The answer must be so obvious that I can't find this question asked much on Google..

but why do several manufacturers (and even the cottage industry ones) not seam seal their tents and ask people to do it themselves? for some tents, it's almost mandatory to seam seal to use it in the rain.. and yet it's not factory sealed (only taped sometimes).

Is it because it is a customization that people like to do differently? Will it not survive shipping or something (doesn't make sense)? Or is it just much much more labor intensive than making the rest of the tent?

Pardon this question if it has been answered before..

I believe it's for various reasons. A big one is that most Silnylon can't be factory taped. Doing it by hand is labor intensive and would add unreasonable cost to a tent. Generally, products that can be taped are sealed in the factory.

Edited by Found on 05/10/2010 22:19:40 MDT.

Labor intensive aside, seam sealing day in and day out might bring up health issues as well.

Sealing (not taping) requires drying time, which can be really significant in the winter. That means they need somewhere to put all those fully setup or hung-out tents for a day or two at a time.

LongHiker
I shot this video to give an idea of how it is done :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYjOkxR4sgc&feature=related
So yes the problem is "logistics"
The tent has to be set up, seam sealed by hand then left there to dry for 24-48 hours depending on the temperature and humidity level.
So not that practical to do at the factory.
Not just labour cost, space as well.
BTW, contrary to what many think, DIY seam sealing is not a new idea nor unique to silnylon.
Franco

I think it also looks tacky. The companies want their products to look pretty when set up and on display at the store and seam sealing looks pretty bad. (even worse when I do it)