Canvas tent after-care is ruining the experience


ehartunian

ehartunian

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Hi All-So I have a Kodiak 9x9 canvas tent. It is a taj ma hal for one person, and pretty grand for two on cots. Here's the thing- one, it is huge. I have a suburban and this tent takes up a large amount of cargo space. Two, to prevent mildew/mold, after each outing I have to put it up or at least spread it out in the basement to ensure it is dry. The last 2-3 outings, I have just preferred the simplicity of a REI nylon tent. Light, small, and easy. I still have to lay it out to dry, but that takes hours, not days. Also, it is pretty easy to layout a nylon tent- vs 70+lbs of wet canvas. Am I alone here?
 
I have limited experience, having only had my 10x14 springbar out once, and it came home a bit damp, but not even remotely soaked.

In my case, the 80-ish pounds of canvas (dry) isn't much fun to deal with. It got hung up in the garage and draped over a couple sawhorses to try to allow more air in/around. A box fan pointed at the tent and a dehumidifier in the garage dried it out in 24 hours, probably a lot sooner, but I was busy with other post-camping chores and didn't get back out to check on it. The dehumidifier I think is the key. If you can pull the water out of the air, the air can pull more water out of the tent.

While waiting for their "storm fly" to come in, I picked up a 14x20 polyester tarp from amazon (not the cheap hardware store kind, the other inexpensive kind that doesn't suffer from stretching-when-wet like nylon does) with the idea that if I can keep the canvas tent to merely "damp", it's worth the effort of putting up.


But yes, the whole process has rather turned it into a "use it if I'll be in one spot for a week" type deal. It's a great tent. But it is a lot of work.

If I'm just going out for a few days, I'm much more likely to take a synthetic tent. If I'm just going out for an overnight or a weekend, I'm almost more likely to just take a tarp to relax/cook under, and sleep in the SUV, especially if there's going to be rain the night before I leave. It's even easier to dry out just a tarp than it is to dry out even a small synthetic tent (and tarp).
 
I know there is a home hack spray you can make and I may have read it here somewhere.
If memory serves it was a silicone + lacquer? I would research it. It only leaves odor for short time.
Pretty much makes canvas bulletproof against mold mildew. Good luck.
 
ehartunian said:
I do like to stand up in a tent to get dressed...
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Same here. I also really like to have room for a cot.

My "go to" for most weather is a relatively inexpensive coleman "instant" 6-person tent when I'm within dolly/wagon distance of the car, with a tarp providing an "real" rain fly and awning instead of the little "hat" that coleman calls a rain fly. It can easily fit my XL cot, a camp chair, a tote holding my clothes/personal gear and serving as a night-stand to catch my glasses and all the pocket-clutter at the end of the day, and still have lots of room for me to stand up and move around. It did need a can of the 3m "outdoor" scotchguard (ie, spray-on silicone coating) to waterproof seams -- the 3m spray can was faster/easier than various brush-on seam-sealers out there (gear aid, etc) and works just as well, but I've been really happy with it. I can unfold it and it'll stand up in the garage only about half set up, which makes it easy to dry.

I just don't like the combination of a synthetic tent and a wood stove, no matter how popular and neat the pomoly/onetigris/etc hottents might be. I wanted a canvas tent for winter, but even then I just don't want to take it if I know it's going to rain a lot.

Prairie Walker said:
I know there is a home hack spray you can make and I may have read it here somewhere.
If memory serves it was a silicone + lacquer? I would research it. It only leaves odor for short time.
Pretty much makes canvas bulletproof against mold mildew. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Silicone and spirits, generally ends up being a "brush on" application. It's basically a thicker, more durable version of 3m's outdoor scotchguard. It's great for waterproofing a tarp, but it removes breathability, which is one of the big reasons for using a canvas tent in the first place.
 
ehartunian said:
Exactly- I guess I'm getting to the point where the answer is no.
Though, I do like to stand up in a tent to get dressed...
Click to expand...
I can stand up in a silnylon titanium goat tipi 7.5' no problem. Basically 6 man or larger..they are fairly light and set up is not really an issue in 6-8 man size.
 
I know the attraction of a traditional canvas tent....it feels like "proper" old-school camping. Plenty of room for two stretcher beds/cots, and my wife likes to put rugs on the floor and bedside tables with flowers and soft lighting...very nice, when you're there for a week.

But last time it rained, and my tent spent a week standing in the driveway trying to dry off. And the thing weighs 35kg, or many, many pounds.

We've taken to putting the two stretcher beds under a gazebo......not much privacy, but we camp remote anyway, and the gazebo doubles as undercover kitchen and living room.
 
It's a labor of love.....I own a 10x10, 12x12 & 14x14 Diamond Flys, 10x10, 12x12, 16x16 pyramids, 12x16 wall tent, and a 14x16 enclosed awning.......I know I have a canvas addiction......but also my best friend makes and sells canvas tents, so he enables me! My most used set up being the 12x12 pyramid and the awning. It is a pain in the butt to drag home wet canvas, but I have installed a hoist and tie out points in my garage to aid in the drying out process. And I also always put my big shop fan under the canvas to move air.

But here is the thing, the 12x12 pyramid tent is 20 years old.....and still just as strong and water tight as the day I bought it. I have ruined nylon tents A LOT faster.....

I will continue to use Canvas......and while its a pain to deal with, I still love it.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I think this validates all of the mixed feelings I have about this tent. Good to know I’m not alone!
 
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