I was out last weekend when it didn't stop raining all night and noticed a weep coming through a couple of places, so I need to fabsil, but haven't done it before. I went into miller's and they have an offer where if you buy anything in store the fabsil tent care kit is £9 which includes a cleaner and a litre of fabsil universal protector.
I haven't done it before so want to do it right, there's a couple vids on YouTube but one cleans and applies it to a wet bivvy and the other slaps it on dry with a paint brush. Which is the correct/best way? Tia

In reply to Post #1
Always done mine dry.
Washed it with warm water and washing up liquid, allowed to dry then painted it using Fabsil gold with a brush, never leaked.

In reply to Post #1
you picked a rubbish time of the year to do it so you could just use a seam sealer or tenacious tape
LINKY POO
OR
LINKY POO

AND if you decide on the whole shelter Fabsil ?

then ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT THING is the material must be as clean as possible so you need to wash it but if you use anything other than lots of clean warm water

IMPORTANT make sure you dont use and form of detergent as it contains a wetting agent and destroys waterproofing and it wont last anywhere near as long
but you can buy PURE SOAP from Wilko thats fine just rinse well let it DRY
and then use a clean paint brush or spray bottle

point of interest
its a fact modern shelters are coated and should never need reproofing for around 10 years loonys actually throw money away reproofing every year nut cases 90% is condensation unless they have got the material so full of dirt the pores are blocked and all thats needed is a good scrub with tent universal cleaner or some PURE SOAP to restore the beading quality's like it was when new

In reply to Post #1
Fabsil is NOT recommended to use if the bivvy is of breathable material. Look at the Kampa stuff which is designed for use on breathable materials.

In reply to Post #4
Fabsil is NOT recommended to use if the bivvy is of breathable material

Sorry but thats simply not true !!! utter rubbish who ever told you that mate
1947
Grangers developed the world's first water-based waterproofing solution for the outdoors market, paving the way for responsible protection. they bloody invented waterproofing !!!!!!!! and have gone on developing

its actually laughable as Grangers are the market leaders and they market Fabsil gold for breathable tents and Gortex type materials

but After speaking at length many times in the past with the Technical manager of Grangers
he assured me the difference between normal Fabsil and Fabsil Gold in respect to restoring the waterproofing and without compromising the breathability in a bivvy /brolly situation there would be little difference

he also said most of the time the MAIN REASON tents start leaking is because DIRT fills the pores and they wet out and soak thru the material instead of the water beading and running off and there is NOTHING WRONG with the waterproofing other than it cant do its job

so a simple good wash with good sponge (( DONT SCRUB IT !)) DO NOT USE DETERGENTS OF ANY TYPE. These will strip away the protective coating of the fabric. USE a universal tent cleaner or pure soap liquid or flakes WIKO sells both

and it will in almost every case COMPLETELY RESTORE the original waterproofing beading qualities and will be like new again people just WASTE money buying more unnecessary waterproofing and finding in a years time they didnt fix the problem they just put a temp patch that didnt last

as todays bivvys and brollys will if kept clean last easily 5 to 10 years without any needing of additional water proofing

In reply to Post #1
I've done my brolly a couple of times. It wasn't leaking as such, just getting heavy with the wet and taking an age to dry.

It's got to be clean first, remove all spod spill and mud. I used the dedicated cleaner and let it dry well in the sun. (Might be in short supply at the moment!) I transfer some of solution from the tin into a plastic container and use a cloth to soak up some of the solution and then rub it in in using circular motions. Pay particular attention to the seams. I have seen paint brushes used but prefer a cloth. Let it dry in the air otherwise you'll get a varnish hit.

I last did mine last summer and got caught in a heavy storm the other day. The water was beading over the brolly but not clinging, I just gave it a tap and the water was bouncing around. A quick flick at the end of the session and it went away dry.

Last time I met Chris,MrAqua himself, when he was stocking the lake I asked him the same question,re,waterproofing . As I had a old Aqua armo.

He said, Waterproofing agents will potentially damage the breathable material, to the effect condensation will be more prevelant..unless you wash the material carefully using a sponge, warm ,water and let it dry properly..

This ,above from the UKs premier bivvy designer..(other than Shackelton)...!

In reply to Post #7
Yep and Chris is 100% right

as I have posted below after conversations with Grangers dirt in the material and slapping on unnecessary layers of waterproofers is so wrong and far far better results would be to simply fix the problem by a simple wash with a tent cleaner or pure soap and restore the beading properties of the perfectly good waterproofing that kept clean wil last easily 5 plus years

these people that say Oh I waterproof my shelter every year are just plain ignorant of what harm they are doing with the resulting massive increase in condensation

In reply to Post #1
Christmas is coming treat yourself to a new shelter, I usually do then again in February for my Birthday again for Easter, July because its the wife's birthday again in November for Black Friday then before you know it its Christmas and I can treat myself again, never bought a tin of fabsil in my life.

In reply to Post #9
I have only Mesowaxed shelters in the 60s and 70s
and I have lost count of the brollys and bivvys since then only ever fabsil 2 bivvys and both of them I bought secondhand

I got shelters that are 10 years old been washed often during the summer with wilko pure soap none have ever leaked

Iwill TELL YOU AGAIN DO NOT USE DETERGENTS OF ANY TYPE. These will strip away the protective coating of the fabric. that is an indisputable proven FACT

In reply to Post #10
Many years ago when the Nash canvas overwrap was still available I'm sure it was Mesowax that I used on it.
It turned a funny yellow colour, I got a few comments but it seemed to work though

In reply to Post #10
ALSO
if you want your fleeces to stay nice and thick and thermal
Use soap flakes. As detergent thins them.

I well remember Mesowax ,it was like a milky white colour ,used to paint it on my ancient 45 inch canvas brolly and nash velcro stormsides...,but

One such proofing many yrs ago led to me being shot at one clear November night, as it was being used ,my bivvy by a shooter out hunting as a target,it kind of glowed ,in the clear moon light..I knew who shot through it ,and I spoke to them the next day.....

Long story..!

In reply to Post #1
This is how I did it (ignore the fact it's a Trakker product video) works a treat, just remember to use Fabsil Gold if it's an aquatex type material
LINK

But as Gerry said, this isn't really the best time to do it, a nice warm day is what you want

Thanks.
I won't use anything other than the dedicated tent cleaner that comes in the tent kit I bought.

And yes perhaps should have done it in the summer but wasn't aware it needed it lol... And it's a kampa Bivvy which is the best bivvy I've owned I love it. Definately a leak rather than condensation though it's the seam. I set it up late last week in the garden to dry it out and it's still there waiting for a dry day to pack it away again 😂

In reply to Post #13
Mesowax only came in three colours blue orange and green if my memory serves me correctly ?

but by mixing the different colours and amounts you could get some camo type colours this is my AJ Bull of Guilford canvas bivvy I mesowaxed think it was in 1968 /9 Platform swim Cut Mill Pond Farnham the lovely Vic Gillings took the picture sadly taken far too early RIP

In reply to Post #16
Awesome pic...

In reply to Post #16
Gerry please write a book.

In reply to Post #16
You're kit was waaaaaay ahead of it's time.......

In reply to Post #19
it was a 45"Nubrolly a big step up from the wood pole one before it
we cut the and shorten the pole so you dint bang your head then the brolly was supported by cross canes with a small eye glued in the top that went over every rib
the bivvy was made by a company in Guilford that made Marquees the bed was a big step up from the tip me up sun loungers and was called a Lafuma and I had a foam mattress I had made for it

later because in those days I used to do lots of week long sessions all solo I might add
I took the bivvy back and got them to put another door opposite as often the wind would change or maybe driving rain coming in the door so I could just zip it up and open the other door as it was easier to move the rods than the bivvy
I suffer from claustrophobia and can never have the door shut or a sleeping bag zip done up

In reply to Post #16
Would love to see this photo, its not visible on my Mac.

EDIT
I posted this.... now it is, might need a new spring

I remember the early years and some of the gear we had then, sat under a
canvas brolly at Cuttle Mill, it rained so heavy from the Woods I could hardly
see the mill, I was more damp than wet as there was a haze coming through
the brolly, making all the usual mistakes I used a water proofer, didn't work.

In reply to Post #21
in all my years of fishing under a brolly or bivvy I have never ever had one leak

I think there are so many people out there that confuse heavy condensation with a leaking shelter
and then there is the nut cases that reproof every year instead of 3 to 5 years

In reply to Post #1
Top tip for you guys,

As I'm off work at the mo yesterday I decided to wash and reproof the Bbq cover and my motorcycle cover, "I'll be using this method when I redo my bivvy as well"

I washed the covers with a sponge and liquid pure soap off Amazon...waited until dry...then used fabsil in a flairasol bottle to spray it on.

Comes out in a fine mist so not only does a superb job you don't splash it everywhere and don't use very much at all

In reply to Post #23
Where did you do this mate in the garden I've always been wary using a spray bottle if it's a little bit windy as the spray wouldn't always go on the material

In reply to Post #24
Yes in the garden...the past few days have been really still here.

You only have to hold the flairasol bottle about 6 to 8ins away from whatever your spraying so very little overspray at all really

In reply to Post #25
Thanks for that I have a tempest brolly off my mate last year and think it needs doing,my trakker slx is ok at minute as people have said best to do it after a few years then