Wax On…
My Tent In The Garage, Covered In Nikwax Tent & Gear Proof(Click for larger…)
My garage and part of my house smell vaguely of white glue, which is what Nikwax Tent & Gear Proof smells like. Since Danielle and I are going camping at Tahquamenon Falls State Park this weekend, and there is the remote possibility of rain (there always is, eh?) I wanted to waterproof my tent. Most of the areas which needed waterproofing were the seams, but I made sure to spray the whole thing down. Also, after letting it sit for a bit and soak in I wiped the whole thing down with a damp cloth, which seemed to do a good job of helping the waterproofing further penetrate the fabric.
After the job was done I tried to wash my hands, but they just became sticky and the water beaded up on them. Neither acetone or denatured alcohol would remove the chemical from my hands, so I took to dry scrubbing them with sodium percarbonate (Oxyclean). This seemed to do a good job, and then soap was able to remove the remaining slick C2H6Na4O12 residue. My hands still feel like they have a bit of the waterproofing compound left in them. Hopefully it’ll come out in the shower tomorrow.
We had originally thought about taking Danielle’s larger tent (see them both here), but we only had one 500mL bottle of waterproofing and the rainfly on hers seems to have a greater surface area than my whole tent. I’m glad I didn’t try waterproofing hers…
Hopefully the weather will cooperate. We’ll have the air mattress to sleep on, sheets and blankets, and (with any luck) a dry weekend.
It looks like Danielle’s large tent and your tent are simular to our two tents – we’ve considered water proofing them but haven’t had the need – the little rain we’ve encountered was kept out. Where’d you pick up the Nikwax – and was it reasonably priced?
It was just under $20/bottle at REI. Not too bad, I don’t think…
I wish I had enough left over to do my backpack, but alas…
I bet the colors are gorgeous up there. Did you reserve a site yet? I don’t know if they are site-specific this late in the year. Either way, try and get one along the rivermouth. Sites 102 is really nice. Or any of the semi-rustic ones over there. The river down there is so pretty. And there is a great sunset.
Have fun!
Also – take some chipmunk friendly treats! They will eat out of your hand!
We’re actually going to get some of the ones closer to the falls so that we can have bathrooms and hot showers near by. It could be cold. :( Hopefully it’ll be nice and pretty, though…
I’m sure it will be gorgeous. The hike between the falls is fun, and will be especially nice with the cool weather. I recommend trekking poles or at least a walking stick if it is at all damp/muddy because the trail is rather rocky and there are a lot of tree roots/stumps that get slippery.
Also, there are bathrooms and showers at the rivermouth, although they are near the modern sites it is literally like… walk around some trees and down a teeny path and you are at the modern sites with the showers and bathrooms. If the trees are getting bare you might even be able to see the modern camp from the rustic sites. I’ve never stayed near the falls, I am sure it is nice everywhere up there.
Stop at the North Star Bakery in Newberry on the way up and get some delicious bread. I remember we had a roasted garlic baguette from there that made one of the best camp meals I’ve ever had. It says there is one in Paradise as well, but we were not able to find it when we looked for it. The Newberry one easy to pass but you’ll know it when you see it. It is a clearing with a modular home, a small bakery and one of those black signs with neon letters you can change out. Obviously they don’t bake all of the breads listed on any given day. I still haven’t made it on a day that Asiago Jalepeno was made… but one day ;) I’ve also had the Apple Oat and Cheddar Onion which were delicious. And of course the bakers are fun to talk to.
Oh, thanks for the bakery recommendation. I don’t know what we are going to eat yet, so it’s good to have options like that. I think we’ll probably have to head over there on Saturday…
The person who sits next to me at work (a friend of mine named Brian) is actually married to someone originally from Newberry.
Nikwax is awesome stuff. You can waterproof a pair of jeans using it :)
I used to work for a large chain of outdoor shops a year or so ago, so got the never-starting joy of explaining how it worked to customers.
It is pretty much glue, with some binders and chemicals to make it stick to cloth and soak in.
Biological washing powder will strip it off like anything. It’ll also strip off waterproof linings and things from “technical” outdoor clothing. So don’t go washing your $500 Helley Hansen/North Face/ACG/Mountain Hardware jackets in the washer with normal washing powder.
Nice tent too. What kind is it?
Oh, neat. I actually took the terry cloth rag I used for wiping down the tent after application and hung it up to dry. I’m curious how it responds to water.
The tent is actually just a US$40 Wenger-branded one (Swiss Army Knife company, or whatever) from Costco. It’s actually really cheap, and the floor of the tent itself is a material similar to the walls.
I actually have used some of the TX.Direct Wash-In on my old North Face jacket after washing it with Tech Wash. Since then I acquired a new North Face jacket and it hasn’t needed a cleaning yet. I actually really like North Face jackets because I’ve had them last for quite a while, and I really like being able to wander around in the rain and stay dry. Now I just need some waterproof pants (trousers) and I’ll be set for wet weather gear.
I might pick up another bottle of that same waterproofing stuff and do my backpacks… My laptop one just soaks up rain, so thankfully I’m not outdoors much with it. My normal North Face hiking one repels some water, but not enough to be out all day with it.
7 years bad luck…
or is that just for umbrellas.
Ha, this may as well be one. It’s just some stays and cloth.
good thing you’re going this weekend and not next… if the state govt does indeed shut down, campgrounds are on the list to go first.
Danielle mentioned that this afternoon… I hadn’t even thought of it previously.