The life of your tipi depends not only on the quality of the craftsmanship but in equal measure upon the quality of the canvas fabric used to make it. Because of constant fluctuation in the quality of cotton canvas from the textile industry we no longer buy our canvas on the open market. All our fabrics are custom woven for us to our own specifications. We routinely have our fabrics tested to be certain that they meet our standards for strength, abrasion and tear resistance.

We offer you a variety of different weight fabrics and different fabric finishes to choose from for your tipi cover and tipi liner. The weight of a fabric is a literal statement of how much one square yard of the fabric weighs (There are 16 oz. in one pound; 1 oz. is 28 grams). All our canvas fabrics are 100% cotton army duck weave and the high thread count in the warp and weft creates the tightest and most water resistant canvas duck weave on the market today. We do not use synthetics or synthetic / cotton blends because of how rapidly they break down when exposed to the ultraviolet radiation of the sun.

For the 38 years that we have been making tipis we have always used a 13 oz. weight army duck canvas that is treated with a mold, mildew and fungi resistant product called Sunforger™ (This type of finish has had many different trade names through the years: Permasol, Terrasol, Vivatex and Sunforger). The canvas is bathed in a liquid wash of this treatment in order to help the cotton fibers resist deterioration from the natural environment. In addition to this treatment, we have also added an extra Marine Resistant protective finish. This is a second process that essentially creates a double mold, mildew and fungi resistant surface. Micro-crystaline paraffin (wax) is also added in this process simply to help the fabric shed rain and snow. This is a standard additive in the finishing industry and is also an important ingredient in our 20 oz. All Weather treatment.

One teepee maker makes the claim that this paraffin addition makes the fabric highly flammable. This is not the truth. Not only is the wax not flammable (try holding a flame to the side of a candle and watch what happens - nothing!), but because wax is not flammable the wax actually helps in flame resistance. When a candle burns, it is the wick that is burning, not the wax - this is everyday common knowledge. Over the last 38 years we have made more than 18,000 tipi covers out of the 13 oz. weight Sunforger fabric and we have always offered this as our most durable tipi fabric. But the Sunforger treatment was designed to resist the elements of the natural environment. It has limited capacity to withstand the consequences of the man made environmental corrosiveness of acid rain, chemical air pollutants and intense ultraviolet radiation. Unfortunately, because of the steady increase of these environmental factors, we realize that the 13 oz. canvas with the Sunforger treatment is simply no longer adequate for continued outdoor use. Through these many years we have watched this treatment slowly become less and less effective, and in the last five years it is our experience that this 13 oz. weight tipi canvas is only lasting 25% as long as it did 38 years ago. However, because the 13oz. Sunforger has given such excellent service in the past, it is still very acceptable for summer use at low elevations.

As a response to these environmental changes we researched and tested many of the acrylic, polyester, Dacron, Acrilan, and 50% cotton / 50% polyester blended fabrics that are on the market today. These included such trade name fabrics as: Starfire, Pyrotone, Sumbrella, Polaris, Suncoat, Polyolifin and Top Gun. For many reasons, none of these commercial industry fabrics met the fabric integrity or long-term performance standards that we were looking for. As a result, we have created our own custom finish that is applied for us to a 100% cotton army duck canvas that itself is woven to our specifications.

We now offer two extraordinary fabrics that have been treated with a unique ALL WEATHER treatment that is 600% denser than the Sunforger treatment. This unique ALL WEATHER treatment is pressure rolled into the canvas fibers and is then heat-set at 350 degrees to blend the treatment with the canvas fibers, making the fabric resistant to mold, mildew and fungi invasion. In addition, and of great importance, this weatherization treatment has an additional coating that is specially formulated to be highly resistant to the increasing ultraviolet radiation. This canvas will not shrink even 1%, yet the fabric itself retains its breathability. The ALL WEATHER fabric is available in the natural color (cream white) and the light tan color. The finished canvas itself is approx. 40% heavier in weight per square yard and it is our experience that this new fabric will last much longer than our 13 oz. Sunforger. Another unique characteristic of the ALL WEATHER fabrics are their translucent properties. Even though they are denser fabrics, they still retain their breathability characteristics and they let in more light than the 13 oz. Sunforger. This is achieved by adding a special crystalline like substance to the treatment solution that actually gathers and transmits light from one side of the fabric through the fabric to the other side to brighten and enliven the inside of the tipi.

As always, all our workmanship is unconditionally guaranteed for the life of the tipi. Below you will find a detailed description of the different fabrics we offer, and our recommendations for their climatic and seasonal use:

This is a top quality, 100% cotton army duck fabric with a full 54/44 warp and weft thread count and is preshrunk to 2%. As with all our fabrics, this canvas is completely water resistant and will not leak in wet weather. It is not necessary for the canvas to be waterproof. Waterproof canvas does not breathe. The cotton fabric needs to breathe in the same way that leather boots, wool shirts or down sleeping bags do. As explained in the fabric introduction, this has been our most durable fabric for 33 years. This fabric is available in both a natural color (cream white) and a beautiful light tan color which resembles the original leather tipis of the Native Americans. The tan fabric is completely translucent and creates a soft amber light quality inside the tipi. We recommend this 13 oz. weight canvas for spring - summer - fall use in all mild climates. We do not recommend this fabric above 4000 ft. (1200 m) in elevation, in coastal areas with salt air, in areas of significant air pollution, in areas with 40+ inches of rain per year or in areas with prolonged periods of high humidity. If left up year around, the life expectancy of this 13 oz. weight fabric can vary from 2-5 years. An 18 ft. cover made of this fabric weights 48 lbs. (22 kg).

We have been very disappointed to see our environment become increasingly harsh and corrosive, which renders the 13 oz. Sunforger fabric less and less effective throughout the years. So, in order to renew the effectiveness of the Sunforger option, we worked with our mill for more than a year to create the heaviest and strongest all cotton army duck weave in the canvas industry today. We have created a 15 oz. weight fabric with an extraordinary minimum tear strength of 325 lbs. We recommend this fabric for year around use in all climates below 3000 ft. (1000 m.). This includes areas with excessive rain, humidity, and salt air. An 18 ft. tipi weights 60 lbs.

Simply said, this is our ultimate tipi cover fabric. Woven to our own specifications and treated with the complete ALL WEATHER finish, this army duck fabric itself gives the appearance of leather and the surface of the fabric has a uniquely beautiful marbled patina. It is available in both the natural and the light tan color. Not only do we recommend this as the ultimate canvas for year around living but if you want to leave your tipi up year around and only visit it occasionally, then this fabric should be your choice. Because of the heavy weight of this canvas, we do not offer the tipi cover in the 26 ft. size. An 18 ft. tipi out of this 20 oz. fabric weighs 72 lbs. (33 kg).

This 20 oz. ALL WEATHER army duck canvas is also available with an additional flame retardant finish that meets all CPAI-84 standards. We also use this fabric for our kids tipis. This flame retardant fabric is only available in the white color. However, we can paint this fabric to create a beautiful tan, leather like patina on the outside of the canvas. The light quality inside the tipi is virtually unaffected. The price for painting a white cover in tan is between $60 and $100, depending on the tipi size.

We do make tipis of real leather and of a high quality imitation leather also. Real leather tipis costs approx. 10 times the cost of our 20 oz. All Weather tipis, and imitation leather tipis costs approx. twice as much as our 20 oz. All Weather tipis. Call us for quotes.