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sealant. There are many good spay can sealants on the market, and, as 
mentioned, we also sell re-proofer. 
 
 

History of Bell Tents 

 
The Bell Tent is a type of tent with walls (about 60cm high) which are held up by 
a single central pole (up to 3 metres high). It has a circular floor plan up to 5 
metres across. Guy ropes were connected every 60cm around the top of the 
walls - these had to be carefully tensioned to hold the pole upright and keep the 
tent in shape. Original Bell Tents had no porches but A frames were added later 
to create a vertical door that is more resistant to letting in the rain.  
 
The Bell Tent was invented by Henry Hopkins Sibley, who had studied the Tipi 
tent during the expeditions he carried out in the Old West. He patented his tent 
design in 1858. In accordance in an agreement with the Department of War, he 
would have received five dollars for every tent they made, however Sibley joined 
the Confederate States Army after the outbreak of the American Civil War and 
did not receive the royalty. The Federal Army used almost 44,000 Bell Tents 
during the war. After Sibley's death, his relatives attempted unsuccessfully to 
collect the royalties. 
 
We have taken the classic Bell Tent design and brought it up to date using 
modern materials and proofing meaning it’s no longer necessary to hump around 
a heavy old tent that leaks if you touch it in the rain. We are constantly updating 
our tents with developments like the Ultimate, and are always happy to listen to 
people’s ideas on how improve things. 
 
We hope you have many seasons of enjoyment from your tent, and hope to see 
you in a field soon.

 

 

Enjoy!! 

 

www.belltent.co.uk

 

info@belltent.co.uk

  +447830 355 993 

 
 
 
 

Copyright © 2007 Bell Tent UK 

 

Summary of Contents for Deluxe

Page 1: ...d please don t hesitate to contact us if you have any more questions good ideas on better ways of Bell Tenting or just to send in pictures of you Camping with Soul for the gallery on the site Putting up a Deluxe Bell Tent 1 Unpack the bell tent and lay out on the ground with the groundsheet down Find the door and rotate the tent so it s facing the desired direction 2 Take the small pegs and pullin...

Page 2: ...he guy rope slider so you have approx 50cm of loop to the peg This allows adjustment in both directions It is important to make sure the Bell Tent stays symmetrical and that the tension is evenly spread 8 Once all the pegs are in adjust the guy ropes to create the desired tension By doing it this way and following the seam lines your Bell Tent will look like this perfect and without creases TIP If...

Page 3: ...and grass stain free Without standing on the canvas fold half of the tent over so you have a half moon with the groundsheet facing up 2 Let that half of the groundsheet dry out and you might want to wipe off any mud or worm casks If it s not a dry day you ll need to dry the tent out when you get home The idea is that you always have canvas touching canvas and groundsheet touching groundsheet so ev...

Page 4: ...o protect it from dirt ultraviolet radiation and fungus This makes it mould resistant but not mould proof If the canvas remains damp in a place where mould can grow eventually mould will grow If you put your tent up in a damp corner of the garden next to a hedge or under a tree long term it will eventually get mouldy as would a car or anything left there Therefore it s worth considering the right ...

Page 5: ...ressures caused by people or objects leaning into the tent In order to limit damage to any zippers Close all zippers before setting up your tent Handle them with care To protect the zippers treat them with silicones once in a while Verify zippers before setting up your tent as there is no insurance on them after use Fungus and stains With insufficient ventilations fungus can affect the canvas It i...

Page 6: ... design in 1858 In accordance in an agreement with the Department of War he would have received five dollars for every tent they made however Sibley joined the Confederate States Army after the outbreak of the American Civil War and did not receive the royalty The Federal Army used almost 44 000 Bell Tents during the war After Sibley s death his relatives attempted unsuccessfully to collect the ro...

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