Thank you! I've heard about white spirit and silicone sealant mix to seal the seams, but was afraid to try it on my tent. Now that I've seen it work on the same exact model, I'm going to go ahead and do it.
Thank you so much. Best seam seal explanation on the internet. I appreciate how you showed how to thin the sealant and wipe it down. I've watched a lot of videos on this and no one took the time to explain. Thanks
Thanks Martin, very clear demonstration. Turned out very neat. I've seen some videos where people seam seal their tents and it looks like a bloody mess. They seem to think that you need a thick layer of this stuff but fail to understand that you only really need this to go into the hole created by the stitch.
thanks Alex, yes easy enough to understand why they make that mistake but its why I made this video, seen too many people make a total mess of it and actually when they layer it on like that it can just flake and peel off later and not work.
@@HikingWithMartin I wonder what would happen if the thread itself was soaked in silicone before doing the stitch, would it seal the hole created by the needle... Theoretically since Silnylon is stretchy that should be the case. Would be interesting to try it out, only problem is that I'm horrible with sewing 😅
@@MrAlexDavid there is something similar to that, some manufacturers will fold the material a few times then use a thread that expands a bit and it presses the layers of folded material together making it water tight. Similar to your idea.
@@HikingWithMartin Yeah I'm familiar with this technique. I think they don't use it a lot because it uses more material and increases weight but also probably hard in production. Though practically speaking since I see that in some tents they actually add some material on the inside for the same exact purpose (stronger seams) using the folding method makes more sense as it is the same material and should stretch almost in the same manner making a more realiable seam. + As you pointed out, these kind of seams should hold water. Probably it is just more expensive in production and economy of scale don't really apply here as outdoor equipment is not that big of an industry to begin with.
@@MrAlexDavid yeah i think it boils down to unit cost really, not worth the extra time to do these things. ulitmately the seam sealing isnt that hard really its just no one is used to it so everyone complains about doing it, like they have never been to ikea before....
I have an 14 year old MSR Hubba Hubba HP that the seam tape was flaking off and coating was going sticky on the fly. I ended up machine washing the fly at the laundromat 3 times. The first wash was 50 degrees. The tape is gone and the stickiness is gone along with the msr label. I’m going to use the WP version of this as I have it already and I feel the silicon coating is gone now. After I’ll use nikwax tent sealer to try and restore the silicon/ waterproofing. Hoping to restore the tent to get another 10 years or more out of it.
I didnt know that you had to do this, went out and got my head and toes dripped on all night and turned to ice by the morning, thank goodness I cheaped out on Synthetic quilt fill or else id have frozen ;D Thanks for the details!
@@HikingWithMartin Yep, that's true. But we don't have a garden; that's why l keep putting it off. I'll probably walk up onto Dartmoor and do it. Good excuse for a few beers...
Thanks for good guide! It took me 3 hours to seal all neccessary seams in the Lanshan 2 pro, so if you are slow like me it's worth to watch out how the mixture is getting thicker over time. By adding the spirit occasionally will help on that - and small can like in this video, because from bigger can the spirit evaporates faster. I'm looking forward to make review of the Lanshan 2 Peo tent and in case i'll do it, could i refer to this video when talking of the seam sealing?
After seeing your video, I realised that i used the Seam Grip WP instead of the SIL+, I plan to reseal it in the future, but would it hold up for one trip? (+/- 7 days) thanks in advance!
Thanks for the video Martin - very informative. Quick question - any idea whether you can substitute white spirit for bioethanol to thin the mixture? I have tonnes of bioethanol sitting around but no white spirit...
Thanks a lot! I have already bought the seam grip WP to seal my lanshan. Would you advise against using this? I’ve read is thicker and harder to apply than the + Sil - for first time sealers (myself)
Another great video Martin. Many thanks. Great tip on the specific sealant. May be a silly question but can you seam seal from the inside the same way other tents are taped? Also did you use spirits on the kitchen tissue to help with the clean up? I have a lanshan 2 pro to seam seal next weekend, hence the questions.
You can use some spirits on the kitchen towel but I’d only do that if you make a bit of a mess, i didn’t do that for this job this time. I would do it from the outside but I suppose some of it could be done from the inside but it’s the guy out tabs, specifically the middle part where the thick material is stitched on that are the places where it’s most likely to leak and they are best done from the outside I think. Also suggest you test the tent with a hose after but also allow a good time for it all to dry after sealing 4 hours is ideal
Also don’t worry if you spill any sealant if it’s diluted it will wipe off just wipe off well, worst situation you end up with a shiny area on the tent.
Well Martin.. your namesake here. 😁 Thank your for the tips. Going to use your exact method. Question for you. I bought the 2021 version. I have seen conflicting messages saying that you need to only seam the guideline points and others saying you need to seam seal all stitching. Is yours a 2021 versions. By the way. Sub from me man. Top job. ✌️👏🙌
Hi buddy, thanks! ok the deal with seam sealing is this, if you have the pro model which is single skin - no inner tent that you can remove - then you need to seam seal all the stitching that could lead to the inner, if you have a removable innner tent then you only need to do the guy out points. there are 3 versions of the lanshans, the old model, then the 2 new ones - the pro and non pro, the pro is single skin and the NEW non pro has swappable inner tents but is now larger. The non pro also has black material at the top where the poles go and the pro has the same colour as the rest of the fly. hope that helps sorry long answer.
@@HikingWithMartin Brilliant stuff man. Great answer. Yes I got the the Lanshan non pro 2021 version with the 4 seasons inner. So just the guide lines areas. Legend that's Martin. I will use your method for mixing the seam seal. Thanks fort the help.
Hi, no the sealant goes into the groove where the stitching is, im wiping off the excess. You wouldnt be able to wipe off what seeps into the stitching area. When its finished you cant tell its been seam sealed by looking at it, so it looks clean. But the sealant is in the stitched area where its needed. I tested it in 4 hours of non stop heavy rain and was fine :) hope that helps.
Hi Martin, thanks for the helpful video. Do you think that rubbing alcohol at 99.9% would work the same? I found Safer spirit on Amazon as well which is an alternative to white spirit.
Hi I can’t answer that for as I really don’t BUT white spirit is called different things in different countries if you look on google you should find what it’s called in your country and I suggest you could also go to a hardware store in person and see if they have it.
@@HikingWithMartin someone said that you can substitute it with "camp fuel" I will give that a shot. He gave a demonstration on camera so it looks like it will work. Thank you though for getting back.
glad you found it, was just about to reply, and for others that might read this google search says: White spirit (UK & Ireland) or mineral spirits (US, Canada), also known as mineral turpentine (AU/NZ), turpentine substitute, and petroleum spirits, is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting.
because then you end up with PU coated tents which are weaker, heavier and bulky. Silnylon is far superior as a material and as standard in the tent industry isnt seam sealed. Nothing to do with cant be bothered, different materials, different processes.
@@campineer well hopefully others will learn to do it better, we can take advantage of better materials once we learn how to do things like this. Ultimately everyone has a choice though!
I followed your instructions to the letter. Last nights camping proved it works 100%. Thank you.
Exellent, thanks for the feedback!
Thank you! I've heard about white spirit and silicone sealant mix to seal the seams, but was afraid to try it on my tent. Now that I've seen it work on the same exact model, I'm going to go ahead and do it.
I'm with everyone else in the comments. This video is so well done. Really got into the finer details without over complicating it. Thank you so much!
Thank you so much. Best seam seal explanation on the internet. I appreciate how you showed how to thin the sealant and wipe it down. I've watched a lot of videos on this and no one took the time to explain. Thanks
Thanks! glad it was useful!
I found that so relaxing to watch! You have a lovely calm voice. Beautiful garden too
You have the technique & reasoning down to perfection.
My Lanshan 2 pro is in the mail. I'll be treating it as soon as it arrives. Thank you so much for clean concise instructions.
The best video on seam sealing out there by far 👍👍
Best video on UA-cam for seam sealing!
Cheers Martin, found this the most useful Lanshan 2 Sean sealing vid out there 👍
Thanks Danny glad it was useful.
Thanks Martin, very clear demonstration. Turned out very neat.
I've seen some videos where people seam seal their tents and it looks like a bloody mess. They seem to think that you need a thick layer of this stuff but fail to understand that you only really need this to go into the hole created by the stitch.
thanks Alex, yes easy enough to understand why they make that mistake but its why I made this video, seen too many people make a total mess of it and actually when they layer it on like that it can just flake and peel off later and not work.
@@HikingWithMartin I wonder what would happen if the thread itself was soaked in silicone before doing the stitch, would it seal the hole created by the needle... Theoretically since Silnylon is stretchy that should be the case. Would be interesting to try it out, only problem is that I'm horrible with sewing 😅
@@MrAlexDavid there is something similar to that, some manufacturers will fold the material a few times then use a thread that expands a bit and it presses the layers of folded material together making it water tight. Similar to your idea.
@@HikingWithMartin Yeah I'm familiar with this technique.
I think they don't use it a lot because it uses more material and increases weight but also probably hard in production.
Though practically speaking since I see that in some tents they actually add some material on the inside for the same exact purpose (stronger seams) using the folding method makes more sense as it is the same material and should stretch almost in the same manner making a more realiable seam. + As you pointed out, these kind of seams should hold water.
Probably it is just more expensive in production and economy of scale don't really apply here as outdoor equipment is not that big of an industry to begin with.
@@MrAlexDavid yeah i think it boils down to unit cost really, not worth the extra time to do these things. ulitmately the seam sealing isnt that hard really its just no one is used to it so everyone complains about doing it, like they have never been to ikea before....
Cheers, Martin. Excellent explanation of the best method.
Brilliant! Comes up Mickey Mouse. Got my LanShan 2 Pro coming in the mail. Your demonstration was very clear and easy to follow. Cheers. 🇦🇺
I have an 14 year old MSR Hubba Hubba HP that the seam tape was flaking off and coating was going sticky on the fly.
I ended up machine washing the fly at the laundromat 3 times. The first wash was 50 degrees.
The tape is gone and the stickiness is gone along with the msr label.
I’m going to use the WP version of this as I have it already and I feel the silicon coating is gone now.
After I’ll use nikwax tent sealer to try and restore the silicon/ waterproofing.
Hoping to restore the tent to get another 10 years or more out of it.
I’d perhaps go over the seams twice as well
Wow I wish I watched your video before I did mine with the wrong seem sealer. Looks like I'll have to start over as it still leaks.
Thanks
Thankyou for taking the time to make this video. Just bought the lanshan 2 pro. It’s arrived today so will be following your guide. Mint.
you are welcome, enjoy your new tent Rick!
Great explainer! I tried mixing Seam Grip+SIL with alcohol. Didn’t work. Got some paint thinner with mineral spirits which worked well.
I didnt know that you had to do this, went out and got my head and toes dripped on all night and turned to ice by the morning, thank goodness I cheaped out on Synthetic quilt fill or else id have frozen ;D Thanks for the details!
Oh no! well at least you know now! thanks for the comment :)
Did mine yesterday, turned out pretty good. Was definitely an effort to wipe off the excess. I'll test it out next week! Thanks again.
Hopefully it’s done the job for you
Would multiple coats help with hind-sight Martin? @@HikingWithMartin
Thanks! I plan on doing mine Monday if the weather is good!
All the best 🙂
Cheryl bud. Nicely explained.
Really useful video. Thanks Martin 👍
excellent demo
Great stuff..I'm doing mine Saturday...👍
Good luck!
Great video! Do you think any silicon will do as long as you thin it out with white spirits?
Great video mate. I like the liquid honey analogy! 👍
Thanks!
Thank you! Very useful an instructive. 👍
Thanks 🙏
Thanks, Martin. I've been meaning to do mine for yonks.
I'm sure l'll find a use for the syringe someday...
Haha, well good time to do it now !
@@HikingWithMartin Yep, that's true. But we don't have a garden; that's why l keep putting it off. I'll probably walk up onto Dartmoor and do it. Good excuse for a few beers...
Yes indeed! Good luck with it!
Thanks for good guide! It took me 3 hours to seal all neccessary seams in the Lanshan 2 pro, so if you are slow like me it's worth to watch out how the mixture is getting thicker over time. By adding the spirit occasionally will help on that - and small can like in this video, because from bigger can the spirit evaporates faster.
I'm looking forward to make review of the Lanshan 2 Peo tent and in case i'll do it, could i refer to this video when talking of the seam sealing?
Thanks for your comment of course you can refer to this video :) all the best
After seeing your video, I realised that i used the Seam Grip WP instead of the SIL+, I plan to reseal it in the future, but would it hold up for one trip? (+/- 7 days) thanks in advance!
Thanks for the info bud
Can you be cheap about it and use regular silicone caulking?
Hi Martin. Thank you for putting this together, really helpful. How long would you allow the sealant to dry before packing?
I’d give it 4 hours on a warm day if you can if you use my method and will be ok the longer the better
I have one wuestion, Sir. Does sealing leaves too much shine to it? Does it last long time?
Thanks for the video Martin - very informative. Quick question - any idea whether you can substitute white spirit for bioethanol to thin the mixture? I have tonnes of bioethanol sitting around but no white spirit...
Hi there, sorry Im not sure if that would work or not, dont want to tell you it will then it doesnt :)
@@HikingWithMartin no worries Martin, thanks anyway!
Hi Martin, do you also have to do the inside of the tent or only need to do the outside?
Just the outside 🙂
Thanks a lot! I have already bought the seam grip WP to seal my lanshan. Would you advise against using this? I’ve read is thicker and harder to apply than the + Sil - for first time sealers (myself)
I’d get the +sil as it’s made for this material Euan
Another great video Martin. Many thanks. Great tip on the specific sealant. May be a silly question but can you seam seal from the inside the same way other tents are taped? Also did you use spirits on the kitchen tissue to help with the clean up? I have a lanshan 2 pro to seam seal next weekend, hence the questions.
You can use some spirits on the kitchen towel but I’d only do that if you make a bit of a mess, i didn’t do that for this job this time. I would do it from the outside but I suppose some of it could be done from the inside but it’s the guy out tabs, specifically the middle part where the thick material is stitched on that are the places where it’s most likely to leak and they are best done from the outside I think. Also suggest you test the tent with a hose after but also allow a good time for it all to dry after sealing 4 hours is ideal
Also don’t worry if you spill any sealant if it’s diluted it will wipe off just wipe off well, worst situation you end up with a shiny area on the tent.
Thanks Martin for the response and great content. I'll stay away from the B&Q mastic!
Take care!
Well Martin.. your namesake here. 😁 Thank your for the tips. Going to use your exact method. Question for you. I bought the 2021 version. I have seen conflicting messages saying that you need to only seam the guideline points and others saying you need to seam seal all stitching. Is yours a 2021 versions. By the way. Sub from me man. Top job. ✌️👏🙌
Hi buddy, thanks! ok the deal with seam sealing is this, if you have the pro model which is single skin - no inner tent that you can remove - then you need to seam seal all the stitching that could lead to the inner, if you have a removable innner tent then you only need to do the guy out points. there are 3 versions of the lanshans, the old model, then the 2 new ones - the pro and non pro, the pro is single skin and the NEW non pro has swappable inner tents but is now larger. The non pro also has black material at the top where the poles go and the pro has the same colour as the rest of the fly. hope that helps sorry long answer.
@@HikingWithMartin Brilliant stuff man. Great answer. Yes I got the the Lanshan non pro 2021 version with the 4 seasons inner. So just the guide lines areas. Legend that's Martin. I will use your method for mixing the seam seal. Thanks fort the help.
@@soletrail thats all you need to do yep enjoy your tent!
Nice one.
Good show thanks
Once you applied the sealant, you wipe it off. Aren't you worried that it won't be waterproof then ? That you will end up wiping it all off?
Hi, no the sealant goes into the groove where the stitching is, im wiping off the excess. You wouldnt be able to wipe off what seeps into the stitching area. When its finished you cant tell its been seam sealed by looking at it, so it looks clean. But the sealant is in the stitched area where its needed. I tested it in 4 hours of non stop heavy rain and was fine :) hope that helps.
@@HikingWithMartin Thank you!
Hi Martin, thanks for the helpful video. Do you think that rubbing alcohol at 99.9% would work the same?
I found Safer spirit on Amazon as well which is an alternative to white spirit.
Hi I can’t answer that for as I really don’t BUT white spirit is called different things in different countries if you look on google you should find what it’s called in your country and I suggest you could also go to a hardware store in person and see if they have it.
Now all you need is a good thunderstorm with 40 mph winds to test it out.
hahahah yes im not sure it will do too well in that!
Is this the sealant to use on the standard Lanshan 2 as well?
IE: NOT the pro version.
you dont need to do it on the non pro version
@@HikingWithMartinbut the paperwork suggests seam sealing the side guy out points.
@@MG-bs5mryes use the silicone seam sealant on the guy points on your tent
@@Bigstarlover666 thanks for your reply.
I ended up doing all of the seals because I had loads of sealant / white spirit mix left over 👍
Is white spirit the same as rubbing alcohol? I am from Denmark and Google translate is No help 🙈
My lanshan 2 pro has just arrived 😊
Hi, not the same thing, you might find it called mineral spirits
also, enjoy your tent?
Is the tissue you're using to wipe it soaked in white spirits, or just dry?
Dry, just to soak up excess sealant mixture
Same question
If you can't get white/mineral spirits, (apparently it is banned in so ca.) is there something I can substitute it with?
I honestly don’t know but I’m sure there will be an alternative if you look online
@@HikingWithMartin someone said that you can substitute it with "camp fuel" I will give that a shot. He gave a demonstration on camera so it looks like it will work. Thank you though for getting back.
Thanks for the video! What other names is white spirits or mineral spirits called? I tried this with ethanol, but that didn't work at all!
Found it! For anyone wondering, it is Testbenzin or Reinigungsbenzin in german!
Worked great by the way!
glad you found it, was just about to reply, and for others that might read this google search says: White spirit (UK & Ireland) or mineral spirits (US, Canada), also known as mineral turpentine (AU/NZ), turpentine substitute, and petroleum spirits, is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting.
good, glad it worked for you :)
why do people not seam seal from inside ? They are normally ,am i missing something ?...great vid though
I have a video on it have a look at that 🙂
@@HikingWithMartin going to find it now ..cheers 👍
Why not just buy a ready sealed tent if the manufacturer cant be bothered
because then you end up with PU coated tents which are weaker, heavier and bulky. Silnylon is far superior as a material and as standard in the tent industry isnt seam sealed. Nothing to do with cant be bothered, different materials, different processes.
As your excellent video points out, many will mess up the process and end up with a badly sealed tent!
@@campineer well hopefully others will learn to do it better, we can take advantage of better materials once we learn how to do things like this. Ultimately everyone has a choice though!