Canvas seasoning question

[mcm72]

Hi everyone, 
looking for some advice.

i have a 2nd hand camel camper, (12/2010 model)  so its only just nearly 18 months old.

The previous owner told me , he only used it about 3 or 4 times in the year.

i have only taken it away once, and we had no rain,  but then last weekend i had a few people here for a party ( it might have been someones 40th bday )  and it rained that night and the next day,  when i went to pack up , there was some water on the floor , collected where the polls sit on the floor.

as i was not looking when it was actually raining, i am not sure exactly how the water got in ,  but i am excluding zippers.

what i want to know is ,   is there anyway to tell if the canvas has been seasoned ?
if not would it be worth my while to "season" it now  ? or is the canvas now to old to do this ?

i have bought some proper camping wax sticks today, and plan to run over the outside off all the seams all over the tent.
should i do them inside also ?

if i do this, and it still leaks , what are my options ?   feeling a little bummed that it leaks.  but i hope i can fix it.  :'(


thanks for ur help and assistance

MM

[Mace]

Firstly, Happy Birthday you old codger!!  Only a few years to catch up.

Id give wetting it down and seasoning it another go a few times first - it can take 3 or 4 good wets to get it properly done, time shouldnt make much difference.  It will also give you a chance to see where you may need to concentrate on later on with your waxing.

 

[Ozki]

Time or age will not matter with conditioning the canvas. I tell my customers that the hose will not condition it properly , it needs a shower of rain on it. Please be careful with wax stick as where you place wax stick you will not be able to rewaterproof the tent later on . I would advise you to hose it and try to see if you can find where it is leaking. If you want anymore advise just message me and I will try to answer ya questions asap

[mcm72]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions,

before the camper got packed up , we had 2 days of rain ,
so i am hoping that has helped to fix the problem

also , before i had a chance to get on here and read some of the posts, i got a wax stick and gave most of the seams a go with it.
feeling a bit of a fool now  
all i can do now , is cross my fingers, and hope next time that its up and rains,  the water stays on the outside

having said all that , it was not flooding in the tent,  but it would be enough to be a nuisance
 thanks again for everyones help and ideas ,  see how we go

MM

[Kit_e_kat9]

also , before i had a chance to get on here and read some of the posts, i got a wax stick and gave most of the seams a go with it.
feeling a bit of a fool now  

Don't feel like a fool.  What you've done is a good thing so don't feel too bad.  Wax got pushed into the seams where your canvas is most likely to leak ... seasoning would eventually fatten up the seam thread so they fit into the holes made when sewn.  Waterproofing canvas can be done in many ways.  Just means you will need to use the wax again in about 20 years when you re-waterproof the canvas.

I also use the wax on zippers that are hard to open or close.  It also makes them a little less noisy.

Kit_e

[mcm72]

Thanks Kit_e

yep put on zippers also ,  old boy scout trick  

thanks

MM