Seasonal Tent Maintenance

Seasonal Tent Maintenance

Keep Your Tent Happy.

No matter how careful you are with your tent, nature takes its toll. Set your tent up for a long, happy life with these seasonal tent maintenance tips.

Solar Protection for Your Tent

UV damage can destroy tents. UV exposure eats coatings and degrades fabrics- making material brittle and prone to leaking and tearing. If there is only one thing you ever do for your tent: UV treat it.

Frequency of application is dependent on frequency of use, elevation, exposure and even fabric color. If you have any questions about how frequently you should treat your tent, our Customer Service team is happy to advise you. Please call 877.554.8975 to get in touch.

A Couple Solar Treatment Products We Love:

1. Nikwax Tent and Gear Solarwash: This wash-in cleans and re-waterproofs your tent while leaving UV protection behind

2. Nikwax Tent and Gear Solarproof: This spray-on treatment restores waterproofing and UV protection

Waterproofing Your Tent

Your Big Agnes tent comes fully waterproofed. Over time, washing, wear and tear, and UV damage can degrade the waterproof coatings. You may never need to treat your tent with a water repellant coating or you may need to do it monthly depending on use and conditions. If you are adding any waterproofing treatment to your tent, it is best to set up your gear and wash it first. Each treatment varies in application, so be sure to follow the application instructions.

A couple Waterproofing Products We Love:

1. Nikwax TX.Direct: This is an easy to use spray-on DWR treatment

2. Nikwax Tent and Gear Solarproof: This spray-on treatment restores waterproofing and UV protection

Seam Sealing Your Tent

Every Big Agnes tent has all necessary seams taped using PVC-free and solvent free seam tape. The seam tape along with the waterproof coatings on the floor and fly of the tents ensure Big Agnes tents are waterproof right out of the stuff sack. There is no need to apply any seam sealant to a new tent.

If after a few seasons of hard use you notice water coming through a seam, we recommend spot sealing with Gear Aid's Seam Sure or Seam Grip. With continued use over a tent's lifespan, it may become necessary to re-seal every seam on a Big Agnes tent.

If the tape on your tent's seams is starting to peel or flake off, we recommend removing the tape fully and re-applying a sealing product in it's place. Usually, this means your tent is approaching the end of a long, productive life!

Zipper Care

Caring for you zippers is like flossing your teeth, don’t wait until you have a cavity to start. Cleaning your zippers is the best thing you can do to keep your tent healthy into old age. Zippers are made of small moving parts that will wear with time and need to be maintained for best performance. We recommend cleaning your zippers coils between trips with Gear Aid Zipper Cleaner + Lubricant or mildly soapy water and a toothbrush.

Storing Your Tent

Store your tent in a dry, temperature controlled environment. Never store gear in a garage or attic! These areas have large fluctuations in temperature and humidity which can break down seams and coatings on your tent. Make sure your tent is clean, dry and free of debris every time you store it.

Drape the tent fly and body in a room or closet. If this is not possible, roll or stuff your tent in the storage sack. Pull your tent out of the sack and lay it out (you don’t need to pitch it) every 3 to 4 months when not in use. This will help prevent mildew and other damage to the coated materials.

Always store your tent clean and dry.

Storing Your mtnGLO Tent

When you are ready to put your mtnGLO tent away for the season, there are a couple extra steps to take to ensure the longevity of your LED light strand and controller. Prior to putting away your tent for the season, remove all batteries from your battery pack to prevent corrosion buildup. Unplug the battery controller from the LED light strand and make sure the tent and all electronic parts are bone dry. Never turn on your lights if the controller or lights get wet-this can fry your light system.

Still Stuck?

Get in touch with our support team by starting a support case, or giving us a call at 877.554.8975.

Our phone hours are:

Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm
Friday 10am-1pm

All times in Mountain Time

Open A Case


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