MacCat Deluxe SilPro - Order Review

So, I ordered a new MacCat Deluxe / SilPro about a week ago, and it just arrived today. No hassle, shipping times similar to how long it takes orders from Dutch to get here. I didn't need to chase it up at all, so it looks like my order at least was processed in a timely fashion. I wasn't aware of the bad reputation Brian has for delays in order fulfillment until after I paid, so pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't a problem in my case.

HOWEVER:

The quality of the overall workmanship and the stitching is outstanding, but the seam-sealing was horrific. It was very poorly applied, had numerous gaps (i.e. places on the seam where no sealer had been applied at all), and in several locations had small pieces of what appeared to be chocolate embedded in it. In addition to this, it seems to have been packed in its stuff sack while the sealer was still wet, resulting in the tarp panels sticking to each other in numerous locations.

So - first thing I did after receiving it was spend half an hour slowly pulling apart all the places where the sealer had glued various parts of the tarp fabric together, where no seam sealer should be, and then resealing the entire seam in a more consistent manner.

I'm happy with the tarp, but extremely unhappy with the disgraceful seam-sealing job, and the resulting mess it's made of the tarp panels (they're covered in small patches of sealant) - I should not have had to fix this, noting I paid for what was advertised as "Professional OES ProSeal experienced seam sealing".

Can anyone recommend something I can use to clean the various bits of sealant off the panels of the tarp, without damaging the waterproofing? Or is this just something I'll have to live with?

I think it's best to live with it. Anything that dissolves the seam-sealer probably also will dissolve the coating of the tarp. However, I would try to contact OES and ask them to either replace the tarp or give you a big discount. You'll probably get no response, but it doesn't hurt to try. Maybe also take some pictures and post them here. It might increase motivation for OES to resolve the issue.

I recently ordered the A SilPoly MacCat Deluxe ... I ordered on December 24th ... and received it on Jan 28th ... Took quite a while, but wth X-mas and New Year's in there ... so it's kind of a wash.

This is my Second OES tarp. And once again the workmanship is fantastic... But I too found that it must have been stuffed into the sack while the seam-sealant was still wet. Several spots were stuck together and I had to pull them apart. It doesn't sound like mine was nearly as bad as yours. But still I tend to agree, shouldn't have to deal with it.

I elected to just live with it... the spots are pretty minimal on mine, and I'm sure it will come off in time on it's own. As far as the ridge seam ... it looks to be sealed just fine, so I won't need to re-do it. Just that it was apparently stuffed wet...

Should be noted ... that this experience will in NO WAY deter me from buying another tarp. As far as I'm concerned, Brian still makes the best tarps money can buy!

Should also be noted ... my first tarp was purchased in 2014 and arrived in less than a week... and the seam sealing was immaculate!

Almost forgot ... this time around (assuming because of the delay) Brian tossed in a guy line kit for free! Thats 6 steaks and 6 spectra core 6' lines in a little nylon (reinforced) sack.

Try applying some baby powder to the sticky areas, it will help to keep them from re-sticking to each other. I prefer lavender scented powder. :cool:

To be fair, most any seam sealed tarp will come 'stuck' to itself... Just the nature of the sealant...people would probably l complain if there was baby powder on their seams as well, so they, unfortunately, come, 'a little sticky'. But it shouldn't be bad enough to leave residue all over......or take you half an hour to undo.

I had a similar experience. My tarp was seriously stuck together and despite gentle peeling portions of the seam sealing ripped off. Brian accepted the return of my tarp. There were some delays involved but everything was resolved eventually.

I was very frustrated about paying for the "professional" seam sealing and having that result. I've ordered TarpTents already seam-sealed and the result was very clean and not stuck to itself. I expected that a manufacturer that offers the service would have a good setup and deliver a high quality product.

I will not do business with OES in the future. I'll stick to manufacturers with reputations for making things right like Hammockgear, Warbonnet, ZPacks or TarpTent.