Mountain Hardwear manual Field Repairs, Caring for Your Tent AT Home

Ultraviolet (UV) Light

Ultraviolet light degrades lightweight tent fabric (and almost any synthetic material). UV light will cause the fabric to fade, lose strength, and eventually disintegrate. The canopy of the Satellite consists of an UV-resistant, waterproof, titanium dioxide membrane laminated to a 40-denier polyester ripstop fabric. While this titanium dioxide membrane is practically UV-proof, the polyester fabric is not. The best way to prolong the life of any tent is to keep it out of the sun as much as possible. Pitch the tent in a shady spot whenever possible. By striking (taking the tent down) in the morning and repitching the tent late in the day, you will add to any tent’s longevity.

Food Storage

Never store food in your tent. Animals will often tear or bite their own entrance into a tent to get at your food.

Pole Care

When assembling the poles, never allow the pole sections to snap against each other. Always make sure that all pole sections are fully engaged before bending. Keep the poles clean and free of silt, sand, and salt, taking special care with the tips as they are not anodized and can corrode. When disassembling your poles, always start from the cen- ter, then work your way to the tips. This allows the elastic cord to be evenly stretched, an important matter when the poles are stored disassembled for a long period of time.

FIELD REPAIRS

Poles

If you break a tent pole you can repair the break tem- porarily by splinting the pole with a short aluminum sleeve (called a repair sleeve—three such sleeves are provided with the Satellite). The aluminum repair sleeve is fitted over the broken pole section and taped (or wedged) into place. Ski pole repair sleeves, tent stakes and even branch- es can be used to splint broken tent tubes.

Zippers

One of the keys to zipper longevity is to keep them away from sand and grit. When pitching your tent, be careful to keep the door and window zippers out of the dirt. Never step on the zipper. Keep zippers clean by washing them (at home) with a garden hose and pressure nozzle.

Most zipper failures result from wear to the coating on the inside of the zipper slider (the metal toggle). Once that coating wears off, the metal abrades rapidly, and the zipper slider no longer joins the continuous plastic coils securely. The plastic coils then tend to separate behind the zipper slider. You can replace a worn out zipper slider with our patented Zipper Repair Clamp. The Zipper Repair Clamp (pictured below) is available from your local Mountain Hardwear dealer.

Tears and Other Damage

Small holes and tears can be repaired in the field using either a needle and thread, adhesive repair tape, or liquid urethane (Mcnett™ Seam Grip). Field repairs do not void the warranty of your tent.

CARING FOR YOUR TENT AT HOME

Never pack or store your tent if it is dirty and/or damp. If you do so, mildew can form and ruin the waterproof coating on your tent. Mildew will cause your tent to smell and can eventually delaminate and dam- age the polyurethane coating which will cause your tent to leak. There is no cure for mildew damage. Prolonged moisture on the polyurethane coating (storing the tent wet for more than a few days) can cause hydrolysis. This will soften the coating and cause the coated fabric to become sticky and bond to itself. Mildew damage and hydro-

lysis are not covered under our Lifetime Warranty.