Packing up canvas tents in the rain?
Submitted: Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 11:15
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OK I have a fairly simple question... I've been thinking of getting a canvas tent because I am frankly sick of flimsy nylon dome tents, I remember we used to have proper canvas cabin tents when I was in scouts and they were awesome...
But everything I've read says that you cant pack them up wet... now to me this is just plain ridiculous, you can't control the weather and sooner or later youre likely going to have to pack up in the rain...? So how does this affect the tent? What do you do about in a situation like this?
Thanks
Reply By: Tenpounder - Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 11:43
Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 11:43
Hi there. I reckon, if push comes to shove, a nylon tent would get pretty ripe if stored wet anyway. The instructions for our new Coleman dome really emphasise the need to dry it before packing away, so I suspect there's not a lot of difference ultimately.
But, like others have said, you can pack a canvas tent away wet as long as you dry it out fairly soon after. This means it is important to buy a canvas tent that can be put up quickly and easily.
Our big tent is a standard canvas centre pole tourer, and you can forget about guys and all but the four corner pegs, and just erect the tent over lunch or something the next day.
I remember once putting ours up on the side of the road outside
Launceston Tas, and getting a few strange looks as we waited for our tent to dry - all of ten minutes or so - before we joined the ferry back to the mainland that night.
We don't get rain in SA anyway, of course, so it's not often a problem. But the good features of a 'real tent' make it
well worth it.
Mind you, a good canvas tent isn't cheap, but enjoy!!
Chris (SA)
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Reply By: Seakarvan - Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 16:55
Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 16:55
Well, I guess the former replies has covered your question, however, we have Macpac and an old Fairydown above snowline tents and yes nylon works. With your scouting experiences, move on, canvas is ok but needs care.
I would suggest your fell victim of the cheap tent syndrome. Don't get me wrong mate we all have at certain times in our lives. A workable solution is to by an 'El Cheapo' tent and organise a tarp, poles etc set up in a Vee shape that keeps air space between the tent.
Happy camping
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Reply By: Motherhen - Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 18:37
Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 18:37
When i was involved with girl guide camps, the boy scouts had modern easy to erect nylon tents, but guide policy dictated that we stick to the big old fashioned canvas tents, long tent poles and all. We had to get one of the Dads to bring them out on a trailer. Once we had a wet weekend, and we had the tents hanging up in my
shearing shed for over a week until the weather fined up enough to dry them for folding away. Next winter
camp we did the un-guide like camping of going to forestry department cottages - so easy.
I'm sure nylon would dry much quicker, as
well as be smaller and lighter to 'hang out to dry'.
Motherhen
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Reply By: howie - Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 23:35
Monday, Feb 23, 2009 at 23:35
last winter i spent 7 weeks on a trip, moving every day except about 6 days.
had to pack up 1 hr before daylight, tent was soaking with heavy dew & ice nearly every morning.
had to try and get it up for last hour of daylight to try and dry it for that night and it spent all day soaked in its bag.
never got musty once. (pleasantly surprised)
end of trip it got a good hosing, in and out, and about 2 days drying.
if i get
home with a wet tent and its still raining, it still goes up in the yard in the rain until its dry.
the answer is yes, you can pack a tent up wet, it's unavoidable.
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