Love your bell tent
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We are so glad you have decided to buy a canvas bell tent, from The Vintage Tent Co.
We know you must be excited to try it out as soon as possible. We are here to give you some advice, to make sure you look after the tent properly and enjoy many years of camping.
Firstly, we hope you have managed to see the video on how to put the tent up?
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Click here to read
https://www.thevintagetentcompany.com/how-to-put-the-tent-up
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We hope you found it easy to understand and we are sure you found it far easier than you ever imagined.
We advise you always pitch the tent in the garden before you head off on a 2-week holiday.
Please make sure it's all OK before you leave!
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It’s a good idea to carry some spares and duck tape will be your best friend if the unfortunate rip were to happen on a longer trip, a few spare pegs are a good idea too. Even a needle and thread might not be such a bad idea.
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All our tents come with a bag for the pegs and poles and keep them nice and clean if you can.
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The Zips are high quality but please be careful and don’t ever force them and take care with some WD40 from time to time. But take care to wipe up spills and oil and canvas don’t mix well, and it will stain the canvas.
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Were you pitch the tent is important and keep away from trees that drop sap, as the sap is a killer for canvas plus roosting birds tend to use branches as a get place to go to the toilet all over your nice tent. Not to mention the danger of falling branches.
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Bird mess is a nightmare, especially in blackberry and elderberry season. It can be a real nightmare and stains are very hard or impossible to remove well.
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Trees are good to look at but not to camp under!
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Don’t pitch in a dip that might flood as this is dangerous to you and your tent, have a look at your surroundings first and think of any dangers that could happen.
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Maybe you might want to invest in an awning for extra space and a place to store shoes and keep dry in the sometimes-wet weather we have in the UK.
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The most important thing with the tent is,
the way you pack it away.
We can’t stress how important it is to make sure the canvas is touching the canvas to keep it clean and away from the bottom of the groundsheet. So, fold canvas to canvas.
Then make sure the tent is fully dry and the groundsheet has no water, cleaning all moisture off with a towel, it’s an essential item you must take with each trip.
If you can’t pack away dry then you will have to dry it home in the garage or garden, before finally storing it.
NEVER pack away with any moisture as this will make the tent smell and mould.
Take your time rolling up the tent and let the sun evaporate each part and wipe clean. This one step will ensure and long life.
Our tents are designed to stay up for around 18 months permanently before things will wear out
So, a 2 week holiday per year, your tent will last you a very long time.
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It would be good to treat your tent each season with a nice waterproofing spray you can find from most camping shops, or Halfords.
be sure to test a patch on a bit of canvas that is not so seen as a sidewall and check you are happy with any stains. Then treat the whole tent.
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We suggest you never leave the tent up over the winter as the high humidity and wet conditions will cause the tent to mould as it will never dry out.
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If you have too, then make sure there is a secondary waterproof cover for the tent. If you follow these simple steps the tent will and should last you many years to come.
Please contact us for anymore hint and tips
Happy Camping
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