A Month in a Tent.

[Tengu]

Planning on doing a Dig on the Isle of Man.

They want me to do the full whack, which is a month.

In a tent.

In a place...not known for its Kind weather.

Any sage advice.

Shall I use my regular tent...Or take with me the big frame tent. I have a chair and table. Make it a bit more civilised.

If I have the tent up long term, how often should I fabsil the thing? The frame tent (got solely for flogging on,) is canvas, but the small tent (Which has a liveable porch but you cannot stand up in it) artificial.

 

[Goatboy]

I'd say if you are going to be static in one place for a month, especially if you're working hard during the day I'd go for the big tent. You're going to be mucky and tired, wanting to change clothes and the likes, as well as socialising with other diggers. What you could do is pack the little 'un and if a spell of bad weather is forecast swap tents for the duration of the inclement spell. Do you know how sheltered the area is? What's the chap on here who's some sort of archaeologist from the Isle of Man, you could ask him for advice on the area. On the Fabsil front, one good application should do it - do it with a sprayer so much quicker. Go Outdoors have/had an offer on large quantities of it. Speak to Belzeebob23, he just proofed his big bell tent with Fabsil from there in a cheap sprayer, took him about 10- 20 mins for a few coats.
Hope that's some use?
GB.

 

[santaman2000]

If it's cotton I wouldn't treat it at all. And yes, I'd go for the big one.

 

[CBJ]

Yeah I would go for the big one as well as it will give you that extra bit of leeway.

atb

Craig

 

[tenderfoot]

big one and little one 'specially if you can pitch the small inside the large if the weather is really inclement

 

[treadlightly]

Big one to live in, small one as storage space?

 

[spandit]

Take both as advised, will be nice being able to stand up when it's raining

 

[JohnC]

I'd go for the larger one, I worked on digs in Dorset some time back and camped over the summer. The site had a large army tent as a communual tent, but having a larger personal tent made life much more tolerable.

 

[Tengu]

Me too, Horses for courses.

 

[Paul_B]

Cotton expands when wet which means the holes in the weave get smaller. With the weight of a cotton canvas in these sorts of frame tents water should not be an issue. Check the seams and general state of the large tent canvas before you go of course. If it needs repair you can buy thread which also expands when exposed to water effectively sealing any stitch holes tight.

You really need to stand up somewhere dry if camping for a long time. I don't see how you can not take the large tent really. Isle of Man, bad weather? Not particularly bad I'd have thought, at least not so bad a big frame tent well pitched should not cope with. I assume you won't be pitching on top of a cliff or right out in the open. Bear in mind whoever you are doing this dig with has a responsibility towards you. Even IoM has H&S laws you know. They should have a place for you to pitch that your tent can cope with I'd have thought. If not find one.

Above all, enjoy!! I hope you have sun and fun over there. It sounds a fun thing to do.

 

[vukic]

I agree take.the biggest tent you can... I've worked festivals and stripping out of your.wet work clothes.in.a small tent isn't.nice... Hell trying to get your wet, muddy boots off isn't nice either... Plus you have more space to dry your wet clothes too...

Tiger

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

 

[Biker]

Big tent, no question.

Two weeks at The Moot last year in my small dome tent would have been hellish had I not been able to go into the marque Mesquite brought with him. Certainly made for a whole new experience in luxury that. Good choice of wines in the cellar too, but John Fenna's waitress service let it down, he really doesn't have the legs for fishnets. (uh ohhh... gonna be violently ill now.)