rectified by spot treating the seam with seam sealant or waterproofing spray (see below).
WEATHERING
We recommend that before first use the tent is weathered. This involves pitching the tent and letting it get thoroughly soaked, this will close the fibres of the material and maximise the weatherproofing. This process may have to be repeated several times for maximum weatherproofing. Any minor leakage can be treated using seam sealant or a waterproofing spray that can be applied to areas where a leak may have developed. We recommend McNett waterproofing products. <<<
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15/4/2013 at 7:28pm
Location: North West
Outfit: just got a Vango Illusion 800XL TC
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Joined: 24/8/2008 Gold Member 
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We got and used our Bear Lake 6 for the first time last year. Before going we did not have chance to weather it. The first use was during the Queens jubilee weekend in Wales with very strong winds and lots and lots of rain.
We had a couple of very minor leaks which sealed themselves after getting wet and drying out. This happened a couple of times in different places. The biggest surprise was one of the window areas had let a bit of water in, we did not know this until we opened the curtain which is also waterproof and had caught all the water.
Since that fhat first couple of times nothing at all came in. The weather on that first trip was horrible and the amount of rain was at times extreme so all in all I was very impressed, other synthetic tents we have had would have let in as much. The second trip in 'summer' in Cornwall also saw some heavy cloudbursts, but nothing got into the tent.
Cavedwellers position seems to be different though in that the tent has started leaking towards the end of the season and is obviously not sealing itself. Fabsil does state it will treat cotton, canvas etd on the tin, we have a tin just in case, however I assume the worry is that silicone waterproofers will, in any quantity, affect the breathability of the fabric.
I know the Outwell fabrics are treated with a water repellant at the factory, but what it is I don't know.
We had a kite land over the tent last year and the child tried to pull it back over the tent with the nylon kite ropes. This somehow removed some sort of covering as when the tent is wet you can first see the tacks left by both of the nylon strings. When the rain has been coming down for a while the rest of the tent changes to the same soaked colour as these tracks, this area has never leaked. On first raining the water beads off the whole tent and then runs off, after a while the rain looks like it s soaking into the fabric suggesting it has soaked through the initial water repellant layer.
Hope the above makes sense.
Cheers.
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Bodmin August 2017
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