Tent question

[mikee51848]

I was looking for a wedge tent and one web-site offered this as an option. What does "Sunforger-flame" mean? Is it work the considerable extra cost to the tent?

 

[bnail]

Dear Wildatheart:
That's the flame-retardent option to the Sunforger brand canvas. given the nominal amount of the extra charge, I'd say go for it. you can be as carefull as you want, but you can't predict stray sparks. it's unlikely that your tent would burn, but you never know. :m2c:

Sincerely
Looseatkidney

 

[Birdman]

Wild I would pay the extra for the flame retardent. The tent will still burn if it gets big sparks or hot ash on it but it will be a slow smolder then just going poof into flames. Most guys I know opt for the flame retardent just to be on the safe side(an ounce of prevention...). All my tents have it and some of them are upwards of 17 years old. YMHS Birdman

 

[Bear Rider]

WildatHeart,

I'll echo the other comments about the flameproofing. I saw a situation a few years back where an ordinary tarp was used as a fly to an older flameproofed tent. The tarp caught fire, and went up like a sheet of paper. The entire thing was consumed in a matter of seconds. The only damage that the tent suffered was a thumb-sized hole burnt in the top where the tarp overlapped the tent by about two feet. It made a believer out of me!

 

[fiddler]

When I bought my wedge from Tentsmiths, I was told that flame retardent canvas was mandatory in PA, so you probably don't have any choice. It's a good idea either way.

 

[hack]

a tent without being flame retartant is an accident looking for a place to happen.
don't be fooled into buying a tent without it.
you need it to be water repellent and mildew resistant also.
you will never be disapointed at getting the best to start with. you are not saving money by not getting it, you have just waisted the price of the tent because it will let you down and you will replace it in about two or three years.

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

All my tents are from either Tentsmith or Panther.
They've all been sunforger and flame retardent. :grin:

 

[hack]

Here are a few things to remember, Sunforger is a treatment...not a canvas...you can have Sunforger treatments put on any fabric, so the canvas is as important as the treatment. A good 10 oz
pre-shrunk cotton canvas with a tight weave is about all you need for a good camp. If the treatment is put on the fabric after it has been sized, most of your treatment will end up on the ground after a good rain, it should be put into the fabric, then sized to get full benefit of the treatments.
A mildew resistant fabric treatment is also a good idea, I was at a rendezvous and watched an eighteen foot tipi turn gray in five days because it had no mildew treatment and the humidity was about ninety percent.Dampness is a breeding gound for mildew.
I saw what was left of a tent in PA. a couple years back that had no flame retartant, went up like toilet paper and didn't even scorch the tent next to it that was treated with flame retartant.
The option is yours, but for the couple of extra bucks worth of insurance, Get the best to start with. You are not saving money by buying cheap, you have just waisted the price of the tent.
( in my humble opinion )

 

[miki]

One more thing to remember, I have 3 tents from Panther, 2 wedge tents and one wall tent, all are sunforger-flame retardent. Some states do require the flame retardent. But that sunforger marks it's canvas....I have an R.K. Lodge Fly (I know, it was a bad move) and it says "Sunforger" over and over down each seam. Panther pays more to not have that stamp on their canvas, I can not speak for the other tentmakers. I have known Sam for years and we have camped together often. So I am a little bias.

They also have a great return policy and if you call them they have great deals on returned tents, only set up once.

Okay I quit now,
Miki

 

[hack]

If it doesn't say what it is on the canvas, how would you tell what you have??????
:hmm: