Ellis Canvas Tents

Make light work of moving heavy loads. We set out to build you a better wood carrier, but what we made so much more versatile. Whether at home or around camp, you’ll find endless uses for the Mule and your body will thank you.

Derived from the original sleep bundles that built the American West, our Cowboy Bedroll has been designed with over 30 years of feedback from horse packers, working cowboys, and outfitters. Rugged durability combines with comfort and functionality to provide a proper nights rest out on the trail. Don’t blame us if you sleep in.

Conquer the off-season with the Shackleton Tent. A small batch just hit the website in our most popular size, the 11’ Shack. Tough, reliable, and ready for the ramble.

NEW SWAG ALERT! Style up your camp and cruise into the cooler months with the Ellis Camp Hat. A warm, premium Melton wool 5-panel hat now available on the website.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming with some big news from the shop in Durango. After many months of uncertainty, Ellis has officially closed on our shop. With a firm footing in Durango, we are proud to carry our 30 year legacy of tentsmithing into the future. This humble space will continue to serve as our world headquarters, carrying the mission to craft enduring shelters that inspire adventure, foster connection with nature, and embody the spirit of exploration.

All of this is made possible by you, our loyal customers and all of your support over the past three decades. Thank you!

The first crisp mornings of autumn have arrived in the mountains. With a few shifts in layers and some warmer sleeping gear in the bedroll, it’s time to fire the wood stove and enjoy the cozier side of camp. Our gear is built to change with the seasons and keep you out enjoying the wilderness long after the summer swelter has subsided.

Here at Ellis, four-season tents does not just mean the ability to take a wood stove in winter. It’s about year-round performance and the seamless transition between seasons. That means screen doors and windows with plenty of ventilation for sweltering summer days, efficient heating in sub-freezing dark winter nights, and the comfort to handle everything in between. When you ride with Ellis, camping season never ends.

Sometimes, you find that perfect camp. The evening light lingers forever, the summer feels endless, and life is easy for a moment. It’s a recipe of solitude and scenery that feeds the soul. We’re just glad to be part of it.

We like to think of a canvas tent as a place to live and not just a hole to sleep in. It’s hard to understand if you’ve spent your whole life camping in plastic tents, but the first time you rest your bones in an Ellis Canvas Tent, you know that you are home.

With the same pitch time as a traditional range tent, the Ellis Prairie tent is built to move. Front and rear dormers add interior volume, while also providing superior functionality by allowing for the doors and back window to be left open, even in heavy rain. Our proprietary 7oz Sunforger canvas is complemented by lightweight polyester doors and a robust 11oz vinyl floor to make a hardworking tent that’s 40% lighter by volume than anything comparable. With over 30 years of feedback and collaboration with working cowboys and outfitters, our canvas goods are built for the ramble.

Circle the wagons… it’s the weekend. Yeehaw!

“I believe it is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown.” -Ernest Shackleton

Our designs may have evolved a long way from the old cowboy range tents, but we haven’t forgotten where we came from. Our canvas tents are elegant enough for glamping and high end wedding guests, but still tough enough to handle branding season in a Texas dust storm. You can rest easy in luxury knowing that your lightweight canvas tent is also housing some of the hardest working ranch hands in the American West. That’s the Ellis Canvas difference.

Catch the sunrise, and maybe a fish. 🎣

All three sizes of the Prairie Tent are back in stock and ready for your next adventure! Comfortable enough to live in the wild, but fast enough to keep on the move, the Prairie tent can be set up by one person in under 10 minutes. This one is built for the ramblers. Gidd’yup!

The perfect sleep bundle for inside your tent or under the stars, the Ellis Canvas Bedroll is designed after cowboy bedding of old with material and design improvements signature to Colorado canvas legend, Dave Ellis. This is a deluxe canvas bivy sack with a removable 3” sleeping pad. The 12.6oz canvas is rugged and durable with a full zip-enclosure and a vented headboard to house all of your sleeping gear. The elements stay out, and the cozy stays in, no matter where you sleep. This is the ultimate companion for camping, horseback expeditions, festivals, road-trips, or even random houseguests who deserve better than a saggy air mattress on the floor. You won’t believe it until you try one. This is the best outdoor sleep you’ll ever have.

The 8x11 Split-Torrent is one of the sweetest tents in our fleet. At just 48 lbs, you’ve got an interior cabin complete with screen doors and windows, as well as a completely sheltered front porch, all under the same weather-ready canopy design as our Shackleton tents. The large front door can be left open in almost any weather, making it one of the most well ventilated tents in the world. This is the perfect tent for a solo camper or couple on the move. Say hello to a summer without swelter with the Ellis Split-Torrent Tent.

Tents built to work as hard as you do.

We put all of the bells and whistles in all of our tents. That means you don’t have to worry about upgrades. It’s all there, right out of the box and ready to go. Screen doors and windows, stove jacks, 12” aluminum surplus spikes, and all handmade from the finest materials available. Our tents have been curated and refined by thirty years of research. We know what works and we take the guessing out of the process for you. There’s nothing better than being in the wild, knowing you have a shelter you can rely on. Rain or shine, wind or calm, whatever Mother Nature brings, Ellis has you covered.

Our Prairie Tent is designed after the iconic Cowboy Tepees that built the American West. The simple A-Frame support system attaches to the peak with a single clip so the inside remains clean and open. The door and rear window are guyed out to keep the interior dry even in heavy rain. This is the ultimate Cowboy Tent, reimagined.

Kick off your boots and stay awhile.

A closer look and side-by-side comparison of the 11x14 and 8x11 Split-Torrent Tent.

Ellis Canvas Split-Torrent Tent Comparison A closer look and side-by-side comparison of the 11x14 and 8x11 Split-Torrent Tent.https://elliscanvastents.com/products/split-torrent-tent

Our craft is about creating moments like these. It’s the canvas life and it’s what we love.

It's that time of year when the chilly nights are fading into summer's blissful sleeping weather. Time to put the cover back on the jack, stow the stove, and change-up the sleeping gear in the bedroll. Time for road trips and farm stands and lingering sunsets. Time for summer.

We never set out to make elegant looking tents. It was never about looks at all. Our canvas has always been about hardworking gear that’s built to last, but something interesting happens at the intersection where form meets function. And as it turns out, when you build something that works, it’s oftentimes very beautiful to look at. That aesthetic connects our pride of craftsmanship to your pride of ownership. Because let's face it, when your gear looks good, you feel good.