How to keep your rooftop tent waterproof?
When you buy a new rooftoptent you don't need to impregnate it right away, this is already done in our factory. However, with polyester, cotton or cotton/polyester rooftoptents there are some things you need to take into consideration.
When you need to re-impregnate the rooftoptent varies from situation to situation. The longer your camping vacation is, the sooner you will need to impregnate a rooftoptent. Factors such as UV radiation, dryness, dirt and household pollution affect the waterproofing of the roof tent. In general, we stick to the rule of impregnating once every 3 to 4 years.
It is important to stay ahead of leaks, when your rooftoptent starts leaking you are actually already too late. But don't worry, there are plenty of solutions. By impregnating every 3 to 4 years you will prevent further problems and keep your roof tent in good condition. Always make sure you clean and impregnate the entire rooftoptent to prevent local leaks. In fact, if you treat one spot, another might start leaking. You also prevent color differences in the tent fabric.
Important: Have you cleaned the tent once with special tent cloth cleaner? Then you should always re-impregnate the rooftoptent. This is because detergent affects the waterproofing of the rooftoptent. Furthermore, it is important to look at what material the roof tent is made of.
In case of a leaking seam on KA10 material
Is your tent made of cotton and you see water leaking in through the seams? Then you probably just got a new rooftoptent and your tent is outside for the first time during a rainstorm. The yarns in a cotton tent expand when they first get wet. The "setting" closes the holes in the seams and you won't experience the next rainstorm. If you want to avoid this, you can, for example, wet the tent in the garden with a sprinkler before you go on vacation.
If you have had the rooftoptent longer and it is not the first rain, use 123 seal, Ultramar or beeswax. Apply this to the seam (this can be done both inside and outside the rooftoptent).
A leaking seam on a polyester rooftoptent
Do you have a rooftoptent made of polyester and does water drip in through the seams during a rainstorm? Then fortunately there is not much to worry about. When making polyester rooftoptents, seams are taped on the inside. This basically means that the holes created by the yarn are sealed so that nothing more can leak in. Sometimes it happens that a piece is not taped very well, causing water to leak inside.
A leaking seam in a polyester tent is very easy to fix with a seam sealer. This is an agent (water-based) that allows you to easily seal sewn seams on synthetic fabrics. You can tape the seams yourself on the inside of the tent with this agent. A seam sealer dries up quickly and you'll be completely dry again the next time it rains!
Our tip: make sure you always have a small bottle of seam sealer in your car so you're never in for a surprise.
Have you cleaned the rooftoptent? Then you need to completely re-impregnate the rooftoptent.
Rooftoptent impregnation process
Make sure you thoroughly clean and dry the rooftop tent. Then you can start impregnating. Just follow these steps:
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Set up your rooftop tent and make sure it looks tight.
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Spray the impregnation agent onto the canvas, for example with a plant sprayer or pump. Some impregnating agents come standard in a spray bottle.
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Use a soft brush or sponge to smear the impregnating agent into the canvas. The cloth should be soaked with impregnating agent so that all the fibers absorb the agent.
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Let the agent soak in for a while, read on the instructions how long, it varies with each agent.
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Rinse the roof tent thoroughly with water, using a garden hose for example.
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Let the roof tent dry thoroughly before storing it again. Make sure to dry it in the shade and not in the sun to avoid stains.
Still have questions about how to maintain or impregnate a rooftop tent?
Then be sure to contact us and our team will help you!