Leaking fold outs

[Eric F.]

I am in my local mountains and unfortunately our yearly anniversary trip is a rain wash. No biggie. We are all together and enjoying each others company.
Sonny daughter just said it is raining on her. I checked and sure enough, the canvas top of our hybrid is leaking at some of the seams. I have checked both fold outs and sure enough. We are leaking! WTH? Am I missing something? Was I supposed to put sOmenkind of sealer on or is my new 2011 just leaking? We are supposed to be out all week and right now if is just a small leak along a seam. That being said it is going to rain the whole time we are out. Booooo.

Any other hybrid owners have any advice?

Thanks.

[bikendan]

did you find the instruction sheet from the canvas manufacturer, with your owner's manual?
as far as i know, T.J. Snuggles supplies the canvas for most of FR's hybrids and they supply instructions to pre-wet the canvas seams before camping.
this allows the thread to swell in the seam holes. after this is done, you shouldn't need any seam sealer.
this a common practice with hybrids and popups.
i did this and have never had any leaks and never used any seam sealer.

[socref01]

Bummer Dude! We have not had that particular problem with our hybrid. THe U- shaped support pole at the front of the tent separated from the door, needed new longer screws and the fridge didn't work on electricity. But no leaks so far. we have been rained on and snowed on! Good Luck with your trip....

[Eric F.]

I do not recall reading that anywhere. I will need to look at my dogs again. So now that they are getting wet will they swell and seal themselves or is this just going to be a wet weekend?

[bikendan]

i think they need to dry out to fully fill the seam holes. until then, they might still weep if they aren't able to dry.
there's no harm if you get some seam sealer anyway and use it.
do you have PUGs or solar blankets on top of the canvas?

[Eric F.]

Nothing in my owners docs on the canvas. I do have a converble at that had a little drip in the roof. I washed it and applied a sealer and that actualy took care of it. I don't have a problem doing it, but a heads up would have been nice.
Unfortunately I will not be able to applymany till we get back. Hopefully we will not get to wet.

[Eric F.]

Nothing on top of the canvas. Guess I will be getting some tarps in the morning. Good times!

[bikendan]

see if the tag inside the canvas says T.J. Snuggles. it was only a single sheet of paper with instructions and the seam wetting was one of the things suggested.

have you ever owned a popup?

[socref01]

Wow! Just found and read the little folded card from the "National Tent & Awning" company and sure enough, everything that Bikendan says is there. We didn't pre-wet our tent part. Maybe just got lucky and it hasn't leaked yet. we will follow through after this weekend. No rain forecast in the Denver area! Thanks Bikendan for the heads up!

[bikendan]

well, that's a different manufacturer than i have. maybe they make the canvas for Eric's HTT and he might have the same card.

[Eric F.]

My tag says National Tent and Awning. It just says that the fabric conforms to the standard for fire protection. This is our first trailer. I read all the literature that came with the unit, but have learned more here than anything I have read.

[bikendan]

maybe socref01 can give you a better idea what his card looks like and maybe it's tucked in the paperwork somewhere.

[Eric F.]

Mine says national tent and awning as well, but no mention of wetting. It only talks about fire protection for the fabric.

[socref01]

THe card I found was attached to the zipper of the back tent. Our youngest child (16 yr old daughter) graciously gifted us with her presence for this weekend. That's the only reason we found it .

[BigRed]

We have owned many canvas Tents and pop-ups before we purchased our TT. Everyone of them have had or suggested wetting the canvas before using to seal the seams. They are right,after wetting or soaking I should say. the tenting canvas has to dry completely! Sorry for your leaks..bet the suggestion papers got lost somewhere. Hopefully you'll be able to get it dried out before your next trip............just look at it--- a least you dont have to wet it, just dry it !!

[Eric F.]

BigRed I was thinking the same thing. And boy is it getting nice and wet. One question. Should there be tension on the canvas as it dries or should I remove the bracing pole and let it contract some as it dries out?

[Rugged Brown]

Bought a 2011 Kodiak Hybrid last July, tent ends leaked, bed very uncomfortable. Traded it for a Flagstaff 5er in January. Looking forward to a comfortable, dry nights sleep when we pick up our 5er. Had 2 popups in the past that didn't leak. Never to go back to tents ends again.

[turbopuppy]

Canvas? My tent ends are not canvas. Just sayin...

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by turbopuppy

Canvas? My tent ends are not canvas. Just sayin...

how about "vinylized canvas"?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Rugged Brown

Bought a 2011 Kodiak Hybrid last July, tent ends leaked, bed very uncomfortable. Traded it for a Flagstaff 5er in January. Looking forward to a comfortable, dry nights sleep when we pick up our 5er. Had 2 popups in the past that didn't leak. Never to go back to tents ends again.

and i've had my Roo hybrid for 5 years and never had any tent leaks!
are you sure it wasn't condensation?
and, yes, the Kodiak mattresses were notorious for being uncomfortable.
we have a foam topper on our mattress and it's great.
and that's a common fix on a lot of RV's mattresses, not just hybrids.

just a question, did you research hybrids before you bought the Kodiak. i know the mattresses have been the #1 complaint on Kodiak hybrids for some time.