Fantastic Way to Seal Mesh Tent Screens

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:21 pm

I finally found the secret to covering mesh that is profoundly simple. I found this cool patch repair stuff called "Outdoor Restore" by Bandex. It's Nylon tent material with adhesive backing. I hate to promote Walmart but it was found in the fabric/craft section near the velcro doodads. Each piece is 8X8 and comes with two for about $1.98. Stuff is fantastic. It adheres firmly and seamlessly to nylon mesh or any other part of the tent. Most stuff I have tried has fallen off within minutes. Try it.

Haven't finished covering my mesh but so far...

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 12:56 pm

Two bucks for an eight inch square sounds pricey for such a big project. Has anyone tried the spray on contact adhesive to stick nylon to the mesh?

Seems like it would be a similar result.

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 1:15 pm

fciron wrote:Two bucks for an eight inch square sounds pricey for such a big project. Has anyone tried the spray on contact adhesive to stick nylon to the mesh?

Seems like it would be a similar result.

It comes with TWO 8x8 pieces. I finished the job for under $8. Not too expensive in my words for something that will help dust proof my tent.

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 1:16 pm

For exact price it was actually $1.77 for two pieces of 8x8

fciron · Post by **fciron** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 2:03 pm

OK, you needed a lot fewer pieces than I would.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 6:06 pm

I'll need about 16 of these to cover my mesh...

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:56 am

sounds pretty cool

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:37 pm

I'm very happy with it. I've tried ripping it off and it sticks firm. It's also awesome for tent repair, sleeping bags and other nylong camping gear. I'm always for repairing crap instead of tossing it out.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 8:50 pm

DoriumLux wrote:I'm very happy with it. I've tried ripping it off and it sticks firm. It's also awesome for tent repair, sleeping bags and other nylong camping gear. I'm always for repairing crap instead of tossing it out.

Just for testing purpose, spread it out in your car/truck during the heat of the day and let it sit for a few hours... I hope it works for ya..

We used hot glue on a few project for the Playa, and it fell apart when it got hot....

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:15 pm

I will test it camping this weekend. It's been at about 110 here the last few days.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:51 am

friend of mine has one of those Taj Mahal tents (i.e. big as hell) and he successfully sealed his mesh vents using thin layers of plastic held to the inside and outside with spray fixative and a perimeter of duct tape. Help perfectly, it did.

skygnome777 · Post by **skygnome777** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 9:11 am

DoriumLux wrote:I will test it camping this weekend. It's been at about 110 here the last few days.

Let us know how it works out.
I'm going to need to seal some mesh on a tent.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 9:30 am

Dammit! I wanted to learn how to steal mesh tent screens!

trystanthegypsy · Post by **trystanthegypsy** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:55 pm

I have the perfect solution..

I just bought a tent where the screens zip closed

:D

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_deta ... 4442629324

(sorry, can't embed the image.. stupid flash.. *mutters*)

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:37 am

We have something similar and still spring clamp a comforter over it. The dust will find a way in without the extra filtering. But yes, it works better than open mesh!

Oldguy · Post by **Oldguy** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 5:19 pm

Dust not only blows down but also around. A rain fly will not stop the wind from blowing dust up under your rain fly. A rain fly stops rain getting in, but rain falls down not up. It ain't a dust fly. IMHO

Once dust gets under your fly, it blows around and around. Like a Hoover cyclon vacuum it sucks dust up and around. A rain fly will stop the sun like a shade structure but expect dust getting in all that mesh wall of interior " tent ". It may be good for snow camping but the desert is entirely different: not much humidity there or need for venting moisture. That being said it is better than a one season beach cabana. I hope those mesh walls have zipped in solid walls. Put that puppy up, hose it down, and shrink it tight. Practicing now makes it a cinch later. Good luck and happy burning...

RedHeaven · Post by **RedHeaven** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:09 pm

I just got this cheap pup in the mail! While it is a cheapie, its NO MESH except for the zip up windows! The top material is thin, but not mesh, so although its still gonna let fine stuff in theres no OPEN mesh. I think its gonna rock:

http://www.practicalsports.com/trek-233.html

The rain flap is super heavy and its probably not gonna hold up in storms, but Im just not gonna use the rain flap. We'll see......it IS a nice roomy tent though I can fit my futon into!!!

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:22 pm

trystanthegypsy wrote:I have the perfect solution..

I just bought a tent where the screens zip closed :D

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_deta ... 4442629324

(sorry, can't embed the image.. stupid flash.. *mutters*)

So all the mesh zips up on this one?

Rosalily · Post by **Rosalily** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:02 pm

My Question is, do you think that stuff is removable? Or will it tear the mesh?

Rosalily · Post by **Rosalily** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:22 pm

I just thought of another idea, it's a little bit of work, but might be worth it if your tent goes with you everywhere like mine...

Hot Glue velcro (soft side) around the perimeters of all the mesh windows. And hot glue or sew velcro (tooth side) around fabric pieces cut to the shape of your window.

I'd do it on the outside of the tent with the soft side of the velcro so that when the covers are not in use you don't have to deal with scratchy stuff on your tent.

And on the outside b/c I imagine the dust might otherwise gather between the inside of the window and the cover, so that when you take them off you'll have a pile of dust to deal with. PLUS you can choose some cool funky fabric to pimp out the outside of your pad ;-D

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:39 pm

Why would you want to remove it?

Rosalily · Post by **Rosalily** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:47 pm

so that you can still use your tent the way it was meant to be used, with ventilation!

I have to have air flow, burning man is a special case, it's so hot I don't ever hang out in my tent anyway.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 7:54 pm

That's why some tents have windows.
Breathable material and windows are the reason for a rain fly anyway.
Mesh tents are nothing but a scam.
If you have shade over a tent, the windows are enough.
If no shade, the mesh lets in more sun.

Either get a screenhouse or a tent.
It would take a lot of velcro to replace a zipper.
Use the industrial type.

Rosalily · Post by **Rosalily** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:56 pm

Well I absolutely love my tent, it's the best one I've ever had. It has a lot of mesh, but it also has an awesome rainfly which provides extra rooms, making the mesh crucial for ventilation.

The prob with rainfly's @ Burning Man is that the dust kicks under and still gets into the tent, so you have to seal any mesh that doesn't have a zipper.

And yes it will take a lot of Velcro, I estimated about 5-6 yards. Velcro in my town is $.075 a yard. It's a good chunk of change but I think I'll manage ;-D

cunfuzelled · Post by **cunfuzelled** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 10:28 pm

i went to the local vaccume repair shop to look for hepa filters for one of my other burningman projects and they have 4x8 sheets of hepa rated foam. i am sewing it onto the outside of my tent this weekend it will still allow ventalation but no dust. hepa is the answer to all burningman problems. i am even making some dust masks out of the stuff. i havent found out how much the material costs yet but they gave me a 1 foot section as a sample so i guess it must be prety cheep.

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:21 pm

Rosalily wrote:My Question is, do you think that stuff is removable? Or will it tear the mesh?

]

This is my BM tent and the stuff is staying on. IT will most likely tear the mesh if removed. It's staying on.

P.S. Hot glue doesn't work once it's hot again from the sun...

cunfuzelled · Post by **cunfuzelled** » Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:34 pm

i went to wall mart today to look for this stuff because i cannot get what i was gonna get and when i asked the lady in the fabric section about it and told her that i was using it for burning man she showed me this glue called "fabri-tac" which is the same glue on the botom of these sheets evidently and said she has used it for covering her mesh to go to burning man and after all she has to do is cut the fabric away from where she had glued it to the tent to reveal the mesh agian. she also told me that you can put the glue on the edges of loose cloth to stop them from freying and mooping all over the place. it is like sewing without the thread.

FlamingC · Post by **FlamingC** » Mon Aug 10, 2009 6:04 am

Anyone ever tried using carpet mask on both sides to seal the mesh? I've heard it's not a bad option.

I wouldn't count on peeling it off after that sun exposure though. Once a Burning Man tent, always a Burning Man tent.

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:53 am

It isn't only the sun that poses the problem. It's dust on adhesive that also causes crap to pull off. Sounds like it is worth a try though!

vikb · Post by **vikb** » Thu Aug 13, 2009 7:35 pm

I cut up a cheap tarp and used shoe goo to glue sections to my tent where there was mesh. That left me with two large doors that I could leave open or unzip the mesh covers when I wanted ventilation and close when it was stormy.

Worked great in 2007 and I'm going to use the same tent again this year.

Fantastic Way to Seal Mesh Tent Screens

Fantastic Way to Seal Mesh Tent Screens

Question 4 DoriumLUX

Re: Question 4 DoriumLUX

Tried Carpet Mask?