Canvas Tent

Types of Canvas Tents

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What kind of canvas tent do I want?

Camping in a Canvas tent (also called wall tents, hunting tents or outfitter tents) is a great outdoor experience and feels more like camping in a cabin than in a tent.

If you have come to the decision of or are interested in buying a canvas tent then you might want to look into what type of canvas tent you need. There are many shapes and sizes from your small pup tents to the heavy duty military canvas tents used by the armed forces.

Canvas Material

Originally canvas tents were made out of hemp. Today most canvas is made out of cotton but can also be made out of nylon or polyester. Read Why a canvas tent for more information on the different types of canvas. Either way canvas is long lasting and durable and is a great purchase for the outdoor adventurer.

Canvas Tent Features

The different features of your canvas tent also makes a large difference in how comfortable it will be. Pay attention to if your tent has more than 1 door, air vents, clothes hangers and other amenities. You might also be interested in a stove jack, sod cloth, ridge pole sleeves, windows, screen doors, a storm flap, awnings or a porch. Also make sure that your canvas tent has a strong and long lasting door zipper!

White color of the tent also helps with the lighting, reflecting the light from your lantern.

Weight

Canvas tents are much heavier than a normal backpackers or camping tent and range from 60-150 pounds. If going into the wilderness you will need a horse or and ATV to transport this out there.

Though a little practice is needed canvas tents are easy to set up.

Trek Canvas Tents!

One of the most popular canvas tent manufacturers is Trek. They have many different models of canvas tents from canvas wall tents, 1 pole tents, rectangle and square canvas tents and a canvas screen home.

Investigate

Choosing the proper canvas tent requires some investigation. Use the Internet to further your knowledge about tents before rushing into a purchase. Some tent manufacturers will even customly build a tent for you unique needs!

Why a canvas tent?

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A canvas tent has many beneficial qualities as well as inconveniences. In marketing terminology, the canvas tent is a product for a specific target audience. More specifically, a certain type of camper, traveler, or tent advocate would appreciate using a canvas tent while other types would prefer to use a different fabric for their tents.

Different Types of Fabrics

There are three types of tents: the canvas tent, nylon tent, and polyester tent.

Canvas is a thickly woven fabric made of either linen, hemp, or (most commonly) cotton. It is used for a wide range of purposes from sails to tents to even paintings.

Nylon is a collection of poly-amides that, when molted into fibers, create tough, elastic, strong fabrics from a ball of yarn to tent exteriors to bristles on a brush.

Polyester is made from polyhydric alcohol that has been polymerized with a poly-basic acid to form textures ranging from resins to plastics to textile fibers that can be used as tent material.

Canvas Tents vs. Other Tents

The canvas tent differs from the polyester and nylon tent in that it is a much heavier and larger tent to travel with.Your average hiker or campers with a two door car filled with people and animals would probably not choose to lug a canvas tent with them on their adventures because it is too large to pack and is too heavy to lug on a long journey up a mountain or through a forest.

For these light packers and on-the-go travelers a lightweight nylon tent would be economically beneficial. On the other hand, a family traveling with enough room for a canvas tent in their SUV or mini van would be satisfied using it on an average camping trip.Contrasting its bulk and weight a canvas tent could last longer than a polyester or nylon tent because of its durability.

A standard canvas tent is often slightly more pricey than a nylon or polyester tent because of the long term imperishability. Canvas tents last longer than nylon or polyester because the thick fabric can withstand the hardships of a camping excursion such as tears or punctures, yet the polyester tent is able to withstand extended exposure to the sun.

Unfortunately, like all superior things, the “Achilles Heal” or “Kryptonite” of a canvas tent is packing it with moisture. If the canvas is not dried before it is packed away, the moisture will destroy the fabric of the tent.

Canvas Tent Features

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What to look for in a canvas tent

There are a few features to keep in mind while looking for your canvas tent. What is it that you should look for? The following checklist is something to keep in mind while looking for your perfect tent.

Canvas Floor?

Should you look for a canvas tent with a floor? Our answer would be no. Canvas floors are a huge minus when setting up your tent outdoors. A floor will hold liquids and food spillage as well as all of the mud you WILL track in. We suggest bringing extra industrial ground sheets or blankets to put on the ground if you want something to lay on.

Ties, Mesh Bags and Close Lines

Your canvas tent should have strategically placed close-lines to dry out your camping gear such as your boots, jackets and sleeping bags. We look for canvas tents that are equipped with a close-line up near the roof where you can hang your jackets and sleeping bags while also having a close line near the stove to dry out your damp boot liners and mitts.

You should also look for a tent with a good amount of ties on the roof where you might want to hang a light of some sort as well as hanging gear.

Also look for a canvas tent that has mesh bags where you can also hold and stash small gear items.

Vents

If your canvas tent does not include vents then you should add them. This makes a huge different in the comfortability of your tent and can effect air flow, humidity and temperature. Air flow also helps dry your wet gear and can reduce the amount of smoke caused by your stove.