Maintenance guide for canvas tents

Prolong the service life of gear

Taking care of your gear is fairly simple.  Follow these guidelines to provide the best care for your adventure buddy.  To maintain and often extend the lifetime of your goods, always dry it after use in wet weather or cleaning, and always before storing.  Between uses, store it in cool, dry, and well-ventilated areas.

Many of the materials used in your gear are of a very high quality and have protective coatings to improve their performance.  In order to protect your investment, avoid things like excessive moisture, excessive heat, and chemical contaminants such as chlorine, bleach, and salt.  All of these things can shorten the lifetimes of your gear.

Tent Storage

Mold, mice, and mites are the biggest threats to tents in storage. Follow our tent storage guidelines below to protect your tent when you’re not using it.

Never pack your tent wet! EVER!

Your tent, groundsheet and guy lines must be completely dry before you put it in the bag. If you must take down camp while damp, loosely fold up the tent for transport and then lay it out to dry within 24 hours. If outdoor drying isn’t a possibility, bring it inside to dry before packing it up.

Pack your tent clean

Vegetation and dirt hold moisture which will grow mold. Sweep or wipe down the tent inside and out before packing it up. Check out our video on how to pack up a Sibley Tent in the field to see the taco, pizza, french fry, roll method of folding in action.

Store it High and Dry

Keep your packed tent in a cool, dry place and avoid storage in damp basements. Keep the tent off the floor in garages and storage units that can flood or puddle in the rain.

Long Term Storage

If you're storing your tent for a long period, or in an area where mice and bugs are a concern, consider storing the tent in a big clean plastic garbage can with a lid.

How to Clean a Canvas Tent

Cleaning prepares your tent for retreatment. Dry mud or dirt can be brushed off with a soft brush. You will need a hose, bucket, soft brush or sponge, cleaning solution and retreatment solution.

Mix a 4 part water 1 part vinegar solution to kill mold and/or use a canvas specific cleaning product of your choice.

Unroll your tent, peg down the groundsheet and remove all dust, dirt, and particulate with a clean broom or a vacuum with a brush attachment.

Hose down the tent.

Use a soft brush or sponge to gently clean the fabric with the appropriate solution, rinsing as you go. Start at the peak and work your way down to the floor. It may be helpful to pitch the tent after you’ve cleaned the hard to reach areas around the top.

Rinse. Then rinse again. Making sure to remove any residual cleaning solution.

Let the tent dry completely prior to retreating.

Waterproofing—How to Retreat a Canvas Tent

You must retreat the canvas after a cleaning to maintain water, mold, and UV resistance. Most solutions are marketed as a waterproofing treatment, however, they provide protection against sun and dirt as well, which can degrade fabric and limit the natural waterproofing ability of a quality canvas weave. You can use a variety of different treatments depending on your personal preference. Explore our favorite tent care products for recommendations.

Make sure the canvas is dry and clean.

Apply the retreatment product liberally using a spray, plant sprayer, or paint roller. Follow the recommended application instructions from the manufacturer of the product you are using.

Let dry completely prior to storage. Repeat if necessary.

Pre-Shrinking a New Canvas Tent

Canvas tents are like a pair of denim jeans; they shrink a little when you wash them. Shrinkage is beneficial for new tents. When the cotton fibers shrink, the weave tightens which increases its water resistance capabilities. A brand new canvas tent when taken into the rain for the first time may "mist" in a driving rain; this is normal. When you first receive your tent - set it up in the backyard and hose it down, (or leave it up until it gets rained on) to pre-shrink your tent before your first adventure!

Maintaining your canvas tent by cleaning, waterproofing, and storing it properly will keep your gear in use for years.