Buying a canvas tent requires a lot of decision-making and planning. With countless choices of canvas tents on the market, the standard in quality and special features is vast. If you’re not careful or don’t know where to start, choosing a canvas tent can lead to disappointment and wasted money.

So, how can you be sure you’re about to purchase the best canvas tent? Here is a list of the top five mistakes to avoid when buying a canvas tent.

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Canvas Tent

Mistake #1: Overlooking Canvas Weight and Density

Not all canvas is made the same. While there are a lot of canvas tents available, many are not constructed with a rugged, heavy-duty canvas one truly needs to withstand the elements in all seasons. Overlooking the canvas weight and density of a canvas tent is one of the most common mistakes an outfitter or camper can make.

Lightweight canvas sounds tempting. It would make your canvas tent’s overall weight lighter and easier to carry and transport, after all. But don’t be fooled! A thicker canvas material has more benefits to be aware of. For starters, a thicker fabric makes it more resistant to wear and tear. Also, a denser canvas material offers far better protection against wind, rain, and snow, preventing leaks and other issues over time.

How dense do you need a canvas tent material to be? You should aim for 10 oz per square yard at a bare minimum. You can find brands like Beckel Canvas that offer hunting and outfitter canvas tents made of heavy-duty 10.1 oz. Sunforger® cotton canvas. However, Life inTents offers canvas tents and bell tents constructed of DoekTec™ canvas, the thickest you can find, weighing in at 11.5 ounces per square yard, or 390 GSM (grams per square meter).

So, always check the specific canvas weight before investing in a canvas tent. Life inTents can also send you a fabric sample. Just email or call, and we’ll ship you a canvas swatch to touch and see for yourself.

Mistake #2: Disregarding Seam Quality and Frame Construction

Another mistake folks make when considering a canvas tent is not inspecting the seam quality and frame construction. The canvas’s weight and density are two aspects, but looking for quality stitching and frame materials is another step in guaranteeing you’re buying a canvas tent that will last for years to come.

Seam Quality

When it comes to the canvas itself, look for features like double-stitched seams and reinforced corner gussets. These sturdy features ensure the canvas section is well constructed and can take on wear and tear brought on by the frame poles, strong winds, and more. The last thing you need in the wilderness is a canvas tent with a bad seam.

Frame Construction

Your canvas tent frame should be sturdy and offer plenty of support. Ideally, your tent’s frame should be metal, never plastic. Again, this is a heavy but necessary feature that many canvas tent purchasers think they can avoid in hopes of making their load lighter. But it’s highly unrecommended.

Instead, look for canvas tent frames made of durable galvanized steel. You can get away with aluminum poles in certain sections, such as less structural exterior poles, but as a whole, the main metal frame poles, door poles, and center pole should be heavy-duty steel.

The same goes for your canvas tent stakes. You need strong stakes to secure your canvas tent in strong winds and ensure it stays standing. Regular plastic ground stakes will not do. For a robust canvas tent, you need something powerful like rebar stakes to secure it in place and even possibly break-through rock beds and hard icy ground.

Mistake #3: Ignoring Canvas Treatments

Canvas weight and density are very important, but so are the added treatments. Some treatments help maintain the life of your tent, while others could even save your life. Let’s break down what kind of canvas treatments you should look for and why.

Water-Resistant Canvas Treatments

When seasoned properly, even an untreated canvas tent is water-resistant to a small degree. The canvas tent fibers will swell and tighten to create a somewhat water-resistant material, but it still might not be enough. If you plan on camping long-term or intend to use your tent in rainy climates (like the Pacific Northwest), avoid buying a canvas tent without a waterproof or water-resistant treatment.

Look for canvas tents treated in a silicone or paraffin-based waterproofing that still offers breathability. Life inTents' proprietary DoekTec ensures the water beads up and rolls off the canvas fabric, keeping you and your crew perfectly dry. Of course, reapplying the waterproofing treatment after some extended use is always a good idea. 

Mold and Mildew Resistant Canvas Treatment

One major reason you need a water-resistant canvas is to avoid mold and mildew. Anything left outside in the elements is prone to mold and mildew. However, it’s an extra prevention feature that many canvas tent buyers overlook, eventually leading to rotting fabric, tears, and even bad smells inside your space. Also, mold growth can be harmful and toxic.

Look for canvas tents made with mold-resistant treatments to discourage mold and mildew growth. Most quality canvas tents claim to be treated for mold resistance and waterproofing – but pay close attention to the facts! Make sure it has been tested under AATCC 30 antifungal protocol, and stay diligent! A canvas tent with a mold-resistant treatment still requires maintenance.

Flame Retardant Canvas Treatment

Last but not least is a flame retardant treatment. If you use a hot tent or canvas tent with a stove inside, set up near open-flame campfires, or simply camp in regions prone to wildfires, this should be a requirement! And yet, it’s often overlooked.

Always look for canvas tents treated with flame retardancy. Check to ensure it meets the CPAI-84 standards. The CPAI-84 is a testing method standard that means the canvas tent is flame resistant. All camping tent suppliers (canvas, nylon, or otherwise) must submit their tent materials to a third-party organization licensed to perform the required CPAI-84 flame retardancy testing. After meeting these standards, the tent supplier will receive an official certificate of approval. If there’s no approval, you may want to look for another canvas tent. 

Mistake #4: Choosing the Wrong Tent Size & Seasonality

There are various styles of canvas tents in a wide range of shapes, from small canvas teepees to spacious safari wall tents. And while it’s obvious that the larger your group is, the more space you’ll need, the less obvious is how to choose the appropriate square footage, shape, and seasonality.

Canvas Tent Sizes and Square Feet

Let’s talk about tent sizes. You must account for enough elbow room for everyone in your family or camping party. Conversely, you could mistakenly buy a canvas tent that’s too big. While it’s a nice thought to have a spacious tent all to yourself, don’t choose an oversized tent that is too cumbersome or complicated for one person to set up.

A good general rule is to account for 30-40 square feet per personif you plan to use it camping, plus a little more for gear and storage. (Of course, canvas tents have multiple uses, so that number could shift based on what you plan to use it for.)

Consider the canvas tent configuration and shape, too. A canvas tent roof’s slope and sidewalls might prohibit standing-room space. For example, a wall tent offers more headspace than a bell tent or pyramid tent. So consider that when choosing the right square feet and size. 

What does seasonality have to do with canvas tent size?

One major benefit of canvas tents is the ability to use a wood stove. However, the larger your tent interior, the harder that wood stove must work. And depending on the stove size, you will also burn through more wood.

To avoid this and help a wood stove run efficiently, consider the following:

1. What seasons you will mostly use your canvas tent
2. How many cubic feet you need to fill (if you plan to use a stove)

You will need a stove if you plan to do any winter or hot tent camping with your canvas tent. And for that, you need to understand; the larger your tent, the larger your stove firebox should be, at least, if you want to warm your tent efficiently.

On the other hand, you can also choose a canvas tent that's too small to equip with a wood stove, which can lead to producing too much heat or even smoking you out.

Here’s what we suggest: Decide if you need a wood stove, then choose a large enough flame-retardant canvas tent to do so. From there, follow our guide on selecting the right stove to find the ideal firebox capacity to tent cubic foot ratio.

Buying a Four-Season Canvas Tent

Canvas tents perform differently across various environments. Failing to match your tent to expected winter conditions can lead to freezing nights and dangerous circumstances.

Breathable canvas fibers and extra features like mesh windows and doors allow plenty of circulation in humid summer months. But keeping a canvas tent warm in winter is vital. All canvas tents should be capable of being hot tents, meaning that they can be equipped with some small or large stove, providing plenty of warmth.

However, take note of other four-season canvas tent features, such as snowfall capacity (the frame metal and construction should reflect this), a steep roof pitch (for shedding snow), and reinforced grommets and guy-line points (to withstand strong winds).   

Mistake #5: Choosing Cheap & Sacrificing Quality

A quality canvas tent is a significant but worthwhile investment. Search online for canvas tents, and you can find prices ranging from $500 to $3,000, depending on size and features. And sure, that $500 canvas tent might get you by for a season, maybe two. But you might find yourself reselling it or even throwing it away when it inevitably breaks down or it doesn’t live up to your standards. Instead, save yourself the frustration. Skip the cheaply made canvas tents and invest in quality. The old adage is true - "you get what you pay for".

Sacrificing quality over affordability is a common mistake we're all guilty of, especially when it comes to camping gear and tools. As a protective shelter, a canvas tent should not be one of those mistakes. It might be a greater upfront investment, but it will outperform far longer and in harsher conditions than its cheap counterparts.

Remember:A canvas tent is more than just shelter. It's a companion on your outdoor adventures. Choose wisely, and maintain carefully, and it will serve you well for countless experiences.