Shelter Tent Pakistan: General Purpose and Shelter Tents in Heavy Canvas

Shelter tent Pakistan range: five general service designs

Some buyers know exactly which specialist tent they need. Many others need a dependable shelter tent that can house people one month and hold stores the next, or a general purpose hall that can serve as a clinic, workshop or office as a project changes. For those buyers Curiotex groups its most versatile canvas tents on this page. Each design comes from decades of manufacturing in Pakistan since 1975, using cotton canvas that is twisted, woven, dyed and stitched in our own units in Kasur.

The five designs fall into two groups. For people, there is the Double Pole Regulation Tent and the Shelter Tent, both double-fly ridge tents with a 4 × 4 m inner room. For goods, work and services there are three larger tents: the Hospital/Store Frame Tent at 14 × 6 m, the General Purpose Tent at 12 × 6 m, and the modular Marquee Universal G.S. series with four lengths on a common 5.94 m width.

Double Pole Regulation Tent

The regulation tent is a classic double-fly ridge design held up by two upright poles carrying a ridge. Its outer fly measures 4.5 × 4.5 m with a 3 m height and 2.05 m wall; inside sits a 4 × 4 m room with a 2.75 m height and 1.8 m wall. The outer and inner layers are separated by an air space that buffers heat and cold, and the near-vertical walls make the whole 16 m² inner floor usable.

It is made from 400 or 450 gsm cotton canvas in natural white or olive green and supplied with poles, pegs and a carry bag. As options, the inner tent can be lined and fitted with a stove pipe opening, which turns it into a sound cold-weather shelter for mountain and northern areas. Regulation tents are a long-standing choice for officers' quarters, site engineers, survey parties and forest or wildlife staff posted to remote camps.

Shelter tent: double-fly protection for families and staff

Our Shelter Tent uses the same double-fly design, fabric and dimensions as the Double Pole Regulation Tent: a 4 × 4 m inner room (2.75 m high, 1.8 m wall) under a 4.5 × 4.5 m outer fly (3 m high, 2.05 m wall), in 400 or 450 gsm canvas. The name reflects how it is most often bought. Relief organisations, municipalities and companies order it as a general shelter for families, workers or volunteers, rather than as a formal regulation item.

Why buyers choose a double-fly shelter

• The outer fly takes sun and rain, so the inner room stays drier and more even in temperature.
• High walls make the floor area practical for bedding, a small table and storage boxes.
• Optional lining and stove pipe opening extend use into winter.
• Heavy cotton canvas breathes, cutting condensation compared with plastic shelters.
• Natural white keeps the interior bright; olive green is preferred where a low profile is wanted.

For a 16 m² inner floor, family use typically means a household of around four to six people, depending on how the space is shared and on the standards an agency applies. Programmes focused on family housing after displacement will also want to see our refugee tents, which include ridge, single-pole and winterized designs built to the widely used UNHCR family-tent pattern.

Hospital/Store Frame Tent, 14 × 6 m

When the job is protecting goods or creating a large uninterrupted room, a frame tent is the right tool. The Hospital/Store Frame Tent covers 14 × 6 m, giving 84 m² of floor, with a 3.6 m height and 2 m walls. It is made from heavy 600 gsm waterproof cotton canvas and supplied with poles, pegs, a carry bag and a fitted PVC groundsheet. An alternative version in synthetic fabric is made at 12 × 6 m.

The 2 m wall lets pallets and shelving stand right against the sides, and the 3.6 m height leaves room for stacking and for staff to work comfortably. The PVC floor keeps stock away from rising damp. As a ward or large room, the same tent offers an open floor with good headroom. A full guide to storage use is on the store tents page.

Marquee Universal G.S. for modular camps

The Universal G.S. design is a modular marquee with one cross-section and four lengths, which makes it easy to build a whole camp from a single family of tents. Width is 5.94 m, walls are 1.63 m and the centre is 3.6 m, in 500 gsm canvas with single or double fly. Groundsheets can be canvas, PE or PVC.

Because poles and pitching drill are the same for every length, teams trained on one tent can put up any of them, and spare parts are interchangeable. Event versions of the same series appear on the marquee tents page, and military variants under military tents.

General Purpose Tent, 12 × 6 m

The General Purpose Tent is the all-rounder of the range. It measures 12 × 6 m (72 m²), stands 3.7 m high with 1.83 m walls, and is made from 500 gsm canvas that is waterproof and rot-proof. Colours are natural white or olive green, and a groundsheet is optional.

Its intended uses are deliberately broad: a hospital or ward tent, a store, or a dispensary. In practice buyers also use it as a classroom, prayer hall, dining tent, workshop or registration centre. The 3.7 m height is the tallest in this group, which helps air circulation and makes the interior feel spacious; the rot-proof treatment matters wherever the tent stands for months on damp ground.

How to pick the right general tent or shelter tent

Most selection questions come down to four points: who or what goes inside, how long the tent will stand, the climate, and how it will be transported. The flow below summarises our usual advice.

1. Define the use. Sleeping and living space points to the Shelter or Regulation tent. Goods and equipment point to the 14 × 6 m frame tent or the G.S. Store length. Services such as a clinic, office or classroom point to the General Purpose Tent or G.S. Universal and Hospital lengths.
2. Consider the duration. A few weeks of use can work with lighter canvas and a PE floor. A season or more calls for heavier canvas, rot-proofing and a PVC groundsheet.
3. Match the climate. Hot plains favour double fly and natural white. Cold areas favour lined inner tents with a stove pipe opening. Humid and termite-prone regions benefit from rot-proof and termite-resistant finishes.
4. Check the logistics. Small double-fly shelters travel easily by pickup and can be carried by hand. Large frame tents need a truck and a crew, so plan unloading and site access.
5. Standardise where you can. Ordering one family of tents, such as the G.S. series, keeps spares, training and site plans simple across many locations.

Canvas weights, colours and protective finishes

The general service range spans 400 to 600 gsm canvas. Lighter 400/450 gsm suits the smaller shelter and regulation tents, where weight and packed volume matter. 500 gsm is the working standard for the G.S. series and the General Purpose Tent. 600 gsm is reserved for the large frame tent, which carries a bigger roof span and usually stands longest.

Natural white and olive green are the standard colours, and other shades are dyed to order in our own dyeing unit.

Groundsheets, accessories and spares

Every tent ships with poles, iron pegs and a carry bag. Groundsheets vary: PVC is fitted as standard to the 14 × 6 m frame tent, while the other models can take canvas, PE or PVC floors as options. PVC is the most durable and washable; PE is light and economical; canvas is breathable and comfortable on dry ground.

For fleets of tents we suggest ordering a small stock of spare pegs, pole sections, guy ropes and matching canvas panels. Field repairs are then quick and the tents stay in service longer. Store canvas only when fully dry, off the floor and out of direct sun.

Pitching and caring for a canvas shelter tent

A shelter tent lasts longest when it is pitched square and kept tensioned. Start by clearing the plot of stones and thorns, then mark the four corners of the inner tent and check that the diagonals match. Raise the two uprights with the ridge, peg the inner walls, and only then throw the outer fly over and peg it out so that there is an even gap between the layers all round.

• Dig a shallow trench on the uphill side and around larger frame tents so runoff passes clear of the walls.
• Re-tension guy lines in the evening after a hot day, because canvas and ropes relax with heat.
• Never pack canvas while it is damp; dry it in shade and fold it loosely along the seams.
• Inspect pegs, pole joints and stitching after storms and repair small faults at once.

Large frame and G.S. tents need a small trained crew. Plan the access route for the delivery vehicle, lay the groundsheet before raising the frame, and keep guy-rope zones clear of walkways so that people moving through the camp at night do not trip on them.

Ordering shelter and general purpose tents

Send the model, quantity, canvas weight, colour, groundsheet, any options such as lining or stove pipe opening, and the destination. We can also work from your drawing or tender specification. Lead time is usually 30 to 45 days from approval, depending on quantity, and payment for new customers is by sight L/C or 70% advance. Samples are available and usually ship in about two weeks.

We deliver by truck across Pakistan and export by sea container, air, charter flight or courier, mainly to the Middle East, West Africa and disaster-affected areas. Contact Haji Ghulam Hasan on +92 317 8885522 or info@curiotex.com, or use the Send Inquiry form. The complete range is on our canvas tents page.