What did tents used to be waterproofed with before fandom?

Was there a natural product? Or was there a generic product?

TIA

Chris

Reply to
cpvh
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They were not waterproofed at all.

You had a fly sheet made of waxed cotton.

That was stretched over the tent to keep the rain off.

The tent itself was unwaxed top allow it to breathe.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

I remember a looooong time ago waterproofing some clothing by soaking in a solution of epsom salts. Don't remember how effective it was though.

John

Reply to
JTM

GNU, Fabsil etc. There were a number of such products I used in the 60's

Reply to
Bob Minchin

Some used nothing, just bare cotton canvas which would swell up when wet and self seal - providing you didn't touch it, the water would run off. Later came waxed cotton, then spray on water proofing solutions.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Waterproofing? I've heard of epsom salts being used for fireproofing.

Reply to
S Viemeister

Yet you still got condensation and it ran down the inside...

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

I have found recipes for waterproofing using aluminum acetate: dissolve in soft water, dip or brush on.

Thomas Prufer

Reply to
Thomas Prufer

My father used a recipe that involved soaking the canvas first in a soap solution, then in alum. I don't recall it being particularly effective.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

alum sound more like fireproofing - were candles used in the tent?

Reply to
charles

Nope. It was definitely intended as waterproofing, applied to the flysheet.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
Nightjar

Ventile is still going, and despite its cost it's still being used for tents for polar regions.

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| Ventile, originally designed in the UK, is densely woven from 100% | cotton using the world?s finest long staple fibre.

| Ventile is not coated or laminated yet the combination of the dense | weave and the swelling properties of the fibres when wet provide | excellent weatherproofing.

Reply to
Alan J. Wylie

Alum confirmed as a means of waterproofing by this link-

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under 'Homemade Products'.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Yep, that's pretty much my experience. It's why you had to pitch the tent taut, hence all those "best pitched tent" contests on arrival day. You also had to go and tighten the guy ropes after the first rain or first dew.

large scout tents often had a linen fly sheet and a much smaller cotten inner.

Reply to
Bob

our local boys brigade leader used to make a mix of beeswax and liqid parrafin, and brush that on after erecting the tent.

Reply to
Bob

Yup that's what I remember being huddled in a ridge tent at west wittering with 2 cousins and uncle exhorting us not to touch the sides.

AJH

Reply to
news

I always knew there were many reasons I hate camping.

Reply to
Huge

What's Fandom?

Reply to
Nospam

That sound very like the stuff I used for waterproofing a jacket many years ago. Might have been Belstaff wax.

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

He was still protesting his innocence when arrested.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

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