Gimme Shelter

DOC-CANADA said:
Define simple tent.

Doc
Click to expand...
Doc it has been years since I've used it. The more I remember the less simple I think it is. It has the general shape of the tube tent except the ends are closed.
There is a rain cover on it which just complicates what was a simple tent. I will take it out when I get a chance . Maybe I could carry just the rain proof outer tent.
 
Oooooooooooooooops


DOC-CANADA said:
Define simple tent.

Doc
Click to expand...
Doc it has been years since I've used it. The more I remember the less simple I think it is. It has the general shape of the tube tent except the ends are closed.
There is a rain cover on it which just complicates what was a simple tent. I will take it out when I get a chance . Maybe I could carry just the rain proof outer tent.
 
I have seen cheap military parachutes at army surplus stores for around $20 -40 USD.
 
tiros said:
I have seen cheap military parachutes at army surplus stores for around $20 -40 USD.
Click to expand...

Somehow cheap and parachute is not reassuring.

I can just see the advertising.

"Guarranteed for three thousand feet or the ground............... Whatever you hit first."
 
This is my pick, http://alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/ponchotent.htm since making poles for my poncho they have a permanent spot in my pack, I can wear my poncho while moving or stop, set up my shelter and rack out for a few hours. This shelter is warm, dry, light, and versatile as Yall can tell I really like it.



BTW I am a huge Rolling Stones fan and Gimme Shelter is one of my favorite songs. Chris
 
Kevin,

you could make a feild expediant version of the tube tent with just a tarp.
Close the "feet" end with Debris or a small piece of plastic or a poncho.
Stake wooden pegs through the matching grommet holes in the tarp to fasten that side to the ground.
(not shown) Use another long pole like your ridge-pole at other floor angle to keep floor streatched width-wise, stake it where it exits the structure.
TarpShelter.jpg


If it were survival and getting cold and windy, pile leaves and debris over this.

Build a fire facing opening, and pile rocks or stack wood opposite side of fire, to reflect heat toward the structure.
I usually try to pile leaves/ dead grass underneath for cushioning and insulation.
 
Runningboar, I missed your reply, great little structure.
That's got me thinking.

With some flexible green wood, one might be able to make a dome-like structure using a piece of plastic. Hmmmmm.

Always good to have more than one trick up our sleeves.
Cold is one thing, but rain is another. I'm always thinking of ways to keep dry.
I've spent enough nights with wet feet or damp clothes to know it's no good. :thumbdn: :grumpy:

Oh another thought on the topic of rain.
Simple concept, the steeper the roof, the better it sheds water.
Teepee being the near the apex of steepness. a lean To is tyically at the other end of the spectrum.
For a Debris hut, if you think it's likely it will rain, build the walls as steep as you can to shed the water, especially if only making it out of natural material.
The flatter the roof, the more it wil leak.
 
Chris I'm a big guy. Overweight as well. I don't think I would fit in that unless there was absolutely no choice. There would be a chance I would upset or at least dislodge it.

It would seem a viable alternative for medium sized people. I like the tension the poncho is under. It would shed rain or not let snow enter. Do you think it would support a foot of debris over it? That would be great insulation.
 
i like to carry a poncho as a tarp shelter etc, but i like to be able to pull it out and use it if it rains, so i keep 4 cords with loops tied in one end each. when i want to set up the tarp, i put the loops through the grommets and pull the rest of the cord through them, to make a slipknot that grabs the grommet, and comes out quickly and easily.

i also carry small metal tent stakes, and two large plastic stakes for wet or loose ground. this is because i have tried to find some good stakes while setting up, and found it to be pretty difficult, without cutting living saplings, and even then these do not work very well.

a good way to put up the poncho so that it will not sag and it will be sturdy and not blow away in teh wind (or rip) is to set up a lean to frame with poles, and then tie the poncho over the frame.
 
"a good way to put up the poncho so that it will not sag and it will be sturdy and not blow away in teh wind (or rip) is to set up a lean to frame with poles, and then tie the poncho over the frame."

I also think that is a very good sturdy solution , whether it be tarps, ponchos or even a space blanket. make that skeleton, drape over the rain/moisture barrier, then add more debris to hold it in place, and provide insulation.

I like kevin's idea about heaping leaves and debris over Runningboar's shelter.
It would be like a "leaf cave", should be quite snug.

Grommet kits come in handy. I bought one years ago to repair tarps.
i find you can "grommetize" most anything to make it more useful.
If it's very thin material, someone already suggested backing the material with duct tape. Then you can punch a grommet in it with no problemo.
149618-8812.jpg
 
Yes I think it would support the debris, I have a friend that is 5' 11" and he has just enough room under it. It is already very snug and warm, I think because it is small , if it isn't raining I open the hood and prop an edge up to catch a breeze.
 
Here are links to Equipped.org's info on shelter in general and their page on tarp tents in particular.

img1023616464.jpeg


Small tarp clips like the one pictured above, without the carabiner, offer a versatility (put it where you want it) when staking out or rigging up a tarp. I get them from Home Depot.

We use them to help hold 6 mil plastic sheeting on improvised raised-bed greenhouses. They do a good job & don't seem to tear, even in high wind. I reinforce the plastic where the teeth grab hold with duct tape. You do have duct tape in your kit, right? ;)

I've also seen these with hooks, as opposed to the hole shown, on the end opposite the teeth. I prefer the hole version because I'd be afraid the hook might uncurl under strain far enough to let loose of the cord.

BTW if you Google "tarp shelter" you find a large variety of info and pics of how folks use them.
 
I been to kusu (tortise) island for a lifeguard duty and me and my friends stayed overnight there. Everyone bought tents and at night there were about 5-6 tents set up everywhere. I bought a hammock and poncho and set it up. I took the longest time to set it up (because the line was not threaded yet...) but was the most comfortable at night. There was only a few problems of being too cold as it was raining and the wind was blowing. I was dry the whole night though. I put on another layer of clothes and a jacket and I was as warm as a baby. When it was time to break camp, I was the first and fastest to keep everything. It was all in the bag in 9min flat.
I got a few pictures on it but i do not know how to post it. can anyone give me instructions on how to post pictures or if you want just post your email and i will send the pictures to you.
 
yesterday and today afternoon, i headed out in the woods to build a long term leanto shelter over a favorite hanging out spot for whittling fuzz sticks and making a cup of tea or soup. with winter coming, i want the spot to be snow free so i can still have a spot to set my stove and sit on dry ground.

it took me about an hour and a half total, the most time was spent on cutting the verticals and gathering the spruce (?) branches with needles for the covering. i used a heavy 4 inch bladed knife i made with a freind, and recently put a good edge on with my new grinder. the first night took about an hour, and i finished cooking a handful of rice just as it got dark. i had to stop working because my fingers were becoming numb through my leather work gloves, and i was running out of places to look for branches with needles (i ended up climbing into a tree to cut down one of the perfect branches i saw...a definate NO during a survival situation). today i pretty much just put up some more covering on the roof, and filled in a lot of the gaps. in the future (mainly in the spring/summer) i plan on adding more coverage.

the point to all of that is that it would take quite a long time to set up a decent shelter for a night of sleep. of course if you are staying in one place for a few days or longer, the payoff is greater and more easily justified.

another thing on the poncho: you can always just wear it sitting against a tree or something to shed the rain etc
 
siguy! sounds nice,
grab a pic of it when you can, would like to see it. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
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