Ok after all the interest in my campfire tent. I have agreed to do a "how to" and show the different ways that I pitch it. I have done blogs before but never a how to so please bear with me.
I have placed a 30l barrel in some piccys for a size comparison.
Ok so after getting your new toy home its time to pitch it. Find a spot (in this case my back garden) and lay the tent on the ground.
Then sort out the poles and put them in place.
Peg out the guy lines at the rear of the tent and using the main frame guy lines stand in front of the tent and pull it up. The guy lines at the rear keep the tent steady and It should just stand up as you pull. This is not an easy task to master but it does get easier with practice. It helps if you use a block for the main poles to lever against. Keep the guy lines long enough for you to peg them out in front of the tent together. Then when its up adjust the lines into their right place. Sorry as I was on my own doing this I have no photos of this stage.
Anyway the campfire tent is now up and the main frame has been pegged out. It will look like this.
You can use the tent like this but WHY when there is sooooo much more the campfire tent will do.
Pull out the front porch and add the poles. Pegging the guy lines one side at a time.
Now at this stage I add another set of guy lines to the porch and tension it sideways as well as forwards.
If the wind is blowing from either side then just untie one of the wings and peg it out,adjust the tension as needed.This can be done with either side but I have just shown one.
If you want there is the option of both wings.
Now lets say you are out and it starts raining but you dont want to loose too much height from the living space. Another quick modification of the front poles and tension and it will look like this. Allowing the rain to roll off to one side and stopping it from puddling on the roof.
As you can see not too much height is lost with this set up
Then its time for beddy boos and the rain is hammering it down. Lower the other pole and re-tension the guys again.
If the weather turns really nasty the wings can be pulled out from inside the porch and pulled over the top and tied together to provide extra support. I have never done this but Bill Mason suggested it so I have shown it. To be honest if it gets to this stage you need to be asking yourself if you have got the right tent for the environment you are in. A geodesic dome might have been a better option.
The view from inside with the tent set up low for rain.
The secret to making the campfire tent work is tension. As you alter the set up you will need to re-tension the lines, practice makes this a very easy job to do, I can change the set up in a few minutes. Remember that cotton tents will "give" in the rain and you need to relax the tension as it dries.
Hope this helps and makes sence.
Cheers Greg
I have placed a 30l barrel in some piccys for a size comparison.
Ok so after getting your new toy home its time to pitch it. Find a spot (in this case my back garden) and lay the tent on the ground.
Then sort out the poles and put them in place.
Peg out the guy lines at the rear of the tent and using the main frame guy lines stand in front of the tent and pull it up. The guy lines at the rear keep the tent steady and It should just stand up as you pull. This is not an easy task to master but it does get easier with practice. It helps if you use a block for the main poles to lever against. Keep the guy lines long enough for you to peg them out in front of the tent together. Then when its up adjust the lines into their right place. Sorry as I was on my own doing this I have no photos of this stage.
Anyway the campfire tent is now up and the main frame has been pegged out. It will look like this.
You can use the tent like this but WHY when there is sooooo much more the campfire tent will do.
Pull out the front porch and add the poles. Pegging the guy lines one side at a time.
Now at this stage I add another set of guy lines to the porch and tension it sideways as well as forwards.
If the wind is blowing from either side then just untie one of the wings and peg it out,adjust the tension as needed.This can be done with either side but I have just shown one.
If you want there is the option of both wings.
Now lets say you are out and it starts raining but you dont want to loose too much height from the living space. Another quick modification of the front poles and tension and it will look like this. Allowing the rain to roll off to one side and stopping it from puddling on the roof.
As you can see not too much height is lost with this set up
Then its time for beddy boos and the rain is hammering it down. Lower the other pole and re-tension the guys again.
If the weather turns really nasty the wings can be pulled out from inside the porch and pulled over the top and tied together to provide extra support. I have never done this but Bill Mason suggested it so I have shown it. To be honest if it gets to this stage you need to be asking yourself if you have got the right tent for the environment you are in. A geodesic dome might have been a better option.
The view from inside with the tent set up low for rain.
The secret to making the campfire tent work is tension. As you alter the set up you will need to re-tension the lines, practice makes this a very easy job to do, I can change the set up in a few minutes. Remember that cotton tents will "give" in the rain and you need to relax the tension as it dries.
Hope this helps and makes sence.
Cheers Greg
they are the best things I have bought in a long time. just wish I had got them sooner.
its still cold. 
