Canvas wall tent fire retardant treatment

[mlsthmpsn]

OK, so I've almost got my wife sold on a new wall tent. We do a fair bit of camping, and with the growing family, the poly tent is getting tight. I plan to use it in fall/winter for some hunting trips too.

Waiting on getting our money back that Uncle Sam has borrowed for the past year...looking at tents and stoves... Hoping that the current Davis monthly special is still available by the time we see our "refund"!

I have searched and searched, and have not found a discussion on the pros/cons/necessity of fire treatment. If I can do without, I can get more tent.... But if the more tent burns up, what good is it?  I have just not found anything that sways me either way.

Yay or nay? What are your thoughts?

I'd be getting a fly/awning for the tent as well, and a stove with a spark arrestor. Looking at at least 12x14, but would prefer the 14x16.

Thanks,

[WESTBROOK]

From Davis Tent site..

"Note: CA, LA, MA, MI, MN, NY, and NJ require any tent shipped to their state must be fire treated."


must have been at least a few have caught fire.

[Sam McMichael]

DO NOT put your family in a non fire retardant tent, especially if you plan to use a stove. It can become a death trap in seconds. Put the few extra dollars into a tent and get one that is treated. My highest recommendation is Tent Smiths. They make very fine fabric tents and are great people to deal with.

I recall as a much younger person the series of public service ads promoting the use of fire retardant tent fabrics. It had some horrendous pictures of people, primarily kids, who were disfigured by tent fires. I guess the message stuck with me.

[Ragin Bull]

Miles,  you will like the Davis tent. I would personally skip the fire retardant and get a bigger tent. You say that your going to get the fly/awning anyway so with just normal precaution I think you'll be just fine.
I have had my Davis for almost ten years now and it still looks as good as new. The one thing I would recommend is do not cook in it if possible. The oils and grease will attract mice, squirrels and other rodents to chew on the tent!  I keep mine in a rolling Rubbermaid container ( large garbage can with wheels) it makes it easy to move around and as long as the lid is sealed nothing can get in. Just make sure that the tent is dry when you pack it or it will mold and you don't want that!
One last bit of advice from Davis, if you thinking of two tent sizes-ALWAYS go bigger, you will not be sorry!
If your interested in seeing one before you buy I'm only a couple hours north of you, just let me know ahead of time and I'll set mine up!
Good luck.

[WESTBROOK]

Davis has some good Package deals right now, go to there site, go to "general store" and then "wall tents.

[mlsthmpsn]

Thanks everyone, still weighing all the options....too many, and I want them all!!!!

 

Originally posted by Ragin Bull:

If your interested in seeing one before you buy I'm only a couple hours north of you, just let me know ahead of time and I'll set mine up!
Good luck.

I'll keep that in mind, we'll be using this a lot in the Wausaukee area during summer (my in-laws just got a small piece of land along the Menominee River)....then all around the National Forest for hunting seasons.

I've wanted to start a traditional WI Northwoods hunting camp of sorts for a long while now, and things are finally coming together.

 

Originally posted by WESTBROOK:
Davis has some good Package deals right now, go to there site, go to "general store" and then "wall tents.

I've gotten several priced-out packages (with additions like awnings and such) from Davis with the current specials....I started looking at WallTentShop now too...I like the free shipping aspect, as Davis is probably an additional $200 to ship. I can get a bit bigger stove and a bigger tent for about the same as the 12x14' Davis....

Decisions.


I'd like to hear any comparisons people have?

[Orion]

Good tent brands already mentioned.  I'd like to throw another into the mix.  Eena wall tents made by Beckel Canvas Products out of Portland, Oregon.  I bought one of those about 20 years ago, and it's still going strong.

Regardless of the brand you buy, I'd recommend 5-foot side walls.  Will make the tent a lot roomier inside because you'll be able to stand closer to the side walls.

I used my tent quite a few years in the big woods or northwestern Wisconsin. Excellent base for hunting. Good luck on whatever you choose.

[Sixgun]

I purchased a 12x14 from Davis last year. I elected to go with the internal frame and just had them ship me the angles. I cut my own conduit to length.

My recommendation would be to view this as a "long term" purchase. Think about how you use a tent and option it accordingly. Don't skimp on say, screen doors, to save $100 when you camp in buggy areas, for example. It's money well spent.

FWIW, I'd definitely go with fire rated canvas. It's an added margin of safety for not a whole lot of added cost.

My $.02

Ray

[two4hooking]

What sixgun said.  I did the same thing several years ago from Davis.  Love it!

 

[mlsthmpsn]

Wifey texted me that "these showed up..." and "I can't move them".

     


I didn't get info back on my taxes to take advantage of the Davis March deals. I ended up ordering a 14x16' Wilderness package from WallTentShop; extended fly, screen door and windows, and the Wilderness 4 stove deluxe package.

I gotta go pick up some emt off a craigslist add early next week. Gonna roll it out tomorrow hopefully and get it measured for a cut list and burn the stove in.

Plan to use it the first weekend in May up North...stove will be nice when it's down to 30's at night this time of year.

[fujimo]

here is the flip side, when we were manufacturing, and dealing with raw material suppliers- one of their chemists gave me the skinny on the fire retardant- he said it was pretty bad stuff- and he would not like to sleep in an enclosure all night- inhaling those chemicals- now that was just them, and i dont know what every other company uses as a retardant- but my feelings that anything that will kill a fire has gotta be pretty darn potent!!!

i know my grandpa used to fire proof thatch grass before putting it on a roof- and they made a saturated solution of aluminum sulphate- and soaked the bundles in there overnight, drained dried and thatched with them, it would only smoulder- and not burn with a flame!!

[wingnut]

Yep fire retardant and a good spark arrester for the stove.  Money well spent.  If you take care of it the tent will last a lifetime.

Mike

[bsv]

fire retardant is not toxic,my wife is office manager for a manufacturer for 15yrs now and it works great to dry up poison ivy too,you could do it your-self its a simple spray on application, pm me if you would like info for product.

[bsv]

I spoke to my wife about this and she says that some F/R can be toxic most are not, and it needs to absorb into the fabric and needs to be applied before any waterproofing,hope this helps..Burt

[mlsthmpsn]

I got a fire retardant model. My wife and I got it out yesterday and measured it for a cut list.

I use a 9 by 9 Baker wall tent made by EENA with all of the extras and an EENA wall tent.  They have both survived nasty weather in all seasons are at least 20 years old, they are still in perfect condition.  They are made with Egyptian sail canvas.  They have no fire retardant or moisture sealants.  They have not leaked a drop and they have no fire holes from the many times they have been set up with wood stoves burning in them.  I was told that waxy water proofing burns real nice on poplin tents, it also makes the tent heavier.  For tents with that material, fire proofing is mandatory.
  Remember that with any canvas tent, you cannot store it with any moisture in it.  Tree sap is fine, soot is fine, moisture trapped in the overlap of the seams equals rotting tent, every time.  That is the one problem with tents with a lot of chemical sprayed on them, they are more difficult to get dry, especially in the seams.

[fujimo]

thanks Burt, appreciate the offer- but i think i will still stick with the "no fire retardant" route- i dont know which is going to be toxic or not when i buy goods     so why take a chance  

[mlsthmpsn]

I'm picking up emt tonight...scored on craigslist.  


I've been sorta rehearsing the setup process in my head of the last couple days....I remember seeing a picture on my searching, where the guy had some spacers between the tent and the fly to make a small air gap.

Has anyone seen this or don it? I was thinking something between the two d-rings (on my tent) that would to that. Thoughts?

[mlsthmpsn]

Found it....tip # 3

 

Originally posted by DarkTimber:
I have a 14x16 Davis with internal frame and a 4 dog stove.  I sold my pop up camper and bought it about 3 years ago and would never go back.  A wall tent just makes an elk camp!

A couple tips:

1.  I store my tent inside the canvas tent bag it came in then put that inside a 120 qt cooler.   This keeps any rodents from being able to chew holes in it.  If I kill an elk, I use the ice chest for the meat and store the tent in the bag for the trip home.  The floor, fly, stakes, frame angles, and ropes all go in a Rubermade Action Packer which I use to store dry groceries in camp after the tent is set up.

2.  Not as much a tip as a gear recommendation;  If your tent has an internal frame a hanging organizer is great for keeping your gear handy and your tent organized.  I bought mine from Outfitters Supply but several tent makers offer them as well.  I also bought several of the clips that hook to the frame and allow you to hang various things. Here is a pic of both the hanging organizer and the clips in use.
   

3.  I always use a rain fly with my tent, not only to help it shed water but also to protect against uv.  To get ventilation between the fly and the tent I use 1/2" metal conduit cut about 3" longer than the height of the side walls.  Most (not all) tents that are advertised with 5' sidewalks are actually about 4'-9" as 5' is the fabric cut length before sewing.  This makes a 5' pole perfect and allows you to get 2 poles from a 10' stick of conduit.  I then take a metal eye bolt with about a 3" threaded section and run it through the grommet on the fly and put a nut on it to hold in place.  When fly is in place I just slide the threaded section of the eye bolt into the end of the conduit then tie a rope through the eyebolt and stake it out. Here's a picture of mine in use.
   

[mlsthmpsn]

Got the first test setup done yesterday...by myself, in 20-30mph winds (no windbreak for 3/4 mile in that direction).

     


Took about an hour to get to the point in the picture, with my sons "help"....learned a lot about what not to do and how to do it better.

 

• 1) Pull it over against the wind, as pulling with the wind just presses it hard against the frame and it is hard to get it over.

 2) Pull the tent over before you put any legs on.

 3) Put the flooring tarp down on the leeward side, next to where the tent will stand. Unroll the tent on the tarp and then drag it over. Lay the tarp in that spot to drag the tent onto it when tearing down.

  4) Grab lower on the legs when putting them in...pinching your finger in the angle bracket hurts like hell and makes you bleed pretty good.
[/list]

 
Take down and packing was about 45 min.

I left the guy ropes on the tent. Not sure if that's how I will do it, but it would have been nice to have them on their before hand with the wind trying to take the tent. I also cut lengths of 550 cord to run along the eaves and ridge (running through each angle bracket brace). I'll tie those in with a taught-line before I drag then tent over the frame. This should help keep it tight together and serve as places to hang stuff inside.

That's it for now. Gonna use it this weekend for a couple days up north.