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A high-quality tent is an essential component of any camping trip/vacation. You’ll be lying under the open sky if you don’t have this item, which means you’ll be open to the wind, the cold, the heat, and all the weather conditions that might be thrown at you. We’ve put together this helpful guide to buying tent fabrics to help you.
Modern tents, fortunately, are made of a variety of materials that make them both robust and weather-resistant. The ideal tent fabric will aid with weather protection. This guide to buying tent fabrics will help you decide on the best tent materials for you, based on how well they perform.
The best tent fabric, in general, will keep the weather out while protecting the interior. You don’t have to fear heavy precipitation soaking through and getting you wet with this fabric. It should also help you keep warm at night by trapping as much heat as possible. However, the fabric should be permeable enough to keep the tent from becoming too stuffy.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a single tent fabric that is ideal for any and all weather and camping situations. However, we’ll examine the best tent materials —nylon, canvas, polyester, and polycotton – to examine how they fare.
A tent that is waterproof is required for any camping trip, regardless of the season. Even if there isn’t a chance of rain, you must be concerned about morning dew forming on the outside. Dew can seep inside your tent if it isn’t waterproof, soaking yourself and your camping gear.
To make polyester, manufacturers must heat PET plastic pellets and twist them into long, thin threads. Polyester is naturally water-resistant due to its plastic composition. To make a polyester tent waterproof, the fibers must be knitted extremely tightly. Polyester is a decent choice in general, especially if you utilize a waterproof tent cover.
Nylon fibers, like polyester, are manufactured from synthetic chemicals. Nylon is made by fusing the raw ingredients into a film, then splitting it up to fuse into strings, instead of heating plastic pellets and twisting them into threads. Nylon, like polyester, is typically waterproof, though perhaps not waterproof.
Nylon is great for light rains and potential early dew, but it won’t keep you dry in a storm.
Canvas is an organic textile made from cotton or linen fibers. Canvas is not extremely waterproof due to its natural nature. Canvas tents, on the other hand, absorb and hold water, making them leaky. However, you may keep your canvas tent impermeable by regularly soaking it to help close the gaps between the threads.
This procedure, however, may take days to finish and is not 100% effective. Canvas, on the other hand, is by far the most permeable of the textiles and can help avoid condensation.
If you’re going to use canvas, first make sure to waterproof it and then cover it with a water-resistant tent fly.
Polycotton is a polyester-and-natural-cotton combination. The mix could be 50/50 or tilt to one end, like 60% polyester and 40% cotton, depending on the manufacturer. The goal of polycotton would be to combine the greatest features of both fabrics while minimizing the drawbacks. Unfortunately, polycotton can be quite absorbent as a tent fabric, which means it’s not especially waterproof.
On their own, woven materials are not waterproof. Waterproof fabric treatments are available on several tents. A polyether urethane coating, a silicone o,r a polyurethane one are some of the options (PE coating). Tent materials with polyurethane, silicone, or polyether coatings are more water-resistant and waterproof.
Tents also include seams that are sealed to prevent leakage at the contact points between fabrics.
The ideal camping tent fabric ought to be tough and durable in addition to being water-resistant. The tent must not only be packed and unpacked on each occasion you camp, and that it must survive the elements. Furthermore, branches and other dirt may scrape the skin.
The fabric denier rating is a simple technique to determine if a fabric is durable. Whereas the Fabric Denier isn’t perfect, it’s a decent starting point.
When comparing camping tent materials, you’ll find that each has a denier number. This number indicates the fabric thickness; a larger number indicates that the cloth is thicker. Tent fabrics have a value of 50 to 500 on average, but lighter tents could have a lower score.
When comparing two similar tents, the one with the greater number needs to be more durable.
Finally, keep in mind that a heavier tent implies more material, so plan appropriately, especially if you’re hiking to your campground.
All decent tents usually come with simple instructions, and after erecting a few different types of tents, you’ll see that they all have the same formula. However, if you do have the time or space, practicing setting up your tent in the yard before going on vacation is a wonderful idea. This can avoid the classic “make your tent at home” scenario that can ruin a camping trip!
Hopefully, we have covered everything you need to know about choosing the best tent fabric in our Quick Guide to Buying Tent Fabrics. However, if we left anything out, check out our website and find everything you need to know about tents and other camping equipment.
Stay tuned for more helpful hints on buying wholesale fabric online, DIY tips and tutorials, and of course, some awesome new products! Canvas ETC is your one-stop shop for all things fabric including buying bulk fabric online and more.
Our fabric experts are on hand and ready to answer all your fabric questions, help you select the right material for your job, and even help you design custom prints. Call us today! Let’s get started!
