Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Let's see some canvast tents

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Let's see some canvast tents

    I am seeing some cool old school canvas tents still in action these days. I started to collect some photos of them when I see them at campgrounds too.

    Some of them are HUGE canvas tents made for families back in the 1960's and 1970's when Dads took off work for a full week or two and knew with confidence that his job would be waiting for him when he got back. Aah yes, those were the days, my friends. I was young, but I got to whitness the generation that could live well on one spouses income, when men slept with both eyes closed and looked forward to the yearly bonus checks and raises and five weeks of vacation and retirement pensions (and those weren't government jobs)...

    ...but I digress.

    Here are some photos I have of classic canvas tents. There were big tents that could sleep a family of seven with room to spare. Some were smaller and would fit only two, but still had room for a 6' tall person to stand up straight.

    There were car tents that attached to the backs of station wagons. There were pup tents for maximizing discomfort.

    Please post your picks of classic canvas tents. They can be old picks from bygone times, or new pics of surviving tents.

    PS: For a fun look at a sporting goods shop and campground and tents of the 1960's, see the film Carry on Camping from 1969. It is an English film and we can see just how bad British teeth could be back in the day and we can see a time when apparently guys in their fifties could date gals in their twenties (did that really happen??)

    Anyway, let me start off with the first tent of this thread: The Family Circus Tent. This tent is more enormous than it looks in the pic. It has a full canvas floor and weighs probably 150 lbs in total. It was given to me by a close friend who's family used it for many years before his children went on to have their own children. The tent had too many memories for him to throw away, so I took it to keep the memories alive... and to facilitate me getting a hernia trying to move it. This tent is from the late 1960's.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Mike; 10-08-2012, 09:26 AM.

  • #2
    Re: Let's see some canvast tents

    Here is another fine canvas tent. I love the turquoise blue color. This nice gentleman allowed me to take his photo with this tent. It is high enough for him to stand, but I wonder if it is long enough to lay straight in without touching the sides.

    This man and his wife and dog were enjoying the use of this tent even in the fall of 2012.

    From the coding on the tent, it appeared that it was made in 1976.
    Attached Files

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Let's see some canvast tents

      Here is a vintage canvas Wenzel tent. It appeared to be a two or three man tent. Tall enough to stand in the middle. I did not have a chance to talk with the owners, so I can only guess the date to be maybe 1979 or 1980 or so? By the early 1980's canvas tents were on the demise.

      This photo was taken in the fall of 2012, so it is still alive and kicking at 30+ years old.
      Attached Files

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Let's see some canvast tents

        My dad had a tent much like the first ('family circus') tent you showed, same turquoise blue but with yellow top and floor, about ten by ten in size. A real handfull for a man and youngster to put up, and massively heavy. It was my first introduction to camping. We'd take it to a local river, stay the weekend and do some squirrel hunting and night catfishing. We had two wooden folding cots, cotton sleeping bags and an old Coleman cataytic heater that ran on white gas. This was in the late 60's and early 70's. That tent then stayed rolled up and stashed out in the boathouse, subject to bug and mouse infestation - eventually dad threw it away. I am fairly sure all the gear came from the local K-mart. No Wally's here back then.
        Longtime Motorcycle Camper. Getting away from it all on two wheels! :cool:

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Let's see some canvast tents

          Originally posted by Bigdog57 View Post
          My dad had a tent much like the first ('family circus') tent you showed, same turquoise blue but with yellow top and floor, about ten by ten in size. A real handfull for a man and youngster to put up, and massively heavy. It was my first introduction to camping. We'd take it to a local river, stay the weekend and do some squirrel hunting and night catfishing. We had two wooden folding cots, cotton sleeping bags and an old Coleman cataytic heater that ran on white gas. This was in the late 60's and early 70's. That tent then stayed rolled up and stashed out in the boathouse, subject to bug and mouse infestation - eventually dad threw it away. I am fairly sure all the gear came from the local K-mart. No Wally's here back then.
          Cool. What a great story. That must have been great camping and hunting and night-fishing with your dad - all rolled into one. Those big old tents were heavy, smelly, and leaked when it rained. Still, they sure got people out into the woods and created some great memories. The old tents just about talk when you get inside them.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Let's see some canvast tents

            The "family circus" looks like I remember my Dad's first tent. He gave it to his brother when we got a bigger canvas one for the growing family. I remember wall to wall cots for everyone, and still some room for stuff and the Coleman white gas heater. I don't know how Dad did it. We were all young at the time and can't see us being much physical help to him. The oldest of five must have been 6 or 7. Thinking about it now, how could he fit this big tent, six fold in half Coleman cots, the Coleman metal cooler, six cotton sleeping bags, six people and all the other stuff into a station wagon? I never remember anything on the roof. No wonder when my youngest sister was born in 1973 he bought a Starcraft pop up camper. I miss that man.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Let's see some canvast tents

              Originally posted by CMPR1966 View Post
              The "family circus" looks like I remember my Dad's first tent. He gave it to his brother when we got a bigger canvas one for the growing family. I remember wall to wall cots for everyone, and still some room for stuff and the Coleman white gas heater. I don't know how Dad did it. We were all young at the time and can't see us being much physical help to him. The oldest of five must have been 6 or 7. Thinking about it now, how could he fit this big tent, six fold in half Coleman cots, the Coleman metal cooler, six cotton sleeping bags, six people and all the other stuff into a station wagon? I never remember anything on the roof. No wonder when my youngest sister was born in 1973 he bought a Starcraft pop up camper. I miss that man.
              Yup, how did they do it back in the day? Things keep getting bigger and bigger, fatter and fatter, more and more stuff. These days people spend more time getting stuff than using it. My dad did the same thing - figured out a way to transport his whole family in one Volkswagon camper van, and brought them travelling and camping whether they wanted to go or not. Ha.

              It sure makes me happy when I go camping and I see young families together camping. It is good to see that some guys still have the important priorities figured out.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Let's see some canvas tents

                Kodiak Canvas 9x12 with 12x30 camo tarp. 2011 Bothe-Napa Valley State Park.

                Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
                Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Let's see some canvast tents

                  Wow! That is a pretty neat set-up. Looks like you were getting a lot of rain. I like the idea of having a porch awning bigger than the tent!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Let's see some canvas tents

                    Thanks Mike!
                    Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
                    Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Let's see some canvas tents

                      Click image for larger version

Name:	Autumn leaves on roof of tent taken INSIDE the tent.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	92.4 KB
ID:	69583Click image for larger version

Name:	Wenzel Tent in Autumn at Potowatomi.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	102.7 KB
ID:	69584

                      Here is a 1980/81 vintage canvas Wenzel that I bought at a rummage sale for $10.00! I had to re-sew the zippers, gave it a coat of waterproofing, and coated the stress seams with Coleman seamseal. It has held up exceptionally well in the rain.

                      This is an excellent autumn tent because it is warmer than nylon. The flip-side, of course, is that it is hot in the summer, so it is really a three-season tent meaning autumn, winter, spring, not summer.

                      This is a GINORMOUS tent for a canvas tent. It isn't the biggest canvas tent I have seen, but it is the second biggest.. It will sleep six people on cots with room for gear. All things considered, it is pretty easy to set up even for one person. In fact, I usually end up putting up this tent by myself while the family does other things around the campsite.

                      I will post two photos. The first is of the tent, the second is a pic I took while laying on my back looking at the roof of the tent from inside the tent. I think the autumn leaves look cool. The leaves are on the outside of the tent, but they look like they are on the inside of the tent.

                      (PS: I tried everything to try to get rid of the mildew stain in the roof - oxyclean, weak bleach, etc. Any suggestions would be appreciated.)

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Let's see some canvas tents

                        Kodiak 10' x 10' canvas tent... yes, I camp in the yard when getting outdoors is more important than going someplace.



                        Phil
                        Live Oak, FL
                        Phil
                        Group: Canvas
                        Kodiak 6010 Flex-Bow canvas
                        Springbar Outfitter 3 canvas

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Let's see some canvast tents

                          Welcome to the Kodiak Canvas Club Phil. Hope you enjoy your stay!!!
                          Nights camped in 2019: 24
                          Nights camped in 2018: 24

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Let's see some canvast tents

                            Originally posted by 05Kingquad700 View Post
                            Welcome to the Kodiak Canvas Club Phil. Hope you enjoy your stay!!!
                            I started camping in canvas tents, switched to light-weight tents for about 3 decades. Have a good collection of light-weights, tents and camping hammocks, prefer canvas anytime a machine is carrying the load. The Kodiak 10' x 10' is my truck tent, Springbar Outfitter 3 is my motorcycle tent.

                            Phil
                            Phil
                            Group: Canvas
                            Kodiak 6010 Flex-Bow canvas
                            Springbar Outfitter 3 canvas

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Let's see some canvas tents

                              Originally posted by Phil_R View Post
                              Kodiak 10' x 10' canvas tent... yes, I camp in the yard when getting outdoors is more important than going someplace.



                              Phil
                              Live Oak, FL
                              Oh ya. VERY cool, Phil. That tent looks inviting.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X