Ancient north face tent help

“I recently got a north face A frame tent from a thrift store for free. It stank so bad that they just asked me to please take it and go. The tent is from the 1970s maybe late 1960s the foul stink was of course caused by the total breakdown of the waterproofing. Does anyone have experience or advice on stripping and restoring the waterproof coating? Please do not tell me to buy a new tent. I own a couple of nice new tent which I use. This is all about restoring classic gear.”

“this may or may not help you : http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=55409

basically toss it in the washing machine”

“Thank you I'll try it. Do you have a suggestion for a specific recoating product?”

“Recoat3 from www.campmor.com was best for me. Nothing is permanent, however, and I had to retire my Eureka Expedition tent when it just wouldn't hold the Recoat any more.

Good luck,

Doug”

“You can make your own waterproofing. Buy clear silicone chaulking and mix it 50/50 with mineral spirits. You may want to thin it a little more but basically brush it on so it soaks into the fabric, let dry and repeat. You don't want a rubbery film, you want it to dry and not feel tacky.”

“I like the DIY silicone idea. I think I might test it on something first just do I don't ruin the tent. Have you had good results yourself?”

“Hmmm... I wonder if that's the problem with the nylon tarp I have. I'd love to get the funk out of it. Wow, I only hit the TT button on accident just now. Serendipity!”

“My coating is not peeling, a bit sticky in places and stinks. I'll give it a try before summer.”

“Yeah, test it on a similar weight fabric, let it dry completely. You want it to be dry enough to stuff it in a sack and not stick to itself. Heavy canvas would take about 50%..for a light nylon probably 30-40% silicone.

If it feels too sticky, put some cornstarch on it before you stuff it.”

“You can get a new tarptent for a little over $200.

Just sayin'...”

“I don't want a new tent, I got plenty. I'm trying to put together an outfit of good quality classic gear from pre-1990. Plus my wife would kill me if I bought any more gear with out getting rid of some first.”