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My Saturn Raft

I just wanted to mention how satisfied I am with my raft. I’ve had a Saturn raft for over 3 years now. I’ve used it it A LOT. It has met all of my highest expectations. Best of all, I can tell it’s well built; after three years, it shows almost no wear and everything is perfectly intact.

I chose Saturn because they are one of the more economical choices. Cost is always one of the most important factors for me. I was a little worried that maybe I was sacrificing something by getting a cheaper tent, but having used it for three years, I definitely don’t feel that way as the tent has held up incredibly well. No regrets whatsoever.

Last year, I took my 14ft raft down the Middlefork of the Salmon. That’s my dad and brother in the picture with me, by the way. Anyway, I knew going in that the water was going to be incredibly low, so I anticipated a lot of scratching on the bottom, a lot of wear and tear, maybe even a hole or two. I was way wrong.

The water was indeed incredibly low. We spent ⅓ of the trip rubbing over rocks or getting stuck. Although this was a little frustrating, to my great surprise, relief, and pleasure, the raft held up extremely well. The bottom looked almost the same as when we started. It is a STURDY vessel. It’s for these reasons, I give my highest recommendation of Saturn rafts.

Wall Tent Terminology - Stove Pike Jack, Sod Cloth, Angle Kit, Ridge Opening, Eve Ropes, Tensioners, and Pole Clips

Buying a wall tent can be a little intimidating, mostly because it's a huge investment, but also partly because of the wall tent thick jargon. So, I've written this article to ease you into the terminology used.

Stove Pike Jack 

This is a heat resistant fabric that is sewn into the tent to allow the stove pipe to pass through the tent. Our stove jack comes with sewn in circles that can be cut out to fit the size of your stove pipe.

Sod Cloth 

Sod Cloth is typically a vinyl layer of fabric sewn onto the bottom of a tent wall. This allows the bottom of the wall to be tucked inside or outside the tent to keep the weather from blowing in. As our material does not rot like cotton canvas, we don't add a vinyl layer. However, we do make the walls extra long so they can still serve the function of a sod cloth. 

Kirkhams 

Camptents

Angle Kit 

An angle kit is all of the pipe angles/joints needed for building a frame. We make ours with a 1" pipe so that a 3/4" EMT medal pipe can slide in. We add thumb screws to help hold your poles in place. We also have holes in the angles to accommodate pole clips (see below) if they are added to your poles. We supply more angles than any other company.

Pole Clips 

Pole Clips are a push button clip that can be installed in the poles to help hold them in place with the angles.  

Ridge Opening 

A ridge opening is a triangle section of the tent that opens on each end just under the peak of the tent. This allows for ventilation and for a log or rope to pass through the tent if you're dong a no frame set-up. Our ridge openings have a draw string for opening and closing them with ease.

Eve Ropes 

Eve ropes are the ropes that extend from the roof edges of the tent to the ground. They provide stability. Our 13 x 16 and 13 x 20 tents come with ten sets of ropes - four on each side and one off each end of the tent. The ropes are attached to metal D-rings that are attached by heavy webbing to the tent.

Tensioners

Tensioners help tighten the eve ropes. Ours are made of a piece of wood with a hole on each side through which the eve ropes slide. You can tighten the ropes and hold them in place by simply pulling on the tensioners. 

Should I get a Canvas Wall Tent with a Sewn-in Floor?

Should I get a Canvas Wall Tent with a Sewn-in Floor?

Montana Canvas Wall Tent w/ Floor

Sewn-in floors are not necessary and should generally be avoided if you are using an internal frame. The reason is that it is quite challenging setting up a tent while you are inside of it! For this reason, tents with sewn-in floors usually take a small group of people (I recommend at least 3) to set up.

Plus, wall tent material is expensive! It just doesn’t make sense to be walking on it.

There is one advantage to a sewn in floor and that is that it keeps out pests. If you are very concerned about spiders, snakes, and mice then a sewn-in floor does help. In my opinion, however, the benefits do not outweigh the hassle.

Can I order an Elk Mountain Tent with a Sewn-in Floor?

Unfortunately, no. The material used in our tents is very expensive and very few people request this feature. Keeping a separate model for each tent that includes a sewn-in floor would require us to raise the prices on all our tents. However, if you’d like some separation between you and your gear and the ground, I recommend using a tarp – they’re cheap and can be replaced easily. There are also some great indoor/outdoor carpets that work.

Do Polyester Wall Tents Feel like Plastic?

Do Polyester Wall Tents feel like plastic?

No, they are nothing like plastic. The tents feel like a cotton-blend canvas, which is already very similar to regular canvas. Shoot me an email at elkmountaintents@yahoo.com for a free sample of the material.

How Much do Wall Tents Weigh?

How much do Wall Tents Weigh?

At Elk Mountain Tents we use a unique polyester canvas that is much lighter than cotton.

The weights for our polyester canvas tents are as follows:

The 13x13 weighs about 50lbs.

The 13x16 weighs about 60lbs.

The 13 x 20 is about 70lbs.

Cotton tents weigh about twice as much as what’s listed above.

Cotton-blend tents weigh about 20~30% more than the polyester canvas.

Nylon tents are the lightest. This material is great for backpacking tents but don’t make for very sturdy wall tents.

**Don’t forget to include the weight of your poles! This also varies depending on the material you use and the size of the tent. However, just to give you an idea, the poles for our three tent sizes weigh about 90lbs, 100lbs, and 110lbs respectively. Most people choose to make their own poles to avoid the large shipping cost.

Do Wall Tents Come with a Warranty?

Do Wall Tents Come with a Warranty?

I cannot answer definitively for all companies selling wall tents, but most will offer some sort of manufacturing warranty or return policy.

Montanta Canvas: http://www.montanacanvas.com/pages/policies

Davis Tents: I could not locate a policy on their website, so I contacted them directly. Here is what they said, “Our warranty might sound a little hokey - but we call it a 'handshake warranty.' Basically we want you to be happy with our product.  If you’re not, call us and we will figure it out. If you read our online reviews you will see we always go the extra mile. “

Cabela’s: http://www.cabelas.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=ReturnsPolicy

Ranier Wall Tents – I could not find any information on their website, but I have emailed them. I will post as soon as I hear back.

Alaska Tent and Tarp - – I could not find any information on their website, but I have emailed them. I will post as soon as I hear back.

Denver Tent: http://denvertent.com/warranty/

Wall Tent Shop: – I could not find any information on their website, but I have emailed them. I will post as soon as I hear back.

Do Elk Mountain Tents come with a warranty? And what is the return policy?

Yes!  All tents come with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty. We also have a very generous 30-day return policy. If you get your tent and don't love it, just send it back!  The specifics of the policy are located on the checkout page of our website (www.elkmountaintents.com).

Do Canvas Wall Tents Need a Rainfly?

Do Canvas Wall Tents Need a Rainfly?

No. A rainfly is not needed as long as the tent has been properly treated or made from a waterproof material. 

However, a rainfly can be used to help protect your tent from the elements and sparks. This is a cheap insurance for your investment. That being said, a regular old tarp works just fine and is a fraction of the cost of canvas.

A rainfly is not included with our tents because the polyester canvas we use is already "waterproof." I put the word in quotes because we prefer to call it "water resistant," since very few products are ever truly "waterproof" or stay fully waterproof forever. 

Regardless of the material, any wall tent can develop small leaks over time. With our tents, these can be treated with many of the spray products on the market. Scotch Guard even works.

Davis Tent Rainfly

See also: Are Wall Tents Waterproof?

Why Are Canvas Wall Tents so Expensive?

Why are Canvas Wall Tents so Expensive?

Firstly, the material, whether cotton or polyester, is very thick and sturdy, which from a manufacturing perspective, makes them very expensive to produce. The material is also very heavy, which means if it is manufactured anywhere other than the store itself, the company has to pay a lot in shipping before it is ready to sell.

 

Second, most canvas wall tents are custom made. The customer contacts the store and says, “I want 2 screened windows on the left side and an awning in the front.”  This takes a lot of extra time and energy and isn't very efficient. There is a lot of labor involved in making wall tents, and working with such large tents is just not easy.

Why are Elk Mountain Tents so much cheaper than those of other companies?

Simply put, low overhead = low prices. We don’t have a storefront to maintain and we have very few employees. Furthermore, we don’t make each tent custom but manufacture in bulk, saving time and material. Although we do offer some individual customization, we have taken the approach of just adding all of the most requested features to each tent to avoid a slow production. This is why each model comes with 6 screened windows. It is also the reason why we are able to ship our tents out faster than many other wall tent manufacturers. Lastly, the polyester material doesn’t require any special waterproofing or mildew treatments.

Do Wall Tents Collect Condensation?

Do Wall Tents Collect Condensation?

Short answer: You can get condensation in any tent under the right conditions.

Longer answer: We have heard that concern with other polyester tents, mainly the Alaknak. The polyester we use, however, is very different from the Alaknak. Alaknak tents feel and look almost like nylon, whereas ours look and feel more like cotton canvas.

Caveat: We have never had condensation come up as an issue with our tents. This may be because our tents come with 6 screened windows as the standard and include special pull-down ventilation. If you ever want a free sample of the canvas, just email us elkmountaintents@yahoo.com.

Are Canvas Wall Tents Waterproof?

Many canvas wall tent companies claim to be be waterproof while others say that they are water resistant. So, the question is, is there a difference in tents or do some brands make too big of a claim? How waterproof are canvas tents in general and do you need a rainfly?

Answer:

The material is classified as “waterproof,” but we find that term is overly used and never fully true. We would rather under promise and over perform. A rain fly is not necessary. However, a tarp is cheap insurance for protecting your tent. If you go with one that has been treated you should be ok. In general, canvas tents do hold up well in rain.

New Blog!

Hello!

We are experimenting with a few blogging websites to determine which is the best for www.elkmountaintents.com. We will update you once we've made a final decision.

Thanks!

Justin

How many people can sleep in a wall tent?

 Typically,  each person needs approximately 20 to 30 square feet for sleeping. The amount you choose to sleep in the tent will depends on:

1. Whether you will be sleeping on the floor or sleeping on cots.


2. If most of the people are adults or children.


3. If the tent will be for sleeping only, or do you need space to congregate or to cook.


4. Whether you will be using a winter stove.


5. If the tent is going to be for your family or a group.

Cots are great for comfort, but take more space. The average cot is about 32 X 76 (inches) which is about 17 square feet.  So a 13 X 16.5 foot tent could hold 12 cots. However, you would not have room for a stove or be able to maneuver around.  Unless it is an emergency situation you don't want to stack your cots or people so tight, they can't get in out of the tent  comfortably. 

A Wood Stove Needs about 35-40 square feet

The great thing about a wall tent is the ability to have a wood stove and stay warm in the winter.  Obviously, if there is a stove, then there is less room for sleeping.  In addition to the stove taking up space you do not want to place cots or anything else that can burn within two or three feet of the stove.


Tent Sizes:

In general, bigger is better, but size does add weight, costs, and may require a larger stove. Wall tents are great for winter camping and most people find they spend time instead the tent outside of just sleeping.  Having a slightly larger wall tent gives you the ability to move around and space to place your gear.

I would not recommend a tent smaller then 13 x 13 if you plan on using a stove.  If you assume your wood stove needs 35 SF, that is basically a 6 x 6 area.  With a 10 x 10 wall tent, you would have 4 feet of space to use.  This is ok as long as you're only planning on having 2 cots in the wall tent.

13 x 13 Wall Tent
Sleeps 3-4  (with wood stove)
Sleeps 5-6 (with no wood stove)

13 x 16 Wall Tent 
Sleeps 5-6 (with wood stove)
Sleeps 7-8 (with no wood stove)

13 x 20 Wall Tent
Sleeps 7-8  (with wood stove)
Sleeps  9-10 (with no wood stove) 

If you are  on a boy scout or family trip, you will find you can fit more into the wall tent.  However, if you're guiding in hunters and each one of them has their own cot and needs some elbow room, I would go with my recommended sleeping capacity.