tent grades

[bob1961]

what is the difference in the three different canvas options; water repellent, marine finished, and flame resistant....what i'm after is weekend camp outs with the always present rain possiblities..........................bob

 

[Claude Mathis]

From what I remember, most all canvas tents are "water repellant" by nature. The weave tends to get a little tighter when wet and they shed water pretty well unless you have a flat surface like an awning or fly. Also, don't touch the inside of a wet canvas tent because you can start a "wicking" action that will begin to drip.

Marine Finish is also know as Marine Shrunk. It is a preshrunk canvas (tight weave) and very water repellant.

Fire Treated is simply a chemical that has been impregnated into the canvas to make it slower to catch fire, but it will still burn.

 

[LRB]

Water repellant tents are dipped in some sort of a wax like solution. They are somewhat heavier than the marine finish, and a tad stiffer, but also lower in price and if cared for properly will last just as long.

 

Most of the canvas used by the better tentmakers is from sunforager. It has a finish that waterproofs and protects from UV rays to some extent. As it comes from the mfg. it is good for about 5 years waterproof guarentee. Usually a fine weave fabric, not the coarse canvas from the fabric store or painters' tarp.
Marine seems to be a heavier grade of the sunforager that is used primarily for boat covers (and at one time for sails?).
I have owned tents in both fabrics and was satisfied with both. No waxey substance was used and there was no obvious presence of chemical treatment to the fabric, but they shed water like the dickens! Camped in extended rains for many days without leaks or problems with touching the canvas and causing drips etc. Both of these fabrics are usually guarenteed waterproof for 5 years, then you have to treat them with he proper sealants.
The sunforager fire retardant is a different treatment. It is the heavy marine canvas that has been dipped or coated with a fire retardant finish that has a plastic texture. The fire retatdant stuff is heavy and the tent feels like it is twice the weight of the same tent in plain sunforager.
Unless you are toting the tent this makes little difference and adds to the waterproofing of the tent.
I have one Panther tent with the flame retard and find it comforting to have the added protection. I have owned this tent for 10+ years and have never considered trying to waterproof it for maintainance. The thick plasticey coating is still intact, uncracked and solid (except for the hole I poked in it about 6 years ago. It drips at that raggedy patch).
Many of us reenactors use our tents for years and can give good details on how long the waterproofing will hold, how long the fabric will last, who does the strongest seams, peg loops etc. My wife bought a tent from a friend ten years ago. the tent was 8 years old when she bought it. We have camped in it three times this year, rained on at two events. The canvas along the ridgepole is so thin you can almost see through it but we have not had a drop of water invade the tent! It's plain old sunforager as it came from the factory almost 20 years ago.

 

[Flintshooter in Indiana]

One thing I can tell ya from experience, and it happened this June at Friendship. DO NOT spray insect repellent in, on or around your water repellent canvas, 'CAUSE it will take the water repellency right out of it. :nono:

I was campin' with my partner in his wall tent and he sprayed bug spray in it the first night we were there and I'll be damned if, the first time it rained, the tent leaked. And of course, it leaked on my side.

You could see where he had streaked the spray in the tent and where it got on the canvas. It only leaked in a place about 2" wide and 12-18" long. And it didn't leak where it crossed the seam. He ended up buyin' some water proofer and was ganna fix it when he got home. We'll be settin' up my wedge at the Fall Shoot anyway. Just a word to the wise. :: Flintshooter

 

[hack]

Four seasons tentmasters offers water repellant, flame retartant, mildew resistant fabric. 10 oz in weight, these tents have been my mainstay for over 30 years and without a major problem. give them a call. you can thank me later.