The sun can damage tents, backpacks, awnings, and most other materials we use outdoors. Prolong the life of your gear with proper storage and UV protection.

Is the sun shortening the life of your outdoor gear? 

The sun’s intense UV rays fade fabrics, weaken fibers, or even cause the fabric to dry out and crack. It is impossible to keep our gear out of the sun when we are camping or hunting, but is there a way to protect the materials from UV damage?

Depending on the piece of equipment, there are several options to prolong the life of your gear even with extended sun exposure. 

Gear storage, cleaning, and general maintenance are essential in gear care. These simple things can drastically reduce wear and improve your gear’s lifespan. Although general maintenance and cleaning don’t necessarily protect equipment from UV damage, dirty fabrics can degrade fibers, leading to premature deterioration that is only worsened by sun exposure. 

How and where you store outdoor equipment can directly impact prolonged sun exposure. For instance, if you store equipment outside or under a shelter that still gets sunlight, even if it is indirect, it will weaken the materials over time. Materials like plastics and fabric are more susceptible to sun damage, but other materials like rubber and neoprene can also dry out and crack. 

Storing equipment in a temperature-controlled environment with little to no sunlight is ideal. You also want to protect equipment from water damage, rodents, and mold/mildew. 

Beyond doing the backend work with cleaning and storing gear properly, there are other preventive things we can do to further protect items like tents, jackets, and backpacks from UV damage. 

Some items like tents often come with some waterproof coating. Within that coating, a sun protectant may also be present. Unfortunately, most waterproof and UV protectant coatings wear off over time. That means you need to reapply waterproof coatings to keep your gear fully functional. 

The purpose of a UV coating is to add sun protection. Luckily, reapplying these coatings is made easy with tent and gear solar washes. They work well for materials that spend a lot of time outside, including backpacks, awnings, and tents. 

With no protection, the strength and integrity of many fabric fibers degrade in as little as two weeks of sun exposure. 

Apply SolarWash when you’re cleaning your gear, and let the fabric air dry after. To combine the benefits of waterproofing and UV protection, consider using the Nikwax SolarProof right after cleaning. The SolarWash and SolarProof are both spray-on applications.

Other UV protectants are available, and their application process may differ from the directions provided above. Follow manufacturer instructions for best results.

Nikwax products are water-based, making them safe for use on outdoor equipment. All products are fluorocarbon free and non-flammable. 

Yes, the sun can damage various materials, but prolonged sun exposure makes it especially easy for the fabric to be damaged. It can cause the cloth to fade, weaken fibers, and increase the likelihood of cracking or rips in the material. 

The sun emits ultraviolet (UV) rays, which cause the fabric to fade. UV rays break down and weaken chemical bonds within the material, which can change or fade the colors. Not all fabrics react the same way or show fading quite as fast, but many materials get a bleaching effect from extended sun exposure. How do you make fabric UV resistant?

Weatherproofing fabric is as easy as washing the fabric sometimes. Nikwax makes a variety of material-specific cleaning and weatherproofing solutions to do this. While directions vary from product to product, some can be applied while washing, and others are sprayed or painted onto the materials.

Author of the Outdoor Minimalist and host of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, Meg Carney, has been an outdoor and environmental writer for over six years. After studying communication arts and literature in Duluth, Minnesota, she pursued various outdoor-industry jobs that eventually led her to her current career in freelance writing.

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