Canvas tents can be a great choice for car camping with the family. Canvas tents are sturdy and durable, and the thick canvas walls offer superior protection from the elements. Yurts or bell tents such as the Avalon Canvas Bell Tent feature luxuries such as 360-degree windows and a stove jack for all-season camping. These tents are as luxurious as they are rustic, for a perfect “glamping” experience.
A canvas tent can be a significant investment, costing anywhere from $250 to $1,500. But when properly cared for, a canvas tent should last 20 years or more. Let’s look at how you can be sure to get years of enjoyment out of your canvas tent.
Proper Care Begins At the Campsite
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. These guidelines will protect your tent from the usual dirt and water borne hazards.
Place a Tarp Under Your Canvas Tent
Before you embark on your first adventure you should select a ground tarp to put under your tent. A ground tarp separates your tent from the ground. Even tents with reinforced floors should have a ground tarp to keep the bottom of the tent from getting wet or dirty. Any polyethylene tarp will do, although finding the right size tarp or tarps can be a challenge.
The ground tarp should be about the same size as the floor of the tent. But tarps are not often sold in the same size or shape as tents. It may take some creative folding and buying multiple tarps to get just the right size.
If rain is expected, the tarp should be folded under the floor of the tent so that the area of the tarp is just slightly smaller than the floor of the tent. The tarp should not extend beyond the floor of the tent if rain is expected because rain will collect on the exposed part of the tarp and pool under the tent.
If no rain is expected it is ok for the tarp to extend beyond the end of the edge of the tent. Extending the tarp beyond the edge of the tent in front of the door makes a nice place to store shoes without tracking dirt and mud into the tent.
If the canvas tent is pitched on top of a wooden platform that is even better for protecting the bottom of the tent. In that case, a ground tarp is not necessary.
Choose A Good Location For Your Canvas Tent
Before you start setting up your tent, think about location, location, location. By avoiding hazards you can help maintain your tent. Gravel tent pads or wooden tent platforms are offered at many campsites. These foundations are great for canvas tents, but watch out for hazards such as a loose nail head that could tear through the floor of your tent.
If you are setting up your tent on the ground be sure to take your time choosing a location that is flat and free of uncomfortable bumps such as large rocks or tree roots. It is well worth taking a careful look at the tent site and even considering alternate sites. Too often campers have rushed to set up a tent, then spent an uncomfortable night sleeping on a rock stuck in the ground.
Be mindful of hazards from trees as well. Campers venture into the wilderness to sleep among the trees, but trees present a few hazards to tents. Trees can drip sap, and sap can be difficult to remove from tents, potentially leaving permanent stains. Coniferous trees (like pine trees) are notorious for dripping sap. Check nearby trees with overhead branches for signs of dripping sap on the trunk, and keep your tent clear of these trees.
Falling tree branches can tear a tent or injure campers. Campers should be particularly mindful of this risk if storms or high winds are expected. Always check for dead tree limbs or “widowmaker” trees that have died but have not yet fallen. These are not only a hazard to tents, tragically campers are injured or killed every year by falling trees.
Set Up Your Tent With Care
After selecting the site and laying the ground cloth, setting up the frame is the next step for most canvas tents. Follow the directions carefully if the frame is a kit included with the tent. If your tent requires you to build your frame, take extra care to avoid sharp protrusions such as screws, nails, brackets, or small tree branches if you are using lodge poles (small tree trunks lashed together to make a tent frame).
Take care when placing the tent over the frame. Large canvas tents can become heavy and bunchy when lifting the material over the tent frame. Use a step ladder and at least two people to avoid tearing the tent while securing it to the frame.
Use Good Tent Stakes
Staking the tent to the ground is important to protect the tent. Stakes help the tent to maintain a taut shape, which is important so that rain runs off the shape of the tent as designed. Metal tent stakes, such as the Eurmax Galvanized Stakes, are recommended for their strength and durability. Galvanized metal stakes will not rust and are likely not to bend. Plastic stakes are not recommended because they easily break when they are hammered into underground rocks or tree roots.
Longer stakes are recommended for long term set-ups or when severe wind is expected. Rebar can be bought at most hardware stores and cut into two-foot lengths to use as stakes for long-term canvas tent setups.
With these precautions in place, a canvas tent should weather the storm and survive any camping trip.
Store Your Tent Properly After the Trip
Most trips will end by packing the tent and associated camping gear in the car and returning home. Preparing the tent for storage is the most important step when caring for your tent.
Clean Your Tent To Prevent Mold
If dirt and moisture are on the tent in storage mildew will likely take hold on your tent.
Mold is a fungus that requires moisture to grow. It consumes organic material, including the canvas in your tent. Mold is smelly, potentially hazardous to the health of campers with respiratory issues, and it can destroy a canvas tent.
The moisture needed for mold to grow is present in any humid air or tent that is wet from the rain, and the entire canvas tent is organic material that can feed mold. There are repair techniques that can treat mold damage to prevent it from spreading, but the best plan is to take proper care to prevent this omnipresent and destructive hazard.
Prevention starts with cleaning and drying the tent before storage. If the tent is dusty or sandy then use a broom, vacuum, or high-pressure air from an air compressor to clean the tent.
If the tent has become dirty with caked-on mud then it should be washed with some mix of water and scrubbing. Use caution when cleaning your tent in this manner and be sure to consult the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning. If you are using any soap or detergent in this process it must be compatible with any waterproofing treatments the manufacturer has used to protect the tent. If in doubt, light scrubbing with a soft brush and water should be sufficient.
Thoroughly Dry Your Tent
Once the tent is clean then it can be dried. If the tent never got wet this step can be skipped, but most camping trips involve moisture either from rain, dew, moisture in the ground, or condensation from people breathing inside the tent.
Smaller tents can be pitched on a dry driveway or in a garage at home. Larger tents may not be practical to set up at home over their actual frame, so they can be dried by hanging them to dry in a garage, basement, or shed.
Canvas tents should be stored loosely packed in a dry and breathable storage container. Many canvas tents include a canvas storage bag that is ideal for storing your canvas tent. If a bag is not provided by the manufacturer, a large duffel bag or storage trunk make excellent storage for canvas tents.
In humid climates storing the tent in an air conditioning is best, but desiccants can be used to remove humidity from the air.
It may seem like canvas tents require significant care, but these are just basic cleaning procedures for any outdoor gear. If the camping trip is dry, experienced campers could perform all of the above procedures at the campsite and pack the tent away for storage into a canvas bag or trunk in your vehicle at the campsite.
Repairing Your Canvas Tent
Despite the best care, canvas tents may require repair after normal wear and tear. Repair is actually where canvas tents shine because canvas tents are made of thick, resilient material it is practical to make lasting repairs to almost any damage.
Repairing Mold Damage
Mold damage is the worst-case scenario for canvas tents. If mold prevention has failed and mold has taken hold, it can spread and destroy the canvas. Fortunately, once mold has formed on a tent it can be removed before it eats through the canvas.
Manufacturer recommendations should be consulted before removing mold in case the tent is treated with products that require specific mold abatement procedures. The most common method for removing mold is to spray the affected area with distilled white vinegar. At this point, the manufacturer may recommend further cleaning and re-waterproofing with a product such as Kiwi Camp Dry.
Repairing Torn Fabric
Any tear in a canvas tent can be repaired with a repair kit that includes an adhesive patch and thread. If the tear is in the middle of the fabric, far from a seam, the tent will permanently bear a scar from the stitching. However, a good patch job will give your tent a unique weathered look. The Montana Canvas Wall Tent Repair Kit is a universal product suitable for any canvas tent.
If you are uncomfortable stitching, commercial upholstery shops such as those that service boats and RVs will easily be able to make professional repairs. Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and seal the patch with a waterproofing with a product such as Kiwi Camp Dry.
Broken Zippers
Zippers are very important to tent campers. They keep the bugs out and let the campers into their outdoor shelter. Good quality zippers are an important part of a quality tent. Zippers should be quiet, zip secure, with reinforced fabric, and not be prone to jamming or slipping. Tents typically have very long zippers, so a poor quality zipper will likely fail and cause campers serious inconvenience.
If your zipper no longer zips, unzips, falls off the track, or gets stuck it is best to try to repair the zipper. A pair of needle nose pliers, strong fingers, and patience will fix most failed zippers.
If the zipper fails repeatedly or cannot be fixed, then it is time to replace the zipper. Replacing a tent zipper can be a difficult job without a sewing machine that is strong enough to stitch through canvas. You should consult the manufacturer about finding a replacement zipper, but if the original zipper from the manufacturer failed, you may wish to replace it with a higher quality zipper.
The best way to replace the zipper may be to call an upholstery repair shop such as a shop that specializes in boat upholstery. They will have the experience and tools necessary to easily replace your tent’s zipper. If you take on this job by hand with a needle and thread be prepared to have some very tired fingers when it is done.
None of the tasks required to care for or repair a canvas tent are difficult. Cleaning, drying, storing, stitching, and scrubbing are basic steps required to care for any piece of equipment. A well-cared-for canvas tent should be expected to last 20-40 years. While maintaining canvas tents requires some work, the fact that they are so malleable and can be fixed so easily is why canvas tents last so long.