Making a pyramid tent (some questions)

[Anonymous]

I plan to build a pyramid tent out of 1.03 oz Membrae SilPoly sourced from RSBTR.  I plan to overlap the triangles a little and initially tape the PU side to make it easier to sew (yes, i know i shouldn’t sew through the tape). What would be a good tape to use?

Other question is size. I plan to use this as a hot tent and it needs to fit at least two people, a box stove/pipe, and some gear. Is 8 foot sided triangles the smallest i could get away with, or could i go smaller?

Thanks

[Jerry Adams]

another convert to pyramid : )

I think it’s too much fiddling to use tape.  Mark a line with a Sharpie where you want the seam to go, on both pieces, and sew through it.  Silnylon stretches so the piece on top next to the presser foot ends up being longer than the bottom piece.  Shouldn’t be so bad with poly.  Use some pins at maybe 5 places along length, just to keep them aligned.  I just use hand stitches rather than pins, because it doesn’t get in the way of sewing.  Maybe practice on a couple long scraps.

I think 9 feet square floor is more of a minimum size.  The sides slope inwards, so about 1 foot all around isn’t very usable because you’ll touch the tent material.

This also depends a little on the height.  Most are like 50 inch peak, but I prefer 60 inches so I can sit up completely without touching my head on the tent material which can have condensation on it.

[Roger Caffin]

Educated guess: 8′ sides on the ground are barely adequate. Sloping sides, 6′ people, bulk of quilt at head and foot.

My strong suggestion is to tape AFTER sewing.

Cheers

 

[Nick Smolinske]

The membrane is pretty easy to sew, I wouldn’t bother with tape at all.  I second the recommendation of a 9×9.

[Jordo _99]

If you’re curious about size w/ a stove…the Black Diamond MegaMid is 9′ by 9′ and I’m sure some has modded one for a hot tent…edit: here’s one

[Anonymous]

Ok, so at least 9×9.  Since the pieces of fabric are 58 to 59 inches (usable) wide, and say 1 inch overlap, i may as well just use the full width, and get around 9.5′ sides, which would provide plenty of space for us, considering we’re both under 5′ 10″.  Will be a veritable palace.

I’ll try pins or hand sewn for the first piece and if it’s too hard to sew, then i will try the PU tape, which i’ll offset a bit so i don’t sew through it, but next to it.  Either way, i’m going to tape the seams with PU tape instead of using silicone sealer.  So that question still stands, anyone know of a good tape for this?

Thank you everyone for the help and suggestions.

[Roger Caffin]

Good tape: I ended up making my own. I stretched some fabric out very tightly on a hard wood floor, laid down a straight edge the full length (or width) of the fabric, then put down 1″ (if you can get it) 3M9845 double-sided tape against the edge. Step and repeat for several strips. Then cut off each strip, AFTER taping. The paper backing helped keep the scissors straight on each pass.

Roll up tape, the unroll tape onto seams, peeling off the backing as you go. I have done a fair amount of seams like this.

Cheers

 

[Barry Cuthbert]

Great idea on how to make your own tape Roger, thanks.

I presume that the 3M9845 sticks well to sil-nylon?

[Nick Smolinske]

I doubt the 3M9845 would stick to silnylon, but the Membrane silpoly that Justin is using has a PU-coated side, and it should stick to that quite well.

[Ben Wortman]

I agree that 9.5′ would be the minimum.  I made a 10×10 with stove a few years ago.  With 2 of us, gear and the stove, it was snug.  The stove takes more room than you think since you have to make sure you are sleeping a safe distance away from it.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the suggestion Roger.

I’ve decided not to build a pyramid, just don’t have enough time and space, but will make a large tarp instead.  I have 13 yards of it currently, so will use about 6 and try to sell the other 7.

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