The Distinguishing Features of a Canvas Cutter Bedroll

Hey guys, it is good to see you! Welcome to the Cutter Den, my name is Seth, and I’m going to tell you about the five distinguishing features of a Canvas Cutter Bedroll.

Distinguishing Feature #1 “The Canvas”

We use a Sun Forger Marine canvas, which means it’s been double treated for mildew resistance and water proofing. On the Dominator bedroll we use a 12.65oz canvas, and on the Fortress we use a 10oz canvas (*Fortress 2.0 bedrolls now feature 12 oz canvas material). It’s a ply-weave canvas which is different from a tradition canvas weave. Ply-weave is significantly stronger than a traditional weaved canvas. Why does that matter though? It matters because if you want a bedroll to protect you from the elements, when you are out there doing your thing, and it rains, a traditional canvas actually wicks when it is touched, and since you are inside the bedroll constantly touching/rubbing against the canvas, it’s going to wick water through. Those of you who have had a traditional bedroll can probably attest to that. Whereas, with this marine canvas it’s double treated so it wont wick through. The ply-weave is a lot tighter weave, so it swells a lot tighter. It’s going to keep you warm and dry, where a tradition canvas might let you down. It will also take a lot more abuse without the expected wear and tear.

Distinguishing Feature #2 “The Weather Flaps”

Distinguishing feature #2 would be the weather flaps that we put on each of our bedrolls. They are eighteen inches long, which allows you, with our four zipper poles, to unzip each side of the bedroll about 14-16 inches. Why does this feature matter? It matters because traditional bedrolls are open ended, so wind can blow in, or if bad weather comes you stand a good chance of getting wet. They often provide a head flap on traditional bedrolls that you can flap over your head, but that doesn’t provide quite the protection you need if the wind is blowing really bad or if it’s raining really bad, it’s still open ended; wind can get in your bag allowing you to get cold, rain can still roll in allowing you to get wet. With the weather flaps we put on our bedrolls, you can zip your bedroll completely closed other than the 14-16 inches on each side. Still allowing for good air flow, and mitigating condensation build up, and at the same time allows the rain or snow to right over and past the opening, keeping you dry and warm throughout the night.

Distinguishing Feature #3 “Heavy Duty YKK Zipper”

Distinguishing feature number three would be the heavy duty YKK zipper and zipper pulls that we use. There are four zipper pulls. The zipper we use is self-lubricating, so even in dusty, dirty and icy conditions the zipper will zip smoothly and appropriately. Why does this matter? Well, with the four zipper pulls it allows you to open and close the bedroll however you want on either side of the bedroll. It also allows you to control air flow. So, if it is windier on one side you can close that up more and open the other side up however you would prefer. It also matters because when you leave camp to go on your hike or to go hunting, you can zip your bedroll completely closed keeping out dust, bugs, rodents, everything you don’t want in your bed, so when you come back to go to bed, you know you’re sleeping alone. So how does this distinguish a Canvas Cutter bedroll from other bedrolls? Well, other bedrolls are open ended, which means bugs, dust, rodents, weather can get into it, especially when you leave camp. So, every time you leave camp you run the risk of those things getting inside your bed which nobody wants, or you’re going to have to roll your bedroll up every single time you leave, which is not very convenient. Whereas with a Canvas Cutter, you zip it completely closed, you leave camp, and it doesn’t matter if it’s dusty or if there are bugs or if there is rodents or if it is raining or snowing, your gear is going to be protected, and you’re going to come back to a bed that you actually want to sleep in.

Distinguishing feature #4 “Seam Sealing and Gluing”

We seam seal and glue all of our bedrolls. You might be wonder what that means and why that matters, so let me explain. The canvas we use is a marine canvas, it’s been double treated, it is water proof, however, we you take needles and punch little holes in it, that increases the risk of water seeping through. So, to reduce that risk we take a liquid waterproofing sealant (called seam sealer), and we seal the seams and also the zipper, because the zipper we use, a heavy grade YKK zipper, isn’t water proof although it is very tight, water could potentially wick through it. To reduce the risk of you getting wet and to increase the bedrolls water repellency we seam seal the seams and zipper. Do to the high stress placed on the handle portion of the bedroll, a lot of sewing goes into its production, this again increases the risk of water wicking through and getting you wet. In order to mitigate that, we use an industrial glue fabric glue to seal the inside of that portion of the bedroll.

Distinguishing feature #5 “Quick Release Buckles”

The key word with these is “simplify”. On a traditional bedroll one would use a tie system with ropes, or strings, or even a leather strap to keep their bedroll together. On our bedrolls we have three quick release buckles which allows you to role the bedroll up, quickly buckle it closed, synch it down as tight as you want, and when you get to where you want to go, simply unbuckle it, roll it out and get in. No dealing with knots, no dealing with straps. SIMPLIFY, that’s the key word.