Hot tents

[Medusa]

This seems to be an up and coming craze amongst the bushcrafters on You Tube and am quite tempted to invest in a canvas tent and stove for camping over winter/early spring and something new to add to my tent collection. Possibly due to fond memories of Girl Guide camps when we had the huge bell tents obviously without the stove and built wood and string gadgets to hold rucksacks, bedding rolls and made coat hangers around the huge wooden centre pole. These days some of the canvas tents are fitted with ground sheets and have mesh panels on the doors and sides instead of having to roll the sides up for ventilation and have a metal centre pole. I've been doing a bit a bit of research but am a bit worried about how they stand up in high winds. Obviously will have the proper chimney fitting, spark arrestor, carbon monoxide detector and fire extinguisher and drying the thing after wet weather could be a pain. Any experience or words of wisdom please?

[pseudonym]

Have you a large garage to dry the canvas out in? I was lacking this for mine and having hanging in the bathroom for a week was not the best.

Try the Helsport lavvu for a lighter version, not canvas but stove compatible.

[grenfell]

Our tents we use for re-enactment are canvas . A modern tent will win hands down in terms of weight and bulk and as pointed out there is the problem of drying them out if they go away wet . Having said that they are nicer and cosier . With regards to fires we've had open fires , wood fired ovens and even a forge under a canvas awning on a regular basis. They become discoloured but that's about it. Year before last we were doing a council run event and we got the impression the council was trying to find an excuse to close the event as they were going round doing saftey examinations with it seemed the express purpose of stopping people doing anything. The fires were one thing that attracted their attention. First it was the measures we have in place to stop the public getting too close would hamper us escaping should there be an incident We got round that one bug then they started questioning about the canvases . We were asked for certificates of fire resilience and so on. We went to the manufactures and to the fire brigade . The manufactures could supply canvas with additional treatment if required but they said , and this was confirmed by the fire brigade , that "regular" canvas is resilient anyway . It doesn't ignite particularly easily and passes the test which is direct exposure to a naked flame for a set period.

[Deeps]

I've a Polish lavvu that I take camping with me sometimes, they're heavy compared to a modern tent or tarp and that's without the stove. They are fun and my dog prefers it to my alternatives. They're even heavier when they're wet so if you're walking any distance then its something to consider. The hot tent camping does look fun but the whole set up looks pricey. If its something you fancy then let us know how you go, I've thought about getting one of the stoves for the allotment shed.

[featherstick]

I have no direct experience but offer this anecdote for what it's worth:

Last April myself and a pal were having a season-opener camping weekend (it was very, very cold, didn't take my hat off day or night for 4 days!), and we got chatting to a chap in a canvas bell-tent. He was very well-equipped and a very seasoned camper. His story was that he'd taken the tent to a festival when a storm blew up. The wind was so strong it flattened all the conventional tents but left his bell-tent standing. So it sounds like they are wind-resistant if properly pitched.

[Medusa]

Thanks guys! Decided on the kit we want to buy, will be a bit later in the year as 2 of our kids both decided to get married within a fortnight of each other and no amount of prepping could have planned for that. Off camping in March and will be our normal tent minus extension, plenty of warm bedding and clothes and the electric hook up so we can have the little tent safe fan heater running. We booked at our usual little place by email and got a response "are you really sure you want to come camping in March?" and then "Nutters on tour". I can't wait !

[Medusa]

Tent and stove purchased and has arrived, exciting stuff. Doubtful we can have a trial run in the garden this weekend due to me working and the apparent storm which is due. I knew it was going to be big and heavy but wow. Will try and work out how to post a photo once the thing is up.