Sealing the mesh on your tent

[TomServo]

Duct Tape or Gorilla Tape works awesome! This takes two people to apply, and about a half an hour, but I swear it works! Just use GOOD duct tape like Nashua..or Gorilla tape. Layer and cover, until mesh is closed.

[C.f.M.]

I was quite pleased with the ease and success of Savannah's safety pins and sheets method. Laid the sheet on, put a few safety pins through the mesh (borrowed tent). Quick and easy to put on and off. Tossed the sheet when I was done.

[lemur]

thats what ive been doing for a bunch of years.


the year i tried 'sealing' was a disaster...(as in hotter than fuck than normal) i much more prefer being able to open and close the vents...

a sheet keeps the dust out when i dont want it..

and opening it allows airflow mid day when i need it.

[unjonharley]

I welded a 18 inch square wind release & cover in the top of my shelter with Goop glue and grommets.. Placed a small rope then folded back the edge and glued..

[mudpuppy000]

I used a sheet and some clamps to cover the mesh in the roof of my tent. Stayed really dust free, although there was very little/no dust where we were camping this year.

[geospyder]

My wife took a rain cover from another tent, cut it and sewed it over all the top mesh. If you do this don't forget to apply a water proof sealer to the seams. I found out the hard way in 2010 that the seams leak if not sealed Since then I've also used the rain cover as added protection. No problems. BTW - nice to have finally met you face to face Tom.

[Savannah]

I've had abysmal luck with duct tape on mesh (fortunately it was over a small area) . . . but let's face it: I may have had less classy duct tape than Tom's. (In fact, you may count on it!)

This is why I like slightly stronger measures, just in case.

[BBadger]

It's really hard to get even good duct tape to stick out there with all the dust. For holes and shit, I usually have to put some tape on the other side and stick the two surfaces together through the hole. Maybe it'd work with mesh too, if the sticky side can stick to the other sticky side.

On another note, Costco sells Nashua duct tape for a great price. I think the price for two rolls is better than what I paid for a single roll of 3M tape at a department store.

If you want a more permanent solution, I'd suggest getting a Stitching Awl. I've sewn up sheets, sandles, even my fez's neckstraps! So useful, and the waxed string is strong and lasts forever!

[strange love]

Spring clamps and a sheet/tapestry work great.

[AntiM]

Spring clamps and a sheet/tapestry work great.

Yep, every tent in our camp had a comforter or felt blanket held on with spring clamps. Kept out almost all the dust. Our tent has no mesh and we still top it, cuts down the ambient light and noise, and regulates the temps. Starry Night comforter, great choice visually.

[Ratty]

I use fleece for everything. You can always get cheap used fleece throws. It's a great dust filter and insulator. This year I even made a curtain for the van that completely sealed off one of the sliding doors. On a couple of occasions I couldn't sleep with the back hatch open. It kept out the dust.

[unjonharley]

I use fleece for everything. You can always get cheap used fleece throws. It's a great dust filter and insulator. This year I even made a curtain for the van that completely sealed off one of the sliding doors. On a couple of occasions I couldn't sleep with the back hatch open. It kept out the dust.

Hey Ratty, Sounds like a good idea... Need it for the van.. I like to keep the side an back hatch open.. This should cut down the dust inside..

[Ratty]

It was so easy. I sewed one seam on top and ran an oversized bungie cord through it. I used the handles and hooks on the ceiling to attach it. One end I slammed in the drivers door up front. In the back I just tucked it under my mattress. I made it long so I could weight it down to keep it in place. An almost perfect seal.

[gus]

Duct Tape or Gorilla Tape works awesome! This takes two people to apply, and about a half an hour, but I swear it works! Just use GOOD duct tape like Nashua..or Gorilla tape. Layer and cover, until mesh is closed.

Man, Gorilla Tape really worked!? I kept reading that even that wouldn't adhere properly; dust, to the tent itself, etc. I super-glued cut-to-size blue tarp onto my mesh for this year. IT GOT HOT. But I had the peace of mind that it was dust-free inside. Take it from me, CONSIDER the heat implications others have mentioned. I didn't fit under our shade structure so by 8:30-9 AM that thing was an oven. Sucks when you're getting back at sunrise every morning. Yeah, I didn't get any sleep this year.

[Krokodyle]

I couldn't get my fabric-attached-to-the-top-vents-by-sewing-or-pins situation dealt with before I left, so I ended up using blue painter's tape, applied to *both* sides of the mesh, with the mesh between the tape layers' sticky sides. I found the widest roll that Scotch made, applied it in slightly overlapping strips, and it stuck together very nicely. It was only by the end of the week that it started to separate a bit from each other and by then I didn't really care about the minor amount of dust I'd end up getting inside (granted, it was NOT dusty in my camp at all this year). While I don't think I would recommend the blue tape solution--it does create tape waste that I had to dispose of after the burn--it worked for me because 1) I was inept and couldn't get the fabric attached as I wanted, and this was a quick solution; 2) my vents at the top of this tent are fairly small; 3) the tent was under a shade structure, and the vents were under a rain fly...which prevented the adhesive from every getting very hot; 4) I wanted to use this tent again as a non-BM tent, and I can.

Next year, if I can't get the sewing sorted, I'm going to Gorilla Tape at the edges of the fabric patches to my vents. But hopefully I can figure out another way.

[unjonharley]

Home Depot has a in store brand of blue painters tape at half the price.. Work the same for me..

[lothos 1162]

I buy a large blue tarp,cut it into mesh patterns,and seal it with Gaffers tape,and a rain fly.

[sharpstick]

I bought a cheap Target cabin tent, with a short rain fly and full screen ceiling. Don't know what I was thinking. It was a windy year, the dust just blew up under the fly and dumped all over the tent.
For the next year, I cut two pieces of ripstop nylon , glued it overlapping the screen ceiling, tack stitched it and covered the seams with Gorilla tape. It lasted the whole week, but the tape was coming loose from playazation. The next year, I cut larger pieces of housewrap(tyvek or the cheaper EZwrap, I don't remember.) sprayglued the hell out of it and mummified the top of the tent. That tent lasted five friggin years total!
The next version, I had some leftover roof patching paint. It's like super thick latex house paint. I set the tent up at home and painted all the screen areas with the stuff. It took two coats to fill in all the pinholes. Used it last year and it held up well.
It does get a bit stuffy. I could have left the window screens unsealed, but I have a good shade structure and swamp cooler.