Picking out a tent is tough....

[Joyous56]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

I'd love to hear from anyone about how a canvas tent makes sense anymore. I grew up sleeping in canvas tents for family camping; they had a sidewall of about 24 inches, and head room of about 54 inches. Heavy, hard to set up, easily soaked, no rainfly, so you had to be SO careful not to touch the sides or roof in a downpour. I suppose canvas tents have changed in the last....ahem...40-45 years, but I'm so happy with the goretex tents that provide the same protection and cover, without so much weight, and they dry easily.

Of course, those old, heavy canvas tents contributed to my experience of camping, which I take with me to this day. I've always wanted to duplicate that....maybe without the heavy tents that took 45 minutes to take down, fold up, and find room for. But I long for the same campfire experiences, the same food that tasted so much better than at home, the same sounds of the woods, the same hot breakfasts that were so much appreciated, which we never had at home.

Sorry for the nostalgia....I'd still like to hear that canvas tents have advantages over the light weight ones.

[matee5]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

For me the canvas equation is all about durability. I have three kids; 7,5,3. The couple of trips we did with a friends nylon tent we destroyed a lot of bits just through the fact the kids arent careful enough with things or they are just not designed for kids. The biggest problem we had was the zip flap, which got stuck in the zip pull about every half hour and tore three times in three trips. I became very good at patching. Now this is small I know but indicative.

On the other hand I have just spent close to three weeks touring around the NE in our new Kodiak Canvas Cabin tent. Not a single breakage nor stuck zipper.

Weight- Yes you are not going backpacking with the 100lb of tent that is our new one. But I wasnt about to take the equivalent nylon one either. Most of the additional weight is in the steel poles. I was vindicated in our third campsite when I spent two hours with a family who were trying to set up their nylon / fibreglass tent after their poles had broken in the wind. After a couple of makeshift fixes we got it up and working. On my return to our site my wife had a big smile on her face and said "I love our tent"!!!

Waterproof- Again three kids and two adults sleeping in a 12x9 floor space, with enough gear for three weeks. We had four days of solid rain during our first week and not a drop came in. The new canvas's are able to be touched without leaking, I regularly looked at bulges from the outside where a bag or bed was up against the wall and didnt worry about it at all. Other than Bivvy bags I dont know of any GORETEX tents and I would suggest they would be considerably more expensive.

Size- As I said 12x9 floor space and near vertical walls so all usable space. The peak is about 7'6" and the side walls are about 6'. At 6'1" I had no problems walking around inside the whole tent. With the awning and walls in place the tent nearly doubles in size to basically be 17x10. Very versatile design allows a number of options for pitching.

Because of the awning and the side window design we could actually have our windows open in the rain which was great for airflow.

Canvas breaths really well and so the tents are quite cool despite some of the 90+ heat we experienced.

The best reason for my canvas decision is all those childhood memories that you mentioned came flooding back the minute I opened it out. To see my kids experiencing the great outdoors as I spent much of my youth just made me the happiest dad in the world. Oh yeh and after three pitches and drops I can get it down by myself in under 30min. Set-up is similar.

Not trying to convert you but just wanted allay some of your fears from the old days. I will leave my nylon for the backpack from now on. The funny thing is I have the extremes. A Tarptent which which comes in close to one pound and the Kodiak at +100. I love em both!!!

[Joyous56]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

I'm glad you responded. It seems the new canvas tents are better designed than the ones from, ahem, a few years ago. I'm glad yours are working well for you. I wonder where our two family canvas tents are now....but I can't even think about it.

As an almost senior woman, I could not tote around or set up a canvas tent, so the newer ones, which are much lighter, work for me.

I'm actually embarking soon on a camping trip after about 10 years, and I've still got my Timberline 2 from 1984, which I can set up in about 5-10 minutes. If I had to set up a canvas tent, I'd quit right there!

I guess it's all about what works best for each of us. Tents seem to be very personal; there are so many choices out there.

Thanks again.

[Coopersnest]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

If you will go to the Springbar Facebook page it will convince you of the canvas 4-season tents. Kodiak Facebook does not seem to be as updated on their site yet (or I could not find it) but it as good from the reviews that I have read . Hope this helps.

[05Kingquad700]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

Spring bar does have a lot more options for their tents than Kodiak. I have a 10x14 Kodiak Canvas bow flex (Deluxe Model) and they have now started selling a footprint for it and a vestibule as well. I am gonna order the foot print tarp tonight. The new Kodiak Canvas tent's are not your old canvas tents. My bow flex sets up very easily, in about 15 minutes. I don't think it is very heavy, as the canvas tent and poles are in different bags. I like the fact that they will hold in heat in cooler weather as well. I run a Mr Buddy heater in mine when needed, and I have had my family camping down into the upper 30's. As far as strong winds, bring them on. We were Camping on Memorial Day weekend with 50 mph plus gusts and my tent was fine. It was moving, but not enough for me to worry about the safety of my family. It is more expensive, but if I can get 20 years out of it, then it will be money well spent. It would be nice for my 5 year old daughter to be able to camp in it when she is grown. It is well into its second season and now my wife loves camping. What I like to hear is the comments from people who walk by. I heard one lady tell her husband she wanted one.
It comes down to personal preference. Some like small tents, some like bigger ones. Watching the setup video reminded me that on our last outing, my wife set her alarm for sunrise. She got up, unzipped the two large windows, and we watched the sunrise over the lake. While laying in our sleeping bag. It was cool, special type of moment.
Here are some videos that will help you understand the Kodiak Canvas advantage. Let me know what you think
10x10 Kodiak Canvas setup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gprMzIoG4bU
Spring bar tent in high winds. Same design as Kodiak, different name/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0bZoGm9Is

[Checkered24]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

I love the idea of a kodiak tent, and if I was sure I was going to stick with tent camping indefinately I would likely invest in one. (I may go back to pop up trailer camping at some point).

I just wish the Kodiak's had at least a 2 "room" tent. My daughter (3) loves the idea of having her own "room." She also needs it, if she is not closed off from other people, she is too distracted and won't fall asleep. In a few years, she will likely graduate to her own small tent anyway. The new Kodiak's are beautiful looking tents! (Holding in heat better would be a HUGE plus for me, for early and late season camping!

[renodesertfox]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

Here's a pic of our Kodiak 9x12 Cabin Wall tent! Best tent we have ever owned.

[tplife]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

If you buy a quality canvas tent like the Kodiak mentioned above, you won't be disappointed. There have ALWAYS been quality canvas tents available, but there is a price to quality. They require a bit more care than a POLYESTER/NYLON tent does, but given that they will be a fine choice. If you buy a QUALITY polyester/nylon tent, unlike the ridiculous experiences above (junk in=junk out), you will also have a quality tent, but with half the weight. If weight is not an issue, a canvas tent will fit the bill. I set up and take down our gear, and having half the weight allows me to take twice as many tents - I like the sound of that! That said, anything larger than a 10X10 tent is overkill and a waste of time - not to mention having to compromise on the "best" setup spot in the average campsite. And I do have tents circa 1987 still in use, lifetime warranties on the 2nd set of screens and yep, after 20 years one of my corner section of a fiberglas Sierra Design tent pole did crack (but not explode like most fiberglass junk poles) and was immediately replaced at no cost by the manufacturer. As in all things, you get what you pay for. Don't let your need for lightweight (or desire for nostalgia) be decided by those who don't understand quality, or let personal preferences cloud their vision (not that it ever happenned to me, haha!).

[matee5]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

Nice looking site RDF. Where abouts is it.

[renodesertfox]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 20 miles north of Truckee, CA. Thanks for asking!

[sarahspins]

Re: Picking out a tent is tough....

Hello,

I am very interested in learning more about the Kelty Parthenon 8. I see that there are some reviews around the internet but I can't find any user pictures other than yours. My wife and I have 4 kids (8, 6, 4 and 1) and I want a tent that is much bigger than the old coleman we have. Would this tent but adequate size for a family of 6? Have you had it out in the rain?

Sorry I never came back to answer this sooner, but it would be plenty big for a family of 6 and despite spending 16 nights in it this past summer, we never encountered any major rainfall - just a few light showers while we were away from camp, and as far as I can tell nothing got in the tent.

I'm actually convinced it's a little too big for our family of 5.. I'm considering something a little smaller for next season.