Black is good in winter when the trees are dark and nothing is green. But put a camouflage poncho over it or an Austrian white poncho and your tent is concealed. I spent three days hand sewing your mods .Your friend charged cheap to make yours and your lucky! Enjoy this awesome bushcraft tent!
I used my lavvu all last winter and it was great - love it in there with a little candle lamp for warmth and comfort. Must admit I like mine down and pegged straight into the ground to keep out the cold though. I brought it online and the only issue is one side is bigger than the other lol but it goes up fine, plenty of room to sleep and my bergen the other side of the pole - very cosy.
Also when testing Fabsil remember its fabric and dries by solvent evaporation and you should not get it wet for 10-12 hours or you must retreat it. It might look dry but it isn't treated until its bonded. If you buy the 5litre cans I think I paid £19 each for them. The best treatment that is more flexible but requires brush application is Storm canvas waterproofer that allows the tent to dry faster and is half the price of Fabsil. I treated both Lavuu and the Dutch Army 1 man tent in double coat of Storm and Fabsil over two days then used brush on Tetrasyl auto paint seam sealer on the inside seams of both. On the Dutch Army tent I also sealed in the edges of the zips into the tub of the tent with rubber solution (from Wilkinsons) to prevent water ingress. Also did same with the hooped bivi and the Austrian Army two man pup tent with the Fabsil. Next up is a 50 denier 5000 hydrostatic head winter cover with zip made from rip stop goretex for the Lavu a sailmaker is making me currently. Great work Darren
3.5L of fabsil!!! You'll be able to turn it upside down and use it as a boat! Hats off that's a very thorough job funky. I really do need to fabsil mine, the original proofing has faired well up until now( given its age its nothing short of miraculous) but after heavy rain it does start to leak a bit. Atb Ryan
Cheers funky! Used the same proofing method just now on my lavvu minus the fab gold (im a cheap arse). Used the sprayer with a slightly coarser spray because its a touch windy, used the whole 2 and arf ltr can so pretty sure its not gonna leak.
Not cheap but in the end Fabsil does work. You will need to reproof every so often perhaps every few years. The makers of my canvas Lavvu tent state that it will need reproofing so just leaving out in the rain doesn't always work. Fabsil has never let me down. Sandy
It's a good idea to protect the grass when proofing tents. When I did my lavvu I used a brush and it dripped on the lawn and burnt a ring. Looks like spraying will get less on the grass but I suspect there will be some overspray and grass burning? Takes a month or two to grow back!
When you add up what you spent on the ponchos, the modifications, the sprayer, and the waterproofing, you could have bought a nice tent. Hey, we all do that sometimes. It is pretty neat, though. Thanks for the nice vid. I like it.
+Guiding Mike My thoughts exactly! You could get a good Vango two man tent with fitted ground sheet! The best thing about thes Polish army ponchos is that they are cheap.
Cheers for the guyline tip! Tested my lavvu last night. Works a treat if you use a basha as a porch! Got some fabsil to reproof as mine was made in 1975!
Fantastic mate as I like to recon sometimes in a popup tent however they are one skinned and only water resistant and I had thought of trying to waterproof it as it leaks badly it seem like all of them do I had been using a tarp and sometime just a bit of plastic utilised as a tarp to cover the popup tents and of course that works
Love the idea of these 1/2's together,and what it comes to be.I'd be up against sight unseen in ordering,and one video my having seen,the guy had said that one half seemed newer than the other from the place he ordered,and flawed at that.Inventory they were looking to part with i guess.Can't beat the price though from what I've seen. You've convinced me to go with the Fabsil on that note.Seen the vid's on the boiled linseed oil,bee's wax,and mineral spirits;as well as the curing time involved to dry,and the odor to dissipate.I'd pay the difference not to have to go through all that,and i take it;you given the same consideration.Hold out till the ideal solution presents itself to go with.The water test must have been tears of joy on your part.Well done!.
Hi! Good job. Sligh note. In polish we don't have and use that word: lavvu ;-). In polish it's called: pałatka (read: p.a.w.a.t.k.a, better check on translator) Greetings from Poland
i think reproofing depends on how much you use it,need to check fabsil out that looked way better then the waxproofing i used...that stuff was horrible and the proofing became somewhat patchy
Boiled linseed oil has exactly the same effect, takes a while to dry though. Can 1:1 mix it with white spirit to speed things up a notch. Does smell though ... but that goes away after about 2 - 4 weeks.
As a matter of interest, If you are spraying with a vertical spray pattern you are best off spraying side to side for more even coverage, and of course vice versa with a horizontal pattern.
Everyone seems to use Fabsil which is fine but what about the cheaper option of using clear silicone sealant mixed with mineral/white spirit?. I've seen recommendations not to use silicone if the material is acrylic canvas which contains fluorocarbon, this repells the silicone making less waterproof. Fabsil contain silicone and is recommended for all canvas so its confusing the contradictory info on the internet. So my question is and I hope somone can clear this matter up, has anyone tried using clear silicone mixed with white spirit on their poncho shelter and what was the result.
Very nice. Was about to Fabsil mine last night, glad I saw this first. Anyway, I'm thinking you can join 3 and use long poles for a dining or cooking shelter.
This Fabsil stuff looks the Bollocks Darren. Lovely action with the HoselocK pressurisation BTW. Years of practice on the hand pump finally pays off. :-)
Thanks for the Funky information broadcast,lol. I was looking at Fabsil or nikwax a few days ago to reproof my old poncho. After watching the showere test I think i'm definately buying Fabsil. ATB Sam
thanks marty as always my mate - it was a first for me, tricky to film as the camcorder was around 20' away to get it in shot, with the noises and sun was a pain lol. wish i took it to sandys and used his compressor now - would of taken 5 mins :)
Fabsil is expensive. Surely you are wasting a lot by mist blowing away? The instructions say paint it on with a brush dont they? That way it all goes on and it penetrates the material better. Trouble with that polish thing is the weight, which I think probably comes in useful only in deep snow falling. I had one and ditched it.
on these tents are the buttons supposed to be on the outside or inside like the arm slots some vids are showing they are inside just want to set it up correctly good vid mate i will do the same
I like the Mods. 45 was an amazing price I went to have a zipper replaced on a jacket and they wanted 30$ plus the zipper. I wish I had the canvas tents my parents had they were huge and tough. Later, FW.
Sir I was wondering if there is A fire retarder in the Fab seal you are using and does it make the fabric stiff? Thank you for your time I am a new subscriber and enjoy your videos very much
nice video mate, i really like it. Doesn't all the liquid make any difference in overall weight of the tent? Another question? What other waterproofing remedies have you come across while making or contemplating this video?
Well I have plans on doing this and wanted to make sure when my kids are in it that it wouldnt go up like I poured gas on it. If you get what I am saying.
+funkyprepper sorry mate, I meant did you have a bad experience with the surplus supplier military lart and their polish lavvu tents? should have worded that better!
Well its supposed to be a military tent. Black? Well that sure fits stealth camping rules, don't set up til dark. Its most certainly fits that purpose 150%. I do have have the green ones size 2. But I honestly don't think it matters at all!
£90 ???. u do realise that putting a zip, the velcro and all the extra sewwing thats needed takes 2 to 3 hours to do ?? How much does ur local non dealer garage charge an hour ?. £30 an hour for skilled labor in this country costs mate, be lucky there are still people who u can get to do this type of job for u
whatever mate - he repairs military kit and he hated doing this. it took him ages - its not as easy as it looks apparently. he should know - hes been doing it for years lets see you try one :) thanks
funkyprepper Ive been a cobbler and shoe maker for the last 27yrs, mate, Ive repaired tents awnings saddlebags tarpaulins the lot,,,, I know exactly how much work effort and skill goes into repairing canvas on non manufacturer machines, they are a right nightmare NOBODY wants to repair them all your Timpsons or Powers shoe repairers will not look at them...................... like I said BE GLAD YOUVE GOT SOMEONE WHO WILL DO IT FOR YOU,,, In this country we pay wages appropiate to the jobs we do, not some Slavic country where £150 a month is a good wage !!!
I think that you've outspent yourself on the silicone treatment Bubbs! In this country you can buy some GE premium silicone seal in a tube (for exterior caulking) and stir it or thin it with napthiated mineral spirits using a paint stir stick very, at an approximated ratio i believe of 10:1 and spray it on and get marvelous if not excellent results! So you see...one tube of caulk at approx $7 PLUS approx $11 worth of mineral spirits in the gallon size equals $18.00, and so there you have it...all done! Your so called "Gold Color Casted Silicone Treatment" might be a mixture of "Silicone and Linseed Oil plus a thinning agent"! Linseed oil does have a yellowish hue to it. Linseed oil by itself is not thin enough by itself and so you would need a thinner such as mineral spirits. By doing so....my guess is that you would have to thin the silicone first as described earlier 10:1 and then go ahead and measure off 128 ounces of the first stirred batch and combine it by stirring with 32 ounces of "Boiled Linseed Oil"; thus a ratio of nearly 3:1 you would have the gold hue version! I am no GD Chemist, but an experiment of this sorts would probably net some good results! Linseed oil is also a fantastic preservative and once it is impregnated into wood for example, and dries completely, makes great waterproofing too!
This tent do not need to be waterproofed, the canvas fibres will expand once wet and it wont allow water in if nothing touches it. Using waterproofing products on it will ruin the canvas and the whole meaning of going camping old fashion.
I think I will treat mine, I just recently bought one, fabsil clearly works. Thanks for the info.
Black is good in winter when the trees are dark and nothing is green. But put a camouflage poncho over it or an Austrian white poncho and your tent is concealed. I spent three days hand sewing your mods .Your friend charged cheap to make yours and your lucky! Enjoy this awesome bushcraft tent!
I used my lavvu all last winter and it was great - love it in there with a little candle lamp for warmth and comfort. Must admit I like mine down and pegged straight into the ground to keep out the cold though.
I brought it online and the only issue is one side is bigger than the other lol but it goes up fine, plenty of room to sleep and my bergen the other side of the pole - very cosy.
Also when testing Fabsil remember its fabric and dries by solvent evaporation and you should not get it wet for 10-12 hours or you must retreat it. It might look dry but it isn't treated until its bonded. If you buy the 5litre cans I think I paid £19 each for them. The best treatment that is more flexible but requires brush application is Storm canvas waterproofer that allows the tent to dry faster and is half the price of Fabsil. I treated both Lavuu and the Dutch Army 1 man tent in double coat of Storm and Fabsil over two days then used brush on Tetrasyl auto paint seam sealer on the inside seams of both. On the Dutch Army tent I also sealed in the edges of the zips into the tub of the tent with rubber solution (from Wilkinsons) to prevent water ingress. Also did same with the hooped bivi and the Austrian Army two man pup tent with the Fabsil. Next up is a 50 denier 5000 hydrostatic head winter cover with zip made from rip stop goretex for the Lavu a sailmaker is making me currently. Great work Darren
3.5L of fabsil!!! You'll be able to turn it upside down and use it as a boat! Hats off that's a very thorough job funky.
I really do need to fabsil mine, the original proofing has faired well up until now( given its age its nothing short of miraculous) but after heavy rain it does start to leak a bit.
Atb Ryan
Cheers funky! Used the same proofing method just now on my lavvu minus the fab gold (im a cheap arse). Used the sprayer with a slightly coarser spray because its a touch windy, used the whole 2 and arf ltr can so pretty sure its not gonna leak.
Not cheap but in the end Fabsil does work. You will need to reproof every so often perhaps every few years. The makers of my canvas Lavvu tent state that it will need reproofing so just leaving out in the rain doesn't always work. Fabsil has never let me down.
Sandy
Loving the black. Can't wait to see you take this out.
I got the last green one from wilderness leisure went and picked it up and had to rake the poles out. Just piped you to it.
he had 3 green left - i was offered the black for free -couldnt say no lol
Freebie is a freebie I like the black ones the more I look at them. I think the black ones look in better condition
It's a good idea to protect the grass when proofing tents. When I did my lavvu I used a brush and it dripped on the lawn and burnt a ring.
Looks like spraying will get less on the grass but I suspect there will be some overspray and grass burning?
Takes a month or two to grow back!
When you add up what you spent on the ponchos, the modifications, the sprayer, and the waterproofing, you could have bought a nice tent. Hey, we all do that sometimes. It is pretty neat, though. Thanks for the nice vid. I like it.
+Guiding Mike My thoughts exactly! You could get a good Vango two man tent with fitted ground sheet! The best thing about thes Polish army ponchos is that they are cheap.
What a great and informative video, have heard about Fabsil for yonks but not seen anyone apply it visually till now ~Peace~
What's a yonk?
Cheers for the guyline tip! Tested my lavvu last night. Works a treat if you use a basha as a porch! Got some fabsil to reproof as mine was made in 1975!
Funky, couldn't you apply the Fabsil to the underside of the bottom edge to mitigate rot? It'd allow you to pitch a warmer shelter for cold weather.
Liked the video I've bought the green olive colour one. Yes I need to fabsil it, thanks for the advice and how to do it funky pepper. 👍🏻 🙂🔥🏕
Great job with the waterproofing that was impressive to watch it all slide down it.
All the best
Ranger
i love mine Funky
Fabsil Gold. Noted. Thanks for sharing, Stay Funky. Cheers mate
cheers mate - its expensive but works like a charm cobber
That's useful thanks. Still need to waterproof my black lavvu I paid the extra £2.01 to MM for and this sort of video is great for ideas. Andrea
Fantastic mate as I like to recon sometimes in a popup tent however they are one skinned and only water resistant and I had thought of trying to waterproof it as it leaks badly it seem like all of them do I had been using a tarp and sometime just a bit of plastic utilised as a tarp to cover the popup tents and of course that works
Nice piece of kit, looking forward to the field test. Atb!
Did the application change the texture of the fabric, is more brittle , stiff ? The tent looks really good btw.
i like the black better it looks a bit more special forces!!
lol, it was free - looks ninja like
@@funkyprepper looks better than green version too.
That's good stuff, nice to see it in action
Happy trails
Superb demo Funky, need to do my lavvu before the next meet!
Nice job,Funky.
You definitely deserve a Blue Peter badge for that!
Love this one. Really like the sprayer no external air supply. The water sheeting off the tent looked like water falls. Thanks for sharing. atb
Love the idea of these 1/2's together,and what it comes to be.I'd be up against sight unseen in ordering,and one video my having seen,the guy had said that one half seemed newer than the other from the place he ordered,and flawed at that.Inventory they were looking to part with i guess.Can't beat the price though from what I've seen.
You've convinced me to go with the Fabsil on that note.Seen the vid's on the boiled linseed oil,bee's wax,and mineral spirits;as well as the curing time involved to dry,and the odor to dissipate.I'd pay the difference not to have to go through all that,and i take it;you given the same consideration.Hold out till the ideal solution presents itself to go with.The water test must have been tears of joy on your part.Well done!.
Hi! Good job. Sligh note. In polish we don't have and use that word: lavvu ;-). In polish it's called: pałatka (read: p.a.w.a.t.k.a, better check on translator) Greetings from Poland
i think reproofing depends on how much you use it,need to check fabsil out that looked way better then the waxproofing i used...that stuff was horrible and the proofing became somewhat patchy
It's a tent, isn't it waterproof already?
How often have you had to re-apply?
Boiled linseed oil has exactly the same effect, takes a while to dry though. Can 1:1 mix it with white spirit to speed things up a notch. Does smell though ... but that goes away after about 2 - 4 weeks.
nice one Funky. Worked a treat :) atb Richie.
Almost a year and a half; How is it holding up? Did it add much weight to the finished product?
As a matter of interest, If you are spraying with a vertical spray pattern you are best off spraying side to side for more even coverage, and of course vice versa with a horizontal pattern.
can i use this on a coat safely or should i use some of grangers other stuff specifically made for waterproofing coats
Question did waterproofing your tent increase the heat inside it? Did it decrease ventilation?
Thank a lot
looks like it worked awesome. will be interesting to see how long it will hold up be for needing a retreat. thank's for sharing atb John
Wow, I always thought that stuff had a cure time, but if it is ready to go in an hour and a half, that's awesome!
Everyone seems to use Fabsil which is fine but what about the cheaper option of using clear silicone sealant mixed with mineral/white spirit?. I've seen recommendations not to use silicone if the material is acrylic canvas which contains fluorocarbon, this repells the silicone making less waterproof. Fabsil contain silicone and is recommended for all canvas so its confusing the contradictory info on the internet. So my question is and I hope somone can clear this matter up, has anyone tried using clear silicone mixed with white spirit on their poncho shelter and what was the result.
I would like the black better than the green !! All 3 of mine are green.
Lee, Indianapolis
good pumping action there mate
Very nice. Was about to Fabsil mine last night, glad I saw this first. Anyway, I'm thinking you can join 3 and use long poles for a dining or cooking shelter.
So this goes on great just using the sprayer? No need to wipe with a cloth/sponge afterwards? Cheers.
This Fabsil stuff looks the Bollocks Darren. Lovely action with the HoselocK pressurisation BTW. Years of practice on the hand pump finally pays off. :-)
Thanks for the Funky information broadcast,lol. I was looking at Fabsil or nikwax a few days ago to reproof my old poncho. After watching the showere test I think i'm definately buying Fabsil.
ATB Sam
like what you do and vango tent
I Fabsil Gold treated both mine in the summer worked a treat but it killed the grass around it even sprayed carefully so watch out
Nice demo darren great job mate thanks for shairing Regards Marty
thanks marty as always my mate - it was a first for me, tricky to film as the camcorder was around 20' away to get it in shot, with the noises and sun was a pain lol.
wish i took it to sandys and used his compressor now - would of taken 5 mins :)
Great job and btw, one of the best looking Polish Lavvus I saw so far :-) Cheers, Marc
what is the texture of the tent after fabsil
Great you showed this. I am about to treat my new Bergen and this helps. TC/SS - Stanley
I went for gray :-)
Spot on about nik wax, didn't do a thing to my motorbike jacket. Atb.
What about the weight after this metod ?
Is it silicone based?
Fabsil is expensive. Surely you are wasting a lot by mist blowing away? The instructions say paint it on with a brush dont they? That way it all goes on and it penetrates the material better.
Trouble with that polish thing is the weight, which I think probably comes in useful only in deep snow falling. I had one and ditched it.
Jesusandbible I
probably very harmful too.
on these tents are the buttons supposed to be on the outside or inside like the arm slots some vids are showing they are inside just want to set it up correctly good vid mate i will do the same
After 6 year's do you still use fabsil?
good video, but I stay with old-fashioned methods from the Second World War. a mixture of beeswax and a hair dryer :).
Greetings,, Kitty.
beeswax for me also......Fabsil dont last long .....needs re doing in time....and its not cheap
I like the Mods.
45 was an amazing price I went to have a zipper replaced on a jacket and they wanted 30$ plus the zipper.
I wish I had the canvas tents my parents had they were huge and tough.
Later, FW.
Does a new poncho already waterproof?
Exactly! No polish jokes please.....lol
It's better to leave the Fabsil as long as you can before you get it wet, makes the effects last much longer.
Nice lavvu only its inside out and 2 sizes 1 and 3 but what works that eorks wright
And them some thanks mate
Do you still use this lavvu pal
i got the 2.5 litre fabsil all i need to do is spray it on. that was impressive
Does that treatment not stop it from breathing?
I think I read somewhere that linseed oil is good for waterproofing?
We're did you get the zip version of this poncho from buddy ??
he said he had a guy sew all that stuff on it for him
Sir I was wondering if there is A fire retarder in the Fab seal you are using and does it make the fabric stiff? Thank you for your time I am a new subscriber and enjoy your videos very much
nice video mate, i really like it. Doesn't all the liquid make any difference in overall weight of the tent?
Another question? What other waterproofing remedies have you come across while making or contemplating this video?
Lavvu is top notch. WIting fircthe time to do mine. Invest and you will get a good return, despite the nay Sayers on here. LW.
I wish they sold that in the states...Id pay good money for that..
Darren just got one of these as a valentine prez great bit of kit and I will be following the mods you done
Great advice, take it this stuff would do the Dutch Army tent mate?
If a hot ember from a fire was to get on it, is it more likely to go up in flames?
how so?
many others have done this and no fires
Well I have plans on doing this and wanted to make sure when my kids are in it that it wouldnt go up like I poured gas on it. If you get what I am saying.
Nice 0)
I can appreciate a charge of £90.00 to get the zip mods done (nothing is cheap these days ) but not worth it for many on a £20.00 Tent .
Wish I invested in a bunch of these tents back then, the price has shot up..
what was the experience you had with military mart then mate?
+funkyprepper sorry mate, I meant did you have a bad experience with the surplus supplier military lart and their polish lavvu tents? should have worded that better!
ruclips.net/video/G5rYX8vdVQA/видео.html
+funkyprepper nuff said mate - just as well i watched that, as i was about to buy one.
How about using water?
Love the tent...how many tents do you have?...or is it just these two.
Well its supposed to be a military tent. Black? Well that sure fits stealth camping rules, don't set up til dark. Its most certainly fits that purpose 150%. I do have have the green ones size 2. But I honestly don't think it matters at all!
£90 ???. u do realise that putting a zip, the velcro and all the extra sewwing thats needed takes 2 to 3 hours to do ?? How much does ur local non dealer garage charge an hour ?. £30 an hour for skilled labor in this country costs mate, be lucky there are still people who u can get to do this type of job for u
whatever mate - he repairs military kit and he hated doing this.
it took him ages - its not as easy as it looks apparently.
he should know - hes been doing it for years
lets see you try one :)
thanks
funkyprepper Ive been a cobbler and shoe maker for the last 27yrs, mate, Ive repaired tents awnings saddlebags tarpaulins the lot,,,, I know exactly how much work effort and skill goes into repairing canvas on non manufacturer machines, they are a right nightmare NOBODY wants to repair them all your Timpsons or Powers shoe repairers will not look at them...................... like I said BE GLAD YOUVE GOT SOMEONE WHO WILL DO IT FOR YOU,,, In this country we pay wages appropiate to the jobs we do, not some Slavic country where £150 a month is a good wage !!!
david morris In which Slavic country is £150 a month a good wage?
Chill out Dave, it’s only sewing a zip, mine took me thirty minutes with an old Singer and I’m a Goldsmith!
what a bunch of drunk pirates you britons are. Your days are numbered.
lime a lot of what you do funky but it would cheaper to a va go tent and lighter to carry, on saying that keep up the good work mate
I would reproof it ever two years better safe than sorry with are damp climate !
Sucks in the US. Because we can't import fabsil.
I think that you've outspent yourself on the silicone treatment Bubbs! In this country you can buy some GE premium silicone seal in a tube (for exterior caulking) and stir it or thin it with napthiated mineral spirits using a paint stir stick very, at an approximated ratio i believe of 10:1 and spray it on and get marvelous if not excellent results! So you see...one tube of caulk at approx $7 PLUS approx $11 worth of mineral spirits in the gallon size equals $18.00, and so there you have it...all done!
Your so called "Gold Color Casted Silicone Treatment" might be a mixture of "Silicone and Linseed Oil plus a thinning agent"! Linseed oil does have a yellowish hue to it. Linseed oil by itself is not thin enough by itself and so you would need a thinner such as mineral spirits. By doing so....my guess is that you would have to thin the silicone first as described earlier 10:1 and then go ahead and measure off 128 ounces of the first stirred batch and combine it by stirring with 32 ounces of "Boiled Linseed Oil"; thus a ratio of nearly 3:1 you would have the gold hue version! I am no GD Chemist, but an experiment of this sorts would probably net some good results! Linseed oil is also a fantastic preservative and once it is impregnated into wood for example, and dries completely, makes great waterproofing too!
where did you get mineral spirits for that price? because its cost 5€ per liter here in my country :( .
lol great vid should have fabsiled your cap too! love the test all that beading so satisfying got some stuff for windscreen that does that
Smell too hard inside the tent?
Thank you
Boiled Linseed oil will do the same thing.
This tent do not need to be waterproofed, the canvas fibres will expand once wet and it wont allow water in if nothing touches it. Using waterproofing products on it will ruin the canvas and the whole meaning of going camping old fashion.
gona use velcro instead of a zip
make sure its strong lol
should proof read before i post
Couldn’t you just wax it like a Barbour jacket?
Shouldn't you wear a mask while spraying that stuff?
Just buy a good tent in the first place
you can save a pretty penny being smart and not everyone has the money to just "buy a good tent in the first place".
Dean Sturrock You can throw money at anything to solve a need...whats the fun in that?
+Dean Sturrock Yes, a no brainer really!
Or you could buy a caravan or a motor home or a villa in Tuscany. The geezer wanted a Lavvu and fancied giving it a lick of Fabsil.
Why do people take all this time and effort for a couple of old ponchos, there are better , cheaper tents out there