32ft Parachute Modification for shelter

[Chrisf]

Hello All

I just bought a 32ft parachute off ebay. It looks in very good condition and i want to modify it to be a group shelter. The plan would be to hoist the centre up into the trees and peg out the perimeter. But I have some questions about getting it ready for use.

1) The canopy has all the cords still attached about 4m of cords. There are lots of these cords and it would not be practical or convenient to guy these all down. So should I cut them all off. I was thinking of just cutting them short and then making loops that I can tie into just the loops I want for pegging down the canopy.

2) There is not a hole at the top of the canopy, I assume I need a hole to let smoke out. There is a circle of fabric at the top where the panels come together in the centre surrounded by a tape seam, Should I just cut out the centre.


3) What are the rule for light a fire under a parachute, does the nylon not get full of holes from fire sparks.

Any advice on erecting a shelter for the first time much appreciated.

Regards Chris

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Bump, as I'm wanting these anwsered too !

 

[Toddy]

Well......from personal experience.

DON'T cut off any lines. Coil them, tie them, bundle and stitch them, but those lines are sewn right along the length of the chute fabric and you'll never make a better job of guylines.

No, it doesn't need a hole in the roof...usually there's a 'spider' of lines up there anyway, and those are gathered to either fit over a set of poles or to attach a line to tie off to a branch.

Smoke goes up and fills the canopy space. That smoke layer suffocates sparks. Smoke cools against the fabric and spills down in a kind of current that slowly flows out from the bottom edge of the chute. Try not to make the fire too smokey, but the reason so many of us take chairs along is that sitting down means your head is below the smoke layer anyway.

First time putting it up ? Take a couple of tall friends along

atb,
Mary

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Ta for the tips.

 

[Toddy]

If you want pegs that will really, really hold, have a word with Russ (Warthog1981) the ones he made for mine are superb. I don't think they're cheap, but you'll go through dozens of cheaper ones trying to keep it down in a wind. Best buy decent ones in the first place
That said, you're a Techy you could buy your own rods and cut and bend.

There's another crucial point though; not all chutes are similarly shaped. Depending on the shape it's sometimes a good idea to fold in a couple of segments and stitch them into place along the seam lines. Otherwise you can end up with huge pockets of water bulges when it rains.

If your chute came with a netting edge on it; that's up to yourself whether you want to cut if off or not. I think put the chute up and see what you actually have before you decide to cut off anything, or reshape the canopy.

I numbered the bottom right hand corner of all of the lines of panels. It means that if I do need to repair (and oh boy, did I ) anything, I can see where when the chute is up, and take a note of the panel number and which segment within that panel it is that needs attention.

atb,
M

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Ta. Not got one but thinking of getting one as a group shelter. I have re-bar, which makes meaty pegs etc.

 

[Toddy]

You can have a play with mine if you like; it's sitting in it's barrel not doing anything, at present.

I'm firmly stuck indoors until the nerves in my face and ear settle down
Feeling pretty scunnered, tbh. I like cold weather and can't enjoy walking in the fresh air just now.

The chute has been very well used, and heavily repaired. I intend to use it later in the year, but I'm not precious about it, so have no worries about it getting snagged. Just let me know so I can fix it in good time.
Might give you an idea about sizes, shape, etc., in practical conditions.

atb,
Mary

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

Thanks for the offer. Got a BBQ at Beecraigs this week coming then on hols. Just like the idea of more shelter than a big tarp for a group.

 

[freenarative]

Just some advice, make a hole in the top. Why? Well it's simple physics. Heat rises. If you don't have a vent the heat will collect up there and you'll eather end up with a hot air balloon and bye bye canopy or the collected heat will melt the nylon and bye bye canopy. The only get out I can see is if the angle from the top to the rim of the 'chute is very shallow. this would circulate the air and stop heat build up. As for the cords; I second what has been said before, don't cut 'em. they are very secure in there and if you end up with a windy day you'd ne'er want for a better guy line.
Now for the fire; You should be OK but if you have sparks then your wood has moisture in it. The sparks are caused when water in the wood superheats and explodes out. Imagine if you had a catastrophic failure in a pressure cooker,,,,same thing.
If you can find dead, standing wood and remove its bark before you chuck it on then 1) no sparks 2) no smoke 3) more heat. It's a pain in the posterior to do but in the long run it's well worth it. OR if you go to the same haunt then try seasoning some wood. Simply cut some logs into 2 FT (ish) sections then cut these stumps into wedges of about 30-45 degrees. Stack them on, and cover them with a tarp or other waterproof sheet. After 6 months or so all the water has evaporated from the wood and you're all good to go.
Finally, advice on the camping that you wanted; There will be more detaild advice on here so please go see what other people advise but this is what I'd suggest as a basic set of wants;
1) In a clearing>Not under a tree. A falling branch killing you kinda puts a dent in your day.
2) Flat(ish) land. no land is totally flat but hollows in the ground collect water if it rains and slopes, such as hills, allow things to roll downhill and, again, a boulder killing you can end a camping trip pretty sharpish.
3) If you're near water then check for tide lines. These are dark marks and deposits of debris. Place your camp at a good distance away from the tide line like this> Water source is here>>>a few feet away is a tide line>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>AAALLLL the way over here is your camp. Because nothing ends a camp quite like drowning in the night.
4) Finally, but most importantly Ask the landowner can you camp there. There are few places in the uk that you can just pitch up. PLEASE check with the land owner or the local police on the legality of camping where you intend. Otherwise, picture the scene " why are you in prizon?" > "I killed a guy. You?" > "I was camping." Doesn't look too good does it
Have fun and, I hope this helps.

 

[John Fenna]

Attach a Carabiner to the centre top.
When pitching you can attach a line between two trees and attach the crab while the chute is in the ground and easy to work with then haul the line tight. I use a cheap paracord substitute and it has never yet failed.
Once the chute is in the air then you can guy out the panels with ease

 

[Toddy]

freenarative you are mistaken.

There's a reason roundhouses don't have holes in the roof....that's called a chimney and it sets the roof on fire if it's not lined.
Instead the roofs are capped and smoke suffocates any sparks. It also preserves the thatching and prevents insect infestation.

Similarly if you put an intended draught hole in the chute all that spark smothering smoke just doesn't work and you end up with your chute full of little holes. Not much use in the rain when all you end up with is a sieve.

Unlike a balloon the chute is intended to come down....they are made to spill air and will not trap it enough to even try to lift off unless you tie the wide bottom edge around your fire.

Toddy

 

[John Fenna]

My chute came with a top hole - but it still fills with smoke as the hole is too small to vent it all!

 

[Toddy]

Mine came with the spider and some seeps out there too, but it's not a deliberate hole, iimmc, it's ventilation.
That smoke trapping bit is important and the last thing wanted is a chimney effect. I've seen tarps set up as tepees with no chimney and it works for them too

M

 

[John Fenna]

Working in Iron Age roundhouses with thatch roofs, I have learned that tall people dont thrive!

 

[Toddy]

Isn't it weird standing outside and watching the smoke seep out around the bottom of the thatch ?

M

 

[freenarative]

freenarative you are mistaken.

There's a reason roundhouses don't have holes in the roof....that's called a chimney and it sets the roof on fire if it's not lined.
Instead the roofs are capped and smoke suffocates any sparks. It also preserves the thatching and prevents insect infestation.

Similarly if you put an intended draught hole in the chute all that spark smothering smoke just doesn't work and you end up with your chute full of little holes. Not much use in the rain when all you end up with is a sieve.

Unlike a balloon the chute is intended to come down....they are made to spill air and will not trap it enough to even try to lift off unless you tie the wide bottom edge around your fire.

Toddy

Toddy, you do have some logic here for which I thank you. I like being able to question myself. It's how I learn. But I would like to make some points for you to consider;
1) we're talking about a 'chute here, not a round house.
2) no mention was made of a chimney, you inferred one.
3) We can safely assume we are talking about a round 'chute and not the more modern wing, square or ram style 'chutes as camping under one of these would be as much use as camping under the rear end of a diarrhetic elephant. Sure, you'd be warm but you'd still be a tad wet
4) in relation to (3) we would thus end up with that "[spark smothering smoke]" filling the enclosure and, as much as smoke is good for preserving food, it's not good for the continuation of life. You know, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide etc etc.
5) I refer you to my advice on stopping sparks by use of dry wood or aged wood; So your sieve comment is moot.
6) if a parachute was "[made to spill air and not trap it]" they all jumpers would die mightily quickly. That whole gravity & terminal velocity of a falling body@32 feet per second per second can be a bit problematic you see.
7) finally, because I believe it is better to help people learn than to belittle their misconceptions I proffer a link> http://lmgtfy.com/?q=parachute+tents

IMPORTANT POINT>>>All the above was said as playful banter and sarcasm but as that doesn't go so well in text I thought I'd put in this subtle hint P.s. I was serious about the "learning by questioning myself" so if you can find a flaw with my workings then please tell me.

 

[dump of the stig]

im confused now, too hole or not too hole?

 

[Ogri the trog]

My cargo chute has a hole - it came with one so that's how I use it.

When I set it up at home, it sits low and angular until the fire gets going underneath it - the edges are guyed out so the bottom edge is about 6 foot above the ground with the peak some 15 to 18 feet up between two trees. Once the fire produces enough heat, the canopy billows up so it stays inflated like a mushroom shape.

I reckon you should leave your chute as it is and try out a few different methods of putting it up and have a serious think before you do any cutting of holes. the existing lines are a no-brainer - leave them in place until you become thoroughly fed up with them and then don't do it!

There are many members here with parachutes that they use as shelters - I doubt any two are exactly similar.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[John Fenna]

Parachutes are made to spill air - the original pyramid shaped chute designed by DaVinci oscillated wildly as it was not designed to spill air and tipped from side to side to spill the excess air (in a modern reconstruction).http://www.google.com/imgres?q=para...bnh=181&tbnw=185&start=36&ndsp=21&tx=95&ty=97
The hole in the top/mesh sides/mesh panels etc are designed to spill EXCESS air for a smooth ride. The oscillations of a non-air spilling chute can be terminal....
As a canoeist I have used a drogue anchor both with and without central water spilling holes - the ones with spill holes work a lot better! I am not a type to jump out of a perfectly good 'plane attached to a bushcraft shelter just for fun!
In my experience of both chute shelters and round houses both fill up with smoke to the lower edge of the roof if you have a smokey fire - the hole in the top of a chute - with a spider of cords across it is a chimney of sorts but cannot cope with a very smokey fire - which is where the roundhouse effect comes into play. Have the edges of your chute above seated head hight and the smoke will only suffocate the sparks - not you. The mesh panel is useful for smoke venting but although it lets rain in it cannot always cope with letting smoke out if you are forced to use sub-optimally seasoned wood.
I also use a huge , holeless, tarp, pitched as a pyramid, at other sites ... the smoke layer is no thicker or lower.
CHUTE WITH HOLE AND SPIDER PLUS ONE MESH PANEL - NO EXTRA HOLES, ONE MESH PANEL.
SMOKE ABOVE SEATED HEAD HIGHT DESPITE DAMP FUEL RISING FROM FIRE UNDER THE CENTRE OF THE CHUTES FOOTPRINT (scuse caps!)

 

[Dogoak]

im confused now, too hole or not too hole?

Up to you, best thing is to try it out and see what suits you (sir).

Mine was the same, no spill hole. Mine was hung quite low (no choice with this) over the fire pit in our garden and the smoke level was too low for me. On the next outing I decided to cut out a large dinner plate size hole. This has worked fine for me, there is still enough smoke to snuff sparks and the smoke level is higher. My reasoning was also that I can always stitch it back in if I want as it was quite baggy.