Longterm Tarp Shelter - What tarp & what shelter type?

[HoFFdog]

Hello All

Here's the deal! As my current humble abode is a caravan in the middle of nowhere I am looking to expand my outdoor usable space. To do this I want to set up a large tarp shelter that will stay up throughout the year. As the shelter will be semi-permanent weight /bulk is not an issue.

The shelter will be mixed use. I want to be able to have an open fire & cook inside/under the shelter as well as doing green woodwork & processing firewood. Because of this I must be able to stand & work underneath (im 6ft 3). The shelter also needs to be large enough to accommodate a small group for when a few friends & family come round. Other criteria is that the shelter must be waterproof, durable, able to hold up in bad weather, fire resistant and also relatively cheap. I'm not gonna blow £200 on a tarp!

From research I've done I'm leaning towards a 4m x 4m canvas tarp & ridge pole shelter, similar to an open sided Baker tent. Either that or a large diamond fly config. The problem is I have no experience of shelter building or tarpology or knots & lashings. I guess what I'm looking for is not only a recommendation on the most appropriate shelter type/design but also some kind of walkthrough (like how to erect & secure ridge poles, handy knots & lashings, the general sequence you would knock something like this up)

Below is a photo of what I had mind. Any advice help will be much appreciated.

Dan

 

[presterjohn]

I presume you need a truck tarp made of canvas or an old damaged army mess tent you can cut up to suit your purposes. Anything new will probably be out of your price range.

 

[Dogoak]

Side from a curtain side trailer? Very heavy duty, could be relatively cheap and plenty of material.

 

[Macaroon]

As Dogoak suggests, curtainsider material is your ideal, and if you want it up year round, you'd be wise to look at the structure to be made with old scaffold tubes or some such. To build what you're thinking of is easy, but to have it reliably stand up to being there all year round is a different proposition; I've had to build hay shelters to last 2 to 3 yrs, and believe me, it's a big ask of anything but the strongest of structures. The other big factor with cheap/lightweight covering material is UV exposure, one of the reasons curtainsider stuff would be ideal for your purpose. It'll also have very strong and large eyelets in the edges so's you can use good strong cordage or cable ties to secure it.

I hope some of this helps, and let us know how you get on - I'd be interested to follow this......................atb mac

 

[Dave-the-rave]

I've bought from here and been happy with the service. No tarp is fire resistant though.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tarpaulins-To-Go?_rdc=1

 

[rik_uk3]

I've bought from here and been happy with the service. No tarp is fire resistant though.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tarpaulins-To-Go?_rdc=1

Spot on, they work well and are cheap enough to replace if and when needed.

 

[Robbi]

I've bought from here and been happy with the service. No tarp is fire resistant though.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Tarpaulins-To-Go?_rdc=1

any one used these as ground sheets ?

comments ?

 

[Biker]

By sheer coincidence I just checked out my favourite cabin porn website for some R&R, not to mention ideas for my own cabin build, and spotted this; Clever eh?

 

[woodstock]

Love it thats the way im going to go although I may paint the caravan a nice shade of Mod green.

 

[Dave-the-rave]

any one used these as ground sheets ?

comments ?

Yup. I use this type...http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ECONOMY-TARPAULIN-TARP-LIGHTWEIGHT-WATERPROOF-GROUND-SHEET-COVER-GREAT-VALUE-/400270626376?pt=UK_SportingGoods_Camping_Accessories&var=&hash=item9c00986c94 ( Same supplier as in the link in my previous post ) as a groundsheet under my self inflating mat. I double it up and the mat hasn't burst yet. Cut to fit they are light and fold up small enough. Quick drying too and easy cleaned.

I've also used one as a groundsheet under a tent to protect the sown in bath tub groundsheet. Sorta like what's sold as foot prints. They work just fine.

 

[Robbi]

i was looking at the heavy duty one to use underneath the bell tent to save a lot of cleaning before it's folded up, and in the gazebo, would it be ok to walk on ?

 

[Dave-the-rave]

i was looking at the heavy duty one to use underneath the bell tent to save a lot of cleaning before it's folded up, and in the gazebo, would it be ok to walk on ?

I'd think so. 350gsm is pretty heavy compared to the light 80 gsm so pretty robust for any task I'd think.

 

[Robbi]

sounds ideal just upped the glamping stakes a little more