Sticky, gummy Eureka tent

imported
#1

I bought a Eureka Spitfire ultralite several years ago and have used it only a few times. I have now noticed that the fly, the stuff sack, and the body of the tent is very gummy and sticky, and leaves a residue on my hands. The tent is basically unuseable. My son has a regular Eureka Spitfire purchased about the same time, and does not have this problem. I have carefully stored and maintained the tent. Has anyone else had this problem? Eureka is not responsive to my online inquiries. Is this a problem with sil-nylon? Thanks for any help.

Alibi

#2

Did you use it in mosquito season and possibly get bug dope on it?

ghost

#3

No, I used the tent in cool weather, no bug dope involved.

alibi

#4

Try soaking the tent in McNett Mirazyme. Mirazyme is an odor Eliminator for all types of hiking and sports gear. It will likely get rid of that sticky residue that has developed on the tent.

Ned

#5

Hope you’ll let us know if the Mirazyme works. :rolleyes

Lady Di

#6

I will definitely try that. Where can I obtain McNett Mirazyme??

alibi

#7

Many places sell it. Just Google it and you will have your choice where to buy it. About ten bucks a bottle depending on the 4 ounce or 8 ounce bottle size.

I soak all my hiking gear in it after a long hike. Tent, backpack, and clothes that I plan to use again. Anything that picks up a smell can be safely soaked in the solution.

Ned

#8

It could be the tent, or it could the user, or both. If the user’s body is oily, sweaty, or wet from rain, then sil-nylon fabric has a way of sticking to skin. Sil-nylon is also easily charged with electrons from friction and dry ambient air and from wind, so “static cling” often happens, especially in winter. It may be that the fabric is behaving normally and is demonstrating one of the caveats of going ultralight. Go ahead and try cleaning it, though - worth a shot. Then see whether or not it’ll also take an attitude adjustment to find peace with the thing.

Hoch

#9

From looking at Eureka’s specs, it looks like the body of the tent is not silnylon. Could there be some sort of chemical interaction between the silnylon fly and the coated body/floor? Perhaps a household chemical or solvent stored near the tent, or exposed to it at one time, was a catalyst? Maybe you picked up something bad off the ground at a campsite or sitting in a car somewhere. That fact that both the fly and the body have this issue might suggest something other than just the silnylon.

Garlic

#10

I had the same problem with my Hubba. I simply sprinkled and rubbed baby powder onto it, this stopped the “stickeys”. I don’t know what caused the problem but the baby powder cured it. Good Luck

“Hammer”

#11

I hope you used unscented powder. Would cornstarch work, too? :oh You can get the Mirazyme at EMS and probably at most places which sell kayak or diving gear. If you haven’t found it by now.

Lady Di

#12

Thanks for all the feedback. As an update, I sent another email to Eureka outlining the problem and this time received a courteous response. I was asked to return the tent to Eureka so it could be examined with a view towards honoring the warranty. I packed up the tent and shipped it off to Eureka, so we will see what happens. I will update this post when I hear back from the manufacturer. Thanks again.

Alibi

#13

I would suspect a problem with the coated polyurethane nylon of the tent body. PU coatings can wear off over time leaving a whitish, glue-like residue. Sil-nylon is impregnated with silicone and normally isn’t prone to such problems. I have no idea why a PU coating would wear off so soon. Hopefully Eureka has some answers for you and you’ll pass them along to the forum here.

fern

#14

MSR or Cascade Designs has agreed to give me a new fly for my sticky Hubba fly. The individual that I spoke with said something like one of their suppliers didn’t quite get something right and they will replace it. I had to send my old one and will get a green fly that will not match my organge but that is ok with me. Good for CD and standing behind their products.

Ron

#15

All: as an update, at Eureka’s request I sent them my Spitfire Ultralite for their examination. I was contacted by the Eureka representative today and was told that they thought there was a manufacturing defect present in that it appeared that the silicone waterproofing did not properly adhere to the fabric material in the fly and body of the tent. Eureka has agreed to send me a brand new Spitfire 1 tent to replace my Spitfire Ultralight (the ultralight model is no longer made, but the regular Spitfire 1 is very similar, just 9 ozs heavier (44 ozs vs. 35 ozs), this despite the fact that my ultralight model was six years old (I didn’t realize it was that old). I commend Eureka on standing behind their product and will continue to recommend their tents to backpackers as an affordable alternative to more exotic, and expensive, lightweight tents.:smiley:

Alibi