BAS Ventile Pyramid Tents

[Dave]

These are the tents used by the British Antarctic Survey.

Red Ventile Tipi's.

Cool Huh?

They use specially designed pyramid tents made to withstand high winds and wind-driven ice particles. To insulate them from the ground they use a butyl ground sheet, inflatable airbed and a sheepskin.

Wonder who makes them, how much they cost and if they ever sell them on as seconds?

http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/camping/index.php

According to Paul Dulson, whose job at BAS is to equip scientists with everything they need to operate safely and successfully in the field: "Scott would recognise most of a modern field camp. The tents, stoves, lanterns and sledge boxes are all quite similar to those used in the early twentieth century."

Take the pyramid tents that BAS scientists call home while spending up to three months in the field. Although now made of modern materials - Ventile® instead of canvas, and with aluminium instead of bamboo poles - the design remains essentially unchanged. "If you look at old photographs, you'll see similarities with what Scott and Shackleton used. The reason behind this lack of change in overall design is that it works very well. It's roomy inside and very strong. We know these tents survive 100-knot winds - and that's pretty extreme.

 

[Jared]

Yeah, snowsled make them I believe.

http://www.snowsled.com/scott-pyramid-tents/

Whilst they still make the pyramid tents, they stopped a few years ago making them in ventile, citing weight and cost reasons.

 

[Dave]

Aah, interesting. I've sent the BAS an email, asking them what they do with the ones that are no longer used. Do they sell them on, and if so who to?
I'll post their response if they send me one.

So what do they make them out of now?

 

[Twodogs]

Anchor supplies had one for sale for ages it sell in the end .

 

[Dave]

A ventile one? How much was it going for?

 

[Jared]

Using the wayback machine to when they announced the fabric switch over

http://web.archive.org/web/20101228022017/http://www.snowsled.com/scott-pyramid-tents/

 

[Twodogs]

sorry I cant remember

 

[Squidders]

I imagine ventile is good for -50C where it's dry as a desert, windy and bitterly cold but a ventile tent is going to be a terrible thing in the UK where it's mild and wet most of the year. As soon as it rains you'll be able to remove the poles because it'll be stiff enough to support itself!

You'll have a horrible time folding it up and the additional weight to transport it will be a nightmare, as will drying it.

Coating it is a bad idea because if the fabric doesn't take on water it will be leaky and after a day of rain it's going to be like a damp cave inside.

If only we lived on one of the poles

 

[Laurentius]

No coating, so no coating to wear thin, delaminate or otherwise fail, how many tents will last thirty years or more?

 

[Jared]

No coating, so no coating to wear thin, delaminate or otherwise fail, how many tents will last thirty years or more?

50 year old Black's Ventile tent went on ebay for £50 recently.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blacks-of...re_HikingCamping_Tents_JN&hash=item2a26bafd12

 

[rik_uk3]

I was in touch with a guy at a BAS station about three years ago, maybe four and when out in the field they still use old Optimus 45 paraffin pressure stoves, reliable, easy to maintain in the field and pump out the heat. The Australians and possibly the Americans down there use or did use Optimus 111 stoves for the same reasons....if it ain't broke, don't fix it sort of thinking I suppose.

 

[bilmo-p5]

I imagine ventile is good for -50C where it's dry as a desert, windy and bitterly cold but a ventile tent is going to be a terrible thing in the UK where it's mild and wet most of the year. As soon as it rains you'll be able to remove the poles because it'll be stiff enough to support itself!

You'll have a horrible time folding it up and the additional weight to transport it will be a nightmare, as will drying it.

+1 to that