left tent up too long...now i need to salvage it...or just trash it.

[Glocke12]

Easter weekend I put up my kodiak canvas 10x10 tent in a wooded area behind my house. I used it on a regular basis for a about a month, than work and other stuff got the best of me and it sat back there. I'd go back once a week to check on it, but since it's rained 2 or 3 days out of every week since I put it up I didn't take it down, as I was always waiting for dry weather which never really materialized.

The forecast for the next few days here calls for sun with a few clouds so I figured I'd take it down and set it up again in the yard to get an afternoon or two of full sun.

Sadly, when I got back there I noticed black mold/mildew around the base of the tent, as well as some spots near the roof...Im not sure if this means the tent is toast or not, and Im not even sure I want to put the effort into cleaning it, but say I did clean it with a soap/vinegar solution to kill the mold, the stains will still be there I know, but what about the canvas. Aside from needing to be retreated with Kiwi camp dry, will the canvas material itself be ok?

Eastern PA is not kind to canvas tents..

[terasec]

Re: left tent up too long...now i need to salvage it...or just trash it.

I went through similar with my kodiak
except mine was too far gone
as you said treat best you can
thompson water seal is a better seal but will add some weight to it
if weight is not a factor i would thompson the entire tent

[Glocke12]

Re: left tent up too long...now i need to salvage it...or just trash it.

I went through similar with my kodiak
except mine was too far gone
as you said treat best you can
thompson water seal is a better seal but will add some weight to it
if weight is not a factor i would thompson the entire tent

mine might be too far gone...in some areas there is a substantial amount of blackening from mold that goes up from the floor a good six inches up the wall...even the roof shows sign of mold/mildew.

did you replace yours with another K.C. ?

If I do replace this Im wondering if I should just bite the bullet and pay more for a Springbar.

[terasec]

Re: left tent up too long...now i need to salvage it...or just trash it.

mine might be too far gone...in some areas there is a substantial amount of blackening from mold that goes up from the floor a good six inches up the wall...even the roof shows sign of mold/mildew.

did you replace yours with another K.C. ?

If I do replace this Im wondering if I should just bite the bullet and pay more for a Springbar.

i didnt replace it
for long term set up kodiak is not a good choice
as canvas is stretched
stretching of canvas opens the weave making prone to water damage
a canvas tent should be taut but not stretched
i used the floor as a roof on a stick built shelter

[MacGyver]

Re: left tent up too long...now i need to salvage it...or just trash it.

If I do replace this Im wondering if I should just bite the bullet and pay more for a Springbar.

Before I bought my Kodiak, I pondered the Springbar/Kodiak question. Personally, I don't see much of an advantage in the Springbars - especially for the money they're asking. Believe it or not, one of the determining factors for me was the peg loops. They're metal on the Springbars, nylon loops on the Kodiaks. I pictured the metal loops getting damaged somehow, possibly damaging the canvas when they're rolled up and not being as field repairable as the nylon loops. The other plus for the Kodiaks is the roll up storage bag. I remember trying to stuff a 10x12 canvas tent into a bag years ago. Not fun!

[Irate Mormon]

Re: left tent up too long...now i need to salvage it...or just trash it.

I had a tent that I set up at home after a camping trip from which I made a hasty departure, in order to "clean" said tent. Days turned to weeks turned to....

I don't miss that tent, not a bit. Too big, too much work setting up/taking down. Since I transitioned to hammock camping I'm even thinking about selling my beloved Lunar Solo.