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zelph wrote:KISS Tent

http://store.colemans.com/cart/us-milit ... rrency=USD

I have one of these somewhere.

Actually..I had a standard puptent like that but of nylon..GERRY BRAND turned it into this..

My first "tent mod" project...

I know it weighs less but what about the "space" lost in the process. "space" is comfort. Comfort is good!!!!

I

I have one of these somewhere.

I can relate to "somewhere"

I have to look under something to find somewhere all of the time

I know it weighs less but what about the "space" lost in the process. "space" is comfort. Comfort is good!!!!

The original "tent" was more just a wind tunnel with no floor and no doors on the end..just mesh over an open dirt floor..it really didn't have "comfort".,especially over mud or in crowded campgrounds.it will have a floor,it will have doors,it will still have a closable ventilation system..and weigh less.Originally it had a big heavy zipper that ran down the center of the floor,making it a one man tube tent with not even enough room to sit up.Now it's about 54-60" wide(optional)at the front end,still has room for two...even though I didn't need it for two.
I agree I did lose the "pitching" options of a tarp,atube tent,a walled tent for two,or a single tube tent..with no ends to it..other than mesh without openings except lifting the mesh curtain.
It would have made a nice Hammock tarp!..had I known at the time...

Okay..I put the other tent on hold while I played with different sewing ideas I wanted to test before actually putting the original thing together.I used the scraps from the longer pieces on the other slightly larger tent made from the string form..added some strips I had left over..I set up the back end and made a front "vestibule"(not really,just part of the tent sleeping area..called that to separate it from the rest) by using a string pattern to match up the front half with the back and yto get the dimensions somewhat right.By using the string,I really could make a front without a top seam and out of one piece rather than two and sewing the top;saving me possible leaks and hassles sewing.








I still plan on adding a small triangular vent on the nondoor side of the front vestible with a piece of bendable wire on the bottom edge of the cover to help hold a "hood " shape..and thinking about a bugscreen door sewn into the front "trek pole" line,velcroed on the other two sides.I already have velcro across the bottom of the door which attaches to the tarp-screen and makes it bug tight when the door is closed..Zipper was $2.50(1/2 price day) out of a Star Wars kid's sleeping bag. I used 8" of bug screen for the perimeter and have added a couple floor tie-outs to the stakes at the lower end to stretch it out better to full width(after pitching the thing for the pictures).
Setup is easy..throw it out of the stuff sack,stake out the two widest center points(floor controls the width)..stake out the rubber snubbered bottom center stake.Then use a trek(or ski) pole for the front end stake with the pole angled about 8" above the top tie-out..wrap the cord around the handle a couple times and stake out the loop at the other end of the cord pretty tight.Then insert the pole in the bottom end pocket under the tieout at the bottom end..stretch out the two bottom end side tie-outs with the two bottom floor ones also to stretch out the bottom corners of the floor full width.Stake the two midpoints on the sides.Adjust everything for tighter by changing pull angles,etc...takes about 3 minutes to set up ready to use.I didn't really do adjusting before the pictures...
Height..I can sit up in it..but against the ceiling at the peak.The height is adjustable by adjusting the side points in and the tie-outs higher all the way around.I plan on probably making some gutter nail longer aluminum stakes to pitch it higher and lighten the load.I figure i can get it down to 1lb 8oz with some other stakes.
Room inside..shows sleeping bag,pair of boots and a full Golite pack..plenty of room for me in the bag also.The bottom end height is a tad low,but if I pitch the tent higher, shouldn't be a problem.I plan on using this for warm summer hiking 99% of the time anyway.
I could tie-out the top to an overhead branch and eliminate the trek pole..but I have bad knees so will be packing one or two anyway.
The tent stuff sack is 3" diameter by 14"(length of the bottom end pole set at about 45 degrees into the dirt.I could shorten that pole(and stuff sack) to about 10" and set it vertical instead..I just haven't messed with that yet.I plan on a separate case outside the pack) for the stakes to eliminate damage to the tent while packing them...gutter spikes have sharp points.
Problems while making:1)DON'T use white thread(unless it's a white tarp!!!)..looks like crap!..especially zig-zag or chicken scratch stitching!MATCH the color of the material for the best overall appearance,especially if the machine/sewing isn't the greatest or rushed!
2) Bug screen for tarptents..I used 8" wide strips..not wide enough!Make it a minimum of 12"!As it is,It's pretty tight and the floor doesn't really "bathtub" much until a body is in it..12" gives you a LOT more leeway!I'll try it like it is..but if it doesn't seem like enough width,there's a whole lot of stitching to yank out to redo it!This is for wamr summer camping,no plans on using it with any chance of foul weather if I can help it!It might work fine pitched low at the back end.
3)Sewing the screen to the upper tent...It was sewn right to the edge over the doubled seam.The bugscreen attachment would be better in a couple inches from the seamed edge for a good drip overhang..at least 2" or better.I don't know if the rain will wick down through the screen onto the floor of the tent.I added the two side tie-outs also later on top to pull the edge out more at midspan;covers the mesh now okay but it may wick under.With a couple inches of overhang,it for sure wouldn't be a problem.
Anyway..I learn by experimenting and experiences(usually bad ones )..and that's what this was..mostly just scraps from the other tent I'm planning.The floor (2-1/2yds) was a remnant at about 30 cents a yard.The main body was scraps.The vestible portion was about 2yards from another odd colored piece.The mesh was about a 2-1/2 yard piece at $1.00 a yard.Stakes I had,$2.50 for the zipper and 99 cents for 36" of velcro..The tie-out nylon was $1 for a LARGE roll...all thrift store stuff.Even the trek pole is a shock absorber ski pole at $2(got a pair).The cord was a large roll for $1.Thread was a thrift store buy at $1 for 4-5 spools.
All together I figure I've got $13-15 into the thing..not counting the cost for new gutter spikes..Dang!And thought I had those already!I'll have to look around some more...

Okay..couple more shots to explain things...



First shot shows the room inside the tent better.The curved line above my shoulder is the ridgeline..you can see the clearance at the back end above the heel of my shoe..There is some room..and about 12-18" beyond my foot to the end of the tent.I'm situated on the bag where I would sleep,read or whatever.I do need to add a flashlight/candle loop above my head.You'll have to excuse my appearance,just came back from about an 8mile hike up and down a mountain..



This shows the tent flat and staked but not "popped-up" with the trek pole..I have a stake in the trek pole front loop in this shot.The bottom end of the trek pole goes in the loop the stake is in.The snubber is staked at the back end.Guess I better do a video..

RG, nice little reclaimation project ! You tinkered, you learned ! Add your protective vents and your good to go. I can't get my Singer yard sale machine to sew without generating a big ol birdsnest on the underside. The seamstress in the family failed to get it working good as did the eldest member of the family who has 8 machines. It is now in the hands of a retirement center guru who thrives on fixing the unfixable. We'll see! In the process of trying to sew, I learned the basics on winding the bobbin and threading the machine so I'm ready to give it a whirl if we get it running smooth and clean.

Make sure your tension is pulling the thread up underneath.As the thread goes down around the tensioner(adjustable knob on the front..where you thread it down and then back up again)..make sure it gets in the right groove and comes back up under the spring and hooks over the small spot near the back on the left side of the tensioner wheel before you stick it through the arm that comes out of the front of the machine,then back down through the couple of places that hold it close to the needle.
That seems to pull upward on the bottom thread at the end of the stitch..keeping the bottom tight...That's about as technical as I get...
Do your stitching slow on the foot pedal..on a sample piece of cloth..and notice what each portion of the stitch movement does...maybe you'll understand it better..
If you get to understand that where it makes sense to you..maybe I'll try and explain the serger...

i became far better aquainted with the sewing machine once i understood what they were trying to do. once it made sense to me, i was able to work with the machine in a better fashion. then i bought a brand new machine. far simpler to work with; even though it's a really cheap machine from wallyworld.

make sure it gets in the right groove and comes back up under the spring and hooks over the small spot near the back on the left side of the tensioner wheel before you stick it through the arm that comes out of the front of the machine,then back down through the couple of places that hold it close to the needle.

Believe it or not, this Singer model 4562, does not have the arm that comes out in front of the machine. This may have been a bad experiment on Singers part. I'll let my mother-in-laws friend in the retirement center play with it for awhile Worse case scenario, I'm only out $5 and will keep my eye out for another machine at yard sales tomorrow.

I picked up another one that should be better than the second one(got three)..haven't sat down to figure out that one yet,still using number two...too much extra crap to figure out.It does help to actually take the time and understand what it does by watching it stitch slowly..Then if any problems arise,you've got a good idea of where the problem is..other than the nut on the foot pedal of course...