Cheap, lightweight diy tent idea?

[ateallthepies]

I would really like a sub 1kg tent but without paying top money for one. Been thinking of knocking up a DIY tent out of those cheap camouflage Polyethylene tarps you can get on ebay.

Something along the lines of a 3x3 tarp with one edge joined to the opposite edge to form a tube and when set up with two walking poles will form a triangular tent shape with 2 1 metre walls and a 1 metre ground sheet? Would also cut up another tarp to make the end sections.

My only worry is condensation as it will be almost a complete sealed unit? Could probably make a solo tent weighing in at around 600-700 grams?

Would this idea work with some ventilation holes chopped in or will I just melt away?

Steve.

 

[wingstoo]

Or try one of these from Ebay, also available in some £1 or 99p shops, light-weight and only a few ounces in weight.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EMERGENCY...ealth_Beauty_First_Aid_ET&hash=item3a730443c1

 

[ateallthepies]

Yep that basic idea but I would want it in green or camo and for it to be a bit more sturdy. That silver thing looks like it will be loud and crinkly in wind?

Steve.

 

[Robbi]

cheap, light weight and packs down nice and small

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-PERSON-TENT-MINIPACK-CAMPING-CARRY-BAG-FLECKTARN-CAMO-/300577654663?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_HikingCamping_Tents_JN&hash=item45fbd30787&clk_rvr_id=333741951447&afsrc=1

 

[ateallthepies]

Not bad and cheap as well but it comes in at 1700 grams. I reckon I could make one for a kilo less but worried I will end up a tad moist in the morning?

Steve.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Why not just set up a 3m x 3m tarp as a tent. You'll get condensation it's true but it s no big deal to open out & air a tarp.

 

[ateallthepies]

That is another option I have been thinking about. Would have to use a bivi bag though if it's open to the elements so looking at around a kilo for this set up tarp and bivi which isn't too bad?

Steve.

 

[bilmo-p5]

You can set a 3x3 up to be as open or closed as you wish. I use a bivy bag all the time; it's effectively my inner tent. My tarp (3mx3m) is 600g & army bivybag 800g. I can live with that sort of weight and its sooooo versatile.

 

[Teepee]

I made my own tarp from scratch last year after progressing from a DD 3x3 that I sewed doors onto. I mainly use them for hammocking but they are just as good on the ground supported by hiking poles.

Its 3.2x 3 m and weighs 650g without lines. Cost wise it stands me at £25. It took 2 days to make though in total so actually costs more than buying one outright. It could be made much smaller for ground dwelling; I dont think 400g would be hard to achieve.



FWIW, if I was just ground dwelling, I'd make a pyramid style tarp with one pole in the centre for support. Like this one.

Its a condensation trap in wet weather and pitched low to ground, as are all single skin shelters.

 

[ateallthepies]

Very nice. I take it you have two tarps the DD with doors and the one in the photo? Is this one made of Silnylon or PU coated Nylon?

Steve.

 

[Teepee]

Thanks.

Its PU coated nylon Steve. It weighed much less than the silnylon I could source.

The DD with 0.9oz parachute ripstop doors weighs 820g.

 

[beamdune]

Thanks.

Its PU coated nylon Steve. It weighed much less than the silnylon I could source.

The DD with 0.9oz parachute ripstop doors weighs 820g.

Any chance of a link to the fabric you used?

 

[Corso]

read an article on somones blog a while back re making a tube tent - can't for the life of me find it now though...

 

[Teepee]

Any chance of a link to the fabric you used?

It went in a flash at £2.50/m.

I ran out of options on the main known fabric sites and then googled 'Fabric by the Metre'; 3 whole pages came up with loads of vendors and thats where I found it. (Fabricsuk I think the shop was)

It was listed at 2oz but is actually 1.5 oz/sqyd.

 

[bilmo-p5]

I thought I had a pic of a good tent setup for a 3m x 3m tarp, but I couldn't find it. It's a bit damp for mucking about with tarps just fo a pic or 2, so I made a little model; roughly 1:10.

It's a 3x3 tarp set up according to this plan;

which can be obtained using the calculator on this page,

As you can see there's ample room for one; it's 2.6m long x a metre or so wide & 1.5 high at the pole. There's a goodly amount turned under at the sides so you get a partial ground sheet too.
For the sake of a couple of extra tie-outs and a few eyelets you can transform a plain square tarp into a snug little tent.

 

[oakhill_wanderer]

I made my own very recently, and it comes in at 930g. PU Coated Ripstop Nylon from Point North.

Here's a few pics from its first use over Easter. I'll be doing a tutorial shortly on how I made it and worked out the tie-out positions etc.



I ended up settling for the setup in the middle image - using a ridgeline to control the height, and the doors [wings] pegged to the ground. Slept very well too

 

[Jimmy Bojangles]

I have to say I'm massively impressed with how versatile the DD 3x3 tarp is (now I've recieved the 19 attachment point one). You may have already seen this, but a chap on YouTube made a pretty good tent out of one, no mods, just how he staked it out. His YouTube name is Biblesnbarbells, and the vid is called "making a tent out of a DD tarp" loads of other good examples on there too.

Cheers

Mat

 

[bearbait]

There are some plans here (www.tarptent.com/projects/tarpdesign.html) for a tarp tent that seems to fall within your parameters.

 

[oakhill_wanderer]

As a side note, and probably not what you are looking for, but I found this article very helpful (as is the site as a whole), it served me well for gathering ideas, and adapting etc: http://www.nwwoodsman.com/Articles/TarpSetUp.html

 

[Col_M]

Funnily enough a sub 1kg DIY tent is next on my to do list, I'm thinking of something along the lines of either the MLD Trailstar with Oookworks inner or Tarptent Stratospire. I'll have to have a play in sketchup and see what I can come up with