Tent design

[NHBacon]

I've been tinkering with tent designs and tarps. I really want to make a tipi with a 1 to 2 ft skirt around the bottom. It would get rid of that use less angle at the bottom. SO Courthouse looks similar in the back I just want to do it all the way around. Any thoughts, anybody else experimenting.

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[Beendare]

Well as a matter of fact I built one. ...my own design.

FYI, I will give permission to anyone on this site that asks me- assuming not for commercial use. i have applied for a patent...not to be a jerk...just to retain some control over this. Heck ,i will even send the pattern piece if I haven't seen you make any rude posts here- grin.

My design has venting in the side wall skirting under the outside edge of the perimeter. The perimeter forms an eve to keep the window form getting soaked. The wall is a lime green[ hard to see in pics] with window vents sewn in. Sure a guy can lift the perimeter to get the same effect. This keeps the bugs, mosquitos and varmints out....and the big advantage is it maxes out the usable space of the design [my big complaint with my old SL5]

I can tell you it works pretty slick in avg locations but does not eliminate condensation entirely in very wet spots. When camped on fairly dry ground in MT- 3 of us and very little to zero condensation. In alaska over mushy tundra that we had to make a grid of alders and brush to stay out of the muck...there was some condensation. Heck when raining we had water running under our grid so you won't find wetter than that. The skirt gives you more space to stay away from the lower walls it so it wasn't a problem.



first pitch without the sides


in alaska Edit; what looks like green meadow there in front of my good buddy Tim is actually about 12" deep water with grass sticking out of it. ....oh the spots we let these pilots dump us when there are big moose nearby!


In montana


its 12 sided to take advantage of fabric size though its more sewing, about 12' 6" from inside wall to inside wall, and from 8' to 8'10" tall. Fabric is the 1.6oz hyper d from Ripstop BTR, tent itself weighs 5.5#, with stakes, cords and pole all in right at 9.5#...rolls to the the size of a syn sleeping bag. We had verified 50 mph winds and it sheds wind like a champ if you keep it tensioned right...in the MT pic it shrunk a little.

 

[NHBacon]

That's what I had in mind sorta. I was thinking a true pyramid design. But similar with the walls


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[Beendare]

That's what I had in mind sorta. I was thinking a true pyramid design. But similar with the walls


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The walls make these more usable. Did you know one of the big tent mnfrs makes one....I think BA makes the scout 2

 

[NHBacon]

I did not

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[Beendare]

More thoughts on design as I think you are right in your thinking;
IMO, What really kills these tipis is the pitching them close to the ground. You lose a triangular area around the entire perimeter inside of the tent ...and this it puts the inside close to you where you can rub condensation off on your bags etc. Raising these up even 1 foot makes a big difference. I think there is a sweet spot when it comes to these side walls that will affect the structural integrity of the tipi design. where exactly...i don't know. I think a 3' high wall is probably too high.

I have more eve on mine than is necessary. I do like the eve vs just going with a continuous wall as in the seek courthouse as it gives you full tension on the seam without wall interference. More time consuming to sew my way...so that may be their reasoning.

If I had a do over on mine i would;
1. go with a bigger door for sure, 6' vs 4'.
2. Change the angles a little not making it quite so tall....probably 7'6" or 8' max with 18" walls and 24" fabric to tuck in under tarps and such like a sod skirt
3. Not be so worried about exact dimensions...when sewing all of the seams I would just fold and go working my way around in a circle. As long as seams are straight it will tension out tight as a drum.

4. I'm adding a little 9v computer fan to my upper vent for the inevitable smoky wood situation when opening the stove to feed. In alaska we had only wet sticks to work with and it would have been nice to clear the tent in 30 seconds vs a few minutes. If anyone has a link to one they have used i'm all ears.

I think a guy with existing tipi can sew in a skirt easily. If you use it early season you might be able to get away with just sewing a perimeter of mosquito netting. Venting these [however you do it] to create a convection current goes a long way to solving the condensation problems of these tipis.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I did experiment with short walls but abandoned it.

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[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

If you need a hand feel free to call or text me 573-465-1575

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[Beendare]

I did experiment with short walls but abandoned it.

Oh man...you had a chance to innovate and passed....its never too late- grin.
____

I would post a diagram but its easy to visualize; around the perimeter of a tipi you have this triangular space that get skinnier towards the outer edge that gets less and less usable. In those catenary wall designs like the Go Lite SL5 you have [appx] a 12" wide unusable area just inside the perimeter. Now you could pitch it 12" off the ground and solve that problem...but you create others and if doing that why not just use a tarp?

I know most tipi guys will be nodding in agreement on this 'triangle' and the issues it creates...mostly just sliding while sleeping and having your bag soak up whatever condensation formed on the tipi. Even the tent mnfrs have moved away from those steep sloping walls as campers realized footprints were deceiving as a portion of the footprint adjacent was unusable. They had a 7' footprint...but a 6 foot mans sleeping bag was wedged against the fabric????

Easy to add something like this to your existing tipi. Another cheap option would be to buy one of the cheaper sub $300 pyramid shelters [a few out there by Bear Paw and others] and then sew the skirt/wall onto it...an easy 'project'

 

[NHBacon]

My gears are turning boys!!!

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[NHBacon]

This is what I was thinking loosly. 4 sides, 7' a side. Not sure how tall it would be so you could walk in it. Bottom would be 1' high, or higher

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[ddiwd33]

some really nice work here.

 

[Dirtydan]

I worked up a design as well and also abandoned it. You really aren't gaining anything when you think about it. Footprint is still the same with your guy outs but you're loosing interior space by boxing off that last foot of diameter. You may gain on less material but loose on more sewing. You get the same effect by not setting your bag in the same area. Also, it's not a new concept at all. Look up Sibley tents. A confederate officer came up with the design. If I remember right.

 

[Beendare]

.... Also, it's not a new concept at all. Look up Sibley tents. A confederate officer came up with the design. If I remember right.

Not claiming 'new' Dan....heck how long have Yurts been around...a thousand years?

Personally, I'm just tossing it out there for others to use if they like, no sweat. All one has to do is see the multitude of complaints on these silnylon tipis and condensation to realize- its an issue. Sure, guys that pitch off the ground will say i'm overthinking it ..its their prerogative..just tossing out my version.

 

[Dirtydan]

The exact reason I went with sunforger canvas for my tipis. Not packable but super breathable and a great setup for truck camping. I still use a ultra light pyramid for backpacking, but then I have to contend with condensation.

 

[sodaksooner]

our bpwd luna 6 has a similar setup but he sewed in screen material around the perimeter. Could just as easily be done with silnylon. This allows me to pitch it so the walls are a good 6" off the ground. The screen material just hangs loosely. It does give us some more usable space. I can sleep very close to where the silnylon ends and still not hit the material.

Love the design Beendare. I am a DIY guy for sure, but way too many projects and way too many tents already in the fold....lol.

 

[406]

That's what I had in mind sorta. I was thinking a true pyramid design. But similar with the walls


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I literally have what you're describing mocked up in cardboard mini right now, will be giving it a go this winter.

There are pics of this design floating around here (I certainly didn't come up with the idea). I have a cheap knock off megamid that I'm going to ad a skirt to and pitch out in the yard to see how it does in wind and snow.

For me the question is how much vertical wall can you get away with before it becomes a negative in high wind.

I think Cabela's makes one with a floor.

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[LBFowler]

I still maintain it is largely a psychological difference and not a practical one.

Tipis of equal height and equal roof angle will have the same usable space and weigh the same regardless if one has a small vertical wall and one doesn't.

The only difference is that you can SEE the unused space without the wall, and you need a ton more guylines with the sidewall.

With enough side wall you start to have more usable space with less roof surface area, which can make a difference in snow, but they would need to be fairly tall, like a bell tent or the Courthouse, and the taller the wall the further out you need to place your guylines.

 

[NHBacon]

Grrrrrrr

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[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I still maintain it is largely a psychological difference and not a practical one.

Tipis of equal height and equal roof angle will have the same usable space and weigh the same regardless if one has a small vertical wall and one doesn't.

The only difference is that you can SEE the unused space without the wall, and you need a ton more guylines with the sidewall.

With enough side wall you start to have more usable space with less roof surface area, which can make a difference in snow, but they would need to be fairly tall, like a bell tent or the Courthouse, and the taller the wall the further out you need to place your guylines.

I'm with you

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