tipi seam sealing question

[ozyclint]

dreading having to seam seal my new 12 kifaru tipi but it must be done. my question is, do you bother sealing the cordura at the apex and if so, with what?

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I would with the same silicone.

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[rayporter]

i did, but if it leaks you generally wont care since it is in the center. i have left the stove jack open in rain and not had a problem.

 

[Hungarydog]

I'm OCD, I seam seal every where that there is stitching

 

[go4thegusto]

A little bit of a hijack....what do you guys use to seam seal? I hate a messy spread that peels eventually. I used super glue on the stitches on my LLBean boots. Worked great but hesitant on a tent to try it.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

A little bit of a hijack....what do you guys use to seam seal? I hate a messy spread that peels eventually. I used super glue on the stitches on my LLBean boots. Worked great but hesitant on a tent to try it.

I've used thinned silicone with no issue

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[couesbitten]

Here's Patrick Smith himself giving you a rundown on seam sealing.
Seam Sealing a Kifaru Tipi - YouTube

 

[bcimport]

I would seam seal it for sure. As a tip I just sealed my duomid and found it was way easier just using a nitrile glove and applying the sealer with my index finger vs those goofy brushes.

 

[Hunter6]

I would seam seal it for sure. As a tip I just sealed my duomid and found it was way easier just using a nitrile glove and applying the sealer with my index finger vs those goofy brushes.

I just (this week) sealed my Cimarron using my finger and silnet. Took about 40 mins. Was very easy.





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[Kevin Dill]

Hey ozyclint...

I would seal every exterior seam including the cone. I (of course) don't seal the bottom edge seam/hem. I've done the finger method and the brush method. I personally would only use the finger method again if I had a several beers to drink while doing it. That way I could blame the beer for the ugly results I get. The brush method worked great for me and was at least twice as fast with neater overall results. My only problem was I couldn't really get the silicone / Silnet thinned out to a smooth almost-runny consistency using mineral spirits. Seemed like the thinned sealant was trying to be lumpy or goopy on the brush at times. I'd really like to know what exact product is the ideal thinner for silicone.

 

[JigStick]

dreading having to seam seal my new 12 kifaru tipi but it must be done. my question is, do you bother sealing the cordura at the apex and if so, with what?

I feel you man. I have a brand new 16 man Seek Outside Tipi that I need to seal. I have 4 tubes of Silnet, and Im hoping that is enough. This thing is so big Im not sure I can get to all of the seems from the outside. Im thinking of pitching it inside out so I can seam seal the outside seams from the inside with a ladder. Do I have any other options?

 

[Kevin Dill]

I feel you man. I have a brand new 16 man Seek Outside Tipi that I need to seal. I have 4 tubes of Silnet, and Im hoping that is enough. This thing is so big Im not sure I can get to all of the seems from the outside. Im thinking of pitching it inside out so I can seam seal the outside seams from the inside with a ladder. Do I have any other options?

I've thought this through and here's one way: Lay the tipi fabric flat on any surface with one of the long seams up. Weight and stretch both ends of the seam to get it pulled tight. Apply the seam sealer and let it dry. Speaking from experience the brush method (using thinned silicone) dries very fast on a warm day. You can seal several seams in a day with great control, just letting each application dry before moving the fabric to the next seam...stretch...apply...repeat. This won't be as fast as doing the whole tipi at one time. It will be a lot physically easier and probably get a better end result. If you do go with the inside-out pitch to do the sealing, get it done on a nice cool day. If you wait until late May or June you'll lose 8 pounds of sweat in there and they'll pull you out by your heels. Also do keep in mind it's harder to apply the sealant when the fabric is sloping away from you (moving down), when looking upward and with sweat running in your eyes. No kidding.

 

[BackcountryMT]

I feel you man. I have a brand new 16 man Seek Outside Tipi that I need to seal. I have 4 tubes of Silnet, and Im hoping that is enough. This thing is so big Im not sure I can get to all of the seems from the outside. Im thinking of pitching it inside out so I can seam seal the outside seams from the inside with a ladder. Do I have any other options?

Could you pitch it inside out?


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[realunlucky]

I used Mason jar and lid to mix the mineral spirits and silicone just shake really well and brush

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[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I used Mason jar and lid to mix the mineral spirits and silicone just shake really well and brush

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Water or Gatorade bottles work a little better at mixing because of the baffles

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[Montanated]

I have no experience with the seam sealing but have used silicones in construction a lot. In reading through this the recommendation of using thinner is not and ideal one in my opinion because Mineral Spirits is by nature an oily product and does not flash off very well. It can leave an oily residue, nor does it do a good job of really thinning much more than paint. I avoid it at all costs when I can

I'd have to try it for actual thinning, but I would think the hotter thinners would work better such as xylene, mek or lacquer thinner, acetone maybe.

These would need to be used with caution as not to get the raw liquid on the material. But that really should go with out saying. I'd also give it a dry run prior to trying to do the whole tent.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I seal every seam regardless. Took a touch over an hour my last time, always have used thinner and silicone, always has worked for me.

 

[aaen]

anyone done a new sawtooth? They only send two small tubes of seam seal. Do you need to thin this stuff out with paint thinner as well? Doesn't appear to be needed from reading the tubes but I want to make sure before I start.

Also have an email out to Kifaru, but thought I would check with others here as well.

Steve

 

[M1KL83]

anyone done a new sawtooth? They only send two small tubes of seam seal. Do you need to thin this stuff out with paint thinner as well? Doesn't appear to be needed from reading the tubes but I want to make sure before I start.

Also have an email out to Kifaru, but thought I would check with others here as well.

Steve

How did it work out on your Sawtooth? Did you end up thinning with mineral spirits or similar?
Also curious what brand of sealer the 2 small tubes were?
Cheers

 

[aaen]

Contacted kifaru, with the silicone they sent me the two tubes of silicone sealant I think it's gearaid, no need to thin it out. I just stretched the seams tight popped the tube and ran the tube down the seam and then followed up with my finger to work it in, still not easy to make it perfect but it worked well.

I've also recently posted this up for sale on hear. I bought it with the intent of using it for my dog and myself with winter camping and not having to worry about nail punctures in the floor. Unfortunately it's not going to meet our needs, shame as it's an amazing tipi/tent. I bought this for snowshoe hiking and car camping in the fall and winter months here in Canada, not to use for hunting I prefer to go with a smaller setup (bivy, tarp).

Steve

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