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Springbar® Design

Home of Jack Kirkham’s Original Springbar® Canvas Tent Designs
Proven in the Field Since 1961

Springbar® Design

Home of Jack Kirkham’s Original Springbar®
Canvas Tent Designs —
Proven in the Field Since 1961

Jack’s Original Design

Driven by customer requests for a tent that would be spacious and easy to pitch, Jack Kirkham Sr. invented the original Springbar® Canvas Tent design in the early 1960s.

Over the next decade, the design was refined to become Jack’s masterpiece of simplicity and function. Elegant in its simplicity, legendary for its durability, proven for over half a century.

Learn More about the history of the Springbar® Tent.

“Now campers hear this, a real revolution, something simple in tents is the proper solution”

– Jack Kirkham Sr. circa 1962

Quality Cotton Duck Canvas

All Springbar® Tents are made with tightly woven, double-fill, 100% cotton duck canvas—treated to be highly water resistant and anti-mold.

Stay Dry in The Rain: While not ‘waterproof’ in the same sense as plastics and some synthetic materials, our canvas is tightly woven and treated to be extremely water-resistant. Rest assured, a Springbar® tent will keep you dry even in the rain. We also use special seam construction techniques and three different types of thread in every Springbar® tent to prevent leaking or water wicking at the seams. In very heavy rain, it is possible to feel light ‘misting’ due to the hydrostatic pressure- this is normal and should not be cause for concern.

Breathable Comfort Under the Sun: Our cotton canvas is also highly breathable, and the result is a very comfortable interior tent climate. Springbar® Tents do not trap condensation and become muggy like synthetic tents, and stay much cooler in hot weather conditions. Cotton canvas may be an ‘old fashioned’ fabric technology, but when it comes to comfort you can’t beat it. There’s no substitute.

Springbar® USA Tents are made with Sunforger® finished canvas—widely regarded as the ‘gold standard’ among canvas tent makers. Sunforger® finish is highly water resistant, long lasting, and is applied to the canvas in Georgia, USA.

Springbar® Imported Tents are made with HardyDuck™ finished canvas—featuring a highly water-resistant and anti-mold finish, custom developed for us, to provide a level of performance that’s very similar to our Sunforger® fabrics.

Canvas Maintenance: Always store it dry! Because cotton duck canvas is a natural material, it is subject to mold and mildew damage if stored wet and neglected.

If stored dry and clean, a Springbar® Tent can last and perform for decades. Learn More 

Jack’s Original Design

Driven by customer requests for a tent that would be spacious and easy to pitch, Jack Kirkham Sr. invented the original Springbar® Canvas Tent design in the early 1960s.
Over the next decade, the design was refined to become Jack’s masterpiece of simplicity and function. Elegant in its simplicity, legendary for its durability,
proven for over half a century. Learn More about the history of the Springbar® Tent.

“Now campers hear this, a real revolution, something simple in tents is the proper solution”

– Jack Kirkham Sr. circa 1962

Quality Cotton Duck Canvas

All Springbar® Tents are made with tightly woven, double-fill, 100% cotton duck canvas—treated to be highly water resistant and anti-mold.

Stay Dry in The Rain: While not ‘waterproof’ in the same sense as plastics and some synthetic materials, our canvas is tightly woven and treated to be extremely water-resistant. Rest assured, a Springbar® tent will keep you dry even in the rain.
We also use special seam construction techniques and three different types of thread in every Springbar® tent to prevent leaking or water wicking at the seams.
In very heavy rain, it is possible to feel light ‘misting’ due to the hydrostatic pressure- this is normal and should not be cause for concern.

Breathable Comfort Under the Sun: Our cotton canvas is also highly breathable, and the result is a very comfortable interior tent climate.
Springbar® Tents do not trap condensation and become muggy like synthetic tents, and stay much cooler in hot weather conditions.
Cotton canvas may be an ‘old fashioned’ fabric technology, but when it comes to comfort you can’t beat it. There’s no substitute.

Springbar® USA Tents are made with Sunforger® finished canvas—widely regarded as the ‘gold standard’ among canvas tent makers.
Sunforger® finish is highly water resistant, long lasting, and is applied to the canvas in Georgia, USA.

Springbar® Imported Tents are made with HardyDuck™ finished canvas—featuring a highly water-resistant and anti-mold finish, custom developed for us, to provide a level of performance that’s very similar to our Sunforger® fabrics.

Canvas Maintenance: Always store it dry! Because cotton duck canvas is a natural material, it is subject to mold and mildew damage if stored wet and neglected.
If stored dry and clean, a Springbar® Tent can last and perform for decades. Learn More 

The Rugged Springbar® Frame 

Famous for its clever simplicity, the iconic Springbar® frame design relies on ‘flex’ and ‘tension’ to create a tent that is spacious, easy to pitch, and incredibly rugged in harsh weather.

Over the years we’ve heard a version of the same story dozens of times from our customers: An intense wind storm blows through camp, leveling every tent in the area—all except the “mighty Springbar.” It’s that kind of weather worthiness that our reputation is built on.

Springbar® USA Tents feature aluminum ridge and upright poles with interior steel reinforcements, and 4 solid tension rods made of quality spring steel to ‘spring’ the frame.
These poles are machined in Salt Lake City, are very resistant to corrosion, and offer a lighter overall packed weight.

Springbar® Imported Tents feature EP-coated steel uprights and ridge poles, and 4 solid tension rods of quality spring steel.
While slightly heavier than our domestic aluminum poles, these pole sets are exceptionally strong and cost effective, making our Import Tents the best dollar for dollar value of any canvas tent available.

The Rugged Springbar® Frame 

Famous for its clever simplicity, the iconic Springbar® frame design relies on ‘flex’ and ‘tension’ to create a tent that is spacious, easy to pitch, and incredibly rugged in harsh weather.

Over the years we’ve heard a version of the same story dozens of times from our customers: An intense wind storm blows through camp, leveling every tent in the area—all except the “mighty Springbar.” It’s that kind of weather worthiness that our reputation is built on.

Springbar® USA Tents feature aluminum ridge and upright poles with interior steel reinforcements, and 4 solid tension rods made of quality spring steel to ‘spring’ the frame.
These poles are machined in Salt Lake City, are very resistant to corrosion, and offer a lighter overall packed weight.

Springbar® Imported Tents feature EP-coated steel uprights and ridge poles, and 4 solid tension rods of quality spring steel. While slightly heavier than our domestic aluminum poles, these pole sets are exceptionally strong and cost effective, making our Import Tents the best dollar for dollar value of any canvas tent available.

The Springbar® Difference is in the Details

Don’t be fooled by knock-off ‘Springbar’ tents, it’s the details that make a Springbar® Tent the real deal.

Signature Wire Stake Loops: A signature of genuine Springbar® design, our stake loops are made from heavy-gauge steel wire and each loop is fixed to a rope that is sewn into the perimeter of each tent floor. These loops are virtually indestructible and one of the reasons a Springbar® can withstand extreme winds.

Construction Techniques & Hardware: Developed by Jack in the early years and refined over the decades, Springbar® Tents utilize lap-felled seam construction,
3 special types of cotton thread in every tent, and special cotton bindings to ensure watertight performance.

Large format windows utilize a fine grade no-see-um mesh netting, and canvas reinforcements that overlap the window openings allow you to vent the tent a little while still keeping rain out.

Our tent floors are made from a single piece of seamless heavy-duty vinyl laminated polyester—fully waterproof, tough as nails, and still soft enough to easily roll the tent. The hardware includes premium coil zippers and brass spur grommets.

Take a close look at any Springbar® Tent and you’ll see the craftsmanship that goes into every one.

The Springbar® Difference is in the Details

Don’t be fooled by knock-off ‘Springbar’ tents, it’s the details that make a Springbar® Tent the real deal.

Signature Wire Stake Loops: A signature of genuine Springbar® design, our stake loops are made from heavy-gauge steel wire and each loop is fixed to a rope that is sewn into the perimeter of each tent floor. These loops are virtually indestructible and one of the reasons a Springbar can withstand extreme winds.

Construction Techniques & Hardware: Developed by Jack in the early years and refined over the decades, Springbar® Tents utilize lap-felled seam construction, 3 special types of cotton thread in every tent, and special cotton bindings to ensure watertight performance.

Large format windows utilize a fine grade no-see-um mesh netting, and canvas reinforcements that overlap the window openings allow you to vent the tent a little
while still keeping rain out.

Our tent floors are made from a single piece of seamless heavy-duty vinyl laminated polyester—fully waterproof, tough as nails, and still soft enough to easily roll the tent. The hardware includes premium coil zippers and brass spur grommets.

Take a close look at any Springbar® Tent and you’ll see the craftsmanship that goes into every one.

Built to Weather any Weather. Built to Last a Lifetime.

Building tents tough enough to provide 30 or 40 years of happy camping is not ideal from the perspective of a business model.
But it’s the way we’ve always done it, it’s the right way to do it, and our reputation demands it.
Springbar® is a place where ‘we still build ‘em like they used to.’

We’re also committed to keeping tents out in the field and out of landfills.
When you invest in a Springbar®, know that we stand behind it and our Salt Lake City sew shop can repair or replace just about anything.
Learn more about repairs

Built to Weather any Weather. Built to Last a Lifetime.

Building tents tough enough to provide 30 or 40 years of happy camping is not ideal from the perspective of a business model.

But it’s the way we’ve always done it, it’s the right way to do it, and our reputation demands it.
Springbar® is a place where ‘we still build ‘em like they used to.’

We’re also committed to keeping tents out in the field and out of landfills.
When you invest in a Springbar®, know that we stand behind it and our Salt Lake City sew shop can repair or replace just about anything.

Learn more about repairs