Canvas Tent Guide

Letting you know everything about canvas tents

Waterproofing Your Canvas Tent

Published September 16th, 2009 in Maintenance | 4 Comments »

Canvas tents can be expensive items amongst all your camping gear, so it makes sense to take proper care of them so they will last you over several future camping excursions. When you are staying outdoors, your canvas tent is obviously going to be exposed to the elements, which will the major contributor to wearing it down. I’m going to discuss the importance of keeping your canvas wall tent dry then look at some ways you can waterproof the material. By the end of this post, you’ll be able to take proper action to protecting your tent.

Canvas Tent with Fly

Why would a canvas tent need waterproofing? Well, we all know that any fabric can be damaged from extended exposure to the various harsh conditions of the outdoors such as the rain and sun. However, for a canvas tent, because it is made from natural fibers, cotton, it has a risk of mildew forming on its surface when wet. Of course this won’t happen instantly. What I’m saying is that if the material remains wet over a period of time, then mildew will form. Mildew is a particular type of mold which grows when there is a high level of moisture. Once this happens, your tent will look and smell very off.

Before I go through the waterproofing method, there is something simple you can do to reduce the likelihood of mildew growth. Every time after usage, you should ensure that your canvas tent is properly dry before storing it away for your next camping trip. Definitely do not store it while it is still even damp. The storage place should be cool and dry.

There are a few ways to waterproof canvas tents, each with varying degrees of effectiveness. In order to apply any of the methods, you’ll need to have sufficient surface area on which to lay out your tent. It should also be a level surface. If your tent is large, then you can place it out on a deck in your backyard.

A natural way is to use blocks of wax. Once you have smoothed the material out, you simply rub the wax onto the surface. This builds a coating that has enough thickness to prevent water penetrating through. In order to reach the more difficult corners of the tent, you’ll need to shave bits of the wax and push them into the corners.

A second way is to use spray which you can purchase from either specialist camping stores or even some large department stores. These sprays contain silicone which prevents absorption of water. Ensure that you use gloves before handling the sprays. Also do the spraying in an area that has good ventilation but at the same time not windy.

Canvas Tent Repairs

Published September 16th, 2009 in Maintenance | No Comments »

Sometimes when you’re on your camping trip, accidents can happen and you end up somehow damaging your canvas tent, maybe while you’re setting up or packing and storing the tent away. In these situations, you would want to be armed with some useful tips that can help. I’ll start of with focusing on repairing damages the canvas material itself, then onto other major components including the tent frame and zippers. I’ll close off with some things you can do in terms of properly maintaining your canvas tent so that it’ll last longer. This piece of camping gear is a big investment so knowing what to do if you need to prolong its life would be important.

I want firstly point out that the need to repair the canvas itself depends on how it was damaged. If it is because the cloth material is just worn over time, you are better off replacing your canvas camping tent. The biggest reason behind this is because simply patching the area that is showing damage would end up shifting the tension to the surrounding areas. This means that the other areas of the canvas would now be under strain and since the entire cloth is weak anyway, this would likely lead to another failure down the line. Repeated failures and repeated repairs equals to being more costly.

However if the damage is due to a cause that has been imposed on the tent, then this may justify a repair. An example is if a tent pole accidentally poked through the material. There is a “but” here – if the damage is too severe such as a large tear, the remaining material may not be enough to take on the stress even after a patch. In such case, again, you’ll need a new canvas tent.

Ok, assuming the size of the tear is worth repairing, you can either choose to sew or glue a patch of canvas on the damaged area. In both cases, you’ll need a new rectangular piece of canvas to be overlapping the area by 2 inches on all four sides. Also, there needs to be a patch on both the outside and the inside of the tent. If you choose to sew on the patch, this alone may not be sufficient as water is likely to leak through. You can address this issue by applying a moisture repellent (e.g. Camp-Dry). This treatment process may need to be repeated regularly. If you choose to glue the patch on, you’ll need an adhesive that will remain on the tent in all weather conditions (e.g. heat and cold).

Whatever damages to your canvas tent that you encounter, remember to attend to it as quickly as possible. Bringing a repair kit with you all your trip would be a good idea. But as always, just note that prevention is better than repair. Take care of your tent and it will take care of you.