The Best Canvas Cabin Tents

Kodiak Flex-Bow Deluxe Canvas Cabin Tent

The Kodiak Canvas Flex-Bow Deluxe Cabin Tents are some of the best canvas cabin tents for sale and should be your top pick if you’re looking for the best combination of comfort and durability with an easy set-up. There are many campers who swear by canvas cabin tents, and the Kodiak brand is one of the favorites. If weight and pack size aren’t an issue and you take care of your gear, the Kodiak tents will reward you with a tent that will last for years.

Our favorite size is the 4 person 9′ x 8′ canvas cabin tent.  With a 6’1 ceiling height, this tent has plenty of room inside.  The tent was designed to provide maximum comfort while being as durable, sturdy and easy to set-up as possible. There are different styles of canvas tent options to choose from on our list, but Kodiak Canvas’ commitment to ease of set-up and value, makes it one of the best selling canvas cabin tents on the market.

Again, the Kodiak Flex-Box tents are specifically known for the following: easy enough for 1 person to setup, natural cotton canvas material that stays warm in colder temperatures and cool in warmer temperatures, extreme durability, and good weather performance for most weather conditions. The tent is a stand out for desert or beach camping such as surf trips or Burning Man where blowing wind and sand are no match. Hunters swear by Kodiak tents as base camps during hunting season. When not being used for specific tasks, they make fantastic family camping tents.

he Flex-Box Deluxe is part of Kodiak Canvas’ Flex-Bow tent lineup. The tent offers a quick, easy, one-person setup that you don’t find often when looking for a canvas tent. The tents feature Hydra-Shield 100% Cotton Duck Canvas which is durable, watertight and breathable. The Flex-Bow keeps a tight pitch with an exceptionally sturdy frame and heavy-duty 12-inch steel rods and stakes.  There are two large D-shaped doors located at the front and back of the tent.  Four large windows with no-see-um mesh along with two funnel-flow vents help improve air flow and temperature management. Inside the tents are spacious with 6’6″ ceiling height which provides walk-around comfort as well as a customizable gear loft and organizer pockets. The floor is a heavy-duty seamless 16 oz vinyl that is polyester reinforced for added strength and resistance to the elements. Additional features include a large 72×78-inch awning and handy strap-and-cinch storage bag for convenient roll up. The sturdy frame is manufactured from 1-inch galvanized steel tubing while the Flex-Bow Rods are 3/8-inch solid spring steel.

The Flex-Box tent holds up to intense weather including hard rain and winds using their Trademarked Hydra-shield canvas, good design, and a tight pitch. The natural fabrics in the tent body and good airflow, reduces condensation and the tent handles hot weather very well with such great ventilation. The Flex-Bow is rated for All-season use year-round, but there is a disclaimer on their website that it is not designed for extreme winter mountaineering or heavy snow accumulations. Read All Customer Reviews on Amazon

Teton Sports Mesa Canvas Cabin Tents

The Mesa Canvas Cabin Tent from Teton Sports is another excellent choice for a canvas cabin tent.  The tent is offered in 2 sizes:  10′ 6 Person and a and a large 14′ 8 Person cabin tent.  The Mesa Cabin tent uses Waterproof cotton canvas.  The floor material is a Super-Duty 19 oz. interwoven polymer.  The tent has 2 wide doors and uses steel poles.

Measurements are as follows:

10 Foot 6 person:  10′ x 10′ x 6.5′

14 Foot 8 Person:  10′ x 14′ x 6.5′

Other Key Features Include:

Read All Customer Reviews on Amazon

Kodiak Canvas Cabin Tent with Deluxe Awning

Packed Weight: 112 lbs.
Floor Area: 12×9 ft. Tent space, plus 8×8.5 ft. deluxe awning.

If you are looking for a tent with a lot of featured for extended camping trips, the Kodiak Canvas Cabin Tent might be a good choice. The tent takes significantly longer for setup than the Flex-Box and requires multiple people, but once setup, you have an extremely versatile and comfortable tent for all types of weather.

Like the Flex-Bow, the cabin tent feature Hydra-Shield 100% Cotton Duck Canvas which is durable, watertight and breathable. The Flex-Bow keeps a tight pitch with an exceptionally sturdy frame and heavy-duty 12-inch steel rods and stakes.  There are two large D-shaped doors located at the front and side of the tent.  Five large windows with no-see-um mesh along with roll up side walls help improve air flow and temperature management. Inside the tent is spacious with steep side walls and a spacious with 7’5″ ceiling height which provides walk-around comfort. The floor is a heavy-duty seamless 16 oz vinyl that is polyester reinforced for added strength and resistance to the elements. Additional features include a large 8′ x 8′ deluxe awning that can be turned into an additional room with the addition of an enclosure kit. The sturdy frame is manufactured from 1-inch galvanized steel tubing while the Flex-Bow Rods are 3/8-inch solid spring steel.

The Kodiak Canvas Cabin tent holds up to intense weather including hard rain and winds using their Trademarked Hydra-shield canvas, good design, and a tight pitch. The natural fabrics in the tent body and good airflow, reduces condensation and the tent handles hot weather very well with such great ventilation. The Kodiak Canvas Cabin tent is rated for All-season use year-round, but there is a disclaimer on their website that it is not designed for extreme winter mountaineering or heavy snow accumulations. Read All Customer Reviews on Amazon

Important Considerations for Canvas Cabin Tents

Canvas tents perform throughout all seasons. Canvas is not only breathable, but it takes more time to heat up than synthetics. In the winter, canvas tents can be heated within and maintain temperatures better than thinner synthetic materials. Of course, with their larger size and heavier material, canvas tents take up much more room and are heavier to transport. In addition, they require more maintenance, but if maintained well, they last for years and can even be repaired with a standard thread and needle.

Material – The tents listed above are manufactured from either Cotton Canvas or Army Duck Canvas.  Both are a woven cotton fabric.  However, Army Duck Canvas has a much higher thread count, making it smoother to the touch.  Army Duck Canvas has a much tighter weave as well, lending to it’s better water repellent characteristics.

Treatments – You will see many canvas tents listed as flame or fire resistant.  In addition, some might be listed as flame or fire retardant.  Many will be labelled FR.  FR and Fire Water Repellent Canvas fabrics meet CPAI 84 requirements for tents.  The difference is how the material melts when exposed to fire and at what point the material will self-extinguish.  Many states have rules and regulations so it’s important to understand what your local laws require.  Do not try and apply treatment to a canvas tent after manufacture, it will clog the thread spaces and make the tent much less breathable.

• Fire-resistant and flame-resistant products are designed to be nonflammable at a chemical level, and to self-extinguish without melting or dripping when directly exposed to extreme heat.
• Fire-retardant and flame-retardant materials have been chemically treated to slow ignition, burning, or actually self-extinguish when exposed to an open flame. The original material must be chemically treated to retard the spread of flames.

White Duck explains the Treatment as the following:

FR finish must comply with the code; CPAI 84.
We strongly recommend to purchase Fire Retardant tents as wall tents are used for extended period of time where stoves for cooking and heaters/AC units are used inside the tent. In order to prevent the tent catching fire, always opt for Fire Water Repellent fabric option. Please keep in mind that the tent is not fireproof and may burn if it is exposed to the flame source for long. Fire resistant canvas will burn as long as flame touches the canvas, but will not burn if external flame is removed. Fire retardant does not prevent sparks from smoke stack from burning “pin holes” in the canvas.

Comfort – If you are looking at canvas tents, you are most likely considering large, long use tents. Your comfort is going to be important at the end of a long day of hunting or hiking especially in bad weather conditions. Most tents are sized to how many standard adults the tent will fit, not including gear and certainly not taking into account extra space for taller or larger-bodied campers. If you want extra space, choose a tent with an extra 1 person capacity. Also consider the number of vestibules and their size to store all your gear outside of the tent while still being protected from the elements.

Durability – Durability goes hand in hand with value and quality. All of our top canvas tents are manufactured by companies who stand behind their products. They provide quality canvas tents built to last. Choosing the right tent to match camping conditions and where you camp are extremely important to the life of the tent. In addition, using proper footprints and understanding that basic tears and holes are easier than ever to repair, will go a long way to extend tent lifespans.

Airflow and Ventilation – You’ll know it when you wake up inside a poorly ventilated tent. Condensation will collect overnight and you’ll wake up to damp and soggy sleeping bags and clothing. Not a nice way to begin the day. When you exhale while sleeping, your breath is giving off about 1 liter of water. For every other person you are dealing with extra liters of water each night. That water vapor needs to go somewhere otherwise it stays trapped inside the tent and can soak gear. Ventilation is an important aspect of a good quality tent so all of the canvas tents on our list provide excellent ventilation. Airflow is more important when facing hot and humid temperatures. Again, we have only picked canvas tents with good quality materials to provide maximum airflow so the tents can be used in a variety of temperature conditions.

Weather Performance – All of the canvas tents on our list were designed to perform well in most weather conditions, keeping you safe, dry and warm. They provide protection against rain, wind and blowing dust, provide airflow in hot weather, and will do quite well when night time temperatures get colder. If you are considering a canvas tent for winter camping, choose a tent with a stove jack from our list so you can camp with a stove to warm the tent.

Heating – We offer an article on the best tent heater. We also have an article on the best tent stoves.

Canvas Tent Maintenance and Waterproofing

Standard Maintenance – We recommend the following when caring for your canvas tent:

• Keep a Canvas Tent Repair Kit on Hand.
• Try to clean and dry your canvas tent as much as possible at the campsite before packing it up.
• If you can, wash the canvas as much as possible at the campsite with water and let dry.
• Never pack a wet canvas tent away. Mold will destroy the natural fabrics in canvas.
• If you see mold or mildew, wash it completely and let dry. Avoid using any detergents or harsh cleaners as they can damage the fabric.
• If you cannot let it dry completely, hang it or set it up completely when you return home to let it dry.
• If it is still raining when you return home, setup the canvas tent in the rain and leave it up until it has a chance to fully dry.
• Avoid setting it up on asphalt or concrete, as these can cause mold and insect infestations.

Canvas Tent Waterproofing – All of the canvas tents on our list are prepared immediately to be used in the rain. In addition to the natural water resistance that canvas offers, they all have been treated with waterproofing processes. If you keep your tent for years, you will need to re-waterproof. We have written a tent waterproofing article for standard tents but most techniques and products in the article will also work for canvas tent waterproofing.