Grow tents are susceptible to certain conditions that they must withstand to carry out their functions properly. One of these conditions is water.
In General, grow tents are made from waterproof material. An ideal grow tent material will be composed of Mylar as an inner reflective layer and Polyester canvas as a durable outer layer both of which are highly waterproof.
However, there are enormous numbers of online brands that produce grow tents each of which is trying to produce its unique product. As a result, every grow tent brand available on the market has a different material composition than the others.
You need to know what material your grow tent is made of, to make the right decision.
Grow Tent Material
Grow tent brands are in a continuous battle trying to achieve a balanced ratio between:
- Cost of production/Sales Price
- Waterproof capabilities
- Durability
Some brands use nylon in the outer layer of a grow tent.
Nylon is a highly durable material with a very high tear strength. As a general rule, Nylon is 1.4 times stronger than polyester Canvas. A grow tent made with nylon fabric would withstand an extreme amount of force that Polyester fabric will not.
However, it is a relatively expensive material and it doesn’t have high waterproof capabilities.
Below is a list of fabrics that are used to manufacture a grow tent’s outer layer.
| Grow Tent Material | Waterproof Properties |
| Nylon | Water-resistant |
| 300D Polyester Canvas | Waterproof |
| 600D Polyester Canvas | Waterproof |
| 1680D Polyester Canvas | Waterproof |
| 2000D Polyester Canvas | Waterproof |
Waterproof VS Water-resistant Grow Tent
Technically, waterproof fabric is a fabric that doesn’t have permeability to water regardless of how much time the fabric is getting exposed to water. A water-resistant fabric does have certain resistance toward the water to a limit.
If the grow tent you are going to buy has an outer layer made of nylon, then you need to reconsider getting another brand. The water proof properties of Nylon is inferior to that of polyester.
As long as you are buying a grow tent with an outer layer that is made of polyester canvas, there is no need to worry about the waterproof capabilities.
300D VS 2000D Grow Tent Properties?
There are a wide variety of polyester canvas available on the market these days. You can typically find 300D, 600D, 1680D, and 2000D polyester canvas used by many brands. However, Is 300D polyester canvas less waterproof than 2000D polyester canvas?
As a general rule, the polyester canvas fabric of a grow tent is highly waterproof regardless of the denier thickness.
A lot of growers doesn’t understand what a denier is or what does it mean for a fabric to be made from 2000D canvas?
Technically, denier is the total weight of the fabric per 9000m. In 300D canvas, the weight of the fabric per 9000m is 300 grams. On the other hand, 2000D canvas has a weight of 2000 grams per 9000m of fabric.
To conclude, both 2000D polyester canvas and 300D polyester canvas are not permeable to water. However, 2000D polyester canvas does withstand a higher amount of tear strength than it’s thinner alternative, 300D polyester Canvas.
Grow Tent Waterproof Floor Tray
Some growers do skip getting a waterproof floor tray for their grow tent which is completely wrong. A lot of inconveniences happen when you are running a grow tent, especially when you are placing it inside your house.
If you are growing in a hydroponics system, all it needs is a loose clamp in the water lines and you are left with water leaking outside the grow tent and all over the place.
Moreover, excess water that is accumulated daily in your plant saucer could also result in leakage.
A waterproof grow tent doesn’t eliminate the need for a waterproof floor tray. It is still required to install a floor tray to make a grow tent fully waterproof.
