Topic

LDPE no-sew (almost) tent


Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Home Forums Gear Forums Make Your Own Gear LDPE no-sew (almost) tent

  • This topic is empty.
Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1261056
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    Thought I'd add a thread here for my first prototype of a LDPE tent.LDPE tent
    I hope to use this in the Wind River range in a couple weeks.

    You can see the original tent that spawned this and somewhat of a genesis of what I've gone through so far in this thread.

    I was aiming for not having to sew at all but you can see from my last post on that thread that didn't work out with the mesh seams at least.

    Tarp body weight was less than 7 oz. Size is 8×6. Likely doubled with the mesh skirt but don't have a total weight yet as I haven't figured out how to do the mesh door closure zipper-free. Thinking either ziploc pieces like Rog Tallbloke or snaps like Roger Caffin. Maybe I'll stay with the rolling and binder clips for now. Any suggestions?

    #1628161
    Yohei Aoyagi
    BPL Member

    @zzz_bear

    Locale: Tokyo

    Good job!
    I'm thinking same design. But this time I bought zpacks hexamid.

    #1628164
    Ken Thompson
    BPL Member

    @here

    Locale: Right there

    Looks great! With that weight I would just make easy on myself and add a #3 zipper. Can't weigh much more than binder clips.

    #1628208
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    That may be true Ken. I have a zipper I could weigh and use. Al found in his original A-frame design that he had to fold it in a special way to avoid deforming the LDPE when packed tightly because of the zippers and cordage. I was hoping to avoid that hassle. Roger's 2 snap design would be lighter and simpler though I did not add a baffle to the door or have a floor to hold up as he does. Walmart didn't have any large plastic snaps though – just small and large metal ones you had to sew in. I'll need to go to a hobby or fabric store.

    I'll also have to sew the mesh to the tent as I suspected. Rained last night and it separated from the tape in some areas. Just waiting for Al to respond on how he did it without gumming up his needle. My attempt at sewing through the tape was not good.

    #1628356
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    The snaps work, but the more important bit is a simple overlap of the mesh by 6 – 8". The snaps stop that from blowing open.

    Cheers

    #1628375
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    I should have at least 8" overlap as I had seen your idea and wasn't sure which way I was going to go. I assume your snaps are the press-in vs sew-in kind?

    #1628581
    Daniel Fosse
    Member

    @magillagorilla

    Locale: Southwest Ohio

    Nice work,
    I am thinking of making a bug hut that has a draw string entrance. I think it would be simple enough to leave some slack material in the front pannel, cut a circle out of the front and sew in a draw string around the circle. Kinda like a stuff sack. a piece of thin cord and a cord lock would be simple and light.

    #1629042
    Colin Parkinson
    BPL Member

    @parkinson1157

    Locale: Ontario Canada

    Dan

    That is brilliant.

    I mad a bug bivy early this year but have not worked out a good closure method, as I find zippers and bug netting lead to snags, tears and tears.

    This is one of those why didn't I think of that episodes.

    #1629155
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Hi Michael

    Yes, definitely press-in or rivet variety. Pics of them and na MYOG setting tool in the MYOG poncho article
    http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/myog_mntn_poncho.html

    Cheers

    #1629156
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    > zippers and bug netting lead to snags

    And the hook side of hook&loop fasteners is absolutely murder on netting!

    Cheers

    #1629204
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    Roger,
    What did you use for backing to keep from tearing the netting?

    #1629346
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    Finally weighed it now that I had to sew the mesh on vs just tape. 10.6 oz (298g) for LDPE, tape, noseeum mesh, 5 short shockcord tieout loops, and 7 short Triptease guylines. Doesn't include door closure, stakes, the long guyline for the pole or the "storm door" I have yet to make, but it should still come in under a pound for total weight.

    I didn't put the shockcord at all the tieout points, just the 4 corners and the middle of the 8' back. That's to reduce stress during windy conditions or so I hope since I'm going to the Wind River Range. The plan is to start with the guylines to get the most headroom. If a storm's coming in, I'll re-stake using just the shockcord loops. If it looks really bad, I'll just stake it to the ground using all the tieout points and put up the storm door if needed since I'm not using a bivy.

    #1632204
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    I'm not going to make my 16 oz target. :( I'm at 16.6 with everything except the "storm door" now. However, that also includes extra LDPE and tape that had to be used as patches after my dog tore it up, and I ended up using a zipper for the mesh door closure. I couldn't figure out how to use snaps when my opening width varies up to 20". I suppose I'll also need to add in groundcloth weight. On the bright side, it did handle 35 mph winds during a storm yesterday.

    #1633526
    Lawson Kline
    BPL Member

    @mountainfitter

    Hey Michael,

    Nice job on the construction. It looks like it was made in a factory. What thickness film did you use?

    #1633559
    Vick Hines
    Member

    @vickrhines

    Locale: Central Texas

    You might consider not using a zipper or any closure at all. Just make the net upside down = the apex of the triangle faces down instead of up, and make it 6 inches longer – taller. It will drape on the ground and you can just lift it up to get in or out. Put a pocket at the center of the bottom to hold a water bottle or shoe to hold it down in the wind.

    #1636734
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    Lawson,
    According to Heatsheets, they are 1 mil vs typically 1/2 mil for mylar blankets.

    Vick,
    I think the added weight of the required mesh would exceed that of the zipper at least in my application. The zipper was < 1 oz. Keep in mind, my opening width (bottom corners of the tarp at the door) could vary from 60 to 80 inches.

    FWIW, the tarp worked well on my trip. My next design will offer me more room (eg, steeper walls) to move around without touching though condensation as expected was not too bad. I hope to make a short video detailing this one and you can see the damage my dog had done to it.

    #1637552
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    FYI, total system weight including a heavy stuff sack of the right size I happened to have (& a little dirt and moisture) was < 22 oz. I could lose some with Ti stakes perhaps and not taking so many. Al's design had tieouts every foot where I did every 2 feet. I never used all of mine but we never had gusts above 30 mph.

    I hope to make a video of the new gear I had on this trip vs last summer which will show some more detail on what I did for this tarp and what I've learned for future designs.

    #1637643
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Hi Michael

    Sometimes I just sewed over a double layer of netting. That holds reasonably well in practice. Other times I used a narrow strip of silnylon to bind the edge.

    When using snaps I had to use an area or strip of silnylon with a small square of heavier fabric (1" square say) to hold the snap. Opening the snap is done via the silnylon, not the netting, of course.

    Cheers

    #1637644
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    > I ended up using a zipper for the mesh door closure. I couldn't figure out
    > how to use snaps when my opening width varies up to 20".

    Generous overlap. It keeps the bugs out, and is a lot lighter than a zip.

    Cheers

    #1637658
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    >> I ended up using a zipper for the mesh door closure. I couldn't figure out
    >> how to use snaps when my opening width varies up to 20".

    >Generous overlap. It keeps the bugs out, and is a lot lighter than a zip.

    That wouldn't work with just the 2 at the bottom as you have. I'd need a row going up the overlap to prevent huge gaps forming when I was pitched at a smaller door width. My zipper only added an ounce, likely less since I lost about a double layer of 8"x40" mesh. I was pleased with the no-fuss performance of the zipper.

    #1637789
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest
    #1866791
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    For anyone that had been watching this thread, Prototype 2 is now in the works. Different material and no netting at this point. I also increased length a foot so it's 6' x 9' now and changed the pole connection so I need 1 fewer stake.

    #1867104
    Sam Farrington
    BPL Member

    @scfhome

    Locale: Chocorua NH, USA

    Don't know if this is any use to you, but thought about the overlap for netting on a 2-piece A-frame door being secured by light shock cord loops sewn to the corners of the netting and attached to buttons sewn to the outer bathtub wall of the floor. The thought was that you could easily reach into the overlap, down to the button, and remove the loop to open. Vice-versa to close. Thought about doing this also for emergency A-frame doors made of light cuben to be unrolled when the weather got really nasty – upside down rain, and all that.

    Like you, found the #3 zippers too handy and used them for the net doors. It may be partly psychological – keeping out creepy crawlies, and all that.

    #1867210
    Michael Ray
    BPL Member

    @topshot

    Locale: Midwest

    Yep, the zipper eliminated having to figure something that would work with an opening that varied 20" in width. If you always pitched it the same width within reason, your idea and a few others would have worked OK.

Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting

A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!

Get the Newsletter

Get our free Handbook and Receive our weekly newsletter to see what's new at Backpacking Light!

Gear Research & Discovery Tools


Loading...