How to Choose a Canvas Wall Tent

Start with two questions: how many people will sleep in the tent, and will you run a wood stove? The answers set the size. Then choose the model, the canvas, and the frame. For a hunting camp of four with a wood stove, Colorado Tent Company's answer is a 14x17 in Army Duck canvas with the full internal frame, a rain fly, and a stove mat. The rest of this guide explains each choice.

1. Size by party and stove

Size Floor area Sleeps on cots Ridge height
10x12 120 sq ft 2 to 4 about 7 ft 11 in
10x15 150 sq ft 2 to 5 about 7 ft 11 in
12x15 180 sq ft 3 to 6 about 8 ft 3 in
14x17 238 sq ft 3 to 7 about 9 ft 2 in
14x20 280 sq ft 4 to 8 about 9 ft 2 in
16x20 320 sq ft 4 to 10 about 9 ft 8 in

The counts assume 30 by 75 inch cots with a center aisle and room for gear. The lower number is comfortable. The upper number is feasible but tight. Most people bring more gear than they expect, so when in doubt, go one size up.

The 14x17 is the most popular size. Four hunters fit with cots, a wood stove, and a small table, with room to move. Used as a cook or dining tent, a 14x17 seats 8 to 10 at folding tables. For a separate sleeping tent and cook tent, run two: a 12x15 as the sleeper and a 10x12 as the cook tent. Many outfitters set up camp that way.

2. The 1890 or the Colorado Tent

Both use the same 10.10 oz Army Duck canvas and the same sewn-in 5-inch oval stove jack, and both have a ridgepole zipper. The 1890 is the plain tent: one zippered door and one rear window. The Colorado Tent adds a 3-way canvas and no-see-um screen door, side windows, D-rings for a floor, and a 9-inch vinyl sod cloth. The price difference is assembly time, not material. The 1890 comes in every size except 14x20. See The 1890 vs the Colorado Tent for the full comparison.

3. Army Duck canvas or WeatherMax 80

Army Duck canvas WeatherMax 80
Fabric 10.10 oz Sunforger Army Duck double-fill cotton canvas Synthetic, 8 oz per square yard, in Light Charcoal (other colors custom)
Weight The standard 36% lighter than standard canvas
Water Water resistant. New canvas needs 2 to 3 soak-and-dry cycles so the stitch holes swell shut Non-absorbent
Breathing and condensation Breathes, which keeps condensation down with a wood stove Does not breathe the same way. Condensation can be higher in hot weather or with propane heat
Abrasion The baseline 6 times the abrasion resistance of canvas
Field repair Repairs in the field with a needle, waxed thread, and a patch Cannot be repaired in the field with a needle and thread
Cost Less More than a comparable canvas tent

For a wood stove camp, choose Army Duck canvas. It breathes, and it is mill-treated for fire, water, and mildew resistance, so a stove spark that lands on it typically chars without spreading. Choose WeatherMax 80 when weight matters most or you need a fabric that does not absorb water. The heavier 12.63 oz canvas is a custom order only and adds roughly 8 lbs on a 14x17. Do not spray canvas with waterproofing or fire retardant: both plug the weave and stop it breathing.

4. Frame options

Every wall tent comes with one of four frame options, and every option includes the tent, ropes, stakes, and a tent bag (two canvas bags on The 1890).

  • Fabric Only: no poles, frame, or couplers. For a frame you already own.
  • External Pole Kit: 2 pins set in a custom plastic insert, the pins for the external side walls, and a cut sheet of pole lengths and quantities. Poles not included.
  • Angles Only: the 3-way and 4-way coupler set for your tent size, the same as the Coupler Set. Poles not included.
  • Full Frame: the complete high-peak internal frame, 1-3/8 inch 16-gauge galvanized steel tubing with swedge-fit couplers, cut to your tent size.

We recommend the internal frame for most buyers. It is cut to the tent, it keeps the walls plumb, and it is easier to set up solo. If you plan to use an existing external frame or build your own, send us the frame dimensions before you order so we can confirm the fit.

5. What a 5 ft wall means

The side walls on both wall tents are 5 ft, the standard. The roof rises from the top of those walls to the ridge. At the standard wall, ridge height runs from about 7 ft 11 in on the 10x12 and 10x15 to about 9 ft 8 in on the 16x20. 4 ft and 6 ft walls are custom.

6. Rain fly, floor, and stove mat

Rain fly. A fly is not required, and we recommend one in four cases: you run a wood stove, the tent stays up for long stretches in the sun, you camp in heavy snow, or you expect heavy rain. Our Wall Tent Fly is vinyl and covers the whole tent. The Regular fly covers the tent. The Extended fly runs past it, typically 5 ft, and the tent's ridgepole zipper supports its center. Order it with a stove jack to run a stove with the fly in place.

Floor. The Wall Tent Floor is cut to the tent's footprint and runs up the sod cloth to keep out drafts, moisture, and insects. On the Colorado Tent it attaches to D-rings after the tent is up, and it comes out when the stove sits on bare ground.

Stove mat. The Stove Mat goes under and around a wood stove and protects the floor from ash, sparks, and radiant heat. Use one with every wood stove, along with a rain fly. The Wall Tent Bundle with Wood Stove puts the tent, the fly, a floor, a North Woods Fabrication wood stove, and a stove mat in one order.

7. Setup and platforms

An experienced crew of two sets up a 14x17 in 45 to 60 minutes. Allow 2 to 3 hours the first time, and do a practice setup at home before the trip. The order: lay out the tent, assemble the frame inside the tent body, lift the ridge, stake out the corners and guy lines, then attach the fly. Label the frame sections and the next setup goes faster. Soak new canvas and let it dry 2 to 3 times before its first rain.

A wall tent pitches on the ground or on a wood platform. A platform is not required. For a platform install, send us the platform size before you order so we can match the sod cloth and door.

8. Shipping, returns, and warranty

Standard-size wall tents, tipis, and frames are in stock and leave the Denver shop within 5 business days. A fly, floor, or stove mat ordered on its own ships in about 2 to 3 weeks. Most orders arrive 3 to 7 business days after they ship. Canada ships by freight quote, so call before you order.

You can return an unused standard product within 30 days of delivery: a tent or tipi you have not pitched outdoors, or a stove you have never fired. Call or email first. You pay the return freight, and a 15% restocking fee applies. Custom sizes, custom builds, and Tent Designer upgrades are final sale. The full terms are in the refund policy.

Every product Colorado Tent Company makes carries a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, with no registration. See the warranty for what it covers. The Denver shop also repairs canvas tents from any maker; repairs take 1 to 3 months.

9. Custom sizes

We build custom wall tents up to 20 ft wide and to any length. The longest built recently is 40 ft. Common changes include a non-standard footprint, a porch, an awning, a cook shack, a taller sod cloth for a platform, more windows, a moved stove jack, and 12.63 oz canvas on a standard size. Custom orders start with a phone call: we scope the build, quote it, and confirm the timing before anything is cut. Custom work is final sale. See custom tents.

Where to go next

Questions: call (303) 399-3232, Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mountain, or email info@coloradotent.com.