How to Restore Military Surplus Tents
The U. S. Department of Defense has been stockpiling vast amounts of equipment since World War II, including tents. The result is that periodically, surplus tents that are both used and unused become available at government surplus sales, and from there they often find their way to Army-Navy surplus stores. These tents could be two years old, 15 years old or 60 years old. Often these tents will require a little restoration work.
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Things You'll Need
- Bleach
- Replacement rope
- Rust remover
- Oil
- Metal scouring pad
- Replacement tent stakes and poles
- Big plastic washtub
- Canvas patching kit
- Nylon patching kit
Instructions
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Start by examining the rope for rot, mold or mildew. A rope that has a touch of mold or mildew can be restored by immersion into a solution of 8 parts water, 2 parts bleach and then being left to dry in the sun. However, some ropes may be too far gone and will require replacement.
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Turn to the tent stakes next. Most of these will be made of metal, and those may be rusted. Light rust problems can be dealt with by using some rust removal agent or a little oil and a metal scouring pad. However, they may also be so rusted as to be worthless, and these will require replacement with fresh stakes. If you intend to resell the tent and have replaced one stake, it is best to replace them all for a uniform appearance.
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Take a look at the tent poles. Not all military tents have them, but some do. These are usually made of aluminum and should be in good shape. However, some very old examples of larger military tents will have poles made of wood, and these could be rotten. Replacing tent poles is hard. The wooden ones can be fashioned with a lathe, but the aluminum poles have to be replaced by ordering parts for a similar tent. Adjustable tent poles can be had for $7 each, and general replacement poles can be had for as little as $4 each. Selecting these will require more care than tent stakes, which are fairly generic.
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Examine the tent fabric. This could be moldy, mildewed, jungle-rotted or moth-eaten. At a minimum, it will probably need to be washed in clean water and hung out to dry to eliminate the musty smell. The tent may also need patching. This can be done either by stitching a new piece of canvas or by stitching or resining a new piece of polyester or nylon over the hole. This depends on whether the tent is made from nylon, polyester or canvas and whether you want to match the fabric in question.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Wikimedia Commons
