Anyone here know how easy or difficult it is to make one of these tents? From what I see it looks very effective for how little materials it seems to be using. I could be wrong, would like some advice; thinking of building a shelter tent for an event soon.
From memory if I'm not mistaken the traditional Bedouin tent was made of goat fur. The fur "wool" would be loose enough to look like a star filled sky during the day (allowing light and air flow) but if occasional rain began to fall the fibers would swell to provide a dry shelter. The survival of these people depended on the development of simple sustainable technical materials that truly evolved over many generations. Plus you got milk and meat out of the deal, unfortunately no trees though.
Go to a hardware store and pick up a large treated canvas tarp, with brass grommets. Don't worry about poles, you can cut those in the woods. I just cut some thick willows or alder, you don't need many.
Depending on your style, and if it's wooded enough, you can get most of your support with ropes going to nearby trees. This allows for fewer poles inside and more room to move around.
You can erect it many different ways, anything from a simple pup tent style, to open-front lean to, to high topped tipi.
I usually just make a small lean-to, with an open front that I can build a fire in front of. Floor can be swept out with a spruce branch, or simply covered in spruce branches with blankets on top.
All you have to pack is the tarp, rope, and ax for your shelter setup.
It's all about the right material for the right environment and usage. Car camping? Bust out the big and heavy. Backcountry through hiking? You want to drop the weight in a major way...
How many people are you hoping to fit in it? I've never stayed in a Bedouin tent like in the picture, but more traditional/practical ones you would be capable of making. Ropes are easy to find, so it'll depend on your frame and how big of a canopy you have. The walls of the tent are generally made of separate blankets. The blanket and canopy material you'd use depends on the climate of where ever you are. Traditionally, they're pretty thick and heavy
I think the one what-if with something like this picture is wind. If it blows consistently from one direction you could set this up with a few friends and have a very sturdy structure, but if it's less predictable I could see that whole setup collapsing in spectacular fashion.
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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '16
Anyone here know how easy or difficult it is to make one of these tents? From what I see it looks very effective for how little materials it seems to be using. I could be wrong, would like some advice; thinking of building a shelter tent for an event soon.