Harrison Tent Deterioration

[Scraps]

I have a Harrison changing tent that I love. The problem is that I do most of my 4x5 shooting while backpacking. (yes, 20lbs of camera gear in addition to camping gear.) I would always pack a change bag instead, which took up considerably less space. The Harrison tent sat in the bag for a good five to seven years. I wanted to use it recently, but it feels like the tent has begun to dissolve. Has this happened to anyone? It's slightly slimy. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try washing.

[Axelwik]

Pretty common problem with the Harrison tents and dark cloths. They need to be stored unpacked in a cool dry place, but they can still deteriorate if it's humid. I store my changing bag fully assembled on a top shelf with nothing on it, and so far so good. I also have their dark cloth and it's a lot older than the tent, by ten years or so and it's a little sticky, but usable. When I roll it up I don't put the silver side in contact with the silver side - roll it toward the black side so silver is on black. I live in New Mexico, so it's drier than most places.

[Merg Ross]

You may find this old thread of interest. Seems to be a common problem with Harrison products.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-142237.html

[Tin Can]

Only a few like Wax Cotton

I have 3 MC coats



We need care for our kit

Ever use a WW 11 tent

I have into the 70s

[Scraps]

You may find this old thread of interest. Seems to be a common problem with Harrison products.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-142237.html

Thanks for the link. Some excellent discussion there.

[Scraps]

Pretty common problem with the Harrison tents and dark cloths. They need to be stored unpacked in a cool dry place, but they can still deteriorate if it's humid. I store my changing bag fully assembled on a top shelf with nothing on it, and so far so good. I also have their dark cloth and it's a lot older than the tent, by ten years or so and it's a little sticky, but usable. When I roll it up I don't put the silver side in contact with the silver side - roll it toward the black side so silver is on black. I live in New Mexico, so it's drier than most places.


Makes sense to me now to store it unrolled. Perhaps unzipped as well. Maybe this is a case of use it or lose it. I'll see if I can clean it up. Maybe contact Harrison as well. I still see using the changing bag primarily in the future, so I'm not in a rush to replace the rent.

[Scraps]

You may find this old thread of interest. Seems to be a common problem with Harrison products.

https://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/archive/index.php/t-142237.html

Normally, I would have searched the forum for some info, but I assumed that this problem was isolated to my tent. If anyone else has concerns about their Harrison tent I highly recommend checking out that discussion.

[John Layton]

Same issue with a number of coated nylon/synthetic cloth products (tents, parkas, etc.) - they need to breathe while in longer term storage, or else the coating gets sticky and eventually peels off.