Zipper Installation on Tipi/Tent

[ndbwhunter]

For those of you that have built your own tipis, tents, etc., how did you install the zipper? The tent that I'm building is a 4 sided pyramid tent and will have a 60" zipper on one side. Each side is made up of two triangles that will be joined using a flat-felled seam. The seam will run down the middle of the side, so the zipper will need to be incorporated into that seam some how.

I'm planning on running the length of the fabric with first seam, open up the fabric and then mark the zipper location and stitch both sides. Once the zipper is in place, I will open up the seam where the zipper is sitting and fold the raw edges under before running the second set of stitches through the zipper.

Does anyone have an easier method for sewing a zipper on a tent, or am I making this more difficult than it really is?

 

[ndbwhunter]

Also thinking about putting 10-12" of noseeum netting around the bottom, but I'm not sure if I fully understand the purpose of the netting. Seems like bugs will still get in unless the netting is staked down. Am I missing something here?

 

[Mike7]

With 18" of netting I have no flying bugs get in (unless camping over shrubs which hold the netting up) because the bottom few inches of netting lies flat on the ground on the inside of the shelter. This still allows about 10 inches of netting gap for ventilation. It will do nothing for crawling bugs however unless you cover the entire bottom of your shelter with a groundsheet like Tyvek to overlap the netting, and then pin it down with rocks. In our area with an open floor, I've only ever had problems with carpenter ants in the late summer on a couple of occasions...which are more of a nuissance than a real problem.

 

[Ehiggins]

Heres what I did on my tipi.
I started out covering the end of the zipper this guy did in the "prepare the zipper section"

http://www.yamamountaingear.com/diy-bug-shelter-1-25/

Next I stitched each side of the zipper like Colonel00 explains in this thread on making pullouts. (Colonel hope you don't mind the plug)
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?11645-DIY-Pullouts-pouches-and-pockets

I added a third stitch on the outside about 1/8" further away from the zipper than the second stitch. You can see pictures in my thread.
http://www.rokslide.com/forums/showthread.php?28282-Homemade-tipi-and-pullouts

Then I stitch the two sides of fabric above the zipper together using the flat felled seam and ran the stitch into the material from step 1.

Finally added a zipper garage over the end.

-Eric

 

[ndbwhunter]

Thanks for the information, guys! I'm going to try a practice piece with the zipper before I get started. I've made enough of the pullouts, so I'm familiar with the way those zippers are done.

What purpose does the silnylon at the end of the zipper serve? I'm still a little confused as to why that is needed.

 

[Ehiggins]

I don't know if it's needed or not, but there are two reasons I did it. First it provides you something to run the felled seam above the zipper into tying everything together and eliminating a gap above the zipper. Second I think it give the zipper a much more finished look.