32ft Parachute Modification for shelter
- Thread starter Chrisf
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My experience of using a chute is that a small hole in the top can help but it's hardly noticeable, I believe most of the smoke filters out through the nylon and escapes around the edge rather than venting out of the top. When we get heavy rain and the chute is running in water it's noticeable how much the smoke lingers rather than escaping. the wet nylon is holding the smoke in regardless of the hole in the top.
If we string it up to an overhead branch then the top is somewhere around 15-20ft up, that gives us around a 5m diameter shelter then, there's no chance of any heat from a fire melting it at that height. Sparks have long fizzled out by the time they reach it too.
We stake out every other line just about, unless it's windy, sometimes folding up a couple of panels too to make it tidier. On the last trip we talked about sewing in some small pockets so each guyline could be stashed away after use. No matter how well they get hanked up we sometimes get a tangled mess to sort out, that's just down to the numbers of lines though.
If we string it up to an overhead branch then the top is somewhere around 15-20ft up, that gives us around a 5m diameter shelter then, there's no chance of any heat from a fire melting it at that height. Sparks have long fizzled out by the time they reach it too.
We stake out every other line just about, unless it's windy, sometimes folding up a couple of panels too to make it tidier. On the last trip we talked about sewing in some small pockets so each guyline could be stashed away after use. No matter how well they get hanked up we sometimes get a tangled mess to sort out, that's just down to the numbers of lines though.
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No hole on the one used at White Rose Wood Meets
Hank the lines, just use what you need:
when finished, If it's allowed wrap it around the nearest tree until the next Meet.
Hank the lines, just use what you need:
when finished, If it's allowed wrap it around the nearest tree until the next Meet.
Looks like we have another bit of bipolar disorder here... 
okenest:
Most of the surplus 'chutes I've seen are peppered with holes anyway. Hang it high and don't worry about it.
Most of the time I find it easier to run a horizontal line about head height in a VERY rough circle, and tie the bits of cord on the 'chute to that.
A log tied to a long bit of cord and thrown over a high branch can get you started to lift the middle of the 'chute. Try not to get the log stuck up the tree, you don;t want to leave cordage hanging around the place -- it's dangerous for wildlife.
The line lifting the centre of the 'chute needs to be more than twice the height of the lift so you can tie off at the bottom of the tree and still let it down again in a controlled fashion.
okenest:Most of the surplus 'chutes I've seen are peppered with holes anyway. Hang it high and don't worry about it.
Most of the time I find it easier to run a horizontal line about head height in a VERY rough circle, and tie the bits of cord on the 'chute to that.
A log tied to a long bit of cord and thrown over a high branch can get you started to lift the middle of the 'chute. Try not to get the log stuck up the tree, you don;t want to leave cordage hanging around the place -- it's dangerous for wildlife.
The line lifting the centre of the 'chute needs to be more than twice the height of the lift so you can tie off at the bottom of the tree and still let it down again in a controlled fashion.
Well at the Sussex meet we have got a chute. We put a hole in the top to allow some of the smoke out. And to a point it does. We tend to throw a line over a high branch fork in a tree with a throwing line. Then over another tree and suspend the chute between the two off of a loop in the line and a caribeana. We've kept all the lines on ours and use a mountain climbing method of hanking up the lines so they don't drop out in the bag. We don't peg out every line, but the ones we do we use a truckers hitch. Now some people will say this isn't the best knot to use, and I would agree, but it is the one most people know, so they are all the same. We constantly experiment with the height of the edge of the chute, too low and the smoke becomes very uncomfortable, too high and it's a bit draughty. We also have a couple of poles to create an entrance. We smoked out our chute to add a bit of water proofing and keep the sides steep to aid the run off. We've picked up a few tiny ember burn holes, but still get fairly good rain protection.
so in summary, don't cut anything till you have experimented with it. Decide between the people who are going to be putting it up and taking it down on what method you are going to use to hank and tie off otherwise you will be spending more and more time sorting lines. Also whoever ends up taking it home should know its going to smell very smoky.
so in summary, don't cut anything till you have experimented with it. Decide between the people who are going to be putting it up and taking it down on what method you are going to use to hank and tie off otherwise you will be spending more and more time sorting lines. Also whoever ends up taking it home should know its going to smell very smoky.
Aha! Now why didn't I think of that before! The rim of my (french cargo) parachute it a little too tight, so it is entirely impossible to stop the outer panels sagging- no matter how tight and what angle i guy it out. I think my sewing maching will be coming out one weekend soon- thanks!
If it has a hole in it then have a hole if it doesn't then don't worry.
There are plenty of types of canopy, some have holes others don't. As John mentioned the hole was there to prevent the instability of canopies (basically chopping from side to side uncontrollably made it difficult to land without breaking things), they added a hole in the top which prevented this, however it did not prevent line over, the skirt was added at a later date to help prevent line over. If you have mesh panels in the canopy as opposed to or inclusive of a skirt they are really designed as drive panels giving the canopy forward momentum and they can also be steered.
If the canopy has no hole raise it a little higher. If your fire is smokey use drier wood. If you step back from a canopy with no hole when you have a smokey fire you'll notice a couple of things. One is the amount of smoke escaping from the skirt and the other will be the amount of smoke that actually permeates through the material in little wisps. Canopies without holes normally allow greater airflow through the fabric and tend not to be waterproof. They will still keep the majority of the weather off though.
If the canopy you have is a PX4 it will have 32 separate panels and 32 corresponding rigging cords. Mark cords one, nine, seventeen and 25. This will give you the four corners of the chute (if you wish, north, east, south and west), setting these out first when setting the canopy up makes life easier.
Don't cut off the cords, you may not use them all every time you set up, but if one gets damaged you'll be happy to have spare. Hank them up and tie them off.
There are plenty of types of canopy, some have holes others don't. As John mentioned the hole was there to prevent the instability of canopies (basically chopping from side to side uncontrollably made it difficult to land without breaking things), they added a hole in the top which prevented this, however it did not prevent line over, the skirt was added at a later date to help prevent line over. If you have mesh panels in the canopy as opposed to or inclusive of a skirt they are really designed as drive panels giving the canopy forward momentum and they can also be steered.
If the canopy has no hole raise it a little higher. If your fire is smokey use drier wood. If you step back from a canopy with no hole when you have a smokey fire you'll notice a couple of things. One is the amount of smoke escaping from the skirt and the other will be the amount of smoke that actually permeates through the material in little wisps. Canopies without holes normally allow greater airflow through the fabric and tend not to be waterproof. They will still keep the majority of the weather off though.
If the canopy you have is a PX4 it will have 32 separate panels and 32 corresponding rigging cords. Mark cords one, nine, seventeen and 25. This will give you the four corners of the chute (if you wish, north, east, south and west), setting these out first when setting the canopy up makes life easier.
Don't cut off the cords, you may not use them all every time you set up, but if one gets damaged you'll be happy to have spare. Hank them up and tie them off.
In your case I would suggest using pebble ties at a point that pulls the chute out straight possibly three or four feet in.
Just to add to jackcbr's post, our 'chute was about as waterproof as pea netting - one of my fondest memories is of all of us choking in the smoke that couldn't escape through the downpour in a sagging shelter... good times! Smoke it out and the tar will help seal it but as he says, it will stink!
I think you had better rush out and tell those hammock campers this, before they all die.
Seriously, do you know anyone who has been hit by a falling branch? It's sensible to check out the trees before camping in case there are any damaged or half-fallen branches. It's also sensible to pick the middle of a wood; the surrounding trees reduce the wind force on any individual tree.
I think you had better rush out and tell those hammock campers this, before they all die.
Seriously, do you know anyone who has been hit by a falling branch? It's sensible to check out the trees before camping in case there are any damaged or half-fallen branches. It's also sensible to pick the middle of a wood; the surrounding trees reduce the wind force on any individual tree.
Not a tree but a falling rock
Narrow miss
I have seen trees falling, never a single branch - other than those I had already seen as potential deadfall and avoided.
If you want to pitch in a clearing then I suggest you use Riks Yurt style with a woodstove.
If you want to pitch in a wood then check for possible deadfall and then pitch as previously mentioned.
To give more scale
Blake in the photo is over 6'6" tall....
If you want to pitch in a clearing then I suggest you use Riks Yurt style with a woodstove.
If you want to pitch in a wood then check for possible deadfall and then pitch as previously mentioned.
To give more scale
Blake in the photo is over 6'6" tall....
We use Clingon clips to pull out the sides, work well.
Yeah, nice one Rik.
I tend to use Pebble ties when we deal with bigger cargo canopies or even straight forward sheets that have been cut from cargo canopies. Your clingon clips are probably ideal, but I don't always have access to those bits or their like.
