Dec. 16, 2024
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Canvas tents have fallen out of style with the rise of lighter, cheaper materials. Nowadays, you might only use a canvas tent if you&#;re glamping, visiting a yurt, or at a semi-permanent hunt camp. But there is a camp that thinks the best canvas tents can be more comfortable, spacious, and sustainable than synthetic tents and still simple to assemble. We put two different styles to the test.
When the Outdoor Life gear team decided to take on the physically large project of erecting and testing canvas tents, I had no idea the pool of canvas tent manufacturers would be so small. OL staff writer Laura Lancaster and I each tested a canvas tent to get an idea for the experience, as neither of us had actually used one before. To be honest, we were less than enthused with the assignment. After all, there&#;s a reason no one uses these anymore, right?
But then I discovered Springbar, a Utah company that has been working with canvas in the beehive state since . They invented, and have been manufacturing the revolutionary Springbar tent design since . And it has changed the way I camp forever. So far I&#;ve taken it out in deserts and forests experiencing rain, hail, high winds, and high heat. Lancaster tested a Regatta Bell Tent in the PNW made by White Duck. It&#;s a newer company passionate about keeping the sustainability, durability, and comfort of canvas tents alive. So, clearly, canvas tents are not a thing of the past. But do they still hold up for modern weekend warriors?
Just as we finished erecting the tent, all seven of us piled in. The rain started to pour and the packed desert dirt immediately began to flood, waterfalls cascading down nearby sandstone. Parts of the floor started to trap small puddles underneath like tiny waterbeds. And the wind picked up menacingly; my friend turned to me and asked, &#;Are you sure this&#;ll hold?&#;
&#;I&#;d trust this tent with my life,&#; I said.
The last car camping tent you&#;ll ever buy: the Springbar Traveler. In our short four months together, this tent has withstood, rather, thrived in high desert winds, monsoons, hail, and scorching heat. The 10 by 10 footprint isn&#;t overly large, and the tight design takes advantage of every foot. It&#;s 6.5 feet tall wherever you stand. It&#;s extravagant for two, comfortable for four, and fits six. Though more can easily wait out a storm. My friends and I have taken to calling it the slumber party tent.
Despite the cutesy nickname we gave it, this tent is bombproof. Springbar tents are designed for high winds. It starts with 12-inch galvanized steel wedge stakes made in Missouri. They&#;re secured to the tent with steel wire stake loops fixed to a rope lining the perimeter. The rope not only reinforces the attachment points, but also distributes the weight. The frame operates with tension and flex using a spring system. The aluminum poles&#; interior is reinforced with steel. They fix into spring steel tension rods to solidify the tent frame. Made in Salt Lake City, Utah, these poles are corrosion resistant and the aluminum lightens the overall weight.
Here you can see a Springbar tent maker working on the waterproof floor&#;s perimeter rope. Ashley ThessWhile the seamless vinyl floor is completely waterproof, Springbar tents aren&#;t. They&#;re watertight. And while that sounds like a recipe for disaster, it&#;s where the real magic of this tent begins. Instead of the suffocating bright colored nylon you&#;re used to, the 100 percent cotton canvas breathes. The Sunforger (gold-standard weather finish) treated cotton shrinks when wet and the tiny holes and seams tighten, keeping water out.
You can zip up the canvas to cover the mesh windows and door in case of a storm. Ashley ThessEven the three different threads used in Springbar tents are specially selected and sewn to constrict and swell with the fabric. When dry, the cotton naturally expands to create a more breathable shelter in hot weather. The three full-length no-see-um mesh windows and door don&#;t hurt either. In cold weather, it&#;s harder for heat to escape. Springbar tents are warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. It&#;s by far the most comfortable tent I&#;ve ever slept in.
Now, you might be thinking that it takes blood, sweat, and tears to erect this bombproof tent, but you&#;d be wrong. I&#;m a 5-foot-7 female and I&#;ve done it by myself. The most time consuming part is hammering in the stakes, but it goes a lot faster with even one more person. Once you lodge all 20 stakes into the ground with a hammer or mallet, you&#;re basically done. Sure there are a couple more steps, but the hard part is over. Springbar has an excellent video showing how to put it up solo. Pro tip: Pre-align your upright poles so that you can lift directly up, instead of spinning the pole around to find the holes and lifting at the same time.
The legendary weather-resistance and Goldilocks size aren&#;t the only things that make the Springbar tent special. You&#;re stuck with it for the rest of your life. When I toured their facility here in Salt Lake City, Utah, their repairs specialist was working on a tent from the s. All it needed? some new mesh. With proper care, these tents can last decades and in some cases, generations. If you do need a repair, Springbar does it all in-house at their Salt Lake City sew shop.
This tent&#;s only kryptonite is mold. Under no circumstances should you store this tent wet. If you&#;re forced to pack up camp while it&#;s wet, let it dry when you get home. Mold will cause irreparable damage. But, the weather treatment is mold-resistant and Springbar hasn&#;t found any issues storing the tent in humid areas like the Northwest or Southeast as long as you store the tent in a dry place.
The packed size of the body of this tent is 21 by 15 inches. You also have to bring the 56 by 8-inch bag of poles, but hey, at least they&#;re skinny. Compare that to the winner of the Best 6 Person Tents test: the Nemo Aurora Highrise 6P Tent at 26 by 9.5 and it isn&#;t so bad. It&#;s a little bulky, but to me the space is absolutely justified for the comfort I get once it&#;s set up at camp. As I said, hammering the stakes takes the most effort, but they are crucial to the structural integrity of the tent.
Hammer the stakes so that the hook descends over the steel stake loop. Ashley ThessThe stakes are so important because the tent is not free standing. The upright poles are tensioned and pull up on the stakes. On one desert trip, I wasn&#;t able to stake down the tent because the ground was too hard, so I had to improvise. While I&#;m sure Springbar wouldn&#;t recommend it, and you&#;re endangering the seamless vinyl floor, I successfully weighted the tent down using large rocks inside. And it was awesome. When I removed the rocks for takedown, I checked the floor and didn&#;t notice any tears or punctures (or any wear at all).
The fact that this worked was very exciting.The inside of the tent is spacious and tall. I&#;ve spent the night in this tent comfortably with two, three, and four people. During a mid-day hail storm, six of us napped inside without issue. And I&#;ve spent two rainy evenings with seven people inside watching a movie we projected on the conveniently white canvas. The fact that an entire group can comfortably relax inside this tent is one of its major advantages. Whether it&#;s raining, buggy, or cold, there&#;s a cozy shelter ready to bring the group together.
The Traveler is spacious enough for a larger group to relax inside. Ashley ThessThe awning is a nice touch, though sometimes it takes some trial and error to get it right. Springbar sells side panels separately that you can use to create a vestibule for even more hanging out space. During a storm, I recommend taking the awning down otherwise it can collect water. The extra shade is good for hiding a cooler. You can lower the poles to create a tiny vestibule for shoes and supplies while you&#;re out exploring. I love the organic rope and wooden adjusters on the awning. It&#;s so much more attractive and durable than plastic.
This natural and suntan color blocking is a limited edition Traveler. Ashley ThessI keep a handheld broom and dustpan in the tent bag to sweep out the inside of the tent before packing it away. Simply use the back of your hammer to yank out all the stakes. The upward tension will release and the tent will collapse, allowing you to dismantle the poles. Then you fold the tent four times using the stake loops as a guide. I sweep any dirt off the bottom of the tent with the broom and use a rag if there&#;s any moisture before rolling it up.
After my first few trips with the Springbar, it was looking a little dirty; it is white after all. I was disappointed until a rain storm came along and left it looking good as new. With some easy maintenance and simple care instructions, I believe this tent could last me the rest of my camping days. The lifetime of a canvas tent, and its ability to be repaired, makes it more sustainable than a synthetic tent. Plus, cotton is an organic material that biodegrades, unlike nylon. The Springbar&#;s killer design and aesthetics makes it way more fun, too.
Springbar has a number of different canvas tent options. The size ranges are 6×8, 7×9, 8×10, 10×10, and 10×14. The models can be cut and sewn by hand in Salt Lake City, like the Traveler, or imported. The imported tents cost less, competing with other imported canvas tents, but still use the traditional Springbar design and undergo diligent testing.
If you&#;d like to save on a USA-made tent, you can also check out Springbar&#;s factory seconds page. They offer tents with only aesthetic issues for a discounted price. All of the tents are available in the following colors: pear gray, bison, natural, and suntan. Two of Springbar&#;s tents, the Classic Jack 140 and Skyliner, are even compatible with stoves.
You&#;re welcomed into your tent by the person who sewed it with a signed tag at the doorway. Ashley ThessIt&#;s a delight to get back to camp and see this home-away-from-home standing there. And it&#;s comfortable to hang out in, should the weather turn or you need to escape from bugs in the evening. But most of all, it gives you peace of mind. Whether you&#;re tucked in your sleeping bag or away from camp, there&#;s no doubt this tent will stay standing. My guide at the sew shop in Utah said that he had a Springbar tent up in his backyard for three years without issue. I think if you spend enough time outdoors, a reliable, durable tent like this is a sustainable investment that will bring you joy for quite literally the rest of your life.
My initial impression of this tent was, admittedly, not enthusiastic. I knew this tent was pretty heavy, but I wasn&#;t prepared for how large the packed size would be. The White Duck Regatta 360 Tent comes in a duffel that&#;s about 4 feet long and it feels much heavier than the advertised 68 pounds. I couldn&#;t lift it by myself. (The packing box it came in indicated it was a two-person carry.) To get it out to the car I had to take out the poles and the stake bag and carry them separately. That&#;s in stark contrast to even the heaviest 8-person tents I tested, many of which weigh in at half of the White Duck.
Getting this bad boy out to my car was arguably the hardest part of the entire setup. Laura LancasterFortunately, my initial setup of this tent was much smoother. Knowing that this would be a bit different from the typical cross-pole design of most contemporary tents, I did watch a video before attempting setup. But that was plenty of information as it really is quite straightforward, if time consuming, to erect.
The first step is to stake down the exterior, using a mallet. Then you walk into the center of the tent with the longer of the two poles and pop it into place, duplicating this effort with the shorter of the two poles at the door. Then you stake out the guylines and head around the tent slowly pulling them taut. A word the wise with this tent: It is non-freestanding, and there are over two dozen stakes that you&#;ll want to get into the ground to ensure the tent is secure. If you are looking at a site that is unusually rocky or otherwise impossible to properly stake into, choose a different tent.
The guylines of this tent were surprisingly easy to use. Laura LancasterThe interior space is the major selling point of this tent and it does not disappoint. I could walk around a surprising amount of this tent without ducking down, and the center pole was pushing the ceiling so far up (it goes up to 8 feet, 2 inches) that I couldn&#;t touch it. The three windows, as well as the mesh screens on the door, give you a lot of flexibility with how much air circulation you&#;re allowing versus conserving heat.
For truly hot days, you can even unzip the sides to create the titular 360-degree effect. The center pole does get in the way a bit of the usable floor space, but once the guylines are pulled taut, it is surprisingly anchored in. Most tents feel like tents on the inside; this feels more like a home. Fitting four people inside of this would be no problem, and families with multiple littles could likely get in six or more.
The White Duck Regatta 360 Tent really is very tall. Laura LancasterI did run into a couple of issues during setup. The first is that the center pole is somewhat difficult to align properly. There is no indication inside the tent where the center of the floor is, so you just have to eyeball where the tent pole should land. After pulling all the guylines taut, I could see that my pole wasn&#;t in quite the right place, but to fix it I would need to loosen all the guylines, adjust the position of the center pole, then retighten and reassess.
I wish instead there was a marker on the floor itself giving you a sense of where the center should go. I was also disappointed with the knots used to create the loops for the guylines. Two of these came undone while I was setting up the tent. While the first was easy to retie (a simple overhand knot), the second was above the door, meaning I would need to take down part of the tent to reach it and retighten.
The loops that hold the guylines to the tent have a tendency to unravel. Laura LancasterAs much as I know my family would appreciate the internal space and headroom of the White Duck Regatta 360 Tent, at the end of the day its massive packed size and footprint makes it a tough choice for people looking for a more sustainable, longer-lasting alternative to traditional nylon tents. However, if you plan to set up a tent in a large open space and then leave it there for an extended period of time, this is more than worth the extra trouble and cost. The interior living space would be comfortable for a mid-sized family to spend an extended amount of time in, and it&#;s surprisingly easy for first-timers to get an adequate setup on the first go-round.
Canvas tents are eco conscious thanks to their natural and durable cotton material. It will take longer for these tents to reach the end of their life, and once they do, they&#;ll biodegrade. If you&#;re unhappy with the carbon footprint of your current tent, canvas tents could be your solution. Springbar&#;s cotton is from India but it&#;s weather treated in Georgia, USA; the stakes are made in Missouri, and the poles are made in Utah. Choosing locally made products is another way to recreate outdoors more sustainably.
Canvas tents are bulkier and heavier than synthetics, but there&#;s a trade off for durability and comfort. Take into account your camping priorities, location, and storage space before committing.
The cost of a Springbar Traveler is high, but the fact that it&#;s made in the USA is a huge advantage. While other synthetic tent brands may offer warranties and repairs, their products are absolutely being made overseas to take advantage of lower labor costs. This results in less oversight, more pollution, and longer shipping times. And it doesn&#;t support American labor or manufacturing. Canvas tents are also more easily and effectively repaired thanks to their thicker material.
The Springbar is luxurious for just two, especially when you add a queen sized double-thick air mattress. Ashley ThessBut to me, what really warrants buying a tent that&#;s 2.5 times more expensive than the best 6-person synthetic tent, is the comfort and aesthetics of a canvas tent. The Springbar tent feels like a home. The breathable, natural fibers are soothing and the design looks awesome. In the world of van life and Starlink, I can absolutely see this being an amazing portable home for a full-time camping lifestyle. Festival goers, hunters, and car camping families can all appreciate the appeal of an attractive and welcoming tent that holds up in any conditions.
Springbar has also clearly put a lot of work into ensuring a quality imported product that&#;s up to their high standards, and the legendary Springbar name. The 10×10 Highline is half the price of the Traveler and backed by the same customer service.
White Duck is also able to keep the cost of canvas tents lower, making them more accessible for campers looking to upgrade their synthetic tent (possibly after being taken out in gale force winds) to a more spacious and sustainable option.
Yes, canvas tents are good for cold weather. Their cotton weave actually retains heat in the winter and stays cooler in the summer. Some of the best canvas tents are also compatible with stoves for winter camping.
Q: How long can a canvas tent last?Springbar says it&#;s common for customers to enjoy 30 to 40 years of good service from their tent. But if you take care of it, it&#;ll likely last longer. Canvas is much thicker and more durable than other materials and it can withstand more longer-lasting repairs than synthetic tents.
Q: What is the best canvas for a tent?Cotton is the most breathable material for canvas tents. While you can add synthetic fibers to create waterproofing, you start to lose the magic of a tent that breathes with the seasons while protecting you from moisture and sun rays.
I think it&#;s fair to say that canvas tents certainly still have a place in the modern weekend warrior&#;s gear quiver. If you&#;re willing to spend the extra time and energy to assemble a more durable and sustainable tent, you&#;ll be rewarded with more space, comfort, and peace of mind. We tested two of the most popular canvas tents available in an already small market to give you an idea if the best canvas tents could be the right choice for you.
After field-testing the best gear all year long, we know exactly what should be on your shopping list. Check out the top performing outdoors products and the best deals available.
SEE DEALS AND GIFTS
If you&#;ve ever tried to camp in the cold weather it can be downright miserable. That is unless you have the right setup like the a Springbar Classic Jack 140 hot tent paired with the Winnerwell Woodlander Double View stove. This combination proves to be more than just manageable, but extremely comfortable keeping you toasty warm on cold winter days. During the freezing winter months when most folks huddle in their homes, there are adventures to be had winter camping. All it takes is a canvas hot tent like this, and you can enjoy camping all year long.
The Testing: Springbar Classic Jack 140 Review
We were excited to have the opportunity to do some winter camping in this Springbar tent and take it out in the dead of winter. We used this tent throughout the winter on family camping trips, quick weekend getaways, and some early spring shed hunting while checking on some wintering elk.
Temperatures ranged from the upper 30s down to the single digits, but unfortunately, none of our trips for this Springbar tent review generated any heavy snowfall to test its snow load capability. As we continue to use this tent, we&#;ll update this review with that information. Throughout our testing, we got some fantastic insight into the strengths and weaknesses of this tent, as well as a number of general winter camping tips and tricks that we&#;ll share a bit later.
unique Features: Springbar Tent &#; Classic Jack 140
At first glance, Springbar tents might look a little &#;old fashioned&#; in their design. At least, that&#;s what I thought when I first looked over the Springbar Classic Jack 140 hot tent offering. However, after you set up the tent for the first time that notion will quickly be dispelled. Notice that the Springbar Classic Jack 140 hot tent sets up with zero guy out points, making this one of the easiest canvas hot tents out there to set up.
The Springbar Classic Jack 140 is also wood stove compatible, which is an absolute game changer and a must- have for winter camping. The zip out stove jack is very innovative and turns the tent into a 4-season shelter that allows you to enjoy camping year around, no matter the conditions or temperatures outside.
Make sure to check out our other hot tent reviews and the Backwoods Pursuit YouTube Channel to help you decide what gear will help you stay out in the field longer!
HYBRID DESIGN &#; NO GUY OUTS
The Springbar Classic Jack 140 is a hybrid design that combines an easy setup similar to a bell tent, and the more vertical walls that you get in a wall tent. Most notable is that it requires zero guy outs to set it up. More on why that matters later, but as you probably know, most tents (especially canvas tents) require a lot of guy outs and/or a heavy frame to keep the tent standing. The Springbar Classic Jack 140 doesn&#;t require either.
This Springbar tent design makes setting up the tent a breeze. For a tent this size, it&#;s one of the easiest tents to set up, particularly for a canvas tent. Most other canvas tents have many, many stakes that hold the tent up, but the Springbar Classic Jack 140 has precisely zero guy outs (except for the two that hold up the awning if you choose to put it up).
With the Classic Jack 140 you have just 16 stakes around the base of the tent, and 2 stakes for the awning. Other canvas tents similar to this one require 26-28 stakes to set up, so setting this tent up is much easier and faster. This is a huge benefit if want to be more mobile, are going out on a quick trip, or simply don&#;t want to hassle with a longer setup time.
REMOVABLE STOVE JACK
Another very unique feature of the Springbar Classic Jack 140 is the removable stove jack. During the summer months, you simply zip out the stove jack and replace it with the standard zip in panel, giving you another window. This feature makes this a true 4-season tent that quickly and easily converts from your summer camping tent to a great winter hot tent.
BUILT-IN AWNING
Springbar tents like this Classic Jack 140 come with a built-in awning, giving you a nice covering to keep your gear and whatever you don&#;t want in your tent, nice and dry. It also makes a great area to set up a chair or cook station while keeping you out of the sun during the summer months.
What Size Hot Tent Do I need?
Selecting the size hot tent you need is very different than selecting a tent for summer camping. The addition of a wood stove, wood for burning, and the extra items needed for winter camping take up a lot of space. Since weight isn&#;t a concern like it would be if you were backpacking, I tend to go bigger rather than smaller when winter hot tent camping. For example, those very nice Cabelas Alaskan Cots we use are great to have, but they take up a substantial amount of space. While they are super comfortable, you&#;ll need a bigger tent since they take up so much room.
We were able to very comfortably fit two of us, the wood stove, wood, and our gear in the Springbar Classic Jack 140 when we used these XL size cots. However, if we were to use typical foam pads, we could have easily fit four of us in there. Generally speaking, the Springbar Classic Jack is a palace for 2, comfortable with 3, and doable with 4 (all with the wood stove installed). If you are using this tent for summer camping and don&#;t need the wood stove, you could get 6 in there, but it would be on the tight side.
What Size Stove Do I need?: Springbar Classic Jack 140 Tent
Selecting the correct size wood stove for your Springbar Classic Jack 140 tent can make a huge difference in just how comfortable the inside of your new canvas tent will be. When we started testing for this Springbar tent review, we were advised to go with the large size stove from Winnerwell, so the Winnerwell Woodlander Double View wood stove was our selection. This stove has a firebox volume of ci, which proved to be more than enough to keep us extremely comfortable in a tent this size.
We love the &#;double view&#; glass, which makes for a fantastic glow when burning and makes it super easy to tell when you need to add more wood. Additionally, if you opt to keep the stove going throughout the night, the double view allows you to check the stove without getting up out of your sleeping bag. Just roll over and look to see if you need to get up and add more wood or not. With the Winnerwell Woodlander Double View stove, this was a surprise bonus!
In all reality, we would have likely been just fine with the medium size stove for the Classic Jack 140, but the Winnerwell Woodlander stove allows you to regulate the air flow and temperature so well, it was very easy to keep the tent at our desired temperature.
Options & Accessories: Springbar Tents
Springbar tents have a number of excellent accessories you can add on to make your Springbar Classic Jack 140 (or any other model) exactly what you want. Some of the extras you can add on include their Awning panels, one of their Storm fly options, a Ground tarp to protect the floor, a Hanging organizer to keep things organized inside the tent, a handy Door mat to keep the dirt and mud out of your tent, and of course, a Zip-in stove jack if you plan to use a stove.
If you are expecting severe weather I&#;d recommend the storm fly, and the hanging organizer is a really nice add-on as well. If you find yourself setting up the tent in particularly rocky terrain, or you simply want to protect the floor of your tent, the ground tarp is a good idea to have to prolong the life of the tent. I also like to take a door mat to knock off the dirt from your boots and/or have a place to set my shoes before entering the tent. I&#;ve always just brought a piece of carpet, but Springbar makes one that nicely attaches to their Springbar tents as well.
Stove Conversion: Springbar Tents
If you plan to winter camp, you&#;ll need to pick up the zip in stove jack to convert the tent to a hot tent, or just purchase the Springbar Classic Jack 140 with the zip in stove jack (one of the purchase options). If you do that, you&#;ll also need to pick up the items needed to fully convert the tent to a hot tent. This took me a little bit of researching to figure out everything I&#;d need, but here is the full list of every piece I found to make the perfect conversion:
That list assumes that you elect to go with one of the Winnerwell wood stoves, which is recommended with these tents. I really like the Winnerwell Woodlander Double View that we tested with this tent, but I&#;ve also heard great things about the Winnerwell Nomad, which has a different shape and 4 legs rather than the three legs that the Woodlander has.
Another couple accessories I&#;d recommend picking up is the Winnerwell water tank and the Winnerwell Fast Fold Oven for some baking in the tent. Admittedly, I wasn&#;t sure if I&#;d ever use the oven, but I gave it a try and it works very well to bake some cookies, cobbler, or whatever else you want to enjoy in your tent. It folds up quickly and easily as well, which makes the decision easy to bring it. The hot water tank is a no-brainer if you enjoy coffee, tea, or anything hot to drink.
Now, I do wish that the water tank spigot was longer as you have to get your mug and hand awfully close to the fire box when grabbing some hot water. We found that this had a tendency to heat up the outside of your mug rather quickly, and if it was a stainless steel mug, you&#;d burn your hand on the mug itself from it getting super hot. If you put a plastic mug that close to the stove, it would likely melt a little. If the spigot were another 2 inches in length that would solve this issue.
All of these awesome accessories fit nicely in the Winnerwell Stove Bag, which has exterior pockets large enough to fit the extra angle pipe, water tank, and fire starter you&#;ll want to take so everything is nicely contained in one carry bag.
The Specs: Springbar Classic Jack 140 Tent
If you are into specs, here are the details on the Springbar Classic Jack 140 tent:
Springbar Classic Jack 140 Tent Specs Interior Space140 sq ft AwningIntegrated CapacitySleeps 4-6 Canvas Type8.5 oz. Army Duck Cotton Canvas (8.5oz walls, 10.1oz roof) Doors1 Windows5 Built-in Stove JackNo &#; Optional Add On Stove Jack Floor MaterialHeavy-duty 12oz seamless vinyl floor Pole MaterialGalvanized steel poles and tempered spring steel tension rods. Electrical Cable OutletYes Center Height6&#; 10&#; Total Weight82 lbs.Additional Features: Springbar Classic Jack 140 Tent
In addition to the unique features we mentioned above, there are a number of other features that you get with the Springbar Classic Jack 140 you should take note of.
ORGANIZATION
The Springbar Classic Jack 140 comes with 2 hanging organizers that are sewn in and ready for use. They are located in a well thought out location to give you a place at the head of the tent to store your headlamps, power banks, gloves, etc. with easy access.
STEEL STAKE LOOPS
One of the trademark features of a genuine Springbar tent is their steel wire stake loops with perimeter rope reinforcement. They are incredibly strong and make pulling out the stakes fast and easy. You also don&#;t have to worry that you&#;ll tear your stake loop, which is a plus.
HIGH QUALITY VINYL FLOOR
We love the high quality, sewn-in vinyl floor that comes with Springbar tents. This nice vinyl floor is durable, has no seams, and is made of a super thick, heavy-duty 12 ounce vinyl that will last. While adding a ground sheet is still a good idea for extra protection, you aren&#;t worried that a small rock will puncture this floor. Obviously, a really sharp rock could still tear the tent floor, so take your precautions and clear your tent space, however, this floor gives you confidence in its durability.
Want more information on springbar canvas tent? Feel free to contact us.
ALL STAKES AND POLES INCLUDED
I love that everything you need is included with your Springbar tent. Sure you can add on accessories if you want, but it&#;s not necessary. Now, with that being said, I wish there was a &#;stove package&#; that automatically included everything you need to convert the Springbar Classic Jack 140 into a hot tent. As it is, you have to piece it together on your own which can be a bit of a chore if you aren&#;t familiar with what is needed as far as stove parts and pieces.
5 SCREENED WINDOWS
The Springbar Classic Jack 140 gives you fantastic ventilation with its five windows, two of which are MASSIVE! Because of these awesome windows, you can easily use this tent in just about any temperature and get good airflow when needed. All the windows are screened as well to keep bugs out.
ZIP IN STOVE JACK
When you purchase your Springbar Classic Jack 140, you have the option to include the zip-in stove jack. If you have any thought whatsoever of doing some winter camping, this is a must-have option. The nice thing about the zip-in stove jack is just how fast and easy it installs. It also gives you extra protection all the way down to the floor of the tent (on the interior), which is excellent when using a wood stove.
EASY SETUP
One of the best things about these Springbar tents is how fast and easy they are to set up. They are truly easier to set up than a lot of typical car camping tents, so this is a tent you can easily take with you on any camping trip; winter, spring, summer or fall. I hate spending a ton of time setting up a tent, so this is a huge win in my book. Add on the fact that you don&#;t have any guy out points to trip on, and you have yourself an exceptionally easy tent to set up and tear down.
MATERIALS USED
Springbar tents are made with 100% cotton, double-fill, boat-shrunk army duck canvas that is finished with HardyDuck to make it water repellent and anti-mold. The walls are made of 8.5 ounce canvas, while the roof is made with 10.1 ounce canvas for extra durability and load handling for rain and snow.
Hot Tent Camping Tips & Must Have Items
If you are new to hot tent camping, or even if you aren&#;t, venturing out to camp in the dead of winter can be down right miserable without the right equipment. Experience is a great teacher, so here are a few things that we found to be must-have items to make sure your experience is not just tolerable, but enjoyable.
WOOD STOVE / HEAT SOURCE
It goes without saying, but having a way to heat your tent is an absolute must when camping in cold winter temperatures. I know some folks have done that with a Propane Buddy Heater, but you have to be careful to properly vent your tent as they are not recommended for inside use.
While propane heaters are faster to deploy and cleaner and easier to use than a wood burning stove, they don&#;t put off nearly the heat. In addition to that, if you&#;ve ever used a wood burning stove to heat with, you know it&#;s just a more desirable heating source all the way around. I know people who heat their tent with a propane style stove, but it&#;s not something we&#;d recommend as it&#;s just not safe.
Make sure to check out our other gear reviews and the Backwoods Pursuit YouTube Channel to help you decide what gear you&#;ll need to keep you in the field longer!
Instead, something like the Winnerwell Woodlander Double View stove shown above is a far superior way to safely keep your tent toasty warm. With a wood stove, you get much more heat output along with that welcoming &#;wood stove heat&#; feel. There is just something different about heating with wood, and that is never more apparent than when winter camping.
FIRE STARTER / LIGHTER
Assuming you go with a wood stove option (hopefully you do), you&#;ll want to make sure to have a quick and easy way to get your fire started. For that, we highly recommend Bigfoot Bushcraft Fire Plugs (Use this link for 10% OFF your next purchase). I&#;ve been using these for years for an emergency pack item, campfire starter, and for my go-to fire starter on backpack hunts where we are taking an ultralight hot tent. I absolutely love them, and they work amazingly well. They are super easy to light, and they burn for over 5 minutes each which is plenty of time to get some good kindling started.
SLEDGE HAMMER
I threw in a 2.5 lb sledge hammer with my tent kit to make getting those large tent stakes in the ground at bit faster and easier. This is key, particularly in rocky ground. In order to get the large stakes in the ground, you need a robust hammer to handle ground that is difficult to get stakes in, especially in colder weather when the ground might be frozen.
DRILL / DRILL BITS &#; SELF TAPPING TENT SCREWS / PROPANE TORCH
One thing we learned the hard way is just how difficult it can be to get tent stakes in and out of the ground during winter conditions. If you can&#;t get your tent stakes in the ground, you can&#;t get your shelter set up, which can be a major issue, particularly in winter weather. You&#;ll want to be prepared for this, which can be done a number of ways:
Pre-drill your tent stake holes.
Bring a small propane blow torch.
POWER BANK
While this certainly isn&#;t a &#;must-have&#; item, a power bank is certainly a very nice thing to have especially when winter camping. During winter months, it gets dark early and you can find yourself going through a lot of batteries in lanterns, headlamps, etc. (unless you use a gas powered lantern). You can even use a power station like this Biolite Base Charge to recharge you power drill, , or run any other electronic device you might want to use while out winter camping.
I would also highly recommend picking up on (or more) of the Biolite SolarPanel 100&#;s to keep your Base Charge going strong, or, better yet, you can get hem as a Solar Generator Kit that&#;ll include all you need to have power for a long time.
If you accidentally leave home with a partially charged drill battery only to find out half way through setting up the tent, when using one of the methods mentioned above, that your drill battery is dead, a power bank is a life saver.
Having a power source like that Biolite Basecharge 600 can save you a trip, and you can use it to power devices or recharge whatever you need while enjoying life at base camp. If you want to bring some of your luxury items from home, you can even bring a coffee pot or other appliances to really bring some luxury.
COTS
Cots are something that can take your comfort in the backwoods to the next level. While they take up a lot of room in the tent compared to sleeping on the ground, they are a lot more comfortable and allow you to store things under your &#;bed.&#; There are a lot of great cots on the market, but the ones we use are the Cabela&#;s Alaskan Guide Cots, and they work really well. Don&#;t forget to snag a cot pad as well. The cot pad is what really makes these things comfortable!
LANTERNS
As mentioned above, you&#;ll want to make sure you have a way to light your tent if you are camping during the short, winter days. Taking along a couple of these battery powered lanterns are a great way to go. These lumen lanterns last a long time, but you may need to recharge them after a few days of use. If you brought one of the Biolite Basecharge units with you to recharge it, you&#;ll be set!
DAMPER BRUSH
Another thing we&#;ve found to be helpful if you are going to be out for more than a weekend and potentially burning a lot of wood, is to bring a wire brush to make sure the spark arrestor doesn&#;t get plugged and reduce/clog the airflow of the stove. If this happens you&#;ll find that your stove won&#;t burn very well, and may even smoke you out of the tent. This really only comes into play if you are staying out for longer periods of time, or burning wood that produces a lot of ash.
SNOW SHOVEL
Finally, if you might encounter snow when out on your winter camping trip, you&#;d be wise to throw in a snow shovel to assist in clearing out your camp spot. This will make getting camp set up a whole lot faster. It might seem obvious, but it&#;s an easy thing to forget. I keep a lightweight, foldable shovel like the Rhino Survival shovel in my pickup for instances like these.
CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR
If you are going to be using a propane or other gas powered heater inside your tent, it&#;s a good idea to have a carbon monoxide detector to make sure the CO levels don&#;t elevate to an unhealthy level. It&#;s a small and inexpensive thing to throw in that could save your life. If you are using a quality wood burning stove, it&#;s not nearly as critical, but still not a bad idea. It&#;s just another item to throw in your stove kit to keep you extra safe.
SLIPPERS
This might sound a bit odd, but when winter camping, it&#;s a good idea to bring some good rubber soled slippers like the Atakama slippers. Your tent floor will stay cold no matter how good your stove is, and a cold floor will keep your feet from warming up. Sure, you can just wear your shoes or boots, but it sure is nice to be able to take off your shoes and relax in a pair of slippers inside your nice warm tent that won&#;t get your tent floor all dirty. The Atakama slippers are ideal because they have a rubber sole so if you need to go outside real quick, you can.
Stove Tips: Springbar Tents &#; Hot Tenting
Get the Correct Size Stove
As mentioned above, selecting the right size stove for whatever tent you select will greatly increase your enjoyment. Pick a stove that is too small and it&#;ll have a difficult time keeping up when the temperatures really drop. Pick a size that is too big and you&#;ll find yourself needing to open the doors of the tent because it&#;s just too hot inside. Don&#;t get caught up in the &#;let&#;s just buy the biggest stove we can&#; trap and regret it later.
Bring the Right Sleep System
Even if you are heating your canvas tent with a wood stove, you will still need to bring a sleep system that will keep you warm for the temperatures you&#;ll be out in. Unless you plan to keep the wood stove burning all night long, bring a sleeping bag that will keep you warm throughout the coldest part of the night assuming you won&#;t be using a wood stove.
Bring Your Wood Cut and Chopped
I found it much easier to bring the wood I&#;m going to burn to base camp where it&#;s already cut and chopped into half or quarter rounds. Sure, you can do it when you get there, but you already have a lot to do to get set up, and having your wood already taken care of is a welcomed luxury.
Clean the Fire Box and Spark Arrestor
During this Springbar Classic Jack 140 tent review, we found that if you are going to be out for more than a weekend, you&#;ll want to be conscious of how full the fire box is getting and empty it every few days if you burn a lot. It&#;s also a good idea to bring a wire brush and make sure your spark arrestor stays nice and clean to ensure proper air flow of the stove.
What We liked: Springbar Classic Jack 140 tent Review
After testing out this Springbar tent, we came away with a lot of things we absolutely love about this tent. It is the fastest and easiest canvas tent we&#;ve tested, comes with a high-quality, vinyl sewn-in floor (unlike many canvas tents), has a built-in awning, many windows, and is easily compatible with a wood stove.
FAST, EASY SETUP
When it comes to setup, this is by far the fastest and easiest canvas tent we&#;ve ever used. The simplicity makes it an easy tent to grab, knowing that you won&#;t spend hours getting camp set up. In all reality, that is one of the big selling points and biggest advantages of this Springbar Classic Jack 140 over standard wall tents. To make things even better, no guy outs are needed to set up the tent. As far as setup goes, this is as easy as it gets.
REMOVABLE IN STOVE JACK
We love the removable stove jack and the way it provides complete protection all the way to the floor. It is high quality and is really designed to accept the Winnerwell stove system. It is a bit of a chore to get the stove pipe hole measured and cut to just the right specifications and install the flashing kit, but it&#;s absolutely worth the time to get an air tight seal and keep out drafts, rain, and snow.
VINYL SEWN-IN FLOOR
The vinyl sewn-in floor of Springbar tents is top-notch, and the lighter color helps reflect light, making the interior brighter and larger feeling. It also provides plenty of protection from the frozen ground when you end up setting the tent on snow or ice.
LARGE SIDE POCKETS
The two sewn-in side pockets that come with Springsbar tents are excellent and well placed. They are large enough to hold a lot of items. One of them is off the ground at the head of the tent, perfectly placed for your headlamp, gloves, etc. Because of their large size, they are extremely useful.
ELECTRICAL OUTLET PORT
Springbar tents also come with a sewn-in electrical port, which is perfect for feeding your solar charge station (like the BioLite Solar Generator we use) for anything you might need to charge, plug in, or use while camping. A lot of folks won&#;t use this feature, but if you have need for it, it&#;s there.
BUILT-IN AWNING
The built-in awning that comes with the Springbar Classic Jack 140 tent is fantastic to keep the sun, rain, or snow off the entry of your tent. It is also easily rolled up if you opt not to deploy it.
GREAT VALUE
Finally, the overall value of these Springbar tents is extremely high. They give you a ton of value along with a lot of high quality materials. You will likely spend a lot more money for a similarly sized canvas tent in some of the other options out there.
Here is a quick rundown of the things we came to love after doing this Springbar Classic Jack 140 review:
What We didn&#;t like: Springbar Classic Jack 140 Tent Review
After testing gear and equipment, there are always things we find that can be improved upon. While there aren&#;t a lot of things we don&#;t love about this Springbar tent, there are a few things that could be better.
SLANTED WALLS
One of the things we noticed while testing this Springbar Classic Jack 140 tent is that it doesn&#;t feel as big as the specs say it is. This is due, at least in part, by the fact that the walls are slanted inward, making valuable square footage less usable. This is even more of a problem when you use cots as the cots have to be further away from the edges to gain clearance from the side wall. Now, this is nothing like the slant you get with a tipi style tent, but this 10×14 tent didn&#;t feel like a 10×14 tent. If the walls were at more of a 90° angle, you&#;d get more usable square footage.
These inward slanted walls are the product of the design that makes this canvas tent the easiest one we&#;ve ever used. As per usual, there is a sacrifice for that ease of use, and that comes in sacrificing usable square footage. That may or may not be a big deal to you, but if you are trying to stretch the occupancy of this tent, you&#;ll quickly wish you&#;d gone with a tent with walls that are more 90°.
NO STOVE KIT BUNDLE AVAILABLE
Even though the Springbar Classic Jack 140 tent is fully hot-tent compatible, there isn&#;t a simple stove bundle available for purchase. It took a little digging to figure out all the various components needed to fully convert the Classic Jack 140 to a hot tent.
WATER TANK SPIGOT LENGTH
As mentioned above, we found that the spigot on the water tank accessory isn&#;t quite long enough. In order to fill up a mug with hot water you have to get way too close to the fire box, scorching your hand and making the cup super hot as well. Adding another couple inches to the length of the spigot would make this much more pleasant to operate.
Conclusion: springbar Classic Jack 140 Review
Springbar tents make some great, easy-to-set-up canvas tents that simplify the chore of getting camp set up. With their built-in quality vinyl floor and the fact that they include everything you need to hit the trail (minus a stove if you are winter camping), you don&#;t have to piece together various features of your tent. Take a look at Springbar tents, and if you want a quality canvas tent that is easy to set up and can effortlessly convert to a hot tent, one of these tents might just be the ticket. They are well-made, reasonably affordable, canvas tents that&#;ll help you enjoy camping all year long!
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