This is a recently restored Montgomery Ward Hawthorne Traveler folding tent camper. I bought it last June. Though it needed work, it was complete in every way right down to the tent poles, ropes and stakes. It was purchased from an estate sale garage where it had been stored for over 30 years.
The canvas was in fantastic condition for 55 years old except for a couple of mouse chews and a couple tears where it snagged on the supporting bows and hardware. A local Amish canvas shop repaired the canvas and replaced the door and window screens. The screens were so brittle they were cracked in several places. the door was especially bad. The brass zippers were all excellent and work perfectly.
New tires and wheels were ordered, wheel bearings were serviced. The wiring harness was updated. The body was sanded and painted as was the under carriage.
The original hub caps were quite rusty and dented. I beat out the dents and removed the rust with steel wool and white vinegar. A little Mother's polish and they look good from a few feet away.
Damaged canvas
Old yellow over the original silver
In the end I went with a desert sand color. Something that would look OK with any tow vehicle.
Getting closer
Road test! It pulls nicely, no sway or excessive bouncing.
First set up since canvas repair and repaint.
The kitchen fly doubles as the top cover while in transit.
Inside
New screens!
Amazing what you can find online. Original literature...
The canvas was in fantastic condition for 55 years old except for a couple of mouse chews and a couple tears where it snagged on the supporting bows and hardware. A local Amish canvas shop repaired the canvas and replaced the door and window screens. The screens were so brittle they were cracked in several places. the door was especially bad. The brass zippers were all excellent and work perfectly.
New tires and wheels were ordered, wheel bearings were serviced. The wiring harness was updated. The body was sanded and painted as was the under carriage.
The original hub caps were quite rusty and dented. I beat out the dents and removed the rust with steel wool and white vinegar. A little Mother's polish and they look good from a few feet away.
Damaged canvas
Old yellow over the original silver
In the end I went with a desert sand color. Something that would look OK with any tow vehicle.
Getting closer
Road test! It pulls nicely, no sway or excessive bouncing.
First set up since canvas repair and repaint.
The kitchen fly doubles as the top cover while in transit.
Inside
New screens!
Amazing what you can find online. Original literature...
Picture of my tent is in a pictures thread in the tent camping forum.
OK, that thread got buried. I'll try to link it from FB where I use it time to time as a cover photo. The cook is my wife, a long time ago. She would have celebrated her 69th birthday today if not for the cancer.
OK, that thread got buried. I'll try to link it from FB where I use it time to time as a cover photo. The cook is my wife, a long time ago. She would have celebrated her 69th birthday today if not for the cancer.
tatest wrote:
Awesome! I hope the tenting holds up for you.
I have a 41-year old canvas 7x7 umbrella tent I can keep usable with repair skills learned in Scouts, but it gets to be more difficult as what I am patching to gets more fragile. I think the key to keeping a canvas tent useful is to never store it wet, and for something going in a box like that, not pinching it.
I don't have as much faith in the modern plastic-coated tent fabrics, as they constantly evaporate their plasticizers. I've been looking at used PUPs, wondering "what will it cost to have a canvas tent made for this?"
How about a pic of your tent? Before buying the tent trailer we would camp in this Hettrick tent when we wanted the canvas smell.
Yes, poorly stored cotton canvas doesn't last long. I found out the hard way with a similar cabin tent many years ago. You may be right about modern canvas/synthetic blends degrading with time even if they're stored dry.
RoyB wrote:
Thanks for the memory lane run... Wards and Sears sold everything like that back in those days...
Sears used to sell modern modular houses back in the early 1900s
Reminded me of what Robert Ryan from Australia sends on here from time to time showing their OUTBACK camping trailers...
Roy Ken
Roy, a lot of newer more advanced versions of these coming out. This is Pioneer CamperTrailers , the unit has it's own dual use air conditioningWhole going Off Road thing here has reached plague proportions
To the extent that many are moving into vastly expanded factories and showrooms
