Canvas and Cotton Tents

What a canvas or cotton tent is

Canvas is a heavy woven fabric, made of cotton or, more often now, a blend of polyester and cotton called polycotton or TC. One hot tent here is "65% polyester, 35% cotton". The cotton breathes, so a canvas tent stays cooler in sun, warmer at night and much less damp inside than a coated synthetic tent. The price of that is weight: canvas tents are heavy and slow to dry. This range also holds tents padded with thickened cotton for winter fishing.

The kinds in this range

• Bell tents are round canvas tents on one centre pole. The large family bell tent here is 400 by 400cm, 240cm high and 20kg. See bell tents.
• Polycotton hot tents, such as the OneTigris CONIFER and Northgaze TC, are fire-retardant and take a stove. See hot tents with a stove jack.
• Roof tents and awnings in 280g polycotton canvas, and an inflatable caravan porch awning in cotton canvas. See roof tents.
• Cotton-padded winter tents for ice fishing, one of them five layers of cotton and Oxford cloth weighing about 13kg. See ice fishing tents.

The first soaking: weathering a canvas tent

A new canvas or polycotton tent can let a little water through at the seams. The needle leaves small holes, and the cotton thread and fabric only swell to close them once they have been wet. So before the first trip, pitch it in the garden, wet it thoroughly with rain or a hose, and let it dry, two or three times if it still seeps. After that it should be watertight. Inside, avoid pressing on the walls when they are wet, because a touch can draw water through.

Drying canvas before it is packed

Canvas that is packed away damp grows mould and mildew, and over time the cotton rots. If it comes down wet, put it up again at home, or hang it, until it is dry right through, seams and all. Some tents here are sold as mould-resistant, which helps, but drying it is still what keeps it.

What the waterproof rating means on a canvas tent

The rating in millimetres, the hydrostatic head, is the height of a column of water the fabric holds back before it leaks, tested to BS EN ISO 811. About 1,000mm is the lowest rating usually called waterproof, most lightweight flysheets are 1,500mm to 3,000mm, and more is worth having for long wet trips or a canvas tent left up for days. The groundsheet is often rated higher, because you kneel and lie on it. One cotton canvas bell tent here gives a PU5000 rating. Taped seams matter as much as the number. Shop by rating: to 2,000mm, to 3,000mm and 5,000mm and over.

Questions people ask about canvas and cotton tents

Is a canvas tent waterproof?

Yes, once it has been weathered. Many here also give a coating rating, such as PU3000mm+ on a polycotton roof tent.

Can I use a stove in a canvas tent?

Only a hot tent with a stove jack and a stove made for it, with a carbon monoxide alarm. Never a barbecue or a stove without a flue.

How long does delivery take?

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when that tent usually arrives, so check it before ordering for a set date.

More to look at

• Bell tents
• Glamping bell tents
• Hot tents with a stove jack
• Oxford fabric tents
• Polyester tents
• Roof tents
• Guide: Tent fabrics: polyester, nylon, Oxford and canvas
• Guide: Bell tents and glamping