One product I have found to work well for a longer period is Thomsons Waterseal. Not really designed for fabrics it does however work well. If you bivvy is past repairing then this may be worth a try. Worked on my Titan. It is not recommended to seam tape at home as it often requires a special machine, and a specific temperature is needed for application onto different fabric types. Attempting to do so can lead to irreparable damage to your tent. sprayings best but you can brush it on keeping a wet edge (apply from the bottom upwards) but dont spot spray do the complete thing or it will show Put the ultra-violet protected thread on the sewing machine and set the machine on a medium length straight stitch. PRESSING - Avoid putting the iron directly on the tape and use a presser cloth. Take your time and hold the heat down on the presser cloth. It is a pressing action rather than sliding. Use a tailor’s ham to help with the sleeve seams and curved seams.

Seam sealing is a great way to waterproof your tent, putting an end to any leaks. But does every tent need to be seam sealed? And how do you seam seal your tent? We’re aiming to answer all of your questions about seam sealing to make the process as easy as possible for you.Wrap the longer side of the seam around the shorter side. Place the raw edge right against the seam line and either iron the fabric down or pin it with the straight pins. For our waterproof Kelly, we finished all our seams with iron-on seam tape and it made for truly dry seams. You will want to practice adhering the tape with your iron on a scrap piece of waterproof fabric, to test what heat setting works best. The iron has to be hot enough to fuse the tape to the seam, but not so hot that it warps or melts the waterproof fabric. Position the tape over the seam on the wrong side of your fabric, and press for 10-20 seconds. When applying, press just a few inches at a time to make sure the tape is fusing well and is in the correct position. You'll also want to try to keep the tape outside of the seam allowances to reduce bulk and to avoid double layers of seam tape. To make it easier and as mess free as possible, add the sealant to your syringe and start at the bottom of your tent corners and work your way up and across. After each application, brush the sealant on with your brush. Seam sealing is the process of applying a layer of tent sealant to the seams of your tent. The purpose of this is to create a waterproof barrier to prevent leaks, as the seams of your tent are the most vulnerable place for water to seep through. Finally, it’s important to not get any sealant on your tent’s zips and mesh. I’d therefore recommend putting painters tape over your zippers and other sensitive sections.

Taped seams are simply seams that have been sewn and then sealed with waterproof tape so that water cannot penetrate through the needle perforations. The name is Gear, Richard ‘High Maintenance’ Gear and believe me, I feel for your peeling seam tape, who wouldn’t? Lay the seam-sealing tape over the seam on the wrong side of the garment. Ensuring that the tape is flat, and that it covers the seam allowance and stitch lines. That's it, you've created your very own waterproof garment! We hope that these instructions are of use to you, and show you that sewing your own waterproof outerwear is not as difficult as it may seem. These instructions demonstrate how to seal a straight, flat seam, such as those in the Twig + Tale Rainhaven Pants and Overalls. Instructions for sealing a curved seam follow.To prevent the need for seam sealing, we recommend the blog How To Care For You Tent - Cleaning, Maintenance & Storage.

For polyurethane-coated material, we recommend the Gear Aid Seam Grip + WP Waterproof Sealant & Adhesive. Alternatively, you can try to do the job yourself. Point North – www.profabrics.co.uk– sell iron-on sealing tape suitable for both PU and three-layer waterproof garments which you can apply yourself as does Pennine Outdoor – www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk. To a couple of the comments regarding the stitch actually making it NOT waterproof and the mention of the seam sealer tape / glue… Seam sealers should be applied to both sides of the seam to be "truly" waterproof, but since they leave a slight residue, I would suggest using it on the wrong side only. This particular seam sealer is ideal for garment applications, but you can also find more heavy duty ones for tarps and tents.

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I’m confused about how cutting one side vs the other makes it easier for right-/left-handed people. Can you not just start from the other side of the fabric and achieve the same goal?

Sew 1/8 inch from the folded edge of the seam. The seam will resemble the seam on jeans when you finish this step. If you are sewing on a heavy waterproof fabric like canvas you are done. If you are sewing a light finely woven fabric go on to step 7. In the case of damaged or flaky seam tape, it is recommended to seam seal your tent to prevent leaks. If your seam tape remains in good condition, and your tent doesn’t have any leaks, seam sealing is not necessary.On heavier-weight tent fabrics—about 68 Denier and above—seam taping is an excellent solution. That’s because the tape adheres to these fabrics well, holding tight for long-term protection. Waterproof seam sealing tapes can be found in outerwear, industrial work wear, tents, waders, footwear and military garments. With Bemis’ wide range of seam tapes and our expertise and equipment, we can provide the ideal solution for any fabric or material. And since we think tape can be functional and fun, we can even print your company logo or a unique design on the tape! Heat seal tapes (aka: hot melt adhesive tapes) used for seams have the flexibility to work with the most delicate of fabrics and under heavy-duty conditions. These tapes consist of multilayered adhesive films that are applied to sewn seams with a hot air taping machine. The combination of the adhesive and heat bond create a watertight seal. If you are using a specialty waterproof fabric, you might be wondering the age-old question... to interface or not to interface? Many of these kinds of fabric are entirely synthetic and require a low iron. This can make it difficult to apply fusible interfacing, so you will want to test the heat tolerance of your fabric with a scrap to see if it will melt or curl under your iron. In our case, we used a very lightweight interfacing since our Ultrex was already a very sturdy fabric, and we used an organza press cloth between the iron and our waterproof fabric. The interfacing fused well even with a low heat setting and generally stayed in place. If you find your interfacing bubbles or won't fuse on low heat, you may consider using sew-in interfacing. The purpose of interfacing is to help stabilize the fabric, so it's always a good idea to add it when you can, especially to areas that will see a lot of stress (like where you'll be inserting grommets or snap buttons).