I'm going to make a 2 person tarp/tent. I'm thinking of something similar to a SMD Haven. Can anyone point me to plans for a Haven or something similar?

What material are you using? I would start with the bathtub floor and build the roof, suspend it and measure the mesh sides then build the side flaps.

Either .75 oz cuben or silnylon.

Thanks for the advice on the build approach.

I would go cuben, half the weight, way easier to cut and taping then sewing is way easier than sewing, and you can use cuben tape the seams. I HATE silicone seam sealing, looks terrible!

If you use silnylon, it's way cheaper. You might find after using it, it isn't quite right and you want to do a second version, so doing it cuben would be a waste.

Also, silnylon stretches more so it's more forgiving of any layout errors. You have to lay out, cut, and tape perfectly if it's cuben.

I would also start with silnylon. Sewing is not that hard. The hardest part (for me anyway) is accurately cutting all the panels.

Something that can be really usefull when you're designing a tent is a program like Google Sketchup. You can easily draw your design and a couple of variations and then accurately measure the panels.

@ Mark, I downloaded sketchup yesterday. However, I was hoping the tent I'm considering is common enough that there would be plans on BPL forums or the broader internet.

@ Kaleb and Jerry: I decided to go Cuben. I may make a model out of window shrink wrap, but the key is a good plan.

Does anyone have a link to plans? Does anyone have a sketchup file they created for a tarp (tent)?

"@ Kaleb and Jerry: I decided to go Cuben."

I think you'll end up with a really nice tent

It'll be interesting to see your finished product

Edited by retiredjerry on 04/06/2012 11:54:42 MDT.

Here is a first pass design in Sketchup. Any comments or recommendations?

The flootprint length is 9'6". I guessed that a 9" offset from center on the poles would be good. Anyone have experience with offset poles on a side entry?

This will be 8 yards of Cuben, so $160+ for Cuben alone. Bathtub will be 8' x 4' silnylon. Debating whether bathtub should be a double wall net or netting attached to tarp. Recommendations?

John,
I had a similar project going, which resulted in a pretty extensive discussion thread:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=47007

Ultimately, I went with a simpler design, although I may come back to this.

The importance of a mock-up, in my opinion, can't be overstated. It doesn't take too many screw-ups before you've spent about the same in materials as what a commercial version would cost (not to mention your time).

Like Jerry, I look forward to seeing the results. Please post (progress reports are good, too).