You’ve started your research on camping tents and realized there are a ton of different varieties.
The cool thing about tent manufacturers is they have thought of pretty much any scenario possible and created a solid solution for it.
Throughout your research you may hear mention of the tent materials.
Two main contenders are nylon and canvas.
When it comes down to it, which is better?
Take a look at the rest of the article to see the benefits and downsides of both so you can make an informed decision.
A Quick Note: Comparing Apples To Oranges
I felt like it was important to say that in certain circumstances, the one contender is clearly better than the other, and vice versa.
Will you be staying up in the mountains for a couple weeks hunting?
A canvas tent will be the superior choice.
Are you and the kids going to be taking a weekend trip to the local campgrounds?
Nylon tents are the better option.
When it comes down to it, nylon tents are super portable, quick setup tents that can absolutely be taken down and put back up multiple times on a trip (say on a 2 week backpacking trip).
Canvas tents are a more semi-permanent option that includes options for adding a wood stove and act almost as a lodge.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s compare the two options in general.
Durability
Canvas wins this battle hands down.
Canvas tents, if taken care of, can last you your entire camping life and could still be in great shape to pass on to your kids.
While proper care and maintenance can extend the life of nylon, it’s still a much thinner material that is just bound to wear out and rip eventually.
Portability
Nylon tents take the cake.
They are much lighter and easier to store.
Not to mention they come in all sorts of varieties for every use case imaginable.
There are super lightweight tents for backpacking trips all the way up to 10+ person tents for camping out at a concert with friends.
Canvas tents, however, are much heavier.
I would not want to lug that amount of weight on my back for longer than I have to.
As far as setup goes, there are some canvas tents that have made strides to be easy to assemble.
However, that added weight is still a factor and can make it a little more difficult to set up than your average nylon tent.
If you will be needing to pack up your tent and move repeatedly throughout your trip, I would stick with a nylon tent.
Insulation
Remember I mentioned before that some canvas tents are outfitted to hold a stove.
And, in general, canvas tents are much thicker than nylon tents.
They hold heat much better.
If you were camping up in the mountains in winter I’d say you’d be much warmer in canvas than nylon.
This does also work the same with keeping things cool.
The insulating properties allow cool air to stay in the tent, helping those summer days to not be as bad.
Price
Again I have to mention the variance of uses when it comes to these two.
But all things being equal the nylon tents win this one as well.
They range in price from $15 all the way up to $1,500+ and you can definitely find something that suits your needs in between that.
I recently purchased a 2 person tent from Academy Sports for $17 (impulse buy. Had to try it).
You simply can’t do that with a canvas tent.
The cheapest of canvas tents are looking at starting at over $300.
If your choice comes down to price, nylon tents are the way to go.
A Silly Comparison Just For Kicks
There you have it.
If I were comparing nylon and canvas tents for purchasing, those are the main things I would be looking at.
In all seriousness, it’s probably best to stick with the nylon for quick, portable camping and canvas for longer stays such as hunting trips.
The two materials have been around long enough that companies have kind of perfected what they should be used for!