BLOCKADE RUNNER BRAND TENTS

In the spring of 1999 I personally witnessed eight tents burn to the ground. Fortunately no one was hurt but that is not always the case. Last year in Utah a young man was severely burned when his tent caught on fire. Some of the tent owners were new to camping and some had years of experience. Some of the tents burned on windy days and others on calm days. There were various factors involved in each case but with just a little investigation we were able to find one common thread connecting all these fires.

The tents had all recently been treated with a commercial water repellant!!! Regardless of what name brand you use, if it's in a small spray can or a 5-gallon bucket, they all have one thing in common. They are petroleum based. That's right, gasoline. Here's the scenario folks. Let's spray gasoline on a heavy cotton cloth and then go sleep under it next to an open fire and if were really lucky the wind will kick up some nice hot embers!

If you're into thrill seeking, go bungee jumping. if your looking to replace Flaming Man on The David Letterman Show you should go enroll in a good stunt school. But, please don't set your gasoline soaked rag up next to my tent!

Parents of young reenactors should take special note of this. Remember the first few times you were away from home with little or no supervision? (nuff said)

To make a long story short don't let a few pennies in the cost of a flame retardant tent verses a non flame retardant tent, or someone who does not know what they are talking about talk you into buying or using petroleum based water repellents for your tent if you are not comfortable using them. they can be used safely and have been for years if you follow a few common sense rules.
Such as: Never leave your fire unattended. If the wind picks up and there are tents down wind put the fire out or at least use a minimum of wood to keep it going. There will always be the unexpected and the other guy. Both are tough to prepare for and sometimes impossible to predict. I would not use a flammable tent and I would not let my family sleep in one.

With all the safety aspects of the hobby you already have to worry about, why add one more?
This article has been presented here for your information only. The best information you can obtain on a tent comes not from the maker but from people who own that brand tent. The Blockade Runner is happy to send samples of our flame retardant canvas to you at no cost so you can test it yourself. Forewarned is fore armed.