Bushwalk Australia

Hello All,

I'd be interested in your feedback/thoughts/advice/whatever ...

Recently bought a superbly designed & manufactured 4 seasons/2 person tent, an Exped Venus II, via the internet.

When I received the tent I found problems with the PU coating on the rainfly though. This is most likely due to smallish amounts of moisture having gotten into the tent while it was in storage. The online supplier was very good to deal with, they immediately acknowledged that there was a problem.

After a brief discussion I decided to keep the tent with a partial refund which was duly received (why didn't I just return it??? ... can't help it, being a gear freak & such ... obesessed with tents at any rate ... great design, learning experience trying to fix the issue, pity to return it coz I can't imagine them trying to fix it ... those sorts of thought processes ...).

Soo ... now I have another luvly tent (1 of 6 in the garage ) ... this one in need of some action though ... this is what it looked like on the motorbike trip last weekend:



If you look closely you can see some dark patches on the fly, these are the faulty Polyurethane (PU) coating bits.

What should I do now measks?
1- Try to fix the PU meself? How?
2- Find someone commercially to fix it? Whom?
3- Sell the tent to someone who may want to fix it themselves (maybe a better option than -1, given my pretty rudimentary skills at fixing stuff)

Would be nice to hear advice from the collective, also if you know about suitable techniques & products / suitable shops to fix / anyone who might be interested to purchase a tent like this for a project.

Andreas


PS:

A bit more info on Exped and on the Venus II can be found here: http://www.bogong.com.au/html/tents.html

Also screenshots from the Swiss manufacturer:

hmmm ... not a lot of feedback ...

done a bit of research and sounds like some people had good results with one of 2 products tailored to the problem. Grangers and Nikwax are the 2 manufactureres.

so I went to my local fav shop and bought 300ml of Nikwax 'Tent and Gear Proof' for less than $20.

Here's a set of promo blurb for it:

For reproofing non-breathable materials this non-aerosol spray-on waterproofing is for fabrics coated with polyurethane, neoprene or PVC. Ideal for non-breathable rainwear, tent flies, backpacks, etc.
FEATURES:
Tent & Gear Proof
-Use as an effective alternative to repairing or replacing tents, non-breathable rainwear, backpacks, gaiters, panniers and sails.
-Great for repairing fabrics with damaged polyurethane, neoprene or PVC coatings.
-Quick and easy application can be used anywhere, anytime on wet or dry fabric.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Clean by sponging off the tent or pack with a solution of Nikwax Tech Wash and water to remove any dirt.
(Note: do not wash the tent in a washing machine.)
2. You may also spray the tent with water to remove dirt or soap.
3. Treat by applying Nikwax Tent and Gear Proof while the fabric is still damp, spray or apply with a brush generously and evenly on the uncoated side of the fabric.
4. Check carefully to make sure no areas of the fabric have been missed. Wipe up runs with a damp cloth.
5. Allow to soak into cloth for 5 minutes and then wipe all excess (drips, runs, puddles) away with a damp cloth.
(Note: Failure to do so may leave a white residue)
Apply a second coat to areas of high traffic or abrasion (such as tent floors or pack bottoms), following the instructions above.
6. Allow the first coat to dry before applying the second, rewet the fabric before applying so that it is damp to the touch.
7. Maintain after treating by sponging it off with a solution of Nikwax Tech Wash and water.

I'll try to apply it this weekend, wish me luck with my 2 left hands!

a.

A mate got a real bargain MP Olympus (old)and we did the the whole re proof thing to no avail so I really hope yours will be savable.

Hello Corvus,

Thanks for that.

What treatment did you use? Any ideas why it didn't work?

a.

To the best of my memory we used a product specially designed to re proof tents but have no idea why it failed perhaps the Olympus was just past it but could not sat for sure as it looked OK.
corvus

Time for a bit of an update.

A few weeks ago I washed & treated the tent with Nikwax stuff. Nikwax Tent and Gear Proof was applied as per instruction.

Last weekend this was finally tested, looks like I'm on a winner ...

The pic below was yesterday morning at Lake St Clair, after quite a bit of rain the previous afternoon & evening.

The inside of the rainfly was moist but not dripping !!!!

The moisture I imagine being due to wet conditions plus condensation from sleeping in the tent.

Looks like the treatment has been pretty successful at this stage.

I got the exact same tent (only in green) and it had well over 300 nights of use, from the Australian outback to the Swiss alps and Tassie Wilderness. Absolutely love it - never ever had a bit of water leaking through and I had it standing in some of the muddiest / most unprotected sites. I'd recommend Exped gear anytime!

It seems like you have had it for a while now. Hope it is still working to perfection. Can you tell me if there is a lot of condensation in the tent on cold nights? I have a hilleberg and the moisture inside the tent is quite a lot. The airflow is not as good as it should be I guess. Thanks for your input,

Peter

Seems you resolved the problem so my suggestions may not be relevant but you could also have emailed the manufacturer to see what they recommended ie maybe they could have recommended some coating or offer a return and repair of the fly or even a new fly at a discount for you.

schnaphappy wrote:It seems like you have had it for a while now. Hope it is still working to perfection. Can you tell me if there is a lot of condensation in the tent on cold nights? I have a hilleberg and the moisture inside the tent is quite a lot. The airflow is not as good as it should be I guess. Thanks for your input,

Peter

sold the tent quite a while ago

also have a Hilleberg Nallo 3

condensation is an issue in most tents that can't or don't get ventilated well. with the Venus II there is a fair bit of scope for creating air movement to reduce condensation.

i also have the theory that in more modern lightweight tents (siliconised material) condensation is more visible coz the material absorbs none of the moisture. the upside of that is that the tent isn't heavier in the morning.

on the run

a.

etrangere wrote:Seems you resolved the problem so my suggestions may not be relevant but you could also have emailed the manufacturer to see what they recommended ie maybe they could have recommended some coating or offer a return and repair of the fly or even a new fly at a discount for you.

thanks for the thought

i emailed Exped, but didn't get any useful suggestions from them.

bear in mind too that the tent was an old model bought from overseas, so I reckon you need to allow for the possibility of less support when things go wrong

DonQx wrote:Time for a bit of an update.

A few weeks ago I washed & treated the tent with Nikwax stuff. Nikwax Tent and Gear Proof was applied as per instruction....
Looks like the treatment has been pretty successful at this stage.

Hey there DonQx, i've the same problem with my Marmot Zoom. Did you use the Nikwax wash first? Also, did you apply to the underside of the fly? I'm pretty sure the PU coating is on the underside of mine. Was thinking of spraying a DWR coating on the topside to help with beading as well....

yes, wash first

gear proof applied to the outside

seeemed to work OK after intial testing, tent since sold, so I'm not sure what the long-term result is, hopefully good tho

a.