Coghlan's Tube Tent...

SpookyPistolero

SpookyPistolero

Joined
Dec 13, 2005
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I was at Sportsman's Warehouse today and saw a lot of goodies, among which was a Coghlan's 'Tube Tent'. This was a 2.5 mil tarp that was just attached to form a tube of sorts. It was very light and only $5 which made me wonder how well it would fair.

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It seemed like it would be long enough (8 ft) to house someone comfortably along with their gear.

Do any folks who also use a tarp setup when camping have any thoughts on this? I'm trying hard to get away from hauling a huge, heavy tent into the woods every time I head out, and this seemed like a decent little setup. I realize something like the siltarps out there are vastly superior, but $5 actually fits into my budget.
 
As an alternative to the "plastic", why don't you check out the bulk material used to make Sil-Tarps.

I bought mine from here:
http://www.justmakeit.com/fabrics/utility/index.html

The stuff I bought was reasonably priced (at least cheaper than the Integral Design's tarps), and a little bit of stitchwork would turn it into your brand new, siltarp material tube tent.

D
 
I've bought a couple of these over the years but as yet haven't actually had to use one. I am concerned that 8 ft may not be long enough, given that both ends are open. I'm 6 ft, so that only gives me at most a foot of buffer on each end. Personally, I think I would sacrifice part of the floor and cut a piece to close off at least one end.

I like the idea of making your own out of Silnylon. Instead of sewing it into a tube, it would be more flexible if you attached snaps. You could choose to snap it into a tube tent or leave it flat and rig it as a tarp.

-- FLIX
 
The idea of playing with the siltarp is pretty neat, but I don't know how to go about stitching on them. I would be very worried to harm the integrity of the nylon. Any tutorials?
 
Hey, thanks for the heads up about this product, I am deffinetley going to give it a try. Cheap, light and simple looks useful for it's price.
 
SpookyPistolero said:
The idea of playing with the siltarp is pretty neat, but I don't know how to go about stitching on them. I would be very worried to harm the integrity of the nylon. Any tutorials?
Click to expand...

My understanding is that many Silnylon tarps are larger than the raw width of the fabric, so they have to have seams. These simply need to be sealed.

Here are a couple tutorials:

http://www.hammockcamping.com/Free Reports/SewTarp.htm

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi...make_your_own_gear_5_yards_to_sul_part_1.html

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/how-to-make-and-repair-camping-equipment2.htm

http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/cat-tarp/index.html

http://www.ray-way.com/tarp-nettent/index.shtml



Here's a couple of books on the subjsct:

http://www.amazon.com/Ray-Way-Tarp-Book-Net-tent-Wilds/dp/0963235958

http://www.seattlefabrics.com/books2.html#Sew & Repair Your Outdoor Gear

Aint google cool? :D

-- FLIX
 
Buy drop cloth plastic and make your own version of this tent, in the size you want, to boot. This product is intended for an emergency and will not hold up to much rough or regular use. For about the same cost you will get a whole roll of the plastic, enough for years of service.
 
Are there better tents and materials available? Absolutely.

Do they require more effort from you to make them useful. Usually.

Will a tube tent that's already extremely small get you through an unexpected night ? Yes, especially if you set it up right. Running a single line thru the tent won't do a very good job. You need to run two other lines at the corners to create a triangle.
 
Flix -- good links!


Making your own tarp is easy if you have a sewing machine.

I've made my own tarps and you hit many of the good links on how to do it. It's not so hard to sew a tarp. Silnylon is really slippery but is otherwise easy to handle. And it's really light!

One link you missed, which is good for materials, kits and general know-how:
Thru-Hiker
 
Having spent more than a few nights in a tube tent (they were commonly used by the lightweight crowd in the '70s), I can add a few comments. First, your breath will condense inside them. Second, if you happen to set up on any kind of a slope, count on sliding out of your shelter as you sleep. Given my choice I'd far prefer a fabric tent. Tube tents are okay in a pinch though. Now is the winter of our discount tent...
 
Tube tents do work. I used one backpackin way back in the day. They keep the rain off and are more durable than you would think. Not bad for 5 bucks. I keep one in each of my car kits and a couple in my BoB.
 
Spooky, if you like the idea of the tube tent, like to make stuff, but don't want to mess with a sewing machine and all, you can make your own tarps in various configurations pretty cheap. I purhcased a roll of clear 4 mil plastic that measured 8' x 25' for about $7-$8. A roll of Tarp Tape (maybe $2-$3), a grommet kit ($5?), and a pair of scissors are all you need to crank out a few tarps. 8' is a nice base measurement, but I've seen 10' wide plstic, as well. From there you can make tarps as short or as long as you'd like for whatever purpose.

Here's an 8' x 9' as I was putting it together this last winter. I have since added the grommets to it. It hasn't been used in a camping/emergency situation, but it was deployed a few times this past spring to protect plantings from late frosts.
4milTarp002.jpg

4milTarp001.jpg

Reusable, yet disposable.
 
I used a tube tent many years ago. You need a good taught ridge line, or better yet, a ridge pole. I would say it would be okay for a kit, but I would rather have something like a 10x12 silnylon tarp. A For a vehicle kit, a good ol' blue poly tarp and some rope will make all kinds of shelters. The 4mil plastic mentioned previously will work too. You don't need anything too fancy to keep yourself dry for a couple nights. Check out poncho tarps for day hiking backup. Couple one with the Adventure Medical bivy and you have a real survival combo.
 
Tube tents were all the rage back in the 70's. At least for a season. I think they are a heck of alot better than nothing but don't count on using it more than a few nights before it is worn out.

I remember tailgate camping in the Los Padres NF one deer season during an incredible summer storm. There were 3 couples, one of which made a giant tube tent out of a roll of clear plastic. It must have been 20 feet long and about 6 feet in diameter with one end tied closed. The tent stayed dry but they still left during the night.
 
Long ago when I sold building materials, I sold hundred foot rolls of clear and black polyethylene (called Visqueen then) in various widths. Often it was used for a vapor barrier underneath poured concrete slabs, and sometimes just for covering lumber and other materials on a job site. Just for comparison purposes, the thinner stuff I sold was 4 mil thick, and the 6 mil was the heavier stuff. The tube tent at 2.5 mil sounds just a little delicate unless you are real careful with it, but it certainly should help keep you dry for a night or two in an emergency. Sure beats sleeping in a trash bag at least. :D
 
Thanks a lot for all the ideas! I really wish I could afford to play around with the silnylon stuff right now, but I think it will have to wait for a later date.

I think I might just try getting some 4-6 mil plastic sheeting, as suggested, and forming my own shelter out of it. Instead of keeping it a single sheet, I think I'll try forming it into a dedicated shape with a couple of light bars for structure, like a diamond pattern or something. This ought to be fun!

Anyone know the best way to bind (permanently) tarp material? Is that 'tarp tape' that was mentioned a sturdy enough option?
 
Hikeeba: Do you feel like the 4 mil tarp was thick enough? Any problems with stretching/durability/etc? I like the idea of just making my own out of some of that type of tarp (maybe 6 mil thickness), but also adding some structure. I was thinking of making a full tent out of the tarp, sort of like this:
http://www.bushcraftliving.com/diamondtarp

It seems like a pretty expedient way to have the comfort of a tent, with a lot less weight. I'd also be able to see out a little bit, which is nice.

Did you feel like the tarp tape was able to hold the seams of the tarp reliably? I'm not sure of a good way to permanently bind the sections of tarp, and didn't know how strong the tarp tape was.

I may end up just having to make a new thread on this subject...
 
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