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Revision as of 22:10, 6 February 2023
 | This article, Springbar, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
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| This article, Springbar, has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
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Comment: A lot of advertising verbiage about quality and other promotional tones is still in the article. Needs to be rewritten neutrally by someone not associated with the company.Whole sections of the article remain unreferenced and seem to point to website's Our History sections rather than independent coverage by external news sources. AngusW🐶🐶F (bark • sniff) 18:19, 17 January 2023 (UTC)
 | This article contains paid contributions. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. |
Springbar is an American brand of canvas tent that is known for its spacious design, simple setup and mid-century style.[1] The original Springbar tent dates back to 1961, when Arthur Jack Kirkham Sr. created the original Springbar tent design, which he sold through his company AAA Tent & Awning Co. — renamed Kirkham’s Outdoor Products in 1979. The Springbar tent design has remained largely unchanged over the years and was intended to allow for easy setup and enhanced durability.[2] It is defined by a support system that combines tension and flexibility, which includes pole reinforcements and tension rods made with spring steel, and a 100 percent cotton duck canvas exterior, a heavy woven fabric known for being more tightly woven than plain canvas.
Springbar tents are hand cut and sewn in the company’s Salt Lake City, Utah, factory as well as its partner factory in China. The Springbar brand has been owned by Dwell Outdoors LLC since 2019 — when the company name was also changed to Springbar. It is one of the oldest canvas tent manufacturers, as well as one of oldest outdoor equipment manufacturers in Utah.[3] The company, which operates on a direct-to-consumer model, now manufactures and sells 11 different tent styles based on the original Springbar design and construction.
History
Early History
Springbar began as AAA Tent & Awning Co. in 1944[4], when Arthur Jack Kirkham Sr. purchased the company upon his return to Salt Lake City after serving as a Naval draftsman in the U.S. military during World War II.[5] The storefront was originally located at 140 E. 200 South Street in Salt Lake City. It was then a 1,200 square foot workshop that manufactured and sold awnings and other canvas products by hand. In 1957, Kirkham Sr. moved the company to a new location at 24 W. 5th S. Street and incorporated in 1960.
Manufacturing & Innovation
In the 1950s, as car camping began to grow in popularity[6], Kirkham Sr. began working on a tent design that would be easier to set up than the traditional pole-and-rope style tents of the time.[7] He invented the original “Springbar” canvas tent in 1961, which was defined by a support system that combined tension and flexibility — a design he patented in 1964.[8][9] The first Springbar tent model, which is still known as the “Traveler,” was 10 by 10 feet, weighed 60 lbs and cost $83.[2]
The next year, AAA Tent & Awning began selling Springbar canvas tents through its catalog under its Skyliner brand. Kirkham Sr. continued to refine the design over the years, and the Springbar canvas tent became the company’s core product.[10] From this design, he created versions of varying sizes and features — from a two-person tent to a large modular tent called the Leisure Port, which campers could add rooms onto.[11] Around this time, all design work was taken over by Kirkham Sr.’s son, Jack Kirkham Jr.
In 1979, Kirkham Sr. changed the name of the business to Kirkham’s Outdoor Products – Home of the Springbar Tent and began construction on a new building at 3125 S. State Street in Salt Lake City. The space changed two more times, once in 2003, when the State Street location was expanded and remodeled, and again in 2019, when it moved to its current location at 4026 S. West Temple in Millcreek, just east of downtown Salt Lake City.
Licensing & Distribution
In 1966, Coleman Co. became the first brand to license to manufacture and sell its own Springbar canvas tents under a licensing agreement.[12] AAA Tent & Awning soon also entered licensing and distribution agreements with Woods Bag & Canvas Co. LTD in Canada to sell Springbar canvas tents.
In an effort led by Jack Kirkham Jr., the company established the Springbar lightweight nylon tent wholesale program, in 1976, with dealers in the U.S. That same year, the company entered into an agreement with British company KEB International to distribute Springbar tents.[10]
Ownership
In 1998, Jack Kirkham Jr., who had worked on the company with his dad from the age of 14, purchased the business from his father, Arthur Jack Kirkham Sr.
Jack Kirkham Sr. passed away in 2008 at the age of 90 after making significant contributions to the camping industry.[5] He eventually held eight tent patents.[13]
In 2019, Dwell Outdoors LLC purchased the business from Kirkham Jr. — renaming it Springbar — and moved it to its current location, in Millcreek, Utah, just east of downtown Salt Lake City, where the company continues to manufacture Springbar canvas tents by hand.[14]
Sociocultural Impact
Popularized for their spacious design, simple setup and mid-century style, Springbar canvas tents have been represented on notable expeditions, television shows and more.
The tents have been used on numerous outdoor expeditions, including the 1968 National Geographic Society Grand Canyon Expedition and at the base camp of the 1999 Mount Everest Expedition.[11] In 1996, the Springbar lightweight Model 90 tent was used on the Gobi-Altai Mongolia Seismology Expedition, where it withstood an 18-hour dust storm, with up to 70 mph winds.[15]
In 1974, the tents appeared twice on the U.S. television show The Price Is Right.[16] In 1976, the company sent Springbar modular tents to the U.S. Bicentennial Celebration to house 40 UK Scouts for 14 days.[17] Western River Expeditions offered 8-11 day trips to Micronesia in Springbar modular tents, beginning in 1978.[11] Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves used 47 Springbar tents at their 2012 wedding in Austin, Texas.[18]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, Springbar began sewing personal protective equipment, including medical gowns, for healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients.[19]
Products
Springbar canvas tents are supported by Kirkham Sr.’s simple frame design, which combines flexibility and tension to create a structure that is spacious, durable, easy to set up and built to withstand strong winds and rain.[20]
Design & Features
Springbar canvas tents made in the USA feature aluminum ridge and upright poles with internal steel reinforcements, which are resistant to corrosion and make for a lighter tent, and four solid tension rods made of spring steel.[21] The brand's imported tents are constructed with galvanized steel uprights and ridge poles, as well as four solid tension rods of spring steel. These slightly heavier versions cost slightly less than Springbar tents made in the USA.
Springbar tents are also known for their signature wire stake loops. Made from heavy-gauge steel wire, each loop is attached to a rope that is sewn around the perimeter of the tent floor, which is made from a single piece of heavy-duty waterproof vinyl-laminated polyester.
All Springbar tents are designed and treated to be highly water and mold resistant, yet breathable, with tightly woven, double-fill, 100 percent cotton duck canvas. Springbar tents made in the USA are manufactured with Sunforger finished canvas and treated with the highly water-resistant Sunforger finish. Imported tents are made with HardyDuck finished canvas, which features a highly water resistant and anti-mold finish similar to those made and treated with Sunforger.[22]
Every Springbar tent uses a lap-felled seam construction, three types of cotton thread and special cotton bindings to prevent leaking. A fine-grade opaque mesh netting is used for all windows, and canvas reinforcements on windows allow for venting while keeping rain out.
References
- ^ "Springbar". Springbar. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ a b aheard (2022-07-26). "How Springbar Became the Airstream Trailer of Tents". Outside Online. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ University, Utah State. "History of Gear Series: Springbar Tents". caas.usu.edu. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ "Aaa Tent & Awning Co - Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ a b June 20, | Posted-; P.m, 2008 at 1:14. "Utah outdoor store founder dead at 89". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Young, Phoebe S. K. (2021-05-08). "Camping Was So Popular It Became Basic and Nearly Ruined the 'Outdoors'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "Salt Lake Tribune | 1994-07-24 | Page 63". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Robison, Jonna (2021-07-03). "Springbar, Maker of Renowned Canvas Tents". theloadedtrunk.com. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "Tent" (PDF). www.freepatentsonline.com. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ a b "Deseret News | 1976-06-28 | Page 41". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ a b c "Kirkham's genius gave us comfort". Deseret News. 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ "Salt Lake Tribune | 2001-06-24 | Page 62". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Provo Daily Herald | 2008-06-21 | Page 7". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Springbar". CompanyWeek. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "UGS GeoData Archive System". geodata.geology.utah.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "👀 We've got our own showcase going on in the form of a Father's Day Special – buy a Classic Jack 140 and get a $100 Gift Card on us. We also have a... | By Springbar | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ "Sun Advocate | 1976-06-17 | Page 26". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Matthew McConaughey Wedding in Texas to Camila Alves". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ "Utah companies change plans, and make new products, to join the COVID-19 battle". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
- ^ "Filson x Springbar Outfitter Tent — Handcrafted in Utah". The Filson Journal. 2021-02-26. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
- ^ "Salt Lake Tribune | 1969-05-11 | Page 42". newspapers.lib.utah.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "A Golden Era Car Camping Tent Is Back and Better Than Ever". InsideHook. Retrieved 2023-01-20.