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Cleaning and Waterproofing your Westfalia Canvas Tent

By Jeffrey Lee 

How to clean and waterproof your Westy canvas tent to keep you warm, dry, and comfortable!

Westfalia Canvas Tent Overview

The canvas tent walls are an integral part of the Volkswagen Westfalia Camper’s popup roof system, keeping out wind, rain, snow, and even bugs. Every part of a three-decades-old camper van will benefit from frequent care and maintenance, but the tent canvas is perhaps the softest and most fragile component. Rain can soak the fibers and allow water to intrude into your cozy abode. Worse, if left untended, this same moisture can rot holes in the canvas fabric, requiring patches or an expensive replacement.

But with a little proper care, you can keep your original Westy canvas supple, dry, and working well for many more years.

The Westfalia Camper tent is made of a medium-weight cotton canvas, which is not inherently waterproof, but which instead relies on the swelling of the natural fibers to create a water-resistant barrier when wetted. The canvas should be periodically cleaned and then treated with a silicone water-repellent product like Kiwi Camp Dry Heavy Duty Water Repellent. This forms a moisture-resistant layer which repels rain but which also allows interior moisture to escape. Such treatments eventually wear out due to simple use, UV from sunlight, dirt, etc.. If using your Camper regularly, you should re-treat your tent every 1-2 years.

NOTE: Always test any product on an unobtrusive part of your tent before proceeding. The following is for the stock original Westfalia canvas tent. Aftermarket replacement tents may require their own cleaning and treating products; see the instructions from the supplier.

Parts & Supplies

  • Woolite Extra Delicates Care
  • Kiwi Camp Dry Heavy Duty Water Repellent, two 10.5 ounce cans required

Optional

  • OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover
  • Iron-on fabric-repair patches

Tools

  • Short ladder or step stool
  • Garden hose
  • Wash bucket
  • Brushes: soft-bristle, long-handled; small firm hand-held
  • Plastic sheeting, magnets or spring clamps

Optional

  • Household clothes iron

Washing the Westfalia Popup Roof Canvas

  1. On a warm, dry day, park your van somewhere out of direct sunlight and raise the popup roof. Close the front and/or side tent windows. Use a garden hose to gently wet the entire canvas tent.
  2. Allow the tent canvas fibers to absorb the water for a few minutes. Meanwhile, mix up about a gallon of water with Woolite Extra Delicates Care gentle liquid detergent. Use a soft long-handled brush to apply the sudsy Woolite to one wall of the canvas tent. Soak a few minutes to allow the detergent to work, then rinse thoroughly with the garden hose.
  3. If stubborn dirty spots or stains remain, use a stiffer handheld brush to apply Woolite full strength to the stains and gently work it into the fabric. Work the brush in a circular pattern over and around the stain to ‘feather’ the detergent into surrounding areas, to avoid leaving an obvious brighter clean spot. Let the detergent work for five minutes, then rinse well with the hose. Repeat this for all four sides of the canvas, rinsing well.
    NOTE: to remove especially stubborn stains, use OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover to pre-treat these problem areas.
  4. If needed, the tent interior can be washed similarly, but using the soft brush for applying both the wash water and rinse water; this may require two rinses to thoroughly remove all traces of detergent. Use large towels to protect the interior from excess water.
  5. Allow the tent to completely air-dry, perhaps even overnight. If possible, open the tent’s window(s) to help dry the canvas.

Repairing the Canvas

Now would be a good opportunity to repair any punctures, tears, or other damage to the canvas or window screen.

  1. Once thoroughly dry, trim the loose edges of any holes or tears. Cut iron-on fabric-repair patches at least an inch larger than the hole, and round the patch corners to prevent peeling. Follow the directions to apply the patches to the canvas tent exterior, using a household clothing iron.
  2. For a firm bond, have a helper stand inside the tent and press a small wooden board wrapped in a towel against the back of the repair, while you firmly iron the patch in place.

Water-Repellent Treatment

  1. As above, treat your Westfalia tent on a warm, dry, calm day out of direct sunlight.
  2. Most suitable canvas waterproof treatments contain silicone, which will leave a slippery mess on the rest of your van. So, cover your paint and other bodywork with plastic sheeting held in place with magnets or spring clamps. I use an old vinyl shower curtain.
  3. Follow the directions on the can of Camp Dry or similar silicone canvas treatment, to spray the entire exterior surface of the tent from 7 to 10 inches away with a light, even coat. Work on one wall of the tent at a time, then proceed to the next. Camp Dry suggests applying a second coat after four hours for maximum protection, and I usually use horizontal strokes for the first cost, and vertical strokes for the second.
  4. Avoid thoroughly soaking the canvas with water repellent, but be sure to fully treat the seams and bottom edges of the tent.
  5. Allow the treatment to completely dry (24-48 hours) before closing the Westfalia roof. You may experience lingering odors from the waterproof treatment on your next few camping trips, but these will fade with time.

Finishing

The detergent will have stripped the protective wax from your bodywork, so give your van a good washing and waxing now, along with a fiberglass wax for the popup roof; apply an anti-UV protectant to all the rubber seals.

Conclusion

With proper care, your Westfalia popup canvas should not require frequent washings as outlined above, but will benefit from a simple rinsing with a garden hose after especially dusty or dirty camping trips. The waterproof treatment can be reapplied every one to two years for maximum protection, and will keep you and your family dry and comfy!

What do you think? Leave a question or comment below, and use the social links to share with friends!

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3 Comments
Categories : Camper, Popup Roof, Workshop
Tags : Canvas, Tent
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Comments

  1. Laura says:
    October 18, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Hi there!

    I was wondering if you could help me make the right decision. I want to resurface my pop-up roof because I have some hairline cracks around the skylight seal that leak a lot during heavy rains. I went to West Marine and came home with laminating gel coat and 3M marine cleaner and wax. I was told to put 1 coat of the laminating gel coat and then finish off with the cleaner and wax. Do you think that will help solve my issue?

    Thank you so much for your time!

    https://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine–laminating-gelcoat-quart–12953881

    https://www.westmarine.com/buy/3m–marine-cleaner-wax-pint–125965?recordNum=2

    Reply
    • Jeffrey Lee says:
      October 18, 2018 at 7:50 pm

      Laura, I haven’t used a laminating gelcoat on a Westy popup roof, so I can’t say with certainty how it will work there. I’ve read that it’s not well suited to broad areas of coverage when applied to existing fiberglass, and outside of a mold, but it sounds like you may be using it only for narrow cracks.

      In any case, for best adhesion of any gelcoat patching materials, always clean the area well, and then strip it clean using acetone to remove any remaining waxes, polishes, etc.. Also, be sure to allow the new gelcoat to fully cure, perhaps even a few days, before applying any new waxes or other treatments.

      Here’s a video by West Marine showing how to use various fiberglass repair products, so you may find more helpful information there:

      https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/DIY-Gelcoat-Repairs

      Does this help?

      Reply
    • Michael Gillikin says:
      February 1, 2019 at 2:17 am

      STOP!

      If you have hairline cracks that are leaking – the damage goes through the roof. Putting Gelcoat directly over cracks is not repairing it. Cracks need to be cut out and repaired with Laminating resin and cloth (on both sides) then topped with Gelcoat so that the repair hardens. Placing Gelcoat over the top with out a proper repair will just get the same hairline cracks in a few weeks or worse (if the top isn’t prepped properly) the gelcoat will just chip off. Gelcoat is simply waxed resin (unwaxed resin is called laminating resin and does not fully cure- gelcoat has wax so it hardens) with white pigment. Look up boat repair on youtube prior to tackling. If your not comfortable , best people to go to is a Boatyard or someone who knows surfboard building.
      *
      Im in exactly the same position you are but my leak is, well, more like a hole that lets water pour into the van. Ive got my top off, canvas out and just removed the flocking. I will be repairing the crack then I will paint the exterior with marine grade boat exterior paint. I looked into re- gel coating the top but that is a HUGE amount of sanding, rolling the gelcoat, then sanding, then more sanding, then finally buffing. LOTS O WORK. Best bet, repair it, then paint it.
      *
      I just don’t want to see you to have a bigger mess than when you started.
      *
      Aloha

      Reply

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Workshop articles

  • Recommended Vanagon Workshop Manuals
  • Essential Vanagon Tools
  • Your Emergency On-Board Vanagon Tool Kit
  • Tracking Down Engine Leaks
  • Vanagon Hydraulic Clutch System
  • Westfalia Pop-Up Roof Refurbishment
  • Cleaning and Waterproofing your Westfalia Canvas Tent
  • Fire Extinguishers for Your Camper Van
  • Replacing the Vanagon Rear Hatch Struts
  • Add a Cabinet Lid Support
  • Make Your Own Brake Lines
  • Using a Vanagon Engine Heater
  • Diesel Vanagon Coolant Expansion Tank Bracket

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