Tent Window – Project Completed

[Valerie E]

I finished putting a clear window into the door of my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3. I must say that I felt like a "prize idiot" cutting a hole into a key part of the rain fly of a brand-new-never-used tent! But hey, I really wanted to have a window so we can tell if the skies are clearing…

Thanks to all the BPL'ers who responded to my plea for help in choosing/finding the correct material for the window. In the end, I went with a UV-treated 20-guage marine vinyl. (Probably a teeny bit too thick, but I couldn't find any 10-guage in a small piece for a reasonable amount of money.)

I seam sealed with 2 coats of a slurry (1 part clear silicone to 2 parts odorless mineral spirits), and it passed the shower test with flying colors!

[Ken Miller]

Well done, Sierra Designs always does a good job of putting windows on their tents. Most of them are a little heavy, but very well made.

BA is one of my favorite manufacturers, local Colorado company, great products and service.

You should patent your design and sell it to them!!

Negotiate a trip to Steamboat, preferably in February. Epic winter on it's way.

[Anonymous]

Nice work Valerie.

[Valerie E]

LOL, Ken, I wish!!!!!! Never been to Steamboat Springs, but I'm sure I could have a BLAST hiking there!!!

[d k]

Very nice – I got some of the same vinyl, so will see which tent I want to try this with!

What the heck is that outside your window in the 2nd picture? I'm sure this is some sort of Rorschach test, but to me it looks like a grinning vampire bat clinging to gnarled branches!

[David Thomas]

Nice job! Now travel north and pitch your tent with the window pointing towards magnetic north. I'd see more northern lights if I'd built our house with that feature.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Valerie

Nicely done.

Cheers

[Valerie E]

>> it looks like a grinning vampire bat clinging to gnarled branches

LOL, dk — That's a distorted reflection of ME!!!!! So you got my description 100% bang-on right – you must be psychic! :~)

But seriously, this is project I was very nervous about, but now that I've done it, I would encourage other people to go for it (if they want a window). Of course, I would be happy to share my method/materials/procedure with anyone who's interested.

And David, I remember the beauty of the Northern Lights well…I only saw them once, on a kayaking trip in northern Quebec, but it was a sight I'll never forget. Hopefully, I'll get to AK in the next couple of years (husband is VERY keen to go back there).

[Jordo _99]

I had been following the previous thread and was excited to see the results.

Do you have a link to where you sourced the vinyl? Also, I'd love to see a follow up in the future for it's durability.

[Valerie E]

J P — GREAT idea to do a follow-up after it's been used for a while! That would definitely be helpful to the community. We're planning a thru-hike of the JMT next summer/fall with this tent, so I will try to remember to post after that.

My source for the material was a local awning/tent manufacturer (they make those enclosures for restaurant patios with the vinyl), but any marine supplier would also be perfect (they are rarer here in the desert)…not to mention all the places mentioned in the original thread…

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