- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Seems like half of the time we're using the Roof Top Tent (RTT), there's some kind of precipitation falling from the sky. Our Mombasa has protected us fairly well from the elements, but if the rain was constant and lasted several hours the moisture would eventually seep thru the walls of the RTT and we'd wake up to damp sleeping bags, pillows or worse, the next days clothes.
I had thought about waterproofing the RTT, but the thought usually came after finding damp bedding while on the trail. Hard to do anything about it at that point.
While walking thru Sportsman's Warehouse a few weeks ago I came across a waterproofing and mildew resisting product from Camp Inn, called Cerf Kote. It is advertised to be used for tents, canvas tarps, etc. Obviously waterproofing was desired, but the added resistance to growing mildew really made sense. When the RTT is used in the rain, we try to knock off all the water before folding it up and putting it away, but that's not always possible. Add to the fact that the RTT may sit for several weeks before being unfolded again and allowed to properly dry, the combination of waterproofing and adding resistance to mildew made sense. The price for a gallon of Cerf Kote was around $25, not bad to ensure dry nights in bed and added life to our RTT.
I decided to apply the Cerf Kote to the RTT with the tent on the ground. I pulled the tent down and opened it up on the driveway, then removed the mattress in case any of the product made it inside.
First thing I did was take the rain fly off and spread it on the ground. I used a standard paint roller for most of the application and then a spray bottle to go over the mesh windows, seams and other places that could potentially leak. I applied a liberal amount to the rain fly and found it curious that it didn't bleed thru. There was standing liquid Cerf Kote on the rain fly, but the material soaked it up before it bleed thru. I went over the whole tent with a hand roller next, then allowed it to dry in the sun. It took about an hour before the tent was dry to the touch. I decided to re-apply a 2nd coat to the rain fly, since it will see the most rain. The Cerf Kote is paraffin-based, making it a bit waxy and very water-resistant.
After some more time drying, I decided to pour some water on the tent and see how well the Cerf Kote worked. I was pretty impressed, water beaded right up and ran right off the tent! The water ran off like it was on a freshly waxed car. I poured some more on the roof, where there was a depression... same result, big beads of water sitting on top of the material. I shook the tent off and the beads disappeared and the remaining bit of water dried up quickly. I tried to capture the beading water, but it wasn't too easy to do so. Here's a couple pics.-
Hopefully this will last some time, I've been impressed with it so far. I'll be happy to report back after our next rainy trip.
I had thought about waterproofing the RTT, but the thought usually came after finding damp bedding while on the trail. Hard to do anything about it at that point.
While walking thru Sportsman's Warehouse a few weeks ago I came across a waterproofing and mildew resisting product from Camp Inn, called Cerf Kote. It is advertised to be used for tents, canvas tarps, etc. Obviously waterproofing was desired, but the added resistance to growing mildew really made sense. When the RTT is used in the rain, we try to knock off all the water before folding it up and putting it away, but that's not always possible. Add to the fact that the RTT may sit for several weeks before being unfolded again and allowed to properly dry, the combination of waterproofing and adding resistance to mildew made sense. The price for a gallon of Cerf Kote was around $25, not bad to ensure dry nights in bed and added life to our RTT.
I decided to apply the Cerf Kote to the RTT with the tent on the ground. I pulled the tent down and opened it up on the driveway, then removed the mattress in case any of the product made it inside.
First thing I did was take the rain fly off and spread it on the ground. I used a standard paint roller for most of the application and then a spray bottle to go over the mesh windows, seams and other places that could potentially leak. I applied a liberal amount to the rain fly and found it curious that it didn't bleed thru. There was standing liquid Cerf Kote on the rain fly, but the material soaked it up before it bleed thru. I went over the whole tent with a hand roller next, then allowed it to dry in the sun. It took about an hour before the tent was dry to the touch. I decided to re-apply a 2nd coat to the rain fly, since it will see the most rain. The Cerf Kote is paraffin-based, making it a bit waxy and very water-resistant.
After some more time drying, I decided to pour some water on the tent and see how well the Cerf Kote worked. I was pretty impressed, water beaded right up and ran right off the tent! The water ran off like it was on a freshly waxed car. I poured some more on the roof, where there was a depression... same result, big beads of water sitting on top of the material. I shook the tent off and the beads disappeared and the remaining bit of water dried up quickly. I tried to capture the beading water, but it wasn't too easy to do so. Here's a couple pics.-
Hopefully this will last some time, I've been impressed with it so far. I'll be happy to report back after our next rainy trip.
