OK, guys stupid newbie question. I just got my first canvas tent. It's a M1950 5 man tent, and as far as I can tell it is brand new. No wear, no finger oil on the wooden pegs, only one little pin hole that appears to be a manufacturer defect.

Do I need to waterproof it? What would you recommend?
Planning on using it for second season elk.
Thanks for your help.......

Boomy:

I bought my canvas wall tent used. It had set on the floor of a shed for quite some time, so it probably wasn't taken care of very well. It had some holes that I patched. I have never waterproofed it. That was 18 years ago and I have used it on 15 hunts since then. It has weathered several rain storms and more snow storms and never leaked. When warm, it smells like it has been impregnated with parafin and/or oil; you know, like a canvas tent should smell.

I suggest that you set it up in warm temps and in the sun. If it smells like parafin or oil then you don't need to waterproof it.

KC

Thanks, KC. It has that strong canvas smell that'll stick to your hands pretty bad. Never been around perafin to know what it smells like.

You can take this for what it is worth or what you paid for it as advice.

Your tent may well be waterproof as a ducks back BUT if it has been laying around folded for a long time it is suspect especially in the creases.

Was it mine I would go to the trouble of setting it up and working it over with a water hose. It is much mo better to find a leak in the back yard than it is in the middle of nowhere.

There are several oil based wp compounds for canvas. When I used a ten I alwasy packed a can or so of Camp Dry as emergency measure. It will work for a while to stop a seep.

BCR

We have a couple of Bravo canvas tents & we use a snow slide on both. It's a nylon tarp made to fit the tents. Keeps snow from building up on the roof and sheds water. Have seen others use the cheap blue plastic tarps that you can buy at a hardware store for the same purpose.

We have set up and used hundreds of wall tent over the years for mineral exploration and I wouldn't consider not having them tarped. one other benefit is they will be warmer.

Do you have a liner with your tent? The cotton liners can help to keep moisture off of the inside contents. They help to insulate as well. I wouldn't own this tent without one. As far as tarping this tent, that would be difficult in the wind given it is a pyramid style tent. If you do tarp it, go with strong canvas, cut to the shape to help with the flapping. I have also had the grommet break through at the top of the tent when strapped down tight in heavy wind. A circular metal plate to widen the surface contact area where the center pole meets the grommet area cured that. An additional item to take with you, if you are going to be in open country out in the wind. Real heavy snow can pull down on this tent as well. It can also rip it if it is the lighter weight canvas version.

I have owned three M1950's, two currently, one recently purchased. Haven't had to coat them, but that could mean someone else did it for me before I got ahold of them. I do have a photocopied manual that came with the newer tent. If I can find it, I'll see if they suggest coating the tent, and with what.

You'll like this tent. I have used them as hunting camp tents for the last 30 years. Really nice when it is hard to find a flat spot to pitch. Most outfitters have big footprints, and this one does not. It is perfect for two people with gear, including a stove. With the liner, you can be out in below zero weather, with 70+ temps inside. If you have any other questions, send me a PM.

Mike

Didn't find my manual yet, but the wife isn't home from work to ask where it might have been placed. But did google it, and found a listing of the pages, page by page. Heres the link.

http://www.tpub.com/content/tentsshelters/TM-10-8340-222-10/index.htm

Also found a manual on ebay for $8 if you are in need of one. Search there for that.

I scanned the maintenance area of the link above, and didn't see anything specific on waterproofing. If you do look for waterproof coating material for canvas, specify that this is a lighter weight type of canvas. You wouldn't want to add too much weight to this fabric. I had one long ago shred under the weight of heavy snow. (Borrowed it to an uncle on a Montana elk hunt-they left it up and unattended.)

Good Luck

Thanks, Mike.
Yes, the one I got came with the white cotten liner. I can already tell this trip will be night and day compared to my last two.
First one, six of us in a five man popup trailer with no heat. We froze going to bed and would wake up in the middle of the night freezing with the added bonus of our condisated breathe raining on us and our bags.
Second one, I was by myself camping in the bottom of a canyon in a lowland tent (only one small window at the top, which I thought would be ok). No heat, thin bag with and extra blanket thrown over it. How I made it through the week?.... Well exausted and cold.

Hard to hunt when you just want to crawl into a hole in the snow and go to sleep.