SoulPad Ltd has launched a safety-inspired new fabric.
SoulPad designs, manufactures and sells luxury items for camping and glamping with a focus on product quality and superior customer service.
Designed with the commercial market in mind, although equally appealing to the individual happy glamper, SoulPad has developed a 100% cotton flame retardant canvas (FR) material that is kinder to the environment than typical after-market FR treatments and beats standard FR canvas tents offered by competitors in terms of safety.
The typical British Standard used for testing flame-retardancy of canvas tents is BS5852, commonly known as the ‘cigarette test’. SoulPad’s creators, Zoe and Mark Vanderstay, found this test procedure lacking in one vital aspect; it is typically meant for testing upholstery and drapes, not products used outdoors where they are subject to the weather. Rain can wash out flame retardant treatments applied to fabrics.
“This means that customers could be expecting the material to be flame-retardant when it may not be” explains Mark. “Clearly, there’s a gap between what is expected and what’s delivered. Where safety is concerned there’s no room for assumptions and error.”
SoulPad’s new fabric withstands wash-out in the weather for longer periods than other fabrics.
“Using more rigorous standards, ISO6941 and CPAI-84, we demonstrated that our fabric can be washed and dried six times while still retaining its FR capabilities and still performing as our bell tents are known to – they are light, durable, breathable and soft to touch. The new FR material is 100% cotton and feels like it too. We’re confident that this step means extra peace of mind for glampers and glampsite owners.”
Many bell-tent owners treat their tents with an after-market flame retardant product, especially when using a wood-burning stove for cooking or heating. Glampsite and festival organisers may do the same to satisfy risk-assessments and insurers. However, spray-on flame retardant products can affect the breathability and performance of the canvas, are not always kind to the environment and may not be applied as frequently as necessary. SoulPad aims to fill the safety gap where none should exist.
