Canvas camping gear is one of the most hardwearing materials used in the camping world but it can also be affected by the elements over time. Whether it’s a swag pole rubbing in the corner every time you setup wearing the canvas thin, or the infestation of mould from not setting your tent or swag back up after a wet trip – if you’re using your canvas camping gear regularly, it’s going to wear.

The good news is that you don’t need to throw out your canvas camping gear when they suffer issues like these. There are a few really simple fixes that will see your gear back to top notch condition for many more camping adventures. Here are a few tips to not only help you get your canvas products back to 100% — we’ll teach you how to keep them forever ready for adventure.

SEASONING YOUR CANVAS

Many of us have made the mistake of purchasing a brand new swag, chucking it in the shed, and not giving it a second thought until it’s getting packed into the 4WD for its first camping trip. While most of the time this won’t present an issue, using an un-seasoned tent during heavy rain could mean you’ll wake up with a waterlogged sleeping bag and an unhappy family.

The reality is that by seasoning your canvas camping gear you’re effectively killing two birds with one stone. You’re not only extending the useable life of the canvas, you’re making sure that it stays watertight the whole camping trip.

WHAT NOT TO DO

While canvas camping gear is one of the toughest materials around, it’s also very sensitive to chemicals and heat. First and foremost, it’s vital that during the seasoning process you allow the canvas to dry naturally rather than applying heat to speed up the process. Heating the canvas not only renders the seasoning process irrelevant, it also makes the fibres of the canvas camping gear brittle and weak meaning that the process you’ve just undertaken to extend the life of your tent has had basically the opposite effect.

Keep detergents, cleaning fluids, solvents, and even other simpler, everyday products like hairspray, deodorant and insect repellent well away from your tent. These items can all be harmful to your canvas, and severely reduce the lifespan of your investment.

Canvas camping gear like many other materials can fall victim to wear and tear, and over time you may see your canvas getting thin or even tearing, especially in high wear areas such as entrance ways or the ends of your swag (the bits exposed even when rolled up). If you do find a tear in your canvas, the best solution is to use a canvas repair kit to fix it.

THE LEMON JUICE METHOD
First grab a medium bristle brush, something that is tough but won’t damage the canvas camping gear and use it to get rid of the dry mould. It’s best to wear a mask while doing this as mould dust isn’t good for your health. Once the surface mould is gone, get a squirt bottle and fill it with a mix of lemon juice and water, the higher the lemon concentration the better. Grandad always told me to use fresh lemons but I find lemon juice bottles work much the same. (Don’t tell him I said that). Soak the affected areas in the lemon juice mix; work on one area at a time rather than soaking the whole tent.

Once the area is wet, grab some table salt and sprinkle it over the wet area allowing it to stick and cover the area. Now using a damp cloth or sponge scrub the salt into the canvas, working in a circular motion. Don’t let the cloth be too wet, you don’t want to completely wash away the salt.

Now let the canvas camping gear sit in the sun for a few hours until it dries and use the brush to brush off any excess salt. It’s always best to use a waterproofing spray once you have finished any mould removal, especially around any seams as the mould repair process can cause some canvas to lose some of its waterproofing ability.

Remember to never use detergents or chemicals on canvas camping gear as these will more often than not permanently stain your canvas and could potentially damage it beyond repair.

THE WHITE VINEGAR METHOD

This method is very similar to the lemon juice method, however it involves a few less ingredients; in fact it only has two – white vinegar and water. The first step is to get yourself a spray bottle and fill it 50:50 with warm water and white vinegar, once this is ready head out to your tent or swag which should be all setup in the sunny spot.  Grab your medium bristle scrubbing brush and much like the lemon juice method give all the sections of mould a good scrub removing as much of the mouldy growth as possible.

Next, using the spray bottle; wet the canvas camping gear down where the mould had taken hold. It’s best to use a cloth or rag to help rub the solution into some of the worst affected areas.

Once all sections have been coated, leave the canvas in the sun until it dries. If you are not a fan of the smell of vinegar give the swag a hose off once it has dried from the vinegar mix and then allow it to dry once again.  There you have it, two very simple solutions to bring your mouldy canvas camping gear back to life!