Maintenance
Roof Top Tent/Awning Cleaning and Care
Aside from being incredibly easy to set up and take down, they’re also simple to keep clean. This rooftop tent guide will direct you through everything you need to do for regular care and maintenance.
Cleaning a tent after camping is essential, however keeping on top of maintenance is simple and if done correctly will maximise the life span of your tent.
Cleaning your Escapade Roof Top Tent
After a camping trip, open the tent fully and brush the sleep space with a stiff-bristled brush/vacuum all dirt from inside of the tent.
• Use a mild detergent with warm water and a soft to medium brush to clean the fabric as needed.
• Rinse fabric with warm or cool water. Ensure you remove all detergent prior to drying.
• Let it dry under the sun with all windows open. It is important that the tent is completely dry before storage or mildew and mould may form. This is especially necessary after camping in rain or wet conditions.
• Using a small brush, remove dirt from the zippers. Also, use a silicone spray to keep them lubricated.
• We also recommend using products like *WD40 Lanolin* to spray on gas struts, latches etc to prevent rust forming.
Caring for Mould and Mildew
If there is moisture trapped in the canvas tent’s material for a length of time, mould and mildew may start to form.
If mould starts to form it can stain the canvas. This does not make for a pleasant camping experience! In order to clean mould properly, follow these steps:
Please Note Condensation/Mould is not covered under the Escapade Campers Warranty
1. OPEN
Open the tent up and brush the affected area with a hard-bristled brush to get loose dirt off.
2. TOOLS
Using a non-abrasive sponge, warm water and a mild detergent, wash the canvas using a sponge and the bristled brush.
3. RINSE
Rinse the tent off with a solution (1 cup lemon juice, 1 cup sea salt, 2 litres of hot water)
4. DRY
Once the detergent has been washed out, let the tent air dry for several hours in the sun in order to prevent future mould from forming.
Seasoning the Canvas
After the initial set-up, spray the tent with water and allow it to dry completely. This “seasons” the canvas. The water causes the canvas to swell slightly, closing the needle holes where the canvas was stitched.
The most effective way to do this is to have the tent out in its first good rain. This process is only required once but can be repeated as many times as you would like.
Zipper Care
As zippers are subjugated to the elements (sand, mud, rain, dust) they will need to be cared for in order to maintain a long life. It is hard to keepmud and dust away from the zippers, so the best thing to do is add some lubrication.
Using a lubricant such as silicone spray is a great way to protect the longevity of your zipper. Just buy a small spray can and spray it on the zipper both while open and closed. This should greatly improve the operation of the zipper, and dramatically increase its service life. If mud and dirt does get ground into the zipper, clean it with a damp cloth and then re-lubricate.
Waterproofing
The general cleaning of your tent over time can start to break down the waterproofing qualities of the material. Therefore, after washing the material, we suggest re-applying some waterproofing agents.
Some waterproofing solutions will also add UV protection as well. A water repellent such as Burke & Wills Canvas Reproofer (From Anaconda) works great.
And that’s it! Once your tent is cleaned and cared for, you can store your tent for the next time that you want to get out on the road.
The same principals/techniques you see above can also be used on Escapade Campers Awning tent and 270 degree freestanding awning.
