Buying a Canvas Tent
Camping in a canvas tent can provide so much enjoyment for family holidays. The tent that you buy is vitally important because staying warm and dry is crucial to camping success. You'll also want your investment in the tent to last so you should select a tent that will be suitable for many years to come. As your family grows and your camping requirements change, it's good to have a tent that can be adapted to suit.

Here is some information about canvas tents to help you make the right purchase.  

Tent Fabric
The most critical feature of any tent is the fabric it is made from. Select fabric that has superior strength and protection from tearing. Look for product guarantees as an indication of the quality of materials and workmanship on the tent.
 
The Kiwi Camping Co. uses a polyester/cotton blend because the life, performance and strength of this blend is better than other fabrics. Kiwi Camping Co. offer a breathable, impregnated fabric in their canvas range which is essential to provide comfort in hot and cold conditions by allowing heat and moisture to escape through the pores of the fabric and still remain waterproof. 
 
Waterproofing

Tent fabric waterproofing can be done through two processes:

1) Impregnated waterproof fabrics 
This involves waterproofing by impregnating each fibre. Usual water head rating is from 450 to 750mm. This means that a column of water 450 to 750mm high can be placed on the fabric before water can be forced through it. 
 

This method has more advantages as impregnating allows the pores of the fabric to breathe naturally, avoiding condensation. The fibres in the fabric have the ability to move back around the stitch hole to prevent seam leakage, the most common fault in any tent.
 

2) Coated Waterproof Fabrics

In coated fabrics, the waterproofing is coated over the surface of the fabric only. Most coated fabrics will have a water head rating of between 1000 to 1600mm. Although this method produces a higher waterproof rating, the spread coating seals the pores in the fabric and will not allow it to breathe. Once the coating has been punctured by sewing, the fabric cannot shrink easily around the stitch holes and this makes the tent less waterproof along the seams. 

Before you purchase a tent, check its water head rating and ask about the waterproofing process.
 

Weight of Floor Material
To ensure that your tent stays clean and dry inside, you'll need a thick, strong material as the floor layer that can withstand foot traffic and stay waterproof. Look for models where the floor covering wraps up the side walls of the tent by a few centrimetres. This helps keep the tent dry. 
    

Doors and Windows

Access and ventilation are very important and this depends on how many doors and windows you have in the tent. Take into account how many people will be using the tent and how many doors and windows there are. The number and depth of the windows and the number of external doors and side entrances all contribute to air movement through a tent. 

The 3 way windows in the Kiwi Camping Company tents are very handy. They have clear PVC on the outside, mesh sewn in the middle and another internally zipped “privacy” window on the inside. Both inside and outside flaps can be opened to allow a flow of air through the tent. You can partially open a flap to control ventilation and you don’t have to go outside the tent to open the window. The mesh acts as a bug screen. 

Think about where you will place things inside your tent like beds, luggage, food, etc. How will you access each section of your tent? Are the access points suitable? There are so many different layout options available, so make sure that you look at a variety of tents to see which layout suits you best.

See the Mitre 10 Website Camping and Fishing section for a range of camping products.

Porch Area and Tent Fly 
Porch areas have the advantage of offering you a space outside that is still shaded from sun, or protected from rain. You can sit under the porch shelter and still enjoy being outside.  Check to see if the tent offers a built-in floor covering for this porch area or not. Some tents have side awnings in the tent fly that can be poled out to create additional shelter.

Tents from the Kiwi Camping Co are supplied with a fly cover sheet over the main section of the tent. This has the distinct advantage of keeping the tent cooler when the sun is out and warmer in the cool of the night, in the same way a building does with an inner ceiling and outer roof trapping air between the layers. The additional guy ropes on the fly also provide extra stability and security and help to prevent the tent from being blown about.
 
Power Cord Entry

Zipped power cord entry conveniently brings the power indoors without cluttering the main access doorways.

Quality Zips, Guy Ropes and Poles

Check that the zips on the tent are heavy duty and that the guy ropes and poles are durable. They will have to be able to withstand stormy weather and wind so that your tent will last for many years.  
 

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