Get your camp on: Under Canvas Events has a tent for every occasion 

You love the idea of camping, but the prospect of sleeping on a cold, dirt floor holds no appeal. You yearn for an outdoor wedding but don’t want to risk interference from the weather. Your favorite episode of the Gilmore Girls is the Life and Death Brigade’s infamous glamping stunt. Or maybe you just really like tipis and tents.

Under Canvas Events has warehouses full of tipis and tents, and the perfect rustic chic furnishings to make you feel right at home. The company originated in Montana, and focused primarily on installing permanent tent camps in locations including Yellowstone National Park; Glacier National Park; and Moab, Utah. But the company recently expanded, adding an office and warehouse in Atascadero and branching out to do more rentals for single events like weddings, corporate retreats, and festivals.

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• PHOTO COURTESY OF UNDER CANVAS EVENTS
• THE JOYS OF NATURE: Under Canvas Events offers customers the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors, with all the comforts of home.

California Event Manager Kalen Higton relocated to San Luis Obispo County from Montana a little less than a year ago. His first exposure to San Luis Obispo County was when his family’s tent rental company—not Under Canvas Events, but a different company—was contracted for an event at Hearst Ranch. Higton acknowledges that the weather on the Central Coast is a little bit friendlier to a company that helps people and companies stage outdoor events. But that’s no guarantee that stormy weather won’t make an appearance.

“I think we have longer seasons out here whereas in Montana it can be a little more challenging. We do have wood burning stoves that we can put inside our tents,” Higton explained. “Everything’s waterproof. We set up in October in Big Sur, and the first night they were staying in the tipis it just dumped rain but they stayed dry.”

In fact, Higton cites the company’s tents and tipis as a great contingency option for people who want to host an outdoor event but are concerned the weather might interfere.

The range of options the company provides is fairly staggering, from 14-foot tipis that come furnished or unfurnished to safari tents that can be outfitted with beds, linens, bedside tables, lanterns, dresses, rugs, and chairs to a tipimarqui that can seat as many as 500 guests. There’s even a tipi bathroom equipped with hot running water for showers, a toilet, sink, mirror, and spa products. And depending on where the event is, Under Canvas Events can help obtain necessary permitting for a big event.

• PHOTO COURTESY OF UNDER CANVAS EVENTS

Of course, the job is much simpler when the location already possesses all the necessary permits, which is why Higton is currently focused on finding local venues to partner with for major events. And it’s not just venues that stand to benefit from Under Canvas Events’ presence locally.

“It can be really symbiotic in that we could utilize a planner,” Higton said of events that are looking to go above and beyond the norm. “We could utilize someone to furnish additional lighting or sound or catering.”

For additional information, visit canvasevent.com.

Fact fact

The city of Atascadero’s Spring T-Ball League is now accepting registration at the Colony Park Community Center on Traffic Way. Registrations will be accepted through Feb. 6 and the cost per child is $81.50 with an additional $10 fee for families that register between Feb. 9 and 13. The fee covers team T-shrt, hat, and team and individual pictures as well as awards. The program is also seeking coaches and sponsors. For additional information, call 470-3360, email Paila Anton at [email protected], or visit the website at atascadero.org.