Why Canvas is a Lot More Useful for Bushcraft Tasks Than Many Realize

canvas

If you have extra canvas lying around, don't worry, there's a lot more you can use it for than you may think! If you're a serious prepper, this article will help you learn how to make the most out of canvas. Read below to find out!

In 1969, chemist Bill Gore took some polytetrafluoroethylene, heated it and stretched it, creating a membrane that had 14 million microscopic holes per square inch. The holes were large enough to let water molecules escape, but too small to let liquid water through. Waterproof breathable fabric was just around the corner, and Gore-Tex became the eponymous substance that made Bill Gore the richest man in Delaware.

Nearly 50 years on, though, you’ll still find a few adherents to the old stuff. And that raises the question: If synthetics and sophisticated coatings are all that, why do some of us still use tight-weave cotton cloth for shelter and clothing?

My primary shelter between the first frost in Fall and the first mosquito hatch in Spring is a canvas lean-to. It provides me what I need from a shelter and allows me flexibility you can’t get with a synthetic tent.

I can build a campfire a few feet in front of my lean-to, turning my shelter into a giant reflector. A few sparks from the fire might hit the canvas, but they don’t burn a pinhole; they just go out. It stays a good 10 or 15 degrees warmer in my lean-to, so much that before long I’m in my t-shirt.

Downsides? Canvas is hardly your ultralight solution, and it doesn’t pack down to the size of a half-gallon of milk. It gets damp with the evening dew and requires some care to make sure it’s dry before you put it away. But for canoeists, unless you’re portaging long stretches through the woods, weight and bulk matter little.

There is so much you can do with canvas. Now that you've learned how it can help with your bushcraft tasks, you'll be sure to save all the canvas you can!

For more information on canvas and how it can be used, check out Canoe Kayak.

Featured Image via Canoe Kayak / Darren Bush


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2 Comments

  1. Don Lancaster said:

    I do living history as my Patriot of Maryland Captain Sinclair Lancaster, I use canvas tarp pitched in the plow point 19 degrees was the coldest but had a reflective fire in front and used wool blankets and straw inside my large pillow ticking bed (basically a insulated pad or bed) I was very comfortable.

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