All of our tents use Sunforger marine boat shrunk canvas, a 100% cotton canvas that is a staple among period tent makers. Our standard is the 36" wide, 10oz, colorless canvas. With excellent resistance to mold and water, Sunforger canvas is your best bet for period projects, and we sell canvas by the yard for those making their own tents.

Because it is, quite simply, the world's best all-cotton canvas.

• Army “duck” canvas – Sunforger is an Army duck canvas which means it is woven with 2 yarns together in the warp and a single yarn in the weft. The threads are closely woven resulting in a durable fabric widely used in many consumer goods
  
• 100% Cotton – The prime reason this canvas is widely used among re-enactors because its 100% cotton thread is all natural and gives it a beautiful period look. Besides looking great, cotton is functional – Its organic nature means the threads in the canvas naturally tighten when wet to seal the weave. They loosen as they dry out, ensuring your tent does what vinyl and synthetic fabrics can’t – breathe.
  
• Shrink resistance – No cotton canvas is completely 100% shrink proof, but Sunforger canvas is as close as you can get. Boat shrunk means that the canvas is prewashed and treated so that it will never shrink more than 3% over its life. It is the smallest percentage of shrinkage among any cotton canvas.
  
• Water resistance – Sunforger canvas offers the best in water repellency in a cotton canvas. In addition to cotton’s natural water resistance, this canvas is finished with the best available treatment in water repellency and mildew resistance.
  
• Mildew resistance – The same treatment that gives Sunforger it’s water repellant qualities also gives the canvas excellent performance against mold and mildew. Combined with the proper care, it resists rotting and maintains good colorfastness. Most discoloration can be cleaned as outlined below
  
• Dry finish – The treatment on Sunforger canvas is applied to each individual thread before it even becomes canvas, ensuring an even coating over the length of the canvas. Since the treatment is dry, this means that the canvas stays light, significantly more so than canvas treated with liquid waterproofers.
  

Under normal camping conditions and with proper care sunforger canvas can last a lifetime. The protective finish is coated over each thread before it even becomes a piece of canvas, and as such, should never need retreatment. Keep in mind that this canvas is designed for nautical use: meaning boats on the sea, in salt water. In the nautical trade, it is known specifically for the best in weathering qualities. Though we make no claims that our tents are seaworthy, we know our canvas is.

Sunforger canvas is mildew resistant but may become dingy after long periods of use. You can prevent this by always storing your canvas in a dry place when not in use, and making sure it is dry when put away. In the case of canvas which is left out for extended periods, you should make sure to keep dirt leaves and debris from accumulating on the surface on a frequent basis, so as to reduce any specific mildewing in that spot. (Like cleaning the gutters on a house) Periodically rotating the canvas ensures even weathering. Should your canvas become suffer heavy staining in a specific spot, it can be cleaned with a soft brush and warm water. Tougher stains may be cleaned with a very diluted soap water solution of at least 20 parts water to 1 part soap. NEVER use chemicals, bleach or harsh astringents on your canvas as it will remove the protective finish. Avoid dragging your canvas on rough surfaces.

We offer 36" wide, 10 oz, colorless, marine boat shrunk sunforger canvas and recommend this width for all tents. Should you prefer, wider canvas is available. 36" is our preferred width for making tents, as this means more seams and therefore less sagging and increased strength. If you would like a wider cut, please let us know, we can order up to 60 inches wide.

We also feature 12.63 oz Sunforger (same marine boatshrunk treatment on a 25% thicker canvas) for the absolute best in repellency and endurance. This is recommended for the harshest of conditions or for extra performance above and beyond normal wear and tear, and is the toughest cotton canvas on the market.

"Colorless" is the default color for Sunforger, and is seen in the above pictures and tents on our site, The canvas also comes in (left to right in the adjacent picture), khaki, pearl gray, and suntan , but at an additional cost. Please note colors are approximate and may vary slightly from the actual product. If you are interested in colored sunforger, or to request samples, please contact us using the link below.

Should you prefer a wider variety of colors, we also have a selection of synthetic and blended fabrics that can meet your need. Please inquire should you need other colors, we will be more than happy to send you samples of any of our fabrics.

Please note - Shipping will be billed separately based on your location, and whether an in person pickup or event delivery can be scheduled. For a shipping quote on a specific amount of canvas, please contact us.

Warranty Information - Each lot of Sunforger Canvas goes through rigorous quality assurance procedures before it leaves the mill. In the unlikely event of a defect, we will replace any canvas found to be defective, as long as it is returned to us in its original condition before any cuts or alterations are made. Once the canvas has been cut or altered, we can take no responsibility for its condition. Please inspect all your canvas before making cuts or alterations to ensure its quality.