Hilleberg tent is a pool ..seamgrip failed

[Blommetje]

Hey guys

Quick question.. just pitched my Hilleberg nallo gt 2 tent in my parents garden and flooded the ground tarp.
The seam in the inner tent floor is leaking like crazy.

I used the seam grip and it did not work.

So, could it be I did it wrong?
Can seamgrip by applied twice, just thicken the layer?

Any other tips on this?

Much regards, I'm having another quick dip...

Alex

[Tipi Walter]

Need more info. Did it leak thru the black floor or thru a seam on the floor?? Oh wait, you said the seam.


Here's my Hilleberg Keron tent just after using McNett's seamgrip on the floor seam. It must be done on the outside of the floor, and it must be seamgrip as the floor is urethane coated and not silnylon (at least it is on my Keron). Plus you must seam seal all floor corners of your tent. Very important.

[Tipi Walter]

Also make sure you seal around the pole hoops as in pic (outside and inside). Use McNett's Silnet for this.

[Tipi Walter]

Of course my tent is one of the Black Label tents (beefier) but the floor on your Nallo should be almost identical to my Keron's floor. I've had my Keron in all sorts of deluges and water pools and ground water, what I call Lake Effect. No leaks whatsoever. Hillebergs have the best floors on the planet. See below vid---

[Tipi Walter]

If it's seam sealed properly and it still leaks, give Petra Hilleberg a call (or talk to Shannon) and work something out. But who knows, maybe 2016 Hillebergs aren't like 2014 Hillebergs??

[Blommetje]

Well. Thanks for the reply.

I cleaned the seam, applied the seam grip - should be the right stuff - and fixed the entire seam from left to right. Dried for 24 hours and it's looks quite good.

Pitched it this afternoon and poured some water on the footprint. Within seconds it comes up through the seam. Corners are fine, it is just spot middle of the tent...

Can apply a thicker layer tomorrow ... will wait another 24 hours for it to dry and try again. Can I just add seamgrip or do i need to remove the old layer?

It is quite ****ty. I camp a lot in winter time and the tent is too expensive to just chuck in the bin. New inner tent isn't cheap as well. Quite the disappointment. . Hopefully it can be fixed.

[Tipi Walter]

First off, I hope you used McNetts (Gear Aid) seamgrip. Nothing else comes close. What exact seam sealer did you use? Give Hilleberg a call and tell them your problem. No floor should leak so readily. I had a problem with the elastic connectors on an older Hilleberg and they sent me a new inner tent for free, no questions asked. You obviously have pinholes around the seam. Hold the black floor up to the sunlight and see where the holes are.

[Blommetje]

I used mcNett Seamgrip, white/blueish tube. I applied it one the outside, but some people say it should be inside or even both sides....

I check it against the setting sun and no pinhole or any other obvious signs of leakages.

I applied it like this:


Perhaps I did it wrong?

[Tipi Walter]

You did it right. So when you place a pool of water under the leaking floor, does the water come in around the tape of the seam on the inside? Are you sitting on the floor applying pressure? (This is important to do to see if the floor fabric is really waterproof). Are your only leaks around the seam and no where else? It could be a flaw in the floor material.

Put the floor atop the pool of water but away from the seam and see if it still leaks (use body pressure for realistic test). If so, you've got a lemon with substandard fabric and need to call Hilleberg.

I'm not up to date on floor specs but the Keron has a triple coated 70 denier floor (thickness and weave) and feels rubbery. I don't know the Nallo floor specs but I believe it's 70 denier too with a lower threadcount. Does it feel rubbery and tough? Let's hope Hilleberg hasn't ditched their quality floors for lighter weights or lower quality.

I would email this entire thread to Hilleberg (USA division) and see what they say. Could you get a photo from inside the tent showing the leaks??

[Blommetje]

It does not feel as sturdy as I like it to be. The footprint feels the way you describe it... rubbery and thick. The floor of the inner tent feels significantly thinner.

I know about applying pressure to simulate body weight but that is not even necessary... I placed a towel and it was wet - not like after a shower but like falling in a lake - within ..say .. a minute.

I just removed the tent so I can't post another picture of the inside now.. but there are puddles.

It does not leak any other place, only on the seam.

I getting the tent now and will have another good look at the seam for pinholes...

[Blommetje]

I'll apply a new layer of seamgrip tomorrow and see what happens. Really hope I get it fixed. . I love the tent. Heavy.. but nice

[Tipi Walter]

It does not feel as sturdy as I like it to be. The footprint feels the way you describe it... rubbery and thick. The floor of the inner tent feels significantly thinner.

And this is probably the problem in a nutshell. I use an Akto which is in the same category as the Nallo (red label) and it too has the rubbery tough floor. I think old Hilleberg changed the specs and lost significant quality. Where did you get the tent? Sent it back for a full refund and if still tuned into Hillie pick one of their black label tents. (More weight).

[Tipi Walter]

Check out this---hit Read More on fabrics and compare specs. Your Nallo apparently has the same specs as my Akto which is hard to believe according to your description.

http://us.hilleberg.com/EN/about-our...ising-quality/

[Franco]

Just guessing here but maybe the seam was not fully cleaned before application.
It should be done with isopropyl alcohol (but I use the local equivalent to your Coleman fluid)
If some sand/dust is embedded in the stitching it can start a capillary action that will transfer moisture from one side to the other.
It is just a guess...

[Casey & Gina]

I have a Keron and an Anjan, and have not seam sealed either at all. Even in a pretty massive deluge, the Anjan (lighter denier fabrics than the Nallo) didn't obviously leak, so I really don't think that the fabric denier is at fault. I had a bigger problem from splashback from the hard rain getting into the tent, a problem I can't solve with seam sealing, but which the Nallo's outer tent coming all the way down to the ground should address quite well. I don't doubt that Tipi's advice to seam seal the tent is good, and I really should do mine soon as I have SeamGrip and SilNet lying around waiting for the job to be done. However, my point is that even an unsealed tent shouldn't leak as you're describing. So as suggested above, I'd contact Hilleberg about it. Of course, it should be a problem easy enough to solve with SeamGrip, assuming you can pinpoint where exactly the water is getting through.

[FamilyGuy]

I have had 3 Hillebergs (Akto, Soulo, and Nammatj) and never seam sealed any of them and thankfully, never had any leaking from floors or otherwise. On the other hand, I have also never had any leaking from floors that were much thinner and with less hydrostatic head (although I seam sealed those - i.e. silnylon from Tarptent, etc). Having said all that, you need to email Hilleberg as it sounds like a replacement is in order. They are really great to deal with!

On a side note, site selection is key which appeared to be ignored in the video above.

[Tipi Walter]

Who cares about site selection when you have a tent that can handle any site you wish to use? It's called freedom, short of lightning blasts, falling trees or tornadoes. If anything, my video is proof of this because, as I said, not a drop of water came in thru the floor. The only people I hear talking about careful site selection are those carrying inferior shelters, especially tarps. Tarpists (and many ultralighters) elect to carry very light shelters and so of course must always consider careful site selection. It's like a mantra with them.

I carry a Keron tent so I have the freedom to set up anywhere and not be afraid of the wind or the rain or low spots or blizzards or whatever else. This extra weight gives me the freedom to set up wherever I want. Plus, many established campsites are on bare packed ground subject to runoff and as was mentioned, all this runoff off the tent fly has to go somewhere and no matter where you are set up, this runoff will work it's way down the fly and under the tent from one direction or the other. The only people who don't believe this have never camped in the mountains of NC and TN during a deluge rainstorm.

[Hosh]

Well I've been at high elevations, above treeline in storms spitting hail, snow, rain and locust in several different UL light tents and done just fine.

I did think about were to set up my tent, seems like a logical thing to do.

The beauty of backpacking is not packing your fears and letting things roll with the elements.

But then again, I am not a belt and suspenders kinda guy

[Tipi Walter]

Well I've been at high elevations, above treeline in storms spitting hail, snow, rain and locust in several different UL light tents and done just fine.

I did think about were to set up my tent, seems like a logical thing to do.

The beauty of backpacking is not packing your fears and letting things roll with the elements.

But then again, I am not a belt and suspenders kinda guy

Sounds like you found a tent that has been tested and trusted in all conditions. Question: If you thought about site selection (your second sentence), what spots did you avoid and where did you go instead??

[Hosh]

Normally I try not to set up in creeks or in lakes or on narrow ridges with precipitous drop offs. I used to avoid areas with beetle kill, but now carry a hardhat, not really just kidding.

I am I missing something or is the freedom to just flop any where worth 7 pounds.