Homemade tent question.

[Loyalist Dave]

You can buy really good tight weave canvas from Utrecht Art supplies

As a matter of fact the folks that make tents from linen canvas buy the linen canvas (unprimed) from Utrecht, but to make a military wedge tent is way more expensive than buying a canvas one already made, and..., it's not fire retardant, which more and more historic sites and insurance companies want all of the tents to have fire retardant added. (reenactment units are often required to have unit insurance) Most of the after market retardants are water based so not suited for outdoor shelters.

LD

 

[tenngun]

I've made three tents from paiters tarps,the all worked well.Cotton fiber swell when wet I've found it gets better as its rainng harder.I water proofed my last two but even my first one worked well.Old canves was linen and when new and unshrunk still could leak.Remember that painters tarps are made to revent paint from getting through.Paint is thicker then water,although wedges aresteaper then laying flat on the floor :hmm:

 

[William O.]

I was thinking something like this.....http://www.mytarp.com/natural-white-canvas-tarps-10-oz.aspx

Just remember that the stated sizes are before finishing, so the end result is a tarp that is 4 inches or so smaller than the dimensions given. I bought a 5X7 water/flame proof from them to use as a ground tarp and what I got is barely big enough to do the job.