I am strongly considering buying a canvas wall tent. I did a Google search and there are many wall tent manufactures. I have about $1000 to spend on the tent and want to purchase a good quality tent.

I will be using it exclusively in places where I can drive in to camp so weight really isn't an issue. I also want to purchase the internal frame angles and make an internal frame.

So for those who have canvas wall tents I would appreciate your thoughts on a few questions.

1. Zipper in door or velcro closure with d-rings and snaps?

2. Stove jack on side or top. I live in ND and it is almost always windy if that makes a difference.

3. Stove jack size, i.e. 4,5,6 - does it matter?

4. Suggestions on makers of quality tents.

5. Any other advice on features, good to have options vs just nice to have options. What to watch out for when buying a canvas wall tent.

Thanks!

I did all my wall-tent camping in a 10-Man arctic squad tent with a homemade stove....

Stove jack - first thing to do is figure out how much heat you will need to produce, given the size of the tent, weather conditions, etc. Then choose the right size stove, and get the right size jack for your pipe.

As to location.... Do you want to heat the tent from the side or the middle? Not a silly question. Think about your floor plan. Chances are that the guys making the tents have figured it out for you and the size/shape of the tent will drive the location... Or they can make a recommendation based on weather, number of people, and square footage. In my squad, the stove sits near the center (the tent is hexagonal), so the whole place is kept pretty uniformly warm and I get maximum heat coming off of the pipe, which is damned handy when it's cold and wet and nobody wants to be too far from the heat. In warmer weather, it might be better to get the pipe outside the tent ASAP so you can cook the dinner without roasting the diners.

Hell, I think I might just get one of each!

But FWIW, I think the closer to the ridgeline the better in high winds.

My tent has zippers on the screen doors; if you don't have screens, you probably don't need zippers. Velcro will wear out eventually, but it never comes as a surprise when it does. JMO, go for Bombproof and/ field reparable...

That's probably enough for now ;)

I have an 8x12 Davis ,with their pole set and my homemade stove. I am able to put the tent up by myself.I use light rubber roof material for the floor. Stove jack is in the roof. Zippered door and large back window.

I have a 12 X 14 Davis. Great guys to deal with. I have camped in mine for weeks at a time.... four weeks straight in Utah this year, without a complaint. I got the zippered front door and large screen window in the back. My stove jack is in the roof, right inside the tent on the left side. I started with a cylinder stove but wasn't happy with it. I now have a four dog stove and cant imagine anything better. Mine has a 5" stove jack and nesting pipes. I built my external poles myself and can set mine up all alone in about 30-45 minutes, including the stove.

Give Davis a call. They are very helpful and can answer any questions. They even answered a few that I didn't know I had.

Davis 10x12. 5" stove jack in roof. For summer use get a window on two opposing walls. Zippered door, fastex buckles are good too. No floor. Use a tarp.

I second the army arctic tents. I have a 5 and a 10 man. 5 man is perfect for one guy hunting. 10 is very spacious for 2 or three. Hold up very well in the wind. You can put two guys in a five man but you will not get all your gear in there. I use Hunter Diesel heaters. The SHA is for the 10 man and the small is for the five man.

Get 5 foot high side walls. You'll have a lot more useable room.

I like the Eena wall tent produced by Beckel Canvas Products out of Portland, Ore.

Much prefer zipper on both ends over velcro. Stove jack out of one of the ends. 4- inch pipe is plenty and that's what most stoves will take.

Have fun.

I have two wall tents that I use on a regular basis. I recommend a zipper in the door. As far a stove jack is concerned, I strictly use propane for eat. No matter how careful you are, embers will eventually burn holes in the top of your tent. I have been happy with both of my tents. If I recall correctly one is Davis and one is a Magnum. Good luck with your purchase.

Are you SURE you want a canvas wall tent? I've used them, a lot, and they are neat. And they are nostalgic. But, in this day and age for practical use I'd be MUCH more inclined to buy something like a Kifaru Tipi.

They set up MUCH easier, weigh a faction of tha weight (about 8lbs. for the 8 man 8'x15' model) of a canvas wall tent, you can still use a stove. No real down side.

Had this one made 10x15 opens on front 6' walls stove jack on roof. Made internal frame out of 1" conduit. Have had it in some of the worse weather imaginable stayed cozy as can be

Frank's got a great point there... I've spent a few hours drooling over those Kifarus myself. Especially since being tied to a vehicle is not my #1 preference... I'm kinda hopeful that they'll get some stiff competition and the price will come down....

And I'll say this about my squad tent, too - it takes up a LOT of room in the bed of a small pick-up, and it would never fly on a canoe trip unless there were NO portages. And it would never fly (literally) if your trip involved a small plane!

On the brighter side, an Army surplus tent is as cheap as these things get.

if you want a canvas tent you might look at spring bar tents they set up fast and have been around along time and they can handle lots of wind. there is a video on there site of one in high wind.

had a panthercreek primitive civil war wall tent 10x12. east to put up stove jack in roof doesn't take or need all the framing just ropes and a few short 2x2 post.

Of all these tents which ones can the total set be had for less than $1,00?

Davis tent and awning, very helpful and will answer all your questions.

I have used wall tents since 1989. Never seen a hole burned in one due to embers, maybe if your pipe is very short. However if you used a jack out the side wall I could see that being an issue.

Like mentioned above figure out the size stove you need by the size tent you buy. I strongly recommend a jack in the roof.

I would never get a tent that does not come with a sod cloth, really adds to heat retention

Love my internal frames anymore.Did the pole sets for years but these days I put my 12x14 in scant minuets by myself

I have stayed in tents with materials other than all canvas and would never own one, just be sure and dry well before storing.

I would stick with 5 foot walls

Zippered doors for me.

I would give Davis tents a long hard look. Exceptional quality and very helpful

I believe that the spring bar tents are around 700.00 frame included, but they are not the a standard wall tent.

I have two Eena wall tents by Beckel, both with zippers and wall stove jacks. Both have worked extremely well since 1986. I built a bow string truss ridge pole and two vertical poles. This system is very strong and compact.

Tweed, it's strictly dependent on how big a tent you need. You can buy the 4 man Kifaru with stove for just under $1,000 and the 6 man with stove for just over that cost.

If weight is not a problem, I would NEVER take my Kifaru over a canvas wall tent. Yes, Kifaru's are great when one is packing them on their back, or a goat/llama, or a bush plane, but they are NOT as comfortable as a wall tent. Those are two different animals for sure. If you want something comparable to the wall tent, look at a Kodiak Canvas or Springbar--that is more apples to apples...

Just for background I currently own and use a Kifaru 8man and Sawtooth. Used to own a 4 man and Super Tarp. Also upgraded from a 12x12 Alaknak to a 10x14 Kodiak Canvas for truck hunts.

I had my tent for 8 years it was fun but also got old. some of the down falls to a wall tent, when packing up if tent is damp or wet you need to put it back up when you get home and let it dry. or it will get moldy, after a few season mine got a really bad smoke smell from the stove it got bad enough I would haft to set it up a couple days before going out camping so it would air out. I tried everything everyone suggested but when first coming out of the tote I keep it in. it always had that strong Oder. keep them stored where nothing can get in and chew on them, in cold weather 35 and below even with a wood stove my cot would always get cold from the ground cold coming up take extra blankets to lay on. it takes a lot of gear to make a wall tent camping enjoyable cots, blankets tarps, table, wood, stove, chairs, coolers so much I had to buy a trailer to hall everything LOL. its gone now and replaced with a pop up all self contained beds, lights, heat, fuel , batteries , and simple to set up not as trad. but neither is my truck. and no more cold small cot or smoke smell :)

If I were going to go where I could drive I'd take a popup camper over a tent EVERY time.

I would suggest a "Canvas Cabin" out of Oregon. Internal frame create ware points, go with a external frame. Also I would rather the stove hole be in the wall, in the roof you have a leak point in bad weather. I used one of these for many years. They are great tents. You can make your own poles and frame. You can add on later, Front fly, a front mud room. They have zipper doors. you didn't say how larger you wanted, but they can be had for your budget. Go to their web site.

Bob

Moose hunting is cool weather hunting and I have used a 10'×12' for m hunting for years. A wood stove sits to the left of the zippered entrance. The pipe goes out the side which means you have at least one elbow and if I get another I would have the straight pipe through the roof. Yes, you will get a little rain down the pipe sides but it is a minor thing with a tight fitting thimble and a roof fly. The only colour to get in my opinion is white. The one i have is yellow and that was a mistake as it darkens the interior. A piece of scrap carpet in front of your bunk adds comfort. I would never want a floor in a wall tent. Sandy

Might look at a Kodiak canvas tent. I have one and love it. I use a propane heater but have seen that some have installed a stove jack.

I use a 3 inch foam pad on my cot to stay warm. We've camped in -25F and not been cold. But you need a good stove and dry wood. And you will be up during the nite to keep it stoked.

10 x 12 with a 10 foot porch, 5 inch stove jack in the side, and 5 foot walls. Velcro for attaching the porch to the main tent. The porch serves as the kitchen and leaves the tent free for sleeping and the wood stove.

This first pic is the tent all buttoned up in winter.

This pic is at the 2013 longbow safari on Vancouver Island. My wife loves the porch as a kitchen and the double bed I built for her

I work for an outfitter who has a bunch of wall tents. One big consideration is having a place to dry if it is wet. You do not want to store a wet canvas tent.

DDave

Coyote..looks like you built the ' Taj Mahal'..of wall tents for your wife.. ..that is beautiful! Sandy

Palefaces! Try one of these!

Well Nemah's is the coolest for sure..lol

Yes, Kifaru's are great, but they don't like sparks, at all.

Thanks for the Thread. I have been thinking about buying a wall tent since last year at Denton Hill and I seeing Randy Brookshier's at the PBS shoot in Baltimore. I just purchased a 12X14 Davis Wall Tent 5 minutes ago, Wow my wife is happy! No more crawling out of a tent.

Thanks for your info.

Davis...call them very helpful about your specific needs and questions.

Love mine!

Outfitter told me tO avoid getting a floor in the tent> theyt get wet, frozen, muddy and way heavy>

instead use some Other tarp Or canvas fOr yOUr floor> made sense tO me>

also 4 Or 5-fOOt walls, as said before>

Here's another option for ya. You can set it up in less than 10 minutes by yourself. Tent is a 10x14 Kodiak ($600). I had a canvas guy sew in the $35 stovejack for me and it heats up really nice with a Four Dog Stove (the three dog model).

Sandy's thought about yellow canvas being "dark" made me smile - you should try USGI OD! I'm sure the liners are white if you can get one; I just got some bedsheets at Goodwill....

One good thing about the squad tent is that all it needs is a center pole. I always strapped a 2X4 to the roof rack.

And that tent was made for a gas (kerosene?) burning stove. Not as nostalgic by a long shot, but makes a lot of sense if you've got a vehicle. Makes me wonder if there is anything like that on the market, because what do you do for heat if there is a fire ban in effect?

Gf one year I was moose hunting with 5 of us in the party, so one fellow brought a military green tent as you described. Thing gave me thoughts of suicide.. Like lving in a cave..never again. The yellow tent seems to have darkened with age. Without a fly it is not too bad, a fly does darken it further and I always use one in late season. I do have a catylictic heater on propane but seldom use it. We have lots of free wood up north and there is something about the comfort of woodheat that I am a loss to explain. One would think that heat is heat..not so. Must be a primitive thing..Frisky would understand. Sandy

Davis, Montana Canvas, Reliable, Colorado Tents and others mentioned above are all good makers. None of them are cheap. A few things to look for.

How are the eaves reinforced? I like sewn in webbing with D loops for optimal strength. Davis and other tent makers use this area as a weak link with grommets, so it will tear on purpose so not to do damage to the rest of the tent and save money on repairs. Your choice. Also they should have significant reinforcement in all corners and possibly ridge.

Canvas weight- 10 oz., 12 oz., 1/2 real lite, single fill, or double fill? all areas you need to research and decide. Davis & other use a double fill while Montana Canvas and others use a single fill for their own reasons and applications.

Some suggestions/ options to consider-

Colorado door- helps keep snow/wind out of the zippered door.

Windows- Extra windows are great for better air flow in hotter conditions, but also extra $$$.

Doors- I like doors on both ends to have emergency exits if needed. I definitely went with a zippered door with the door flap covering the zipper (Colorado door) that snap/buckle together

Fly- A good quality fly will extend the tent life. An extended fly is nice so you can do your cooking outside of your tent and not get the food smell "cooked" into your tent which will linger longer and be more of a bear attractant.

wall height- 4', 5', or 6, wall height? Make sure and ask what the FINISHED wall height is. Most companies will advertise a 5' wall when most of the time their finished wall height can vary from 4'6" - 4'10" or so. Most will make whatever you want, just be specific. Extra wall height makes for a roomier tent for sure. I would go no less than 5'.

All the companies have their own sales pitch on why theirs is better. I talked with Davis quite a bit and ended up going with a Montana Canvas. Both are great Folks, but I just did not care for certain features on the Davis tents that they would not modify. Best of luck to you in your decision.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Just what I wanted, options to explore.

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