Flex-Bow Deluxe Canvas Camping Tents

I purchased this tent from Amazon in Feb of 2016. My Son and I used this tent for our vacation to three national parks this summer. We camped a total of 9 nights in this tent through all kinds of weather. We encountered temps as high as 90F and as low as 35F. We were in blistering sun and two nights of rain, with one of the nights including thunderstorms and camp ground flooding. Below are my opinions on the pro's and cons of this tent. Pro's 1. Completely waterproof: We had no problems with water leakage. The treatment on the canvas keeps water out period. I will say that we did have the slightest amount of very fine mist/condensation in our tent during the night that we had thunderstorms and multiple inches of rain at our campground. But nothing inside the tent became saturated with rain water. 2. Setup: Once you get your routine down setup of the tent takes about 10 min from start to finish. I'm not including organizing items inside your tent, I'm only speaking to the actual tent set up. All you need to do to get this tent up is stake the four corners, get the roof/flex bow installed, and then raise each side. My Son is 11 and so he was able to help by laying out stakes and pounding them in, but he isn't quite strong enough to help raise the tent. I was able to do this myself, but I'm a 6'2" male in decent physical shape. 3. No rain fly to attach and guy line. This saves a ton of time! 4. Space: I can stand up easily in this tent. On our trip there was only two of us, but our gear included two camping cots (mine is an oversized Cabelas guide cot) and luggage. We had tons of room. I think the fact that you don't have to crawl in on your hands and knees is a huge plus for those of us who are over the height of 6 ft. If I was a 5' 7" person, I would see how a 4 man dome would have been a great option for my son and I for our vacation. Cons 1. Heavy: This tent and poles do weigh a lot. I bought this tent specifically for car camping. My son and I do not backpack. The poles for this tent are very strong, but they also add considerably to the weight of the tent. And the stakes are also quite heavy, but they won't bend!!! 2. Transport: The bag that the poles are stored in is quite long. I was able to lay the pole bag across the floor of our SUV in front of the back seat (normally where back seat passengers would put their feet. I would estimate that the pole bag is about 3.5 - 4.0 feet long. If you have a small car, you may have problems fitting the poles into your trunk and you may have to resort to a roof topper or something. I'm sure the poles would fit nicely into those long aerodynamic Yakima roof toppers. 3. Strength needed to erect the side poles. Like I stated above, the side poles do take some strength to get into position. Two adults working together shouldn't have a problem, but it can be a bit of a chore. Overall, I love this tent!! The quality and durability are top notch!! The tent holds up well to weather and I think that everything will last a long time if taken care of properly. The tent is heavy, but it IS a car camping tent. The stakes in particular impressed me very much! Of the three tent pads that we encountered on our trip, two of them were very packed down and rocky. The tent stakes included with this tent didn't bend. In fact I broke a mallet while pounding stakes at the first campground, and had to go to a hardware store where I purchased a 4lb sledge to pound in stakes at the future camping sites. I'd like to address that I do have some mold on the roof of my tent. That mold came from storing the tent wet between initial set up in my back yard and the camping trip described above. I plan to clean the tent with mild soap, some peroxide and then buy water proofing agents to treat the roof as needed. While mold and mildew is gross to look at, I don't get as worried about it as some folks. The fact is that you are around all sorts of mold spores everyday! Lastly, seems to be a few bad reviews based on the fact that the tent is made in China. There are lots of products made all over this world and quality control vastly depends more on the company than it does the country of origin. I didn't really look at the American made option/ spring bar tents before buying this tent. I did look at multiple reviews for Kodiak tents from multiple sources. I would estimate that I watched about 20 videos on youtube showing set up and tear down. As well as discussing the pros and cons of each individual buyer. I bought this tent with my own money and I have no relationship with the producer of this product.

Edit: Since first posting this review - I've had this tent out on three more camping trips. All of them have been 5 - 7 days. The last two (one in Fall 2018, and 2019 Memorial Weekend/Week) I've experienced many days of rain, and a few days of all out storms. Last fall, I lost my canopy and some other equipment, but the Kodiak held up. This past camping trip, I forgot the ground tarp. We had several storms roll through with heavy rain and wind. The tent held up fine, and when packing it up, I was absolutely stunned to find the bottom of the tent totally dry. It seemed to fare better without the ground tarp in that aspect. I can't say enough about this tent - it's really holding up to all the conditions. I've since added carpet and even a 4 foot table to the interior of the tent. This fall we are planning an island camping trip where I'm going to be forced to drop some of my gear to be able to fit it on the boat --- the tent is coming though - because it's the most important part of my camping trips other then water and food. My first canvas tent. I've always wanted one, but most are hard to impossible for 1 person to setup. Being a single dad with small children, I've stuck with easier nylon tents. This year, after blowing through a 3rd nylon tent in 3 years, I decided to look for something better quality. I first was on the fence with the price. I knew canvas cost more, but I wanted a good size, stand up in tent. After reading reviews and watching videos, I knew the Kodiak Canvas 14x10 was what I wanted. When I saw a weekend sale on it, I got it for a decent price on Amazon. Delivery was quick. I did the initial setup and seasoning on a stretch of warm and sunny days so I knew I could put it up, get it wet, and dry it out quick. Setup was pretty easy, only requiring a little muscle to get the two support poles in. Everything else was a cinch. The quality of the tent stood out - everything from the tent stakes to the structure itself speaks of quality. The windows are great - my only complaint would be the awning poles - I think telescoping poles would be much more appropriate to adjust height - rather then having to angle them during rain. They also could've used a little more height - I have to duck under it a little to get in and out of the tent. It's not taking off a star, or even a half, it's one of the only things they could improve on in my opinion. Everything else is so well thought out - and the storage bag is definitely a step in the right direction. 40 years of stuffing stuff into storage bags that don't fit right - Kodiak got this one perfect! I did get the tent out on a week long camping trip this past week. It performed great, and sleeping in canvas is so much more comfortable then nylon. We got a variety of weather - hot and humid, cold, rain (although not a downpour). The lowest was around 45F, the highest was 87F. I ran a small Mr. Heater to warm the tent up during the coldest night, and it worked great in the Kodiak Canvas. I also ran it at the end to help dry out the tent after rain the previous day. Worked like a charm - although the awning was still a little wet due to water pooling on it - so be careful of that - even a little rain will puddle up in the awning - with just goes to show how waterproof the material is. Great investment - I expect this tent to last for years.

I have been looking at this tent for around two years. I purchased it, finally, in May. Since purchasing it we have used it 5 times over the summer. I can't express enough how easy this tent is to setup. I've always camped in canvas wall style tents and the menagerie of poles is always such a pain. This tent is so easy. Two side poles, one center pole, and two bows. I've only ever setup the awning once and it is straight forward. We are a family of 5 with two medium sized dogs. Space is not an issue. The variety of configurations that you can create inside with the modular pocket system is nice. The overhead storage is great. There are a variety of eyelets inside and we use these to run a line across the length of the tent so we can hang clothes up to dry in wet weather. We live in the pacific northwest, and we get a lot of rain. Our last trip we had a large amount of rain for the first two days of our trip. We never put a tarp over the tent, and didn't have one drop of water inside. It will be interesting to see if it maintains this level of water resistance over the years. The zippers on the tent are very sturdy. The flooring is very thick. We have used the tent with and without a tarp underneath without issues. We also sleep on cots and there are no issues with tearing the floor. Storing: This tent comes in a very nice canvas bag/wrap. It is very simple to roll the tent up into this bag. The bag completely opens up so you roll the tent up onto it and then fold and latch the bag around the tent. There is a lot of adjustment in the bag straps so if you roll it up in a hurry and don't get it nice and tight, the bag will accommodate it. The carry handle, straps, and buckles on the bag are very sturdy. The poles come in a separate and equally high quality bag. It is reinforced on the bottom to reduce the likelihood of tearing when putting poles away. I would highly recommend this tent to anyone. I expect many years of use from this tent.

After much research beginning early in the year and after returning from my bowhunting/camping trip in Michigan last October, I had to get better prepared for upcoming trips and years. Nearly froze to death in my 8x10 nylon domed tent. My first purchase this year was the Big Buddy heater. My second purchase was this Kodiak Canvas tent. I usually go it alone and the most important factor for me, was being able to set it up by myself. I'm 5'10", 210 lbs. and 57 years old. Reading the Amazon reviews and watching youtube videos, I was convinced I would be able to set it up by myself. I was right! The hardest part for me (after lugging the tent to the backyard), was erecting the side poles. You definitely have to exert some force inward as you're simultaneously lifting it up onto the peg. I set it up on a Friday evening after work and got the hose out Saturday morning to perform the "seasoning" step. I left it up for 2 weeks waiting for rain to be able to check for leaks, but it never rained so I eventually struck it down. I will update this review later if I experience leaks but I don't anticipate that to happen. The material is heavy duty, the stitching is heavy duty and straight. The tent stakes alone weighed 6 & 1/2 lbs. The floor material is thick and cushy and the zippers are more than adequate. So far, I have only had one issue: the 'attic netting'. I've tried every way from a week of Sundays and can't get the snap rings to reach far enough to the plastic loops in the corners. This isn't a big concern for me, because I just plan on stringing some cord across one end from corner to corner for hanging up wet clothes, towels, dishrags, etc. In two more weeks, I'll be heading up to hunt & camp and use it for real. I'll update the stars, upload pics and let everyone know how it performed when I get back. Cheers! UPDATE 1/2/2020: Okay, first I apologize for the delay in updating this review. I spent 6 days and nights in the tent mid-October in northern Michigan. Arrived at the campground on Sunday and got it up before the rain started. It rained all Sunday night, off & on all day and night Monday, light to heavy rain on Tuesday and finally cleared off Tuesday evening. No leaks! The walls did get saturated and would wick moisture in if you touch them, so, I kept my hands off and my heater on. I spent a lot of time under the awning which was awesome. If there wasn't an awning, I would've had to stay inside the tent for nearly 48 hrs. Just had to periodically push up on it to let the pooled water drain off. I have changed my rating to 5 stars based on this tent's ease of set-up, quality of materials/workmanship and initial performance. The mfr. even left me a note about contacting them if the gear loft is too short. Highly recommend. UPDATE 1/19/2021: Just attached some pics and a video from my second year deer hunting in the U.P. with this tent. It withstood 30-40 mph winds, freezing rain and snow. The tent stayed put and continues to keep me dry. Still very happy with the Kodiak Canvas 10'x14' tent.

Let me start off by just saying this tent is great! My wife and I had been looking for something that was sturdy with lots of room. We also wanted something relatively simple to set up (we were getting tired of the tents that required a mechanical engineering degree to assemble). After reading a number of reviews of this tent, we had convinced ourselves that it was the one we wanted. The first weekend we took it out it really got a good test. The first night we were set up it rained heavy for nearly 12 hours straight. The entire time we did not get any leaks in the tent (we did set up at home and spray it down prior to camping as per the instructions). The second night was even more interesting with winds gusting up to 50-60 MPH. The entire time the tent stood strong and at no point were we given the impression it would collapse on us. We actually had some nice comments from a number of people in the campground who's dome tents had collapsed in the night. The size is also very good. While the walls do tend to slope out a little (they are not straight up on the sides), there is plenty of room to move around. My wife and I have enough room to put two large cots, a large dog kennel, a small fold up table, and our gear in the tent and still have some room to move around. In terms of setup, it is fairly easy to do. However, while many people say it can be done by one person, two is definitely better! Setup is straightforward and the only advice I have is to make sure to unzip the doors and windows prior to lifting the tent into position. Without them open, it creates suction inside the tent and makes it MUCH more difficult to lift the tent into position. I also have to mention the tent bag. Before buying the tent I laughed at the reviews just raving about a stupid tent bag. However, once we got ours I completely changed my tune. When packing up to go home, that bag is the greatest part of the tent. You don't have to be overly careful in rolling up the tent, the bag has adjustable straps that will accommodate the tent either way. You just spread it out on the ground, lay the rolled up tent on top, and clip the straps in place and fold the bag around. SO much easier than trying to stuff the tent into a bag that always seems 2 sizes too small. Overall the tent seems well made, the canvas is reasonably heavy, and the design seems to be solid. I would strongly recommend you take a look if you are interested in a heavy duty tent for car camping. One other thing I should mention is that when purchasing this from Amazon, if you do not normally purchase many big ticket items from them, let your credit card company know in advance. My card company initially tried to block the transaction suspecting fraud. Amazon was very good in assisting me in getting the issue resolved with the company and getting the tent order to finally go through (we were trying to get it delivered before the weekend for a family camping trip). Big thumbs up to you Amazon, your customer service people were nothing less than fantastic!

I am a partner in a junior gold mining company which means we spend a lot of time out in no-man's land searching old gold fields for development. I had a pretty dang well made 8 person nylon tent, but it doesn't handle the variations in climate very well and I really get aggravated with the fiberglass tension poles. Also, those tension pole tents are a pain to set up in a stiff breeze or during a rainstorm. I did quite a bit of research weighing the different types of assembly from hydraulic systems, air ribbed, spring bar, and steel-pole of a few different variations. After watching videos, notably one in Idaho during a snowed-out elk hunt, I was pretty convinced the Kodiak Canvas was the way to go. Honestly, look at how many five star reviews it has. You can't get that many people together in one room to agree on the color of the sky in a given day, much less on camping equipment. I did season it what I thought was reasonably well, but didn't have a garden hose so I used a brand-new chemical sprayer with water in it. First time out with it I even brought along my portable AC and generator. With an AC, you have to run the exhaust hose out of a window and the heavy-duty zippers held it in place perfectly. Also, since it is exhausting air to the outside, it needs to draw air in. The two top air vents aren't really enough for this so it does draw air into the tent through the walls which pulls things in a bit. A bit disconcerting at first, but without a doubt the best night of sleep I've had in the field that didn't involve an RV. Second time out, monsoon storm hit. Put it up backwards to start due to fighting the rain and wind, then had to spin it around to get the awning facing the right way. The space at this particular mining site is very limited. The back of the tent is touching brush coming down a hillside, and the awning is a few inches away from a tree branch to the front. I only had a bit of leakage where the main poles go, but that was because I was stepping on the canvas trying to get the pole into the catch metal piece while fighting the wind at the same time. Once I had it up and the awning staked, it was fantastic. Changed out of wet clothes and rain gear, got dried off and the rain subsided. I thought the awning would be a pain, but the way the ropes and poles work, it's great. Dang well designed. It does need to be lower on one side to drain off water but no big deal. Overnight another round of showers hit but no leakage at all. The walls will feel damp, but that's it. If I had the AC running it probably would've pulled water into the tent, but it was cool enough with a fan in there for the night. The only thing I would change would be to put a piece of the flooring material the width of the door on the outside so you can brush off your feet before getting into the tent. Assembly note, if you have the corners staked too tight, it's a fight to get that second pole into the catch. Pull the corners of the tent out, but don't stake them tight against each other. I leave the exhaust vents open when I store it so if I'm setting up in a storm I don't have to worry about water getting in during set up. This does cause a vacuum when you try to raise the roof, but better a little bit of a fight than a tent filling with water through the mesh. If it is clear when I'm setting up, easy enough to unzip the screens for better airflow. I always set this up by myself too, and it's probably faster than those nylon fiberglass-tension pole tents with a heckuva lot more space. Disassembly? Super easy and storage is fantastic. The included canvas bag is well designed to let you get the tent in there without a fight. Get yourself an old shoestring to tie the pole bag closed. The attached cord isn't quite long enough to tie a quick slip knot. I could not be more pleased with this tent and look forward to using it once the snows start hitting in a few months.

We took this on a four-day camping trip. I didn't get rained on for once in my life so I can't attest to that, but some notes: * It's very well made. The materials are top-notch. I expect it to last quite a long time. The stitching has no flaws I could see. Down to the stakes, poles, bags, ropes, it's heavy grade stuff. I laughed when I got the stakes out. * I'm 6'4" and I can stand up (well, hunch) in this and that is a revelation of goodness. It's long enough either way with pillows and sleeping mats without sticking my feet or head on a tent wall covered with condensation. * It may not be clear from the listing but it's 9x8 feet at the base. The interior was very spacious for the two of us and all our stuff. A third person with similar levels of stuff would be cozy but fine. 4 without gear would work too. * It's warmer than a nylon dome. We had a night in the high 30's and were pretty comfortable. It breathes but blocks wind / breezes pretty well. * Set it up once at home to get the hang of it and then it's really pretty quick to set up and take down, simpler than my dome tent with its different fiber-sproing bars, rain fly, entrance, etc. It takes two people to set it up. When setting it up, be sure to stake out all of the D-rings in the floor area to the ground before lifting up the roof, otherwise, it wobbles. It's very stable when all staked down. * It's heavy (I knew that going in). We'll likely carry the poles and stakes in a separate bag next time. In some camp sites this could be an issue. It was muddy where we were and lugging it around was not easy. * This model comes with top corner vents that let it cool off in the day, and it also comes with useful clip-in bags inside the tent. * The doors all zip down to provide plenty of cross-breeze ventilation. * The tent (poles and all) in the bag is a large object in the car that you have to pack around. * The awning pole setup is cheesy and blows over with minimal breeze. We tied the poles to trees. The awning fully taut is about 5'. It kept our shoes dry. * You will want something to drive the stakes in, we used a rubber mallet. * The step-out from the doors with the awning is suddenly short, shorter than the tent height. * The pockets at the bottom of the doors are very handy. There could be more interior attachment points for lights. The included handy bags use up the rings that are there.

I normally don't write reviews but for this tent I will. It has met all my expectations. The size is perfect for my wife and myself even with the large cots that we have. We've used a Kelty dome tent in the past that was just too crowded but we are not only able to fit the cots but there is room to spare with the Kodiak. It is not really hard to set up at all. I've owned about a dozen or better tents in the past, from one person A frames and pole/sleeve tents to the large dome tent and this one is simple and easy to set up and take down. I especially like the strap bag that it comes with. The poles are heavy duty and should last for years. It is heavy and bulky but that's what I would expect from a canvas tent of this size. A lot of the weight comes from the poles but the floor of this tent is heavy duty and adds a great deal of weight itself. I would not want it any way but the way it is. We did encounter some winds on our first outing and there was no problem with the stability or strength of the tent. Staking the tent takes the most time but once down it is secure. The amazing thing we found is that when it was hot during the day as long as the tent was shaded it seemed cooler inside than out. Then as the nights grew colder it was warmer! We were in West Yellowstone for the duration of this vacation with the days being in the mid 80's and one night it got down to 34 (F) degrees. Our 20 degree bags were fine although we did add a small blanket inside for added a little additional warmth. I had planned to purchase a Spring Bow tent made in the US but they just did not have one in stock that met our schedule even though we we planned for more than a month in advance. I will say I am not displeased with the Kodiak tent in the least. I'm somewhat picky about my gear and spent some time going over every seam and the entire tent and found nothing I did not like. I believe this tent will be with us for a long time. It is just like anything else, if cared for correctly there should be no problem. I'm definitely pleased with my purchase so far. We are planning an extended trip this fall so if there is anything else to report I'll post it here.

Good strong well made tent