hi I was the owner of a Itisa Senior tent and flysheet in the 60's.It was made by Camptors of Cannon street and It was an excellent lightwieight tent made of cotton material. They later made them of nylon. It originally had a 5 Ft aluminium telescopic centre pole and a 6 inch separator to take the flysheet. I later replaced this with A poles on the outside of the tent which gives much more room inside. As I recall Camptors where taken over by Blacks who still made the Itisa Senior for a while as well as their own Good Companion which was a similar size tent with 2 front guylines where the Itisa Senior had only one. Camptors Itisa Senior tents were used by the boys at our school to do their Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and it was all top class equipment. I still have my Camptors sleeping bag. If you are interested in selling one of your Good Companion Tents, I would be very interested as I have been unable to find a Camptors Itisa Senior for sale anywhere.thanks John
Sarah, someone is advertising tent poles for an Itisa "free to a good home" on the letters page (page 11) of the Camping and Caravanning Magazine. They are based in Somerset so not a million miles from Cardiff.
If you can't get access to a copy of the mag, I can scan you a copy if you let me have your email address.
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Hi Sarah
Just a quick note to say that on page 11 of the February edition of the Camping & Caravanning club magazine, there is a letter referring to poles for an Itisa tent. The writer, a Mr John Bowskill of Somerset, has offered these decorative poles in their original bag. May be just up your street.
I am not certain whether this information is too late.
The Itisa tents were first commercially made by Camtors which had previously been the supply Dept of the predecessor of the current Camping & Caravan Club. Camtors were bought by Blacks around the middle of the 1960s. Blacks bought Benjamin Edgington in 1967 and the previous Edgingtons factory then made the Itisa Senior tent and later dropped it and made the New Itisa Senior 69.
The odd name arose at a cycling meet in the early 1900s. A cyclist turned up with a unique single pole tent. It had a gate instead of a door. The gate was half the height of a door so the top was permanently open. People kept asking what it was and the owner/designer kept replying "It is a tent" The name stuck and it became an Itisa tent.
I think the official height was 5' but tents were often not made to the specified heights
------------- Bryan
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Hello, this is a very old thread but hoping someone might be able to help! I have a blue Blacks of Greenock Itisa Senior, and I’m looking for a flysheet to go with it. Anyone have one they don’t need? Thanks.
Kind of on the subject, is Barratts of Beckenham still going? My parents bought a very distinctive huge ridge tent with a green and white striped fly sheet back in the 60s. It lasted a long time. They gave it to us, was certainly easy to find in a site. It died in a gale.
Quote: Originally posted by Camomile on 01/6/2026
Hello, this is a very old thread but hoping someone might be able to help! I have a blue Blacks of Greenock Itisa Senior, and I’m looking for a flysheet to go with it. Anyone have one they don’t need? Thanks.
You have indeed exhumed an ancient thread. Try the For Sale section here but I don’t hold out much hope.
However, you might enjoy reading this old article - has dimensions, could you get a flysheet made? (eg by a company that makes sails for yachts: other threads available on that topic: Saturn Sails at Largs, for example).
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Topic: Old Blacks Tents
via mobile 01/6/2026 at 7:18pm
