strength of seams in shear directions

[Dwight Shackelford]

Ok, I’ve decided to quit lamenting over the penultimate tent design and just do something I’ll be comfortable in for my first one.

I’m still not ready to give up a floor and bug netting.

Here’s what I’m currently looking at for a tent design, even though it will not be the lightest thing imaginable:

I intend to have a bathtub floor and bug netting perimeter. If I can also use this as a cape, with all the flooring and everything in there, I’ll try.

I intend to add a some extra fabric at the bottom perimeter of the tent, as a skirt all the way around. This will help me add width to the 50″ silnylon I have, and give me a point to add some hangers for the bathtub floor.

This will put a seam around the bottom of the tent. How well will this hold up to tensioning forces when erected? That seam will be experiencing shear forces, not longitudinal. I’ve seen other tents which have some seams pulled in the shear direction (the Bilgy tent for one), and I’m just wondering if I’m in for trouble, or if there’s some seam strengthing thing I need to do, like flat-felling or something.

Dwight

[WADE JANSON]

Give the attached fabric or bug screen enough slack so that the floor floats.. No tension to worry aobut

[Dwight Shackelford]

Thanks for the feedback. Actually, I was planning on not that much tension from the floor or the perimeter screening. If that’s what you were saying.

I was worried more about the tension from the stakes on the shell fabric.

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