Are you a tour lover? Never camped before or want to buy a new one, but can’t decide which one to choose between canvas and nylon tent? If these answers are yes, you are in the right place, keep reading; you can definitely find this article useful.

Canvas tents and nylon tents provide different features to the camper as they are made from different fabrics. While picking between them, you have to compare their durability, whether protectiveness, breathability, can be easily maintained or not, price, availability, etc. And then buy which is suitable for you. Each tent has some pros and cons, which can comfort and bother you, respectively.

So, your perfect tent is to be stated according to your journey- whether it is a long journey or short, your affordability, etc. Here we will show a broad comparison for you between canvas tents and nylon tents in order to pick your right one. Between canvas tents and nylon tents, we cannot consider superior one over another. The main thing is which type of tent is suitable depends on your requirement.

Here are the Top 5 Picks for You From Both Fabric

Canvas tent

Nylon tent

1. Danchel Outdoor Cotton Canvas Tent with stoves

It is waterproof, windproof, and snow-proof and provides protection in any weather.

1. Monoprice Backpacking Tent – 20D Ripstop Nylon/1500mm PU Rainfly, 30D Ripstop Nylon

Made with rip-stop nylon coated with PU and have comfortable indoor space.

2. Kodiak Canvas Tent Truck Bed

Made with 100% cotton duck canvas having great durability and provides excellent ventilation.

2. Stansport Scout 2 person Camping Tent

Made with polyurethane coated fabric with 2 aluminum poles

3. Kodiak Canvas Deluxe Flex-Bow Canvas Tent

Having four large windows and two large D-shaped door and suitable for family camping

3. Asta Gear 1-2 Persons Lightweight Tent Silicone Nylon for Camping

Lightweight and made with high-quality nylon and silicon

4. Dream House Luxury Outdoor Waterproof and Four Season Camping Tent

Suitable for family camping with mosquito screen door

4. ALPS Mountaineering Meramac Outfitter Tent

Having nylon floor materials with great durability

5. Kodiak Canvas 1Person Canvas One size Tent

High versatile, portable and, perfect for a solo adventure.

5. Naturehike Cloud Up 2 Man tent 20D nylon Double Layers Outdoor winter Camping Tent

Two or three seasons camp with one-bedroom space.

What is Nylon Fabric?

Nylon is a man-made fiber that is produced artificially in industries, and then the fabric is produced through different procedures like extrusion, stretching, drawing, etc. Some nylon is made from crude oil or petroleum, which provide different characteristics to its fabric. Nylon is the polymer of nylon 6-6 monomer that is structured by adipic acid and hexamethylene di-amin. Nylon tent is widely used nowadays, because of its toughness, abrasion resistance, water repellency, etc.

What is Canvas Fabric?

Canvas is commercially produced in manufacturing companies using cotton, linen, or hemp fiber. Canvas fabric is made by weaving warp and weft yarn. Based on the application of the fabric, different types of the canvas fabric are made. Canvas is currently the most popular out gear materials. It is also used in making sailcloths, painting canvas, handbags, shoes, backpacks, jackets, etc. Sometimes, polyester and polyurethane are used as finishing materials after dying for getting better properties.

Main Differences Between Canvas VS Nylon Tent

Canvas tent	Nylon tent
Strength
More strong	Less strong
Longevity
Lasts for a long time	Comparatively less lasting tent
Deterioration to sunlight
Less degraded by UV rays	UV degradation occurs when exposed to sunlight
Water-resistance properties
Less waterproof tent	More waterproof tent
Weight
Heavyweight tent	Lightweight tent
Breathability
More breathability	Less breathability
Price
Comparatively expensive	Affordable price

Comparison of Canvas and Nylon Tent in Terms of Durability and Breathability

Durable fabric is very much needed for a tent, which provides some great benefits to campers. Canvas fabric is extremely durable and strong because it is made of cotton or hemp fibers collected from natural sources. You should purchase a tent of higher denier fabrics like canvas rather than lower denier because higher denier fabric provides more thickness making it intensively durable.

Canvas tent does not tear easily when pierced by a sharp object, and if it does, it can be repaired with a simple needle-thread or sewing machine. Since canvas is a natural fabric, it is relatively less degraded by UV rays. So, the long exposure to sunlight does not harm canvas tent, but discoloration of fabric may occur. For its high durability, it is used in military camping or long-time camping.

Because of less durability, nylon tents can be damaged and torn frequently and, the waterproofing systems can be broken down. UV degradation is a common problem of synthetic fiber while exposed to sunlight. Nylon fabric deteriorates in UV rays, so leaving the nylon tent in the sun for a long time reduces its efficacy.

Breathable fabric is more comfortable when it comes to camp tent fabric. The breathability of a fabric depends on how easily moisture vapor can pass through the fabric. As the canvas tent is made of natural cotton or hemp fiber, it has great breathability and good insulation capability compared to a nylon tent. The indoor air quality of tents depends on the humidity of the environment, and canvas fabric maintains favorable humidity according to the outside temperature.

Canvas is a woven fabric with tiny holes at its structure level, through which air transfers naturally. So, the canvas tent does not trap heat in hot or cold weather, and the tent wall does not have the trouble of being damped or forming condensation inside the tent.

As nylon is a fully synthetic material, it has less breathability than canvas. Canvas fabric and nylon fabric have different properties regarding moisture absorption and insulation. As the nylon tent has less moisture absorption ability, it traps heat and air, creates a little discomfort like respiratory problems, and sometimes causes condensation inside the tent.

Considering durability and breathability, our best choice for you is Kodiac Flec-Bow Canvas Tent Deluxe. This canvas tent is made of 100% cotton canvas, which is durable, waterproof, and breathable. The ceiling material of this tent is made of 10-ounce Hydra-Shield canvas and, the wall material is 8-ounce Hydra Shield canvas and, it also includes two large-shaped doors with zippers at the front and back.

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Variation Between Both in Weather Protection Characteristics

Whether you use nylon tents or canvas depends on the weather of your camping environment. Whether the weather is harsh or smooth, canvas tents are suitable in any environment. In winter or summer, a balanced temperature is maintained inside the canvas tent. Canvas fabric makes its users feel warm in winter, dry in the rainy season, and comparatively less hot in summer.

Due to the high moisture absorption capacity of canvas tents, problems can occur during the rainy season. So that, before purchasing, check whether the tent fabric is coated with polyester or polyurethane that will give you good protection during heavy rainfall. Since canvas tents are made of heavy fabric, they do not fly away during storms, so the risk of damage is low.

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If you are searching for a tent with better weather protection, I would like to recommend you TETON Sports Mesa Canvas Tent. This product is made of 100% cotton canvas, which has water-repelling characteristics to keep you dry in all seasons. It includes a built-in awning, which will provide you keeping the sun off your tent. It has zippers with large pulls, which makes it easy to set up, and also includes extra-wide doors by which you can easily move your camping gear in and out.

Nylon tents have better water resistance, while canvas tents do not have so much. So, due to the rainy season, nylon tents can be the better option. In the summer, the nylon tent gets too hot whereas, canvas heat up a bit more slowly than nylon because air can be rarely passed through artificial fiber than natural fiber. If your nylon tent is structured with a strong metal frame, you can use it in winter, but the canvas tent keeps its inside warmer than nylon.

Best 4 season tent

Price

DANCHEL OUTDOOR 4-Season Waterproof Cotton Bell Yurt Tent

$429.00 – $779.00

AMAZON

Comparison Between Both in Respect of Weight and Price

In the case of camping tents, lightweight tents are required for easy transportation. In this case, the nylon tent is the winner.

The nylon tent’s biggest advantage is that it is very lightweight and easy to carry because it is made of synthetic fabric rather than natural fabric. It has good strength to the ratio of weight, which gives its extra appeal in out gear material. If you are a hiker, you can carry a nylon tent in your backpack, but a canvas tent can not benefit you. Canvas fabric is very heavy in comparison to a nylon tent.

The heavy-weight fabricated canvas tent is difficult to carry, requiring vehicles to transport it to the campsite. For example, CHEERING PET Backpacking Tent, 4 Person Tent is one of the most lightweight backpacking tents on amazon, which is made of tear-Resistant 20D rip-stop nylon. This portable camping tent, having only 4.31 Kilograms, is suitable for hiking and mountain climbing adventures. This waterproof shelter will also offer you a compact carry case, which is ideal for a hiker.

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While buying a product, price is also a very important factor. When you go to buy one of the different types of tents on Amazon, you will see tents with different features at different prices. It is a wise thing to have a tent among them, which is affordable and of good quality. In this case, between nylon tents and canvas tents, you have to read the rest of the article to choose which one to buy.

Many tent manufacturing companies sell attractive nylon tents at affordable prices. Nylon tents are cheaper compared to their quality, so their acceptability is increasing day by day. The production cost of canvas fabric is a bit higher as it is made from natural materials, so it is also more expensive than tents made with other materials. But the facilities are so much more than other tents that you can buy if you can afford them.

Canvas Tent VS Nylon: Which is Easy to Maintain?

How easily a tent can be maintained depends largely on the manufacturer company. Often, nylon or canvas tents with different modern features are available at various companies with easy maintenance.

Nylon tent is easy to set up because if it is comparatively small size and lightweight. Nylon tents do not require much care, as they are made of synthetic material. It dries quickly, so it does not rip easily and is less prone to mildew attack.

Camping tents can be easily repaired and last a long time if taken care of. It should be dried before packing at the end of camping; otherwise, it may rot or be attacked by mildew. As canvas tents are made of cotton, such fears are more prevalent. In that case, it becomes difficult to maintain.

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OZARK TRAIL Nylon Trail Tent is a trail tent for two persons that is easy to maintain and set up with an aluminum frame and 8 tent pegs. This product is highly recommended for people who need a tent for camping, fishing, and backyard sleep, as nylon tents offer you comparatively easy maintenance.

Best tent with stove

Price

Preself Tipi Hot Tent with Mesh and Fire Retardant Stove Jack

$139.90

AMAZON

Canvas Tent VS Nylon: Maximize Your Comfort!

You can only use a product when it gives you comfort. The tent is called a temporary home or shelter, which is portable and foldable. So, I think this is the most important thing to consider when buying a tent. Generally, canvas fabric is considered to be more comfortable in making tents.

Canvas tents are better quieter, so when you go camping in the jungle or military camping, it will give you some comfort from the sounds of jungle animals and outside. If you have light sleep, you should use a canvas tent, if you can afford it. The nylon tent provides less comfort than a canvas tent. So, if you buy a nylon tent, you may not get the benefits you want. But it is not bad at all.

Canvas Tent VS Nylon: Save the Environment!

It is the duty of every conscious citizen to use environmentally friendly products. According to environmentalists, if every person uses environmentally friendly products, environmental pollution can be greatly reduced. So you can choose the right tent for the environment by thinking of the larger interest.

As canvas fabric is made from natural sources, it is a biodegradable fabric. So, canvas fabric is more environmentally friendly than synthetic fibers like nylon. But, synthetic materials harm the environment a lot, so that you can avoid canvas tents coated with PVC for the well-being of nature.

The production and use of nylon fabric cause a lot of damage to the environment. Nylon fabric production wastes a lot of water and uses harmful chemicals that pollute the water when dumped in rivers. When nylon is exposed to UV rays, greenhouse gases are emitted, which increases the ambient temperature. Again, after the use of the nylon tent, it may not be recyclable, so its fragments remain intact year after year, which causes soil contamination.

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Final Words

Which tent you choose depends entirely on your decision. But, I gave you some advice about canvas tent vs nylon based on my opinion, which may assist you to find the right tent for you. Different companies are constantly bringing new tents to the market. I am not saying any category of the tent is the best; you will choose one considering all the aspects according to your needs. But, camping purists cannot deny the benefit of genuine canvas tents, and most of them prefer canvas tents to nylon.

If you go on a long tour with your family and stay in the same place for a few days, I would like to recommend a canvas tent. Canvas tents will be best if you want to arrange a tent for various events like weddings, parties. Because usually the canvas tent is big in size of and it has more than one room inside which will give benefit you.

If you have not been in a tent for a long time, you have to walk every day, and you have to pitch a tent in a new place almost every night, and there are no vehicles to carry the tent, then I will definitely recommend nylon tent because it is easy to carry. A solo adventurer should use nylon tents, whereas canvas fabric provides more fire safety, as in nylon fabric fires, goes up very quickly. So, I just wanted to educate you on what goes in each individual fabric type so that you can easily choose your camping tent without confusion.