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Old 10-09-2024, 07:16 AM   #1
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Waterproofing

What product do you use to waterproof the canvas on your hybrid. I have a Jay Feather 17z. Thanks
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Old 10-09-2024, 07:21 PM   #2
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We had three used popups over the years and never had leaks via the canvas. Always at the seams or around zippers. I used a liquid that carried wax into the seams and applied it with a foam brush.

Unless your canvas has a cracked vinyl coating or is very old and sun burnt with use you shouldn't have to treat it. If yours does leak camping goods stores sell several treatments. In the Scouts we treated with a wax based liquid that we sprayed on.
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Old 10-10-2024, 09:45 AM   #3
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It's one of our pop down beds. It always has a lot of condensation when someone is sleeping in it and the other side never does that. It doesn't leak but I figured that waterproofing would help the condensation.
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Old 10-10-2024, 09:50 AM   #4
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condensation is caused by a cold surface attracting moisture out of the air. Two ways to stop it, insulation, like an exterior blanket over the canvas. Several posts say they work. Second is ventilation, to lower the humidity such as a fan or open window.

Not sure where to find the insulation covers for the bunk ends but some research or someone might post it here. Helps keep the area warmer if you camp in intense cold.
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Old 10-10-2024, 02:20 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LexiB View Post
It's one of our pop down beds. It always has a lot of condensation when someone is sleeping in it and the other side never does that. It doesn't leak but I figured that waterproofing would help the condensation.
RogerR touched on condensation.
Insulation over the tent end helps. Ventilation helps. But condensation implies cold outside and/or rain. Ventilation defeats heat.

Depending on your style of camping...boondocking or with shore power...a fan can help, too. There are 12 volt fans designed to attach to the pipe that holds up the tent-end frame. They are often supplied with new pop-ups. Even if you don't have the fan, your rig may have the power to a 1/4" phone plug socket near the pipe frame. Adding such an outlet would be fairly easy. If you typically camp where there is shore power, a comparable clip on 120 volt fan will work.

The challenge in a pop-up is that the tent ends are not heated well by the furnace, and the single layer of fabric is not insulated. This makes the canvas the coldest surface in the camper, and you are sleeping in it...exhaling moisture all night. It can actually "rain inside" the tent end.

Heated air combats condensation. Pushing furnace heat from the main body of the rig into the tent end substantially reduces the "relative humidity" in the air and reduces condensation. As you heat the air, its capacity to hold moisture without condensing out increases. So finding a way to pump the furnace-heated air into the tent end will drastically reduce condensation in the tent end...and significantly improve sleeping comfort for the occupants. The furnace pumps out air at very low relative humidity, and that relatively "dry" air can absorb a lot of moisture. (This accounts for many add-on humidifiers in home forced air furnaces.)

The reasons one tent end gets more condensation than the other have to do with furnace location and number of occupants of the tent end. In my old HW-277, the furnace was at the far end of the camper, near the guest bed...which was typically unoccupied. Meanwhile, our bed was far from the furnace with two humans exhaling substantial amounts of moisture into the tent end. A typical human will exhale 400 grams (1.69 CUPS) of water per day. Overnight, a typical couple in bed will emit 1 1/8 cups of water in that tiny bed end.) Not to mention that, if it's cold and damp already, a temperature drop of a few degrees will cause considerable additional condensation. Air circulation from the main body of the rig into the tent end essentially eliminated condensation. Nothing's perfect, of course, and one night, late in the season, it was both cold and rainy. We didn't have an insulated cover over the tent end, and we got wet.

So much for condensation. If it's raining like hell, it's hard to leave the "windows" open for ventilation, and it's likely to be cold. Finding a way to pump furnace-heated air into the tent end where you sleep will help a lot...and so will an insulated blanket over the tent end.
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Old 10-10-2024, 07:57 PM   #6
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I've never applied anything to my tent ends.

Others are correct it sounds like condensation. I place the side wall zippers all they way to the highest point. Then unzip both maybe 3 inches each and pull the flap open a bit. This allows the moisture a way to escape the camper. We do not notice any difference in indoor air temp with both side windows cracked open.

I also always leave my bathroom vent open about inch. This has eliminated nearly all the condensation. If cooking inside make sure to run the kitchen vent fan.
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Old 10-10-2024, 08:32 PM   #7
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I've used Harbor freight "moving blankets" with a tarp over it when camping in cold weather. It works well and is inexpensive. On sale for $5.00 each. When it's hot I do the same with a white tarp over the moving blankets on the bunk ends.



https://www.harborfreight.com/40-in-...ket-58327.html
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Old 10-14-2024, 09:26 AM   #8
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We wash and dry the the vinyl covers of our hybrid tents yearly or prn, then apply 303 spray per directions. We keep an old candle handy to rub into possibly stitching leaks. Have not had leaks from fabric or seams, but from having faulty fold in top of closed hatch. Now more careful about folding all fabric well into hatch before latching shut. Have also had to reinforce fabric attachment (bigger screws and washers, better sealant) to top of hatch when tent is open.

Condensation is a problem at times. We keep a towel handy to dry it off the tent ceiling in the morning. We always partially unzip the end, and usually the side, windows in the tent and keep the bathroom vent open while sleeping. We usually run a fan on low to move air through tent. We also have good quality sleeping bags that allow us to sleep comfortably in mid-20's ambient temperature. Sometimes if it's cold, we run an electric catalytic heater in front of the fan to blow into the tent.

For outside moisture, as in rain, if it's still raining when we break camp we stow the tent and dry it when we can, within a day or two. If the outside tent is wet after a rain, we have a beach blanket-sized piece of terrycloth dedicated to drying it off (each on a side pulling the drying cloth back and forth and working down from top at trailer to end) before closing the hatch. We also use it to remove leaves, twigs, seeds from tent roof.
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Old 10-20-2024, 06:45 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jagiven View Post
I've never applied anything to my tent ends.

Others are correct it sounds like condensation. I place the side wall zippers all they way to the highest point. Then unzip both maybe 3 inches each and pull the flap open a bit. This allows the moisture a way to escape the camper. We do not notice any difference in indoor air temp with both side windows cracked open.

I also always leave my bathroom vent open about inch. This has eliminated nearly all the condensation. If cooking inside make sure to run the kitchen vent fan.
Same here for side windows, plus about 12" of end window, usually have a fan placed on refrig running on low all night, bathroom vent all way open - for very cold nights (26F coldest so far) crawl further into 20 degree sleeping bag, occasionally place catalytic heater in front of fan - if condensation occurs, wipe it down with a towel in the morning - as far as treating the fabric, we wash if once a year, keep bird poop and sap off it as best we can and keep it supple with 303 or similar - no problems with leaking or faulty fabric or seams

oops - just noticed I already responded to this post - sorry for the redundancy, but the topic is a universal one for tent campers and hybrid owners
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Old 10-20-2024, 08:38 AM   #10
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It is a universal question and glad it's come up here again!

I'm just packing up our x19h for the winter. We've experienced the condensation problem (we do stretch the season in northern Ontario so have had some frosty mornings!). I've always dried off the interior (I have a quick drying microfiber cloth that we keep handy), and have started using a USB rechargeable fan (the 1/4" jack plug ins are SO expensive!). That fan helps a lot. We'll add the blanket/tarp trick to thw repertoire, thanks for the great idea.

Despite being so careful, and my husband will tell you just how fussy I am, there are tiny, pinhead sized black spots in one corner (nearest our heads, no surprise) that I am sure is the start of mold.

I've read a lot on this site about cleaning the interior of vinyl and googled elsewhere. I'm going to try vinegar first, with a bit of a gentle scrub. Really quite reluctant to use any bleach but saw CLR has a non-bleach cleaner that would be my next try. Does anyone have any direct experience of using diluted bleach on the interior (assuming rinsing really well) and having any damage? Mold can't stay, that's the one thing I am sure about!

And il add my thanks, I read every email update and really appreciate the expertise I've found here!

Kim
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