tent care
Posted by: gstamer
on Feb-20-13 11:52 AM (EST)
Yes, agree. I store my tents like I do my sleeping bags -- very loose in a breathable sack.
Heat is also an issue. Here in hot, steamy Florida, one season of storage in a hellishly-hot garage is often enough to make the waterproof coating of your tent fly and taped seems peel-off like a bad sunburn.
After a trip I drape my tent over a drying rack in the garage, and then store it inside.
One year my home A/C died and I made it a point to see how long I could last. Actually I did fine (with just a fan at night), but all of my expensive gear started to blacken with mold. I quickly replaced the A/C motor to save my gear.
My current solo tent of choice for local kayak camping is the Hubba with Fibraplex carbon poles. I enjoy the very small footprint of this tent, you can shoehorn it in a micro-site. For expeditions, I have a "bomproof" (but heavy) 4-seasn Hilleberg Allak. For hiking, I prefer something lighter, such as a tarptent.
Greg Stamer