Fabric for sails and tents (6)
I believe the answer is:
canvas
'fabric for sails and tents' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for canvas that I've seen before include "A painter paints on it" , "Heavy, closely-woven fabric" , "End of a racing boat; coarse cloth" , "Material often used by artist to paint on" , "Sailcloth" .)