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We’re proud to announce the Whelen Lean-to Tent !
Col. Townsend Whelen, 1915
The Whelen Lean-To Tent is one of the classic shelter for bushcrafters, hunters, anglers and camper. It was designed by Colonel Townsend Whelen, who was looking for a possibly lightweight way to go about back in the 1920’s, so it was, that in 1926 he developed what he would call the “Hunter’s Lean-to”.
In 1901 a young Spanish American War veteran walked out of the Canadian bush. He was 24 years old, over six feet tall, with a 44 inch chest and a 29 inch waist. Dressed in a fringed buckskin shirt, jodhpurs, high-top moccasins and a campaign hat, Townsend Whelen was well on his way to establishing his place in the pantheon of great outdoorsmen. He carried a typically light outfit. By 1915 he was back in the U.S. Army as a captain with the 29th Infantry Regiment defending the Panama Canal in unmapped country. Whelen set out to explore the Panamanian jungle whenever time away from his duties allowed—always with a rucksack and a light-weight kit.
Whelen remained in the military until retirement in 1936. He is perhaps best known today among readers of hunting and military small arms literature. He wrote at least a half a dozen books and was a regular contributor to Field and Stream among others.
Through it all, Whelen camped. And even though he had experience with about every kind of shelter available to the sport at the time—his choice, again and again was—the tarp, evolved in the Whelen Tent.
This shelter allows you to have a campfire in the front, but its generally even more open to the surrounding, doesn’t have the sewn in floor, and therefore weighs considerably less. This design, which almost has the appearance of half a tent is more than adequate for anything short of -20 degrees or severe bugs. A sloped rear roof, slanted and splayed sides, and a short fore roof panel. Light and easy to pack. The loops along the ridge can be used for tying to external pole set up. Loops on back seams for roping out if the need comes up.
This 5kg ( 11lbs ) sturdy 10oz canvas tent has an area, in the standard configuration, of 8m² ( 86sqft) and will shelter comfortably up to 4 people! It can be packed to approx. 40cm x 40cm x 10cm ( 16″ x 16″ x 4″ ) or a 25cm x 50cm (10″ x 20″) roll; perfect for our Premium Camp Kit’s Leather Shoulder Carrier.
We were pioneers in the manufacture of Oilskin Tarps in Europe and they gained their fame across the World. The next step was creating tents such as the Whelen Lean-to Tent. It’s a classic, sturdy shelter and an amazing tent with a very interesting history.
Its Water,Rot and Mildew Repellant treatment will certainly improve your experience in the woods. Save more with our Canvas Tarp camp kits below!
- CAMP KIT: 1x Cotton Waterproofing Cream + 4mm Bushcraft Tarred Rope, (with Fire and Tinder special capabilities such as Flash tinder, Kindling, Candle making, Torch making).
- PREMIUM CAMP KIT: Leather Carrier (made of 100% Spanish Cowhide by hand, an all-around complement to your tarp, tent, lavvu, bedroll or blanket) + 1x Cotton Waterproofing Cream + 4mm Bushcraft Tarred Rope, (with Fire and Tinder special capabilities such as Flash tinder, Kindling, Candle making, Torch making).
Made in Spain
BASIC CAMP KIT (includes the Tent)
PREMIUM CAMP KIT (includes the Tent)
BEDROLL CAMP KIT (includes the Tent)
