Ever try seam sealing with a hair dryer? I did that after a leaky tent disaster and it actually held up.

Oh man, that's the worst. Magnesium is a total game changer in the heat, it just doesn't hold the heat like steel does. I keep a beat up old one in my truck just for days like that. If it's really cooking, I'll even mist the pad a little with water to keep it cooler. Makes all the difference between a decent finish and a rough one.

Totally get that. I've been burned by that exact thing, buying a roll of this gorgeous metallic blue cloth that looked amazing online. Felt like stiff paper the second I touched it and cracked along the spine after like two opens. Now I do the crinkle test, I guess? I'll take a corner of the sample and just scrunch it in my fist for a bit to see if it bounces back or stays all creased. That teacher is so right, the hand memory is real.

Oh man, you'd be surprised how stuck those things get.

Remember my buddy's weird turbo lag? His cheap scanner said "boost issue," but the good one pinpointed a failing actuator.