 I was watching Carry On Camping (1969) the other day and noticed that among all the canvas, there was the odd polyester tent (the coach driver is using a dome-type tent that looks more like the tents we know today). Does this tell us that polyester replaced canvas in the late 60s, or were they around before that?
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| Edited: 12/10/08 17:16 |
 Not sure when synthetics started replacing cotton canvas, but c-c was still used in the majority of larger tents through the 70s. Even in "lightweights" there was no shortage of classic orange cotton Force 10s through the 80s and into the 90s. Pete.
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 Robert Saunders do a good booklet (about a £1 or so I think) with this info in. Called 'Every pitch tells a story' it talks about how ventile was tried as I recall and lightweight egyptian cotton with varyting degrees of success before moving to synthetic. A good read and plenty of good tips from guys who have quite literally been ground breakers in this 'field'.
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  We had a thread discussion about this kind of stuff not so long ago back this year on here in fact. It came into being from a 'history of American backpacking' type article link I'd found online surfing about, as one does, and posted out of pure interest for others to read and enjoy too. Everyone quickly piled in to correct the rather incorrect facts being somewhat espoused therein though, that the Americans did not exactly essentially invent camping, like the author seemed to think! Rather we all agreed, largely speaking instead, that the Americans basically though were just merely the ones who begun the move to lighter weight backpacking products and tents in the later part of the last century.
Here is that earlier OM thread now at below link.
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| Edited: 13/10/08 12:14 |
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"Every Pitch" is indeed worth a gander. Ventile works very well... in certain applications. British Antarctic Survey pyramid tents are made of Ventile, it's tough, windproof, breathable, and the weight and bulk is taken care of by hauling it wioth a skidoo! It's also a sufficiently limited market that the cost isn't really a problem either. Pete.
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 There is a marvellous Ang Lee film charting the development of tent technology from 1963. Besides the fabulous account of tent development, it also has some very interesting stuff on campfire cooking. Its called Brokeback Mountain.
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Honest Mum! I was just watching Carry on Camping/Brokeback Mountain because I'm interested in tent technology!
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 "Two polyester domes...." You sure they were tents?
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"Two polyester domes...." You sure they were tents?
If you freeze frame through this scene, you see her tit when Hattie grabs her arm 
I'm sorry, that was very infantile.
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| Edited: 15/10/08 20:57 |
 <looks up freeze frame in the DVD player manual>
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 "Two polyester domes...." You sure they were tents?
Hey theres nothing artificial ( pollyester) on this image. All Naturel as they should be.
Now my first tent ( which I still have) was bought second hand with my pocket money when I was about 11 ( so thats late 70s) and that was polyester. Infact back then cotton cost more and people who were willing to carry the extra weight would go for cotton inners for comfort.
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| Edited: 15/10/08 21:19 |
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