News

woman on pier with bridge in background

Meet the Tentsmiths Crew – Cara

Name: CaraHometown: Monroe, MichiganPosition: StitcherWhich means I: Cut and assemble tents, watchcoats and guncases I was the kid that loved fantasy and history a little too much. Conventions, renaissance faires, and the SCA became my favourite places to be, and when I went to university for film and theatre, I found it was the perfect […]

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Large dog on small dog bed

Meet the Tentsmiths Crew – Kari

Ever wondered who exactly it is that stitches your tarp or tent? Who answers the phone? Who exactly is Tentsmiths? Here is your answer! Name: KariHometown: Deerfield, NHPosition: GreeterWhich means: When someone enters the Tentsmiths shop I will come to greet them. I am a Leonberger. I weigh 150 pounds. Since I am a very […]

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Person in the snowy woods

Meet the Tentsmiths Crew – Allison

Ever wondered who exactly it is that stitches your tarp or tent? Who answers the phone? Who exactly is Tentsmiths? Here is your answer! Name: AllisonHometown: Cincinnati, OhioPosition: Stitcher Which means I: stitch canvas and oilskin tents and tarps After graduating with a BA in Theatre, I started working professionally with theatrical costumes. Some places I’ve […]

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Person Sitting on counter smiling

Meet the Tentsmiths Crew – Kristal

Ever wondered who exactly it is that stitches your tarp or tent? Who answers the phone? Who exactly is Tentsmiths? Here is your answer! Name: KristalHometown: Iowa City, Iowa Position: Office/Shipping Manager Which means I: Answer phone calls and emails, pack finished tarps and tents for shipping, ship boxes, handle returns, keep track of stock, […]

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Tentsmiths sewing workshop with people sewing, measuring, and cutting

Tentsmiths is Hiring

Canvas cutter needed for growing tent maker in Rochester, NH. Part-time position duties include:
 Measuring and cutting from rolls of canvas fabric Using patterns and written instructions to cut canvas for tent construction Folding and boxing finished products for shipping. The ideal candidate will be comfortable with measuring and math. Geometry is important to the […]

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We are Not our Ancestors: in Favor of Awnings

Humans, as a species, are incredibly adaptable. That’s why we can be found on every continent; in deserts, tropics, tundra, and everything in between. We’ve adapted to nomadic life and sedentary life; to life in the wilds and in the biggest cities. In this modern day we’ve adapted to live in climate controlled rooms where […]

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Man and boy by fire pit, man lighting canvas on fire

Stress test for Tentsmiths Canvas

Here at Tentsmiths we only use a few types of canvas, that we have chosen very deliberately. Sure, you can stitch a tent out of just about anything. But we make all our tents using the best quality materials we can find, and with the strongest stitching we can, in order to provide the greatest […]

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person and three children carying wooden pole

What to do about Poles

When ordering a tent one of the biggest considerations is what to do about poles. Very few of the tents we make go up without them, needing as few as one in the case of conicals and pyramids to over 30 on large marquees. Most importantly, We provide instructions to make your own poles with […]

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The whole area is also reinforced underneath

Reinforced center loop – do I need it?

What is a reinforced center loop? When folks are contemplating the purchase of an oilskin tarp they often ask about the option for a reinforced center loop. All of our oilskin (and even our less commonly purchased canvas) tarps come with a row of loops spaced evenly down each seam. On every tarp under 12 […]

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Roman wave trim

The State of Tentsmiths

Here we are, in September of 2020 and boy what a year it has been. Just about this time last year was when Alena and Stephen opened up for orders as the new owners of Tentsmiths. We had worked so hard all summer getting ready to take care of reenactors all over the country and […]

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