Canvas tent vs teardrop....Honestly

So I know this is the teardrop forum so I have an assumption of what most people will say but I want to hear all the arguments because I just can't decide...I am debating between a diy large teardrop for family of four (example; Colorado teardrops Summit model) with rooftop tent or pop top for more kiddos if needed, OR a 16-19 foot diameter canvass bell tent. The standing/walk around room/indoor cooking of the tent would be super nice but the "all in one", compact organization/mobility of the teardrop is really nice too. Half of the trips we do ,we are in place for a week and the other half we move around every 2 days or so....so I'm really torn. If I went with the tent, I would still need a small trailer to pull it and all our other crap in. If I went that way, I would like to design some sort of chuck wagon setup that incorporates into the tent or something to make the tent setup as "all in one" as possible and make setup/take down as fast as possible although I don't know if it could compete with the speed of the tnttt. When we drive cross country a tnttt would allow us to sleep at truck stops on the way where as the tent option requires finding a camp ground or getting a hotel. I really can't decide between the two and would like to hear why you all like the tnttt. Thanks. I think you already have your answer but that is like comparing apples to oranges.
A large teardrop has the outdoor galley built in already and with a rooftop tent and plenty of room for your kids you are good to go. Those rooftop tents set up pretty fast and there is only the additional cleanup of what you pulled out of the TV ie. chairs, privacy tent (mine collapses in a minute) my Clam gazebo about 3 minutes.

The problem with the round tent is a lot more gear. Cots to sleep on etc. and tents get damn cold. Because body heat isn’t going to do it in that big a space.
Canvas tents are bulky, heavy and need to be dried before storing.
Another strong point with the TD is you can just pull off the highway for a quick lunch, cup of coffee or nap.
I carry a tent in my travel trailer.

Also, we made a canopy bed for our daughter in our travel trailer. She's 18 now. She grew out of it. But I keep the extra tent in the travel trailer in case one of the kids wants to join us.
The canopy bed is real easy. Rolls up and stows away nicely. Ill post a link to the video.

I do have a 9 person tent. It doesn't go in the travel trailer. It goes with us to the parks that don't allow travel trailers. There are a few state parks in Texas that don't allow travel trailers. No matter how tiny.

I prefer my travel trailer. Everything is in there. Ready to go!

Never hurts to have a backup.


I used steel poles. They held up very well. I also used plywood instead of canvas. Canvas would work much better to roll up and stow away.

Article was very helpful for me as a new RTT owner. A couple of follow-up questions:

1. After gently showering a poly-canvas tent, should you then apply a waterproofing treatment?
2. If you are caught in the rain and have to pack up, will your bedding get wet if you leave it inside of the tent when you fold it up?

Showering the poly-cotton allows the cotton fibers to expand, fill any holes around the stitching and tighten the weave of the fabric. There is no need to waterproof the fabric after doing this. A note on this. If the poly-cotton has been coated with a waterproofing layer on the outside of the fabric then this technique will have no effect on the fabric. This wetting down technique only works on poly-cotton that has the waterproofing absorbed into the fabric itself. My article goes into depth on the advantages of fabrics that have the waterproofing, UV resistance, mold resistance, and color absorbed by the fabric rather than being sprayed on.

Regarding folding the tent away wet, there shouldn't be a problem with the bedding getting wet if the tent material had a high degree of waterproofing in the first place. The material of the tent folds upon itself with all the wet outer layers folded to meet other wet outer layers. The dampness is not transmitted to the inside of the fabric.

Hope that helps.

Showering the poly-cotton allows the cotton fibers to expand, fill any holes around the stitching and tighten the weave of the fabric. There is no need to waterproof the fabric after doing this. A note on this. If the poly-cotton has been coated with a waterproofing layer on the outside of the fabric then this technique will have no effect on the fabric. This wetting down technique only works on poly-cotton that has the waterproofing absorbed into the fabric itself. My article goes into depth on the advantages of fabrics that have the waterproofing, UV resistance, mold resistance, and color absorbed by the fabric rather than being sprayed on.

Regarding folding the tent away wet, there shouldn't be a problem with the bedding getting wet if the tent material had a high degree of waterproofing in the first place. The material of the tent folds upon itself with all the wet outer layers folded to meet other wet outer layers. The dampness is not transmitted to the inside of the fabric.

Hope that helps.

Thanks, Martyn. I do not know for sure how my tent (ARB Pilbara) was/was not treated. The description says, "Manufactured from high quality, cotton / poly ripstop fabric -breathable, waterproof & mold resistant" but another description said water resistant instead of waterproof. I also found this description: "13oz rip stop Polyamide milspec canvas."

I contacted the ARB customer service about another question about the tent today and they said they didn't know much about this tent because there were such a small amount of them and they are shipped directly from the factory. Guessing this could be one of the Chinese made tents.

I'm wondering if my ARB Simpson III is treated from the factory.

I found out my tent is:

1. 300gsm Poly/cotton ripstop canvas ' PU coated ' greatly improved water proofing ability and mould resistance

2. All seams with welded seam tape ' greatly improved water proofing ability

Guessing the Simpson II is the same since it is also 300gsm Poly/cotton/ripstop canvas.

Found this info on PU coating.

"You need to look after PU-coated fabric. The PU coating itself can absorb water molecules - that's how it 'breathes' after all. The technical term for this behaviour is that the coating is 'hydrophilic' (water loving). But as a result, water can act as a very slow solvent to polyurethane. So if you pack up a wet PU tent for a very long time the PU coating may eventually stick to itself and become one big ball of goo. Actually, it will probably become a big ball of mould first, but that's another matter. "

Not encouraging. I think it's safe to say that any of the less costly roof top tents have all of the treatments sprayed onto the external side of the fabric. Some of the treatments are absorbed by the cotton, and others are layered or coated onto the outside of the fabric.

Waterproof vs Water Resistant is very important as it effects breathability. Waterproof fabric has no breathability with breathability increasing as water resistance decreases. The balance is finding a fabric that has both a high degree of breathability and a high degree of water resistance.

As I say in my article when buying a tent get inside it, close all the windows and vents and stay inside the tent for 10 or 15 minutes, if it starts to smell like a locker room the fabric isn't very breathable.

Waterproof vs Water Resistant is very important as it effects breathability. Waterproof fabric has no breathability with breathability increasing as water resistance decreases. The balance is finding a fabric that has both a high degree of breathability and a high degree of water resistance.

More specifically, finding the balance that Martyn mentions is dependent on the actual design of the tent (which determines the fabric specifications) and upon the conditions of use. Breathability of the fabric is critical, water resistance vs, waterproof... you do NOT want "waterproof" as you will have a portable sauna with nearly zero breathability.