long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

[clrp]

Hello everyone!! :meuh:

Brand new to the forums (was looking at different stuff on Google and happen to run across this forum so I registered!) :yipi:

Couple of questions... We are getting ready to basically move into a tent long term (at least 2 years or so) to save money. The tent we are looking at is a 10x14 Kodiak Canvas Tent. Was wondering if anyone had or has this tent. The reviews I've read they gave the tent itself a 4.5/5 stars and some people have even lived in it. I've watched YouTube videos and it seems pretty straight forward...

So my questions are:

What would you recommend for long term camping

and

Is this a good tent to have (the Kodiak) and in your personal opinion, what are the pros and con's?

Thanks guys!

[a65hoosier]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

Welcome to the Forum Clrp!

Bumping this so your question does not get lost (sometimes newly registered members first posts get lost/stale by the time they are approved and available for us to see).

I do not own a Kodiak, so I cannot really answer your question accurately, but there are many members here that do own them. Some have had them for many years.

My only thought would be having some sort of tarp set up over the Kodiak if you were going to have it in place for 2 years. Tarps are cheap and would add additional protection to the canvas from the elements.

[clrp]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

Thanks for replying hoosier- we are planning on making a platform for the base so its off the ground- also a tarp on top was a good suggestion. I thought about building something over the top of it perhaps?

[05Kingquad700]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

NO. Kodiak tents are not for long term living. I have a Kodiak Canvas tent and it is great for what is designed for, long weekend to week at a time camping. I have seen 2 people on this forum leave a Kodiak Canvas tent set up over long period of times and they have not lasted. You may get 6 months of continuous use out of one, but that's about it. It's a tent, not a replacement for a house.


If you want to try 2 years of tent living, you need to find a military surplus tent at the very least. I don't even think an outfitters tent would last for 2 years of continuous use.

[terasec]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

i have a kodiak flexbow and would not recommend it,
it collapses just about everytime its wet for too long,
better off with cabin style tent with internal structural poles

[Toppinish]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

I own a 10x14, purchased for traveling and car camping. It's a good tent and easy to setup.

For long term camping in any canvas tent you may need to take other precautions.

Enclosed canvas tents with a floor, actually don't produce as much condensation in wet areas as an open floor tent without any moisture barrier. What happens is moisture from the ground permeates into the tent walls and ceilings. An enclosed tent with a waterproof floor (moisture barrier) helps to keep moisture out, especially over the long term.

However when camping in this type of tent, where there is continual ground water, unless the tent is periodically treated (around the base of the tent) with silicon and frequently aired out. What happens is the base of the tent potentially will absorb and wick the water into the tent wall. The additional moisture inside the tent over time will eventually cause mildew.

I don't know if I would recommend a Flex-Bow or Springbar for long term camping. It's designed to put up and take down. Whereas long term tents such as expedition and wall tents are designed more for long term camping.

[Sparky]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

I have the Deluxe Kodiak Canvas Tent 6041VX 10x14 and love it but have never camped more than a 4 day trip. Even though I think it is one of the best tents around I question if it (or any other tent) would handle 2+ years of daily usage. I agree with 05Kingquad700 a Military surplus tent might be a better option.

[Toppinish]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

Military tents are good. It was many years ago we use to camp in Cascade mountains using WW-II canvas wall tents and also used them on private property, leaving them up indefinitely.

One of the main things with canvas tents is it's contact with the ground. If you can build a platform off the ground your options are more open what type of tent can be used, length of time, environment and type of weather.

If installed with direct contact ground, even using a ground tarp. canvas tends to collect mildew and will eventually blacken. Once mildew sets in, canvas looses it's natural waterproof properties. Mildew can't be removed, only neutralized by impregnating with various types of solutions.

If wanting to leave a tent up for a couple years, I would invest in some wood to build an off-the-ground wooden platform and dig channels, possibly using gravel, for drainage of any collecting ground water. If the water table is normally high there will be more moisture and condensation. When it rains, higher water tables normally contribute to flooding. If there isn't adequate drainage, water will often pool causing additional moisture and mildew problems.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

Sounds like you need a Yurt.

[Malamute]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

I'm not familiar with the Kodiak. I've used tents over long periods. I have no doubt a good grade canvas tent would survive a couple years of daily use. I have a 9x12 wall tent of I believe Vivitex marine grade canvas (theres also sunforger and other trade names of UV resistant and higher grade canvas). I've owned it for 25 years, and camped up to 2 1/2 months at a time in the longest camp. Its still in excellent condition.

The sod cloth on mine is a heavy plastic type material so it doesnt get moldy or deteriorate from ground contact. I lay a heavy duty cheap tarp in it for a floor.

I lived in a tipi off and on for a couple years. If I could afford it up front, and wasnt going to transport it much, I'd prefer a tipi to any wall tent (traditional tipi, not a modern interpetation of one). Setting them up doesnt take that long once you understand them, I'd prefer a tipi to a wall tent in many short term camp situations as well. Transporting the poles is the only real downside. Racks for the poles sometimes have to be fabricated. A good wall tent is still a worthwhile piece of gear. I have a sims wood stove for mine with a stove jack in the roof. An awning out front helps give dry living space also, and maybe even making sides on part of it.

The tarp over a wall tent will help it last longer (not touching the tent roof but suspeneded over it), and make it cooler in the summer. In a really hard rain you wont get misting inside and any moisture bleed through. Neither are the end of the world, but its nicer not to have to deal with them.

Edit: I just looked up the Kodiak. I dont think its in the same class as a wall tent, or what some may call an outfitters tent. Mine, being 9x12, has 5' side walls and 8' ridge, virtually all of the floor space is useful and walkable. I had a window put in the back for ventilation, and an emergency door put in the back. Also have a full screen for the front (w/velcro tabs to hold it to the tent when using it) if I want it open in bug season and want ventilation.

As to the military tents, if they were green, I wouldnt want one. They would be dark, and get hot in comparison with white canvas. No thanks.

I have a steel frame set (VERY heavy) and use wood poles also. It survived 60-80 mph winds just fine with the steel frame. The wood poles look very cool when is use.

Wall tent, set up for moose hunting camp in about 1991-ish.



Tipi, after a good snow. Took an hour or so to dig into it with my snowshoe, and clear airspace around the outside for ventilation for the fire. It was zero at times I was living in it, but with a fire inside, it was long sleeve shirt comfortable and chearfully bright.


.

[TNONMYMIND]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

We have a 9x12 Kodiak canvas tent that we have been living in for almost 3 years now...however we do not leave it set up in one location...
we are full-time campers and move from one campground/state to another on a regular basis.
when it is set up we first put down a ground cloth and also cover it with a 12 by 16 tarp over the top to protect it from the rain when necessary.
It doesn't leak at all but since we are using it as our home we try to protect it as much as possible...
we have experienced 50 mph winds, and the ice storm from @#%& in Texas December 2013 and blazing sun the rest of the time and it has held up
really well...we are starting to see dirt spots around the bottom edges that didn't get cleaned off really well.
we make it a point NOT to break camp (if possible) with a wet tent, sweep it out regularly, and dry the vinyl floor good before packing it up when we move to a new location. only real problem we have had is with the main door zipper pull giving out from constant use...
hope this is encouraging for you...give us an update if you can...I'd like to know how things are going for you...

[Toppinish]

Re: long term camping/Kodiak Canvas tents

Closed tents such as the Springbar and Flexbow, long term installations, are more prone to canvas rot around the bottom portion of the tent. I've had closed bottom canvas tents that needed to repaired after being left up for several months in a wet location. A ground cloth doesn't do much good if water collects around the base of the tent.

You need to waterproof around the base with e.g. a silicon spray and/or the canvas needs to periodically be able to dry out or it will rot.

That's one reason why canvas tents that use a sod cloth are preferred for prolonged use. All that's usually required is to replace sod cloth.

You can raise up a Flexbow or Springbar above any areas that normally collects surface water.

Once canvas becomes saturated with water it needs to be able to dry out.

There are poly-cotton enclosed tents that retain some of the properties of cotton-canvas, and use a bathtub type waterproofed floor. The bathtub floor may only extend up to around ~4" on the sides, but does help prevent damage from ground water. Poly-cotton canvas less susceptible to rot and mildew, does not breath as well as cotton-canvas.