VE25 Tent Flysheet Seam Sealant

Dear James,

Thank you for your email, when it says that you may need to seam seal the seams it is referring to those on the inside of the flysheet, specifically on the stitched seams where the different sections have been sewn together. So you will need to seal both rows of stitches.

With The North Face expedition tents we do not seam seal these seams in the factory, as the tents are designed specifically for use above the snowline, in Himalayan and Alpine conditions. This is not to say that they are not already highly water resistant, as the flysheet has a very substantial silicone coating on the inside and the outside to repel pretty much anything, and the stitched seams are high quality and very durable.

The floor however is already seam sealed, as this comes under much greater pressures, and is completely and durably waterproof. Despite this, we always recommend the use of a custom groundsheet or "footprint", which will prolong the life of your tent even more.

As I said, in theory the seams do not need seam sealing, however you are using it in the UK, and many areas of Europe, we obviously experience warmer temperatures and more rain than elsewhere, so some people feel the need to seam seal as a back up against this. So I suggest you consider what you are using the tent for and make your own decision

There are several reasons why we do not factory seam seal our expedition tents, an obvious one is that it would entail an increased cost to our customers when it may not be necessary, and also the fact that some of our retailers will only sell a few of these type of tents a year, and so they often sit on shop shelves packed away for some time. If after 12 months of being on a shelf a tent that is factory seam sealed with seam grip is put up, the dried seam grip can crack, so we prefer to give our customers the option depending on the tent's intended use.

I hope this all makes sense.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any other queries about the tent, I can personally guarantee their performance in extreme conditions as the best there is!

Kind regards, Cathy.