My first tent was made from an old chenille beadspread that my folks were going to throw out.....excellent for sunny days, but definitely leaky during a rain.
My first 'real' tent was a single-pole miner's-style tent with a Roy Rogers (my heroes have always been cowboys) logo on two sides. It too, was a fair weather affair that wasn't made to shed water.
Outside of our Boy Scout Troop's bakers and explorers, we didn't own any real tents until my brother and I bought a canvas 9 X 9 foot green & yellow umbrella tent with a floor and an outside tubular aluminum frame from Sears for $36.....Ted Williams approved.
We car-camped all over the western states with that heavy beast until we started canoe camping. I still have it and it's still in good shape. It's now a 'loaner tent' for folks that need one for a weekend trip or who need a tent for their kids to sleep in.
My all time best canvas tent was a painted 16' Sioux tipi with the longer Cheyenne or Crow smoke flaps. Two people can easily live in that thing in ALL kinds of weather.....high winds, high heat, bitter cold, it didn't matter. Cool in summer & warm in winter with only a small fire....no stove required. We were always comfortable in it. Of course, you need a van or a pickup to haul the poles around and it takes about 30 minutes to pitch properly, but it was the best tent to live in for extended periods of time that I ever had....or probably ever will have.
