Tag: tent

Clothing and Equipment, Events1 Comment

MGT 2010

Greet Gijsberts

The Viking, er Saxon* and I went to MGT, and tried out the wool geteld as a pavilion, with one side propped up.   (*He's decided to switch sides and move back in time to meet me.  Looks like I get to avoid making myself a Viking apron for good!) Our friends Vladimir and Illaria sat with us, and brought rugs and their very comfy upholstered chairs.  Besides the upholstery, I really like how the high backs fill in the vertical wall of the tent, visually.  I'm wanting to find more pictures of people seated for more chairy ideas. We … Continue reading MGT 2010

Clothing and Equipment, Events3 Comments

Wool tent debut success! Held up against thunderstorm front, and much admired.

Greet Gijsberts

It worked!  A cold front came through and blew down 2 tents in the night, and three more needed serious emergency help, but this geteld weathered like a champ.  It got restaked in the morning, and there was a bit of water intrusion, but all the bedding and stuff stayed dry, and I slept, so I count it as a SUCCESS. Lots of people admired it, including mundane visitors to the fort.  The fabric is very pettable. More pics below, with my comments on some further fine tuning. Here's the pile of my stuff: Clothes chest by Gregg, table from … Continue reading Wool tent debut success! Held up against thunderstorm front, and much admired.

Clothing and Equipment2 Comments

For those who were worried about mildew…

Greet Gijsberts

Now I understand why.  A very strong argument for upgrading the weatherflaps and mudflaps to wool in future. (This picture is the weatherflap on one of the doors, sewn to the door.) They aren't now because I ran out of the main fabric, and as they needn't match, or be light-colored, I'll find something I like in future based on weight and weave type. The fine print:  After my rain test Friday night,  I let the tent dry all day Saturday.  "Dry" is a relative term in Florida.  I put the fairly dry tent in my car that night, intending … Continue reading For those who were worried about mildew…

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Tent progress – Rain test, finally, with pics!

Greet Gijsberts

(droplets beading on wool fabric, gray of first light) It figures, after a summer where it rained a lot nearly every day, I'd have to wait a few days for a paltry half inch. (rain gauge and seriously wet fabric at base of tent) But still, a half-inch is a half-inch, and it's created the 'wet sag' that I was looking for… Those stress lines were definitely not there before.  The jute strips are fantastic, they're reducing the sag. Tarp inside was completely dry, and the fabric was not wet to the touch on the inside, on the main.  I'm … Continue reading Tent progress – Rain test, finally, with pics!

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Tent progress – Punch list progresses

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(the clamps on the ends are to help keep the tension along the ridge – when the ear ends are sewn shut, they won't be needed)(that's green tarp remnants) It's coming, it's coming…(happy dance) Put tent up in yard, so I can easily fool with details. Check performance against dew. Pin on ties Fix tension/geometry of end panels by trimming bottom of triangles Determine final length of ears Trim tarp Baste on ties Adjust tarp fit – LABEL Measure and cut mudflaps Baste on mudflaps Check performance against rain (rain predicted for Friday) Machine-sew ties and mudflaps Get tarp cover … Continue reading Tent progress – Punch list progresses

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Tent progress – Frame now works!

Greet Gijsberts

The tent frame now works.  (Thanks as always for snapping pics, Mike.)  I'd gotten another joint suggestion from GMA fan Carl Smart (thank you!), and we used part of it, to great success. We ended up dropping the height of the ridgepole a total of 7" from where it had been.  I notched the short bits of the uprights to carry the ridge directly, which places the uprights at good section-modulus orientation* when you're pushing the assembled frame up underneath the fabric.  Ridge is now at approximately 8'-9". *This means a rectangular section vertical, rather than horizontal.  Much stronger shape. … Continue reading Tent progress – Frame now works!

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Tent progress – I’ve sewn a house!

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I spent a lot of time in the past week sewing on my tent. Yes, I do all my sewing currently on a 30" x 48" table squirreled away in here.  No pics of the folding required to lay out pieces in a room smaller than they are. In case I haven't said so already, this fabric is Odd.  It's a wool/Something Plastic blend, as determined by a burn test.  Except that I can't keep it on fire.  I can't help thinking this isn't a bad thing in a tent.  I just hope it doesn't turn out to be a sweatbox…but … Continue reading Tent progress – I’ve sewn a house!

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Tent stakes and puller and hardware

Greet Gijsberts

The other half of my weekend was consumed with making tent stakes, a stake puller, hardware, buying wood for ridgepole and uprights, and being shown about a pretty good flea market in Dothan. Stake puller and tent stakes.  They need painting next. Red iron is fun. First we cut 10′ long square rod (10-45 steel?) into 20″ long pieces, with angle cuts on the ends.  12 of these.  So long because of sites like Gatalop, which have sand for dirt, and occur at shoulder parts of the year, with unpredictable and windy weather.  Each stake got a notch mark at … Continue reading Tent stakes and puller and hardware

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I can haz tent geometry!!!

Greet Gijsberts

Finally, something that backs up my claim that I am an architect, really, truly I am: A graph paper geteld!  This guy is scaled 1/2"  = 1'0".  It's using a 12' long ridge, with 10' of it over 9' uprights… Here's the "open one side and put on poles view", a la this real tent: that I was talking about here.  I waved the pattern around to various people, and decided in discussion that I wanted a taller tent.  (I have tall friends, and I want to use the raised version of an airmattress.  No, don't try to talk me … Continue reading I can haz tent geometry!!!

Clothing and Equipment, Research1 Comment

Tent building – thinking about getelds

Greet Gijsberts

I have been researching various kinds of wedge tents. I'm very fond of the basic shape – I like the cool simplicity of a light-colored prism, and contrast it in my mind with a riot of woolly and painted-wood color on the ground plane with bedcoverings, rugs, cushions and trunks. I'd found this Regia Anglorum site on getelds – an intriguing design, and one found in drawings of the pre-Norman period.  They show it with one side lifted here, but you can also stake that side down, and open either end of that opening, by using half the bell as … Continue reading Tent building – thinking about getelds