The Ultimate
Guide to
Canvas
Wall Tents

The frame of your safari tent is one of the more essential components of your tent setup. It can be a determining factor in the lifespan of your tent and when constructed with the right material, it helps maintain the structural integrity of your canvas and overall tent.

Sometimes, you’ll have to purchase the canvas fabric and wall tent frame separately. All White Duck Outdoors wall tents though, always arrive outdoors ready. So when you receive your tent, you’re getting the fabric, frame, angle kits, and a tool kit to set up the canvas wall tent immediately. Let’s break down the components of the wall tent frame so you know exactly what you should be receiving with your outfitter tent.

•  Internal frame The internal frame of a wall tent is the most essential part of the construction process. Normally, the frame is made from galvanized aluminum to provide roof support and structure to the wall tent. The frame prevents the wall tent from collapsing in case of strong winds or heavy snow. By maintaining the structure, the canvas stays intact and in shape without tearing or splitting. They are easy to assemble and make the entire process of setting up a wall tent a whole lot quicker.
• Angle kits These provide additional support to the tent structure in case of extreme weather conditions. Angle kits hold the wall tent together by binding the aluminum poles effectively. They provide excellent support to the canvas and prevent it from sagging. To maintain structure on longer camping trips, it’s usually good practice to install an angle kit every 6′ or less.
• Lodge Pole Frame Lodge poles tend to be used by people interested in constructing their own frames for a semi-permanent living experience, or for those looking to set up glamping sites. If you’re planning to make your own angle kits for a lodge pole frame, the simplest solution is to make them from 1” electrical metal conduit, which you can probably find at your local hardware store. In this case, the frame should be 1-2 % smaller than the actual size to adjust for canvas shrinkage. Something to keep in mind is that often, the canvas fabric of your tent shrinks to a smaller size and ends up getting stretched. When this happens, it may place pressure on the zippers and seams of your wall tent so if your frame doesn’t come with your canvas tent, it’s especially important to get the right size.

Something to keep in mind is that often, the canvas fabric of tent shrinks to a smaller size and ends up getting stretched. When this happens, it may place pressure on the zippers and seams of your wall tent so if your frame doesn’t come with your canvas tent, it’s especially important to get the right size.

When you’re looking at an outfitter tent for your next trip, it isn’t uncommon to find that many of them don’t come equipped with windows. We consider windows crucial to an outdoors experience, so every Alpha Wall Tent from White Duck Outdoors comes with at least two windows and the largest size, 16’x24’, boasts 6 windows.

Windows not only provide superb views from your canvas wall tent but they also allow for cross-ventilation and temperature regulation when inside.

Ideally, the windows on your wall tent should be 3-layer storm windows, complete with a canvas layer on the outside, bug mesh to protect from bugs and critters and a PE layer inside so you can keep the canvas flap open to enjoy outside views without letting in rain or strong winds.

Stakes are used to secure a wall tent to the ground. The type of stakes used tends to depend on the type of location you choose to set up camp. If stakes or pins don’t come with your wall tent, it’s a good idea to know where you’re going to set your wall tent up and the type of weather you expect to encounter.

Generally, you can get steel, plastic or wooden stakes to hold your tent down. For most uses with a wall tent, the plastic or wooden ones may not give you the stability you’re looking for. If you’re out on a hunt with a wall tent up for several weeks or have a glamping site that stays up for the entire summer, steel pins can go a long way in ensuring your campsite doesn’t fall victim to heavy rains or strong winds. Here at White Duck, we’ve designed our own stakes through years of experience outdoors and consistent feedback from our customers. We offer a complete tool kit to go with your tent which includes rubber mallet and stakes.

There are three different types of stakes and sizes to ensure stability of your wall tent. The kit includes 6mm 9” pins to stake down your sod cloth, 10mm 12” Jpegs to secure foot poles to the ground and 6mm 14” long Vpegs for guy ropes to stake down the tent.

A wall tent with stove jack is designed to provide a safe outlet for the stovepipe to penetrate through the wall tent without risking any damage to the tent itself. Since they’re made out of a fire retardant material, it’s highly unlikely for the fabric to get burned from the sparks.

Stove jacks are most often on the roof of wall tents, making it a lot more convenient to safely install the wall tent stove and extend the stovepipes up through the roof and out in the open. You can also put a fly sheet above your wall tent to prevent any spark holes from destroying the tent’s fabric.

A wall tent stove can be an essential part of your overall experience with your canvas wall tent, owing to the fact that wall tents are often used as 4-season tents, through the colder, winter months. When your wall tent has a built-in stove jack with a 5 and 6-inch pre-cut pattern, this gives you the option of installing a stove, as well as the flexibility of opting for a stovepipe size that works better for you.

Whenever you decide to set up a wall tent stove in your tent, make sure the flooring area underneath the stove does not catch fire. In order to prevent that from happening, you can either line the floor area with fire retardant material or simply cut out the floor within a 2 feet radius from the stove.

A bungee cord is an elastic shock absorber that is used to level out any strong jerks in motion. Since bungee cords are great at shock proofing, they are placed on eaves to attach and stake the guy lines on a wall tent.

When it comes to camping outdoors, you would want your wall tent to survive through heavy winds and rain. When the stakes and guylines aren’t securely held in place, as tends to be the case with wall tent setups, you run the risk of your canvas wall tent losing its shape and standing when faced with inclement weather conditions.

It’s for this reason that we developed our proprietary shock-absorbing bungee cords. These bungee cords keep your tent in place and maintain the structure of the wall tent when you’re facing strong winds or heavy rainfall.

When investing in a wall tent, it’s easy to prioritize features like the windows, capacity and fabric. The flooring of your canvas wall tent is often overlooked, despite the fact that there are a couple of different types of floors you can opt for with your wall tent.

Sometimes, your outfitter tent won’t be equipped with flooring and it could be something you need to purchase separately. If that’s the case, it’s worth knowing about the different types of wall tent floors that you can choose between, so you make the best decision about your canvas wall tent.

• Free-floating Floor A free-floating floor is a completely separate accessory that you can simply lay down on the ground before your wall tent setup. They aren’t high maintenance and are fairly straightforward to lay out. The poles of your wall tent frame hold the floor in place securely without any complicated installation or connection.
• Sewn-in Floor A sewn-in floor does a stellar job of keeping pests out of your wall tent but it also adds a little bit of complexity during the setup process. A benefit of sewn-in floors, though, is that you can pack them up quickly while you put away the other parts of your wall tent. Full Floor: The full tent floor covers the entire floor of your tent. It’s made to fit your size tent exactly, but isn’t sewn in.
• ¾ Floor The ¾ floor covers the ground of three quarters of the floor of your tent. It’s designed to cover the back part of your tent, while leaving the front quarter of the floor of your tent to be bare ground. You can use this space for setting up a stove, or keeping any wet or dirty gear so that your wall tent floor isn’t impacted. A floor is considered to be an important feature in wall tents for a number of reasons:
• Leveled Ground When it comes to camping, you would probably find it hard to set up a wall tent on a perfectly leveled ground. An additional floor in your wall tent will help even out any bumps in the ground that may cause discomfort when you’re camping for extended periods of time.
• Temperature Control A wall tent floor is a necessity when you’re camping in areas that face extreme weather conditions. The flooring protects you from a cold or damp ground, so your sleep and general living drastically improves.
• Preventing Insects It isn’t uncommon to face critters when you’re out with your wall tent for camping or a glamping getaway. Without the proper flooring, you run a higher risk of these pests getting into your living area! The right floor prevents insects from getting in and allows for a more comfortable sleep

• Wall Tent Stoves
• Canvas Porch
• Fly Sheets
• Hanging Tent Organizer
• Pole Bags

The best canvas wall tents tend to be fairly versatile because of the add-ons and accessories you can get with them. Accessories are an awesome way to elevate your entire experience in the outdoors and take it to the next level. Not only can you make your accommodation a lot more comfortable, there are also ways to protect your tent with the right accessories.

In many cases, the canvas wall tent with stove on its own provides the shelter, capacity and functionality you need when you’re out camping, glamping or hunting. That said, having the right add-ons or accessories for your wall tent can provide that bit of spice to your overall experience in nature.

Going camping with your safari tent can be a daunting experience, especially in colder weather when it’s easy to think about the discomfort caused by snowfall or rains and you’re unable to set up a fire outside. If you aren’t adequately prepared for harsher weather conditions, they can be a dampener on your trip, from having to forego any activities to sleeping uncomfortably.

When you’re staying in a wall tent, one of the most important features can be the ability to keep it heated, regardless of how cold the weather may be on the outside.

Unlike traditional, synthetic tents, wall tents give you the option of installing a wall tent stove inside to keep you and your gear warm. All White Duck Outdoors wall tents, for example, are equipped with a stove jack, which makes setting up a stove that much easier. Adding a wall tent stove to your canvas wall tent setup can drastically improve your living and sleeping experience, and also give you a way to dry any damp or wet clothes and equipment.

Finding the right stove for your wall tent requires careful consideration, depending on the type of wall tent you own, the size of the stove jack and the kind of experience you’re looking for.

Here are a few things you need to know before investing in the right type of stove for your wall tent:

• Given the size of your wall tent, you need to make sure the stove you buy is an appropriate fit for the area. A large stove for a small wall tent can get extremely uncomfortable in terms of space and temperature. Similarly, if you end up buying a stove that’s too small for your wall tent, it won’t do a good enough job. Most of the time, you can learn about the right stove for your outfitter tent from the manufacturer.
•  Having the ease of heat adjustment on your stove can be a blessing. When you’re buying a stove for your wall tent, make sure it has a temperature control option so that you can adjust the heat accordingly.
• Stoves come in all shapes and sizes that suit different campers based on their area of preference when it comes to camping. A common mistake that people make is buying a stove that is too heavy to move. Since a lot of people prefer camping in secluded areas away from the city, transporting a heavy-duty stove can be a hassle.

A canvas porch is designed to provide an extended living area outside your canvas wall tent. The porch attaches to the roof of your tent and essentially acts as an additional tent, without requiring the same level of investment.

Canvas porches are usually constructed from the same material as your wall tent, so when you’re buying one from White Duck Outdoors, it’s going to be made from the same great army duck cotton canvas as the Alpha Wall Tent. Canvas porches from White Duck Outdoors also have walls and a stove jack unlike other porches, so they’re perfect for use as cooking areas, to dry any gear or just to hang out and enjoy the breeze on a warm day. Learn more about canvas wall tent with stove jack on our website WhiteDuckOutdoors.com.

The great thing about canvas porches is that they’re modular, which means you can attach them to each other to increase your living area, well, endlessly.

Fly sheets are extremely important for the maintenance of your wall tent as they enable you to utilize it for extended periods of time. Wall tent fly sheets normally spread out above the roof of your safari tent to prevent excessive snowfall, UV radiation, strong winds, rain, dirt, or even potential leaks from ruining the canvas.

By maintaining your wall tent’s structure, a fly sheet ensures that the integrity of your canvas fabric is intact. With the right usage, your wall tent will be able to last a lot longer.

One thing to keep in mind with your fly sheet is that it doesn’t cover the stove jack in the canvas fabric of your tent. Our fly sheets, for example, have a hole that would be positioned exactly above the stove jack in your tent, so your stovepipe wouldn’t be obstructed. When you’re not using a stove, there’s a flap you can roll down to keep the area covered.

When you’re living in a wall tent, things tend to get messy due to the limited spacing. It isn’t easy to keep all your things organized when you’re living with a bunch of people and limited storage space. Moreover, having piles of your things laying around can be a bit difficult to deal with.

If you’re one of those people who like knowing exactly where their things are, you need a hanging tent organizer. This accessory is especially designed for campers who over pack and end up regretting their spontaneous decisions.

A hanging tent organizer can help you sort out your stuff in a more organized manner and make it easier for you to find what you need. The best part is, you can easily hang your organizer to the side of your wall tent and create a more organized space for yourself to live in.

Generally, there are three types of organizers you can opt for in your wall tent: pocket organizers, cabinet organizers and roof organizers. All three types are available in our online store.

If you don’t know already, a wall tent happens to come with a lot of poles and that too, of different sizes. The most important part of constructing a wall tent is setting up its structure. Wherever you plan to camp, you will always have to carry the poles along with you.

Pole bags come in different sizes to fit each type of pole for your tent perfectly. For example, the roof poles will have their own bag, separate from the wall poles. In order to prevent wear and tear of the poles, it is advised to keep the different sizes separate from each other. This will help protect the poles and also avoid confusion during the construction process as setup and take down will be easier because your pieces will be better organized and you won’t have to struggle to fit everything into one bag.

Naturally, if your tent comes with bags for the poles as ours do, this isn’t something you’d need to worry about!

• Essential Treatments
• Cleaning Mold and Mildew
• Taking Care of Zippers
• Snow Load Management
• Preventing Condensation

Mold and mildew are types of fungus that tend to grow on the fabric of canvas wall tents. If you’re an avid camper and face rainfall, snow or general humidity on a regular basis, this could be an issue you come up against.

Fungus can severely damage your wall tents if it isn’t treated quickly. Mold and mildew grow on cotton canvas because it’s an organic material, which is also why canvas tents tend to require more care than traditional synthetic tents.

Ideally, your wall tent would already have a mold and mildew resistant treatment applied to it.

If however, your wall tent is untreated and you find some mold on it, here’s what you can do:

• If you’re facing a mild case of mold and mildew that has just formed on your wall tent, spraying some distilled vinegar solution will kill the fungus. If you’re out of vinegar, you can use lemon juice mixed with salt in hot water to get the job done.
• If you’re facing a more developed case of mold and mildew, it’s best to use special cleaners designed to treat the fungus. The IOSSO Mold & Mildew Stain Remover not only cleans mold and mildew, but also an assortment of other organic stains including bird droppings and leaf stains. Boat Bling Green Sauce Enzyme-Based Mold and Mildew Stain Remover and Treatment is another cleaner that’s strong enough to break down and fight built-up mold and mildew, and also prevents it from recurring.

Did you know that a canvas wall tent can shrink up to 10% if left untreated every time it gets wet? Similarly, if you decide to disassemble and store your wall tent without letting it dry out completely, you run the risk of subjecting your wall tent to mold & mildew growth. These issues can develop over time and reduce the lifespan of your wall tent.

When you’re looking at investing in a wall tent, it’s a good idea to consider the treatments already applied to it, since these can do wonders for protecting your safari tent. In an ideal scenario, your wall tent will already be treated with these finishes.

Here are some treatments to keep an eye out for:

• Water Repellent Treatment Even though cotton canvas is a tightly woven fabric, there’s a high chance that heavy rain showers can cause water to sweep through the fabric and make it damp over time. This is where water repellent treatments come in use. Water repellent treatments are also referred to as a second degree of waterproofing. In this process, an extra layer of protection is added on top of the canvas fabric which also maintains an appropriate airflow within the wall tent. While not completely waterproof in the case of a rainstorm or persistent showers, this level of treatment will repel the water, making it bead and drip off of the fabric.Fire Retardant Treatment: A fire retardant treatment makes a wall tent resistant to burning up. Unless your manufacturers are providing you with a treated wall tent, it’s always recommended to get a fire retardant treatment as the cotton canvas is prone to catching fire or getting burned, especially when you’re using a stove inside your wall tent. Once a canvas tent is treated, it will only be flammable as long as there is a flame held to the canvas.
• UV Resistant Treatment If your wall tent is exposed to direct sunlight for extended periods of time, there’s a high chance that the canvas fabric can start to deteriorate. If your canvas wall tent is already treated to be UV-resistant, you should try to set it up in a shaded area, or set up a fly sheet over the roof of your tent.
• Mold and Mildew Resistant Treatment To prevent your wall tent from getting damaged by mold and mildew, you can get your wall tent treated to prevent the fungus from growing in the first place. Since it can develop in all environments above freezing temperatures, this is a commonplace issue in the outdoors community. If you identify mold growth, it’s important to start removing it immediately!
• Our Proprietary Canvas Tent Treatment At White Duck Outdoors, our proprietary PFC-free finish is applied to all canvas wall tents, at no added cost. This finish is impregnated onto the surface of the fabric and the chemical concentrate sits between the cotton pores of the fabric, allowing the canvas to breathe while also remaining much lighter with more precise coverage than traditional wax treatments. Our finish provides water repellency, mold and UV resistance, with a fire retardant option available.

A good quality zipper is an essential part of your wall tent. Since you use them often, it’s just important to ensure they’re well looked after. The last thing you want is a zipper that gets stuck when you’re closing your windows on a cold day!

Zippers are a big part of your wall tent doors and windows. If you’re looking at Alpha Wall Tents from White Duck Outdoors, you’ll notice they come with three-layer storm doors and windows and to be truly storm-resistant, the doors and windows are equipped with military-grade zippers.

Here are some simple measures to keep your outfitter tent zippers in good shape:

• Clean your zippers: It’s a good idea to keep the track clean from any dust or leaves that may get caught up in the teeth of the zipper. You can also shake the tent out after use, followed by wiping each zipper off with a cloth to clean out any dried-on debris. This will prevent it from getting stuck and ensure smooth movement.
• Use zipper lubes: Zippers can get stuck, especially when you’ve been using one for a while. Instead of pulling on a zipper and damaging it accidentally, you can use zipper lube to reduce friction on the teeth of the zipper.
• Don’t force your zipper: If the zipper happens to get stuck on the tent or a loose string, our first instinct is usually to pull on the zipper impatiently. You’ll probably free up the zipper this way but also damage the track or fabric. For this reason, it’s better to carefully work out the thread and remove the piece of fabric or string.
• Unzip before placing the canvas fabric: Before placing the wall tent fabric on or removing it from the tent frame, you should unzip all the zippers. Stretching out a closed canvas tent can put a lot of pressure on the zippers and may damage the tent.

Even though wall tents are supported by a strong internal frame, prolonged snow accumulation can end up damaging the canvas of your wall tent. Not only will it stretch out the canvas fabric, you might even end up suffering from dampness on the roof of your wall tent.

In some cases, a heavy snow load can actually cause your wall tent to collapse. After all, there’s only so much snow a wall tent can manage.

In order to prevent snow from accumulating and damaging your wall tent, you should check on the roof periodically when it’s snowing. To remove any snow that’s gathered on the roof or walls overnight, you can use a soft brush to brush it off the canvas.

Alternatively, you can position a fly sheet over the roof of the tent so the snow doesn’t come in direct contact with your wall tent fabric.

If you live or are setting up somewhere with extreme snowfall, we’d recommend getting an extra pair of snow load poles for structural reinforcement.

Condensation on your wall tent is a natural process but you should take steps to prevent it, where possible. Here are some ways to do just that

• Choose the right campsite: Pitching your wall tent on dry ground is always a good idea as it prevents moisture from seeping into the tent. You can also opt for a location that has a natural breeze, so the airflow might redirect water vapor.
• Maintain a good ventilation system: If you allow good airflow inside your wall tent, this helps move water vapor through the tent, instead of settling inside it. All White Duck Outdoors wall tents, for example, have three-layer doors and windows. So you can fold up the canvas while keeping the mesh layer down to let air flow through the tent and still keep bugs out.
• Opt for a breathable canvas for your wall tent: If you invest in a tent that comes with breathable fabric, it combats condensation on the surface of the wall tent and prevents it from seeping in. Our Alpha Wall Tents also always have a PFC-free, breathable finish applied to them, which ensures condensation is not as much of an issue as it would be on other canvas wall tents.
• Use a dehumidifier: A tent dehumidifier can help prevent water vapor from turning into droplets. If you’re conscious about condensation, a dehumidifier is an effective tool.
• Invest in a Wall Tent with Layered Fabric around the Frames: All White Duck wall tents have a double layer of the cotton canvas fabric at points where the frame touches the fabric to help prevent condensation collecting and forming around the frames. When you’re in the market for a wall tent, check to see that the manufacturer has measures in place to prevent condensation so that your manual work is minimized.

Glamping is a more luxurious form of camping where you can enjoy the comforts of your everyday life, all while staying closer to nature. The term ‘glamping’ is a combination of the words ‘glamorous’ and ‘camping’. By having some of the comforts and luxuries of home with you on your trip, you don’t feel totally disconnected from your usual life.

Given the versatile nature of wall tents, you can expect a perfectly suitable atmosphere filled with comfort and style for your glamping trip. Since wall tents are capable of providing a relaxed setup in all types of environments, it is the most preferred form of glamping for people who would like to enjoy the entire experience in a more authentic manner.

Whether you’d like to stay warm throughout the night or bring all the comforts of your home with you, wall tents can provide the space and the functionality that is often not found in other accommodations. Therefore, wall tents are ideal for glamping as they can provide you with warmth, shelter, security, and space all at the same time.

Getting out on a hunting trip often means setting up for days, if not weeks, in the outdoors. For this reason, it’s important to invest in the proper accommodation that will not only have enough space for your group, gear and equipment, but also stand up to any kind of weather you might face when out on the hunt.

Wall tents are an excellent choice for use on hunting trips. They’re durable, able to withstand a range of environments and weather conditions and, if cared for properly, will last you for many years to come.

There are groups of people that live in tents fairly comfortably, all year round. Especially with how durably canvas tents can be built, tent living doesn’t have to be as minimalistic or survivalist as it was before.

When thinking about living in a wall tent semi-permanently or permanently, there’s a few different aspects of the tent to think about. If you’re going to live in a wall tent, you should consider:

•  The fabric of the wall tent It’s vital that you choose the correct material for your tent. A thin, flimsy, nylon tent used for short camping trips won’t do the trick for ex-tended living. Therefore, choosing the right kind of canvas fabric is essential.
• The size of the wall tent The size of the wall tent that you choose depends on the number of people who will be living in the tent. One person, at minimum, needs a small bed or cot, space for personal items like clothing and shoes, and a small area for cooking or eating.
• The ability to use a stove Adding a stove to your tent is almost a necessity for year round tent living. Stoves not only allow you to cook your food safely, but they also heat the inside of your tent during the cold winter months. All you’ll need is a steady supply of wood.
• The addition of a fly sheet A fly sheet is an added fabric layer that is installed over the roof of your tent. This is designed to give extra protection from water, snowfall and intense UV radiation. If your tent is being set up outdoors for an extended period of time, the fly sheet will go a long way in keeping the canvas fabric protected from harsh weather conditions.

Living in a tent through the winter season presents some extra hurdles and requires a bit more planning than summer camping. From making sure that your space will be warm enough to keeping your possessions dry and packing the necessary gear, there are some important preparations that go into comfortably and safely living outside in the winter in a tent.

When deciding on living outside for the duration of winter in a double wall tent, it’s essential that you:

• Choose the right tent
• Pack appropriate gear for winter living
• Prepare the food you’ll need
• Take care of your tent in the winter