Looking For Ideas On a Group Shelter Project

[Jason Knecht]

Myself and a group of friends have been toying with the idea of a group shelter for some of our trips to save on our overall base weight. That said, I recently acquired a Golite Shangri-la 6+ shelter.

The fabric shelter itself weighs 3lbs 9oz and each pole is another 15oz (Two are required). Since we all already use tracking poles, if we ditch the supplied Golite poles and used the trekking poles along with a black diamond fabric trekking pole adapter, we could easily save there. Total weight of the stakes & guy-lines is 14oz. So, right now we could potentially have a shelter for 4lbs, 7oz that would easily house 5 guys and gear and equate to 14.2oz per person. That’s not bad right? 6 guys is also possible, but less comfortable.

Right now, I’m trying to find a solution to adding a ground tarp to this application. I do have the the Shangri-La 6+ bathtub floor, however, I’ve pretty much put it out of the question. It weights as much as the shelter itself (3lbs 1 oz).

So, I have been looking at alternatives. Utilizing the every so popular house-wrap (i.e Tyvek) is the reason for my post here. A roll of Tyvekis exactly 9ft wide. The Shangri-la 6+ is 9’ 6” wide by 14ft 3in long so there would be no need for mating two sheets together. No seams sounds like less hassle to me?

What I would like to do is find a way to somehow attach guy-loops or eyelets of some kind to the Tyvek material at each corner, and two in the middle, length wise, on each side (Total of 8) so they would correspond with the placement of the stakes that are securing the Shelter itself. This way I could utilize the same stakes to secure the floor. My concern is the durability of the Tyvek material.

My questions are: is it possible to sew Tyvek without running its structural integrity? Or should I look for an alternative?

Does anyone, perhaps have a better approach or some insight? Thanks!

[Anton S]

If you are happy to use a sewing machine, why don't use just use a lightweight silnylon? Its actually waterproof (unlike tyvek, which is close to) and is sew able. You can increase its durabolity a bit by painting it with diluted silicon.

[tim hower]

[q]My questions are: is it possible to sew Tyvek without running its structural integrity? Or should I look for an alternative?[/q]

Use Tyvek tape or glue to attach tie outs.

[Don Miller]

I have a Shangri-la 5v and I wouldnt want 5 guys in it. 2 with gear or 3 with no gear tops. I think you will be crowded

[Jason Knecht]

Anton,

Will the silnylon actually keep us dry if it were to rain and water get under the fabric?

Tim

I'll look into that. Thanks.

Don,

Thanks for the input.

The Shangri-La 6+ is a very very large shelter. If you set the two center poles down low, you can really expand the outer edges of the shelter out.

Without a bug liner, We were able to comfortably lay out a total of 7 sleeping mats in this configuration. Everyones idea of comfort is different. We don't mind bumping elbows at night when sleeping. Some people like 1 foot on each side of them.

Today, I tried to configure the system with the Shangri-la 4+ bug nest. I can fit 5 sleeping mats inside, yes its tight, but it is possible. The plan was to leave all the gear outside of the 4+ nest, but still under the remainder of the 6+ shelter (acting as a vestibule.)

Actually, I was looking for pictures and it looks like someone else already did it. Take a look at this blog: http://www.adventureinprogress.com/family-shelter
This is what I am talking about.

The only problem is that using the tent with the nest makes it heavy. I was trying to find a solution so that I could use some sort of ground cloth for when it rains.

[Rod Lawlor]

A couple of things Jason.

I think there are a couple more pics of Damien's 6+4 setup here on BPL.

If you like the space, but don't need a full mesh, why not try centering the floor between the doors. This will give a 'vestibule' at each end, and minimize the chance of getting water on the floor if it's raining when you open the door. It will also make the living area more spacious, especially if you sleep zig-zag, all with feet in the middle.

I'm almost certain you could duct tape or sports tape loops onto the floor.

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