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Project Details

Fabric 1

dx12 canvas
Producer/Manufacturer: Wax Converters Textiles
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 2

billabong canvas
Producer/Manufacturer: Wax Converters Textiles
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Fabric 3

canvacon
Producer/Manufacturer: Gale Pacific USA Inc.
Primary Use: Secondary Fabric

Please describe the project specifications

Back in the dim past, the first ever tent I made was a small pup tent. It was horrible. I think I used polyester with a coating so it wasn't breathable and it had no fly so it leaked.
Fast forward 40 years and the chance to make an Army officers tent was just the fun the team needed. These tents did service in many military campaigns for the British Empire including the Boer war, World War 1 and World War 2.
My father served in WW2 and his father was in the Boer war.
Over the years we have made a lot of great canvas tents, so knowing what to use was easy. Wax Converters DX12 for the main tent and Billabong for the fly.
We searched through archives for inspiration. Really you couldn't have a more iconic tent shape, if you asked a child to draw a tent thats what you would likely get.
However getting the proportions right was critical. Now for the creative fun part. One of the team was selected to advance the design toward a product , samples started being created and ideas flowed.
Firstly for the inner tent we wanted to be able to stand up in it so a central height of 2m was chosen, next important was pitch angle 30 degree looked right. Then a side wall height of 450mm gave a front/back wall of 3.66m side to side , twice six foot sounded good. We didn't want to use more than two widths of canvas for the fly , which gave us just under 4m so the inner tent again was 3.66 front to back.
The fly overhangs the front and rear by 150mm and over each side by 400mm.
The inner tent has 3 central poles with oversize spigots and spacers above the inner tent then adjustable ridge poles to support the fly about 125mm above the inner tent.
We chose to incorporate bug mesh windows into the double door sections, not original but a very worthwhile upgrade.
A full tub grounsheet to keep keep out the draft, the damp and the critters was another modern upgrade.

40 years is a long time to perfect a design, but square might just be a good way to go.

What is unique or complex about the project?

The last several years has given us a chance to revisit some iconic old NZ tents , like the NZ lands and survey deer cullers tent replicas and the NZ public works department depression relief workers accomadation provided for projects like the Homer tunnel, the Mangarakau dry road[Golden Bay] and the Haast pass to name a few.
Our client wanted to recreate the feeling of the NZ army tents used in the world wars . The history of those military campaigns on behalf of the British Empire still influences NZ families today and many of us have ancestors who served in many of wars.

Replica tents are available internationally , we have not recreated one of those, we have brought some modern twists to this iconic tent from the past.
It is always a privelege to work with the past a way that brings it forward while still honouring it .

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