This is the Prairie Tent, it’s an American -made design from the team at Ellis Canvas Tents that was developed to be extremely fast and easy to set up and take down – making it ideal for adventures where you set up a new campsite each night.
The Prairie Tent comes in three sizes, allowing you to choose the one that best meets your needs, as singles and couples will typically need a lot less space that families or those traveling in larger groups.
This is the Prairie Tent, it’s an American -made design from the team at Ellis Canvas Tents that was developed to be extremely fast and easy to set up and take down – making it ideal for adventures where you set up a new camp each night.
History Speedrun: Ellis Canvas Tents
Ellis Canvas Tents has deep roots in the American West, the company was born from founder Dave Ellis’s background in rodeo and an early need for tough, functional canvas tents. What began as a personal effort to refine the classic cowboy range tent design grew into a business with a loyal following among outdoorsmen, hunters, and backcountry guides.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ellis had established a workshop in Durango, Colorado, and set out to rethink traditional tent forms with a craftsman’s eye for detail and usability.
Rather than copying existing wall tents or tipis, Ellis says he focused on addressing their shortcomings. He experimented with shapes and materials, adding features like stove jacks for wood-burning heat, reinforced stress points, and door designs that made frequent use easier in harsh weather.
Production has always remained in Durango, where tents are still cut, sewn, and finished by hand. Ellis favors Sunforger marine-grade cotton canvas, a tightly woven, treated fabric chosen for its breathability and water resistance.
Hardware is heavy-duty, often stainless steel or brass, to withstand years of exposure. Unlike mass-market offerings, Ellis tents are built in small batches with attention to detail, and no tent is ever shipped out without a careful final inspection.
Ellis Canvas Tents has deep roots in the American West, the company was born from founder Dave Ellis’s background in rodeo and an early need for tough, functional canvas shelters.
Over more than three decades, the company has attracted a dedicated clientele ranging from working cowboys and outfitters to outdoor enthusiasts who value a traditional canvas shelter over more modern plastic and/or nylon shelters.
Ellis Canvas Tents continues to operate today much as it did at its founding, with Dave Ellis’s original philosophy intact – to make canvas tents that hold up to serious use without sacrificing comfort. In a market increasingly dominated by synthetics and disposable shelters, Ellis stands out for keeping alive a tradition of American canvas craftsmanship.
The Ellis Prairie Tent
The Ellis Prairie Tent was developed as an evolution of the classic cowboy range tent – a simple design that was developed to allow cowboys to set up camp rapidly each night with a minimum number of poles, lines, and pegs.
The Prairie Tent comes in three sizes, 8′ x 8′, 10′ x 10′, or 12′ x 12′. Each comes with 6x stakes, A-frame poles, a front door pole, a pole bag, a stake bag, a stove jack cover, and a lay-flat compression bag. Each one is made from Sunforger marine-grade cotton canvas, promising many years of service thanks to the material’s inherent toughness.
The front and rear insect mesh helps keep the critters at bay, and the tents have a total weight of 30 lbs. 6 oz., 42 lbs. 11 oz., 53 lbs. respectively based on which size you choose.
The set up process is fast and easy, even when it’s being sent up by one person, and once it’s up it offers a spacious interior with plenty of headroom. The front and rear insect mesh helps keep the critters at bay, and the tents have a total weight of 30 lbs. 6 oz., 42 lbs. 11 oz., 53 lbs. respectively based on which size you choose.
If you’d like to read more about the Ellis Prairie Tent or order your own you can visit the listing here to order direct from the company in their official website.
Images courtesy of Ellis Canvas Tents
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