Come to think of it, this reminds me of a REALLY old outward bound video we watched in an Outdoor Education class I took. It was at a camp up in the Rockies, and each student went on a solo trip for a couple days sometime during the course of the program. Their state-of-the-art shelter was a piece of plastic sheeting (like these) draped over a ridgeline strung between two objects, with rocks used the same way as the styrofoam balls here to guy out the corners.

Sometimes you've got to step back and give the staying power of the low-tech some appreciation.

Do you have some pictures of where the pole meets the tarp? I'm working on making a tarp tent and haven't figured out the best way to reinforce the area where the pole meets the fabric (the peak). If anybody has any ideas , this would be greatly appreciated. I will post a full write up on my new tent after I get it completed just in case anybody wants to copy. ;)

Retiredjerry, great article. Some neat enginuity here. Thanks for sharing. I bet it sparks some ideas in the tent makers that frequent this site. Well done.

Just got back from trip on beach of Olympic Peninsula - great place for winter trip - too busy in summer.

I'm surprised there was so much feedback - not made of Cuben or anything.

I'll have to try clear 3M tape next time, I think that might work better than duct tape. Or Gorilla Tape - there's so little used the weight probably doesn't matter.

Tyvek would probably work, I've only used it a little as a ground cloth. Is it wide enough for a tarp without having to sew pieces together? The beauty of poly is they make it in huge sheets.

There are three seams on my catenary curve silnylon tarp. The two ridgelines are cat curves. I keep playing with this. Currently I have a short center pole at the bottom - the two ridges with cat curves don't make sense but it doesn't seem to make any difference. What I should have done is make the tarp with two pieces and one seam down the center, same as other similar tarps, like the Cuben one that BPL sells.

Sheet bend at corners - then the edges of the tarp aren't under tension so they flap around a little, but so what I guess.

I have some bubble wrap, not sure yet what I'll make out of it, maybe a vest, 3M tape should be of use.

Jason, I don't quite understand your question

The last three pictures show a pole through a grommet at the edge of the tarp.

Somewhere in the middle it has a closeup of pole without grommet. That's a pretty common way to do it, I believe.

What do you mean by the peak of a tarp tent?

For those who, like me, don't make their own gear, this approach is useful to "prototype" manufacturers' shaped tarps. I'm just at the height where reviewers say "taller people may find this setup confining" so I like to "try before I buy". Manufacturer dimensions plus BPL review measurements, and a little geometry, enable a layout on sheet plastic. Straight lines and flat panels are good enough for this "fit check". These have just been backyard try-outs, but enough to eliminate a couple of purchases that I probably wouldn't have been happy with, and find out what works for my height even if it's heavier.

Another thing you can try, is to just have twine where the ridgeline and corners are to get an idea if it's big enough,

easier than doing a plastic sheet

As Jerry suggests, I use very thin sewing thread if I want to know how the dimensions will come out when I start with a new project.

This is a picture of the front-extension I was going to make for my GoLite Lair 1. I hope the thread is visible.



Edit: to have a bit more contrast in picture - as I supposed, the lines where hardly visible (hope it's better now).

Edited by theflyingdutchman on 02/21/2011 13:48:05 MST.

Exactly - I can see the threads - nice picture

thanks for taking the time to share this.

i work in construction so i have miles of that line! and i'll be replacing my tent strings for this..

i'll def try the 3 mil plastic shelter... ! thanks again