This page is perpetually under construction as customer questions come up…
All tents pick up little nick-nard punctures and tears all the time, and ours are no different. Luckily it's really easy to fix them with modern repair tapes — in fact it's so easy (and so waterproof) that I recommend carrying an ounce or two of tape rather than a half pound or more of footprint (which is only insurance against floor punctures anyway, not other rips or punctures).
Here’s a link to McNett’s “Tenacious Tape” under their Gear Aid brand
Here’s a link to Kenyon’s “K-Tape”
But some swear that this is the best one of all: “Tear-Aid Type A”
I was even been told by one MCSer that they did well with it.
Hot tip: buy clear or white so the color matches automatically.
These tapes are crazy-sticky so take time to flatten the fabric (iron it with a warm - not hot - iron) and arrange the tear edges so they meet. For tears in netting or really big or L-shaped tears, it's a good idea to use a low-stick tape, like regular Scotch Tape, to get everything lined up on one side. Then flip it over to put repair tape on the other side. Then flip it back, remove the Scotch Tape and replace it with repair tape. I highly recommend it be a two-person job: one to smooth and hold the fabric and one to lay down the tapes.
Green Pole End Section and Shockcord replacement
Here's a quick video showing how to replace the green pole end sections. It also shows the (possibly) trickiest part of replacing the shockcord in a tent pole: getting the shockcord end out of the open end of the pole.
Here are some shockcord tips:
• you can get to the shockcord by unscrewing the ballends.
• as shown in the above video, you may need a push-rod to push the washer-stopper out of the open end of the green poles (but often not - sometimes it comes out very easily)
• use the old cord to pull the new cord through - a knot should just make it through the tight spots but you can also tape the ends together for a slimmer connection (especially for our smallest diameter pole like on the ML2 and UL2)
• don’t pre-cut the cord. Cut each as you get to pulling the new cord tight in the pole. That will give you the most cord to work with for the last pole.
• on the green poles you want to pull the cord tight from the ballend side
Fabric Maintenance
Here's a video of an epic repair I did with tape. It's WAY beyond a sewn repair for ease and effectiveness.
The video is a little long. You must be slow and careful to pull this off.
Pole Maintenance
Soaking your poles in water to release dust and sand isn't a bad idea now and then. Make water flow through the tubes to flush them out. Wipe the outside dry with a rag, paying extra attention to the silver insert tubes. Dry in the sun, folded so the shockcord inside drys out.
If you camp in a salt-air environment YOU SHOULD DO THIS AFTER EVERY TRIP. Salt air causes something called Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) in strong aluminum alloys. The good news is that the alloy used in our tents was developed by our pole supplier, DAC in Korea, to be exceptionally resistant to SCC. DAC is the ONLY manufacturer of tent poles to have taken action on SCC– it's yet another reason why we like them so much.
Zipper Maintenance
If your zipper sliders starts to feel rough-sliding and sticky, there's probably grit in the teeth. A soaking in water is usually all it takes to release the grit. Do it with the zipper open so the grit has the most room to come out. Once dry, if you still have friction, the next level up in treatment is to actually wash the tent, probably even with a little soap (see directions here).
Tent pole Repairs
• All moonLight tents come with a pole repair tube – it's the 5-6" long green tube that was on a pole when you first took the poles out. It's a pretty handy little repair item because it's slightly oversized to allow it to slide over a broken area even if that area is deformed.
• The end tips of all our poles UNSCREW to give you fast and easy access to the shockcord ends.