Moldy Tents

[Benny]

Just wondering - are there any good products that can be used to spray on your tents to keep them dryer? It seems like my tents get a little mildewy smell, which I can only imagine comes from the moisture that is still on them when we put them away. We do wipe them down, but somehow they are still a little damp.

[ChadTower]

Stop putting them away damp. Nothing is going to help if you're doing that.

[KeikoOka]

There are water sprays that help keep the water from seeping in the tent. But like Chad said, a tent won't mold if you set it up to let it dry. Even if when you left your trip you had no choice but to put it away wet, as soon as you get home get it back up to dry.

[freedommachine]

Resetting up tents at home is the only option if packed away wet. I have even layed a tent out inside my house to dry it because it was raining outside

[Newanderthal]

When you return home, set up the tent in the sun and let it dry COMPLETELY before packing it. Do it every time, and your tent will last over a decade. Neglect the tent, and it'll begin to mildew in a year.

[Grandpa]

The old basketball standard makes a great outdoor drying facility. Let it flap in the sunny breeze for an hour or two. I also have a storage room in the basement with hooks in the ceiling if it's stormy outside. Every fabric in my pack either goes in the laundry or gets hung somewhere even before my first shower. Everything else also gets needed attention so by the next day, it's all ready for the next trip.

[ryoga-kun]

Fortunately for me I have space to hang that stuff but I can see how drying out tents can be a challenge if you live in say, an apartment or something.
I think it's something you'll have to learn to plan around. Maybe giving it waterproof treatment will help with the drying speed and make it doable in your living room or bathroom. Dunno, I've never tried that. I've always just hung it out and let the sun do the work. Not in direct sunlight though.

[ChadTower]

When I lived in an apartment I used to put it over the shower curtain rod. That seemed to work okay for a 2 person tent.

[perchbutt]

Wipe it down with diluted white vinegar before you hang it out to dry.

[firedancer]

I agree with everyone else that you've got to dry it before you put it away. Something that usually works for me is to spread the tent and/or rainfly across the rest of my gear in the car on the way home. I've got a station wagon so it goes in the hatch on top of the gear, but it might work in a trunk too. Usually by the time I get home, it has dried out.

When backpacking, sometimes you have no choice but to roll up a wet tent in the stuff sack, but I take it out of the stuff sack as soon as I can to let it dry out.