The White Duck Outdoors Canvas Tent, the Prota, is a heavy-duty cabin-style tent. It’s a great upgrade for family camping and hunting over traditional tents.
It’s the only canvas tent that has 4-sided ventilation in the 7’x9′ design, which is excellent for solo campers or couples.
In my experience, the velcro door closure is the biggest concern with this tent.
I will go over the basics and then review the significant differences between WhiteDuck Outdoors canvas tents and the others on the market.
Note: Some links in this article are affiliate links. I do NOT accept free gear, discounts, or sponsorships. I DO earn if you buy something from some of the links I provide.
White Duck Canvas Tent Review: The Prota
The White Duck Prota Canvas Tent is #3 on my heavy-duty family canvas tents for camping (and hunting).
The White Duck Outdoors Prota is a 3-season canvas tent providing all the benefits of canvas tents over traditional tents. It’s essential to know those, so you know the pros and cons of ALL canvas tents and don’t write a 1-star review because it’s heavy.
I will compare the Prota to the canvas tents I have first-hand experience with to help you understand the nuances between each brand of canvas tent.
Is the White Duck Outdoors Canvas Tent Worth It?
The White Duck Prota Tent is worth it if you can get past one major design flaw (Velcro on the doors?!).
It’s priced similarly to a U.S. Springbar tent but has design issues compared to a more budget-friendly Kodiak. Although, White Duck has had wild price swings between 2022 and 2023. They increased their price but have a seemingly perpetual 35% discount so the net prices are similar to where they were.
In my opinion, new canvas tents must expand on features that tent owners love, not start from scratch.
And while I don’t have first-hand experience with it, I have a lot of experience with Springbar tents, Kodiak Canvas, and Teton Sports canvas tents. Enough to know that velcro on the bottom of the doors is not a great choice, in my humble opinion.
Understand this review along with my commentary, and you should have an idea of the pros and cons.
- Full-Length Window Options
- Bath Tub Style Floor
- Velcro Door Seals
- Poor Tent Stake Loops
Advantages of the White Duck Prota Canvas Tent
The Prota has one important tent feature unavailable in other brands.
It has a 7’x9′ (2 to 3-person) canvas tent with full-length side windows.
Full-Length Window Options
Full-length windows on all four sides of a tent are a great benefit.
It makes the tent feel bigger, enhances the experience, and helps create airflow.
If you go with 2-sided ventilation, you need to set up so you get a crosswind flowing through your tent; otherwise, it can get pretty hot after 75F.
The best thing about the White Duck Prota line of tents is that they have a 7’x9′ with 4-sided ventilation with big side windows.
It’s the “Deluxe” version, so note the differences in product descriptions if you plan on ordering it.
Kodiak has 4-sided ventilation in the 10×10 and 10×14, but not 8’x9′. Springbar and Teton Sports do NOT offer this in any tent.
A newcomer in the canvas tent world importing similar tents but marking them up to Springbar's pricing. They used to be $600 or so and then they doubled the prices and occasionally discount 35% off.
While canvas tents are breathable, they still get hot in the summer. Having additional ventilation is key for summer comfort (and bringing some fans).
The full windows are the primary reason to go with a White Duck over a Springbar or Teton Sports.
Bath Tub Style Floor
The bathtub style floor is designed to help keep water out of your tent.
The idea is that the seam between the tent floor and the tent wall is a weak point where water could seep through.
So, in theory, if the flooring is connected to the tent wall a few inches above the ground, you’ll never have this issue.
However, I haven’t experienced this with any of my tents, and they’ve seen some harsh conditions.
Other Benefits
As mentioned above, I’m comparing the White Duck to other canvas tent manufacturers. All canvas tents will be spacious, handle weather great, and are breathable and durable but sacrifice weight and portability.
Here’s a list of general benefits and drawbacks of canvas tents.
Disadvantages of the White Duck Outdoors Prota Tent
The White Duck Outdoors canvas tents may be great for your first canvas tent, but how does it compare to the established players on the market?
Velcro Door Seals – A Deal Breaker of a Mistake
Rather than using a zipper all around the doors, they use Velcro at the bottom (no other cabin-style tent does this). There is no zipper to secure the bottom flap.
The Velcro is outside the tent and attaches to inside the door flap.
It’s a huge mistake. Even White Duck Outdoors acknowledges it (in these YouTube comments, image below).
Watch this video at the 9:00 mark that I have it set at to see what I’m referring to.
So, imagine you are now inside the tent and want to ensure your tent door is sealed from critters, bugs, etc.
How do you get leverage to press down on the Velcro when you’re inside the tent and need to push on the outside to compress the Velcro? You have to stick your arm out one side zipper and press it down each time you go in and out of the tent.
In addition, if you’ve ever used Velcro sandals or other gear outside, you’ll know it loses its durability quickly as dirt and other micro-debris get stuck in it.
Additionally, there is NOTHING on their product pages mentioning this – you have to dig into specific reviews and watch YouTube videos or find comments saying it.
Lastly, I’ve had a plethora of ants and spiders in my tent with full zippers, AND I’ve heard dozens of rodents near my tent in the middle of the night over my years of canvas tent camping.
Not being able to fully seal the bottom of a tent is a deal breaker for me. There’s even a youtube comment of someone’s dog getting outside at night because of it.
Tent Stake Loops
The quickest way to judge a canvas tent is by the stake loops.
The White Duck canvas comes with two types of stakes and stake loops. There is webbing with a grommet that fits a standard steel stake.
Then there is bungie / paracord for additional stakes next to the primary stake grommet.
Video below:
Interestingly, the paracord also looks identical to what the Teton Mesa added to theirs (I haven’t found a use for it).
White Duck Webbing vs Metal Stake Loops (Springbar and Kodiak)
Metal stake loops are a sign of a quality tent that addresses feedback from its customers.
They are a staple on all Springbar tents. Kodiak used to get complaints about their webbing stake loops and upgraded them many years ago to metal.
Metal stake loops allow for wedge stakes in soft ground and the use of lag bolts without a high risk of damaging the stake loop.
While White Duck does use a metal grommet, it will not fit any wedge stake which are great for softer terrain. Technically, you could fit one in the bungie cords, but it will slice through it over time.
It’s why other brands are primarily used at Burning Man because of the ability to choose the right stake or lag screws, or rebar for the job.
Lack of Accessories
Springbar and Kodiak have great canvas tent accessories you can attach to their canvas tents. This adds versatility and more uses for your tent.
WhiteDuck does have tarps to fit their footprints.
Where are White Duck Canvas Tents Made?
The White Duck Prota is made in Pakistan. They are NOT made in the U.S.A., as some have assumed online.
In fact, if you search “Pakistan” on their website, it doesn’t appear anywhere and it’s not in their FAQs or any of the pages I read.
Can You Set Up a White Duck Prota By Yourself?
Yes, you can set up a White Duck Prota by yourself.
The 7’x9′ is easy for most adults.
A 10×10 will be more difficult as it takes some brute force to get the upright poles in place.
Pro Tip: Make sure to open up the doors before trying to lift the sides, it will help reduce suction/resistance when lifting it up.
The 10×14 will be challenging for many solo campers. If you’re using the 10×14, it’s likely you’ll have at least one or two other campers with you, so you should be able to set it up without an issue.
How Long Does it Take to Setup a White Duck Prota?
It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to properly set up a White Duck Prota. Plan for 40 to 50 minutes the first time when you’re reading the instructions.
The stakes alone take up at least half of the time, and then ~5 to 10 minutes to set up the T-Bar and tension rods.
You can check out the lag bolt method that works better on metal stake loops and speeds up the tent setup.
Conclusion: Should You Buy the White Duck Prota Canvas Tent?
If you are a solo camper or a solo +1, I think the White Duck Prota 7’x9′ is a great option. This is especially true if you primarily camp in the summer.
The 10’x10′ and 10’x14′ are difficult to recommend when Kodiak and Springbar’s Import are similar in price and have a much longer history of durability AND have metal stake loops and full door zippers.
To learn about your other options:
My current rankings of all 4 brands
All Canvas Tent Posts – best hammers, accessories, etc
