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#120208 - 09/02/09 08:32 PM Pre made bathtub floor
bigb Offline
member

Registered: 07/05/09
Posts: 124
Loc: Maryland
How realistic would it be to take a golite shangra-la floor and build your own tent off of it, considering making a tent my winter project
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#120519 - 09/07/09 11:36 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: bigb]
Paul Offline
member

Registered: 09/30/02
Posts: 778
Loc: California
Quite realistic in terms of being a good starting point, but on the other hand the floor is the easiest part of the tent to design and make - you still have all the tricky parts left - so really the only benefit is if it has factory sealed seams, since they are the only thing you can't do yourself.

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#120569 - 09/08/09 08:02 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: Paul]
Weldman Offline
member

Registered: 11/21/05
Posts: 193
Loc: Sunnyvale, Ca
I made a homemade Bug hut for my MegaMid last year. Made it from Walmart DWR Coated Nylon and added a coat of Silicone spray for extra WP.


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#120582 - 09/09/09 12:28 AM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: Weldman]
bigb Offline
member

Registered: 07/05/09
Posts: 124
Loc: Maryland
I was really hoping to start with a floor that was 100% water proof, plus the floors are pretty cheap price wise, Your right though, the real challange will be the rest of the project.
thanks
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"In the beginers mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
Shunryu Suzuki

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#120595 - 09/09/09 10:59 AM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: bigb]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Originally Posted By bigb
I was really hoping to start with a floor that was 100% water proof, plus the floors are pretty cheap price wise, Your right though, the real challange will be the rest of the project.
thanks


IMO a "waterproof" floor is highly overrated - particularly with the shangri-la - I use mine *without* a floor.

If you want a good beginner project start with a floorless tent design and use a sheet of tyvek or plastic for a groundsheet inside rather than worrying about a "waterproof" floor.
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#120601 - 09/09/09 01:01 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: Paul]
finallyME Offline
member

Registered: 09/24/07
Posts: 2710
Loc: Utah
Originally Posted By Paul
Quite realistic in terms of being a good starting point, but on the other hand the floor is the easiest part of the tent to design and make - you still have all the tricky parts left - so really the only benefit is if it has factory sealed seams, since they are the only thing you can't do yourself.


Yes, factory sealed seams are hard to do without the factory. But home sealed seams are doable, and just as waterproof.
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#120612 - 09/09/09 05:05 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: phat]
bigb Offline
member

Registered: 07/05/09
Posts: 124
Loc: Maryland
This a serious ? not my normal sarcastic ways, but wouldn't a floorless tent be a tarp.
If not, I would be interested in where to research it further, can it be bugproof etc.
_________________________
"In the beginers mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
Shunryu Suzuki

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#120619 - 09/09/09 08:12 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: bigb]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Indeed, a shangri-la floorless is like a shaped tarp, but with the door shut it is quite bug-free and has vents at the top which have bugnet in them. so if you pitch it on the ground it's not gonna let too many in.

Since you were talking about it for winter (as do I, because most of the time that is when I use it) bugs aren't really a concern then.

I also put a stove boot in mine and have a little stove for it wink
_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


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#120675 - 09/10/09 08:01 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: phat]
deacon Offline
newbie

Registered: 08/21/09
Posts: 4
Loc: PA
phat,
Could you elaborate on the stove set up? Sounds like I may need to go with a tarp to do likewise.

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#120681 - 09/10/09 08:44 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: phat]
bigb Offline
member

Registered: 07/05/09
Posts: 124
Loc: Maryland
Actually phat I kinda meant winter project meaning make one over the winter. I do winter backpacking, overnights as well, I just bought a mountain hardware spire on closeout for this winter, been using a 3 season till now. I sold my 2 person marmot and am using my 1 persom marmot while the weather is still warm.

I want to make a 2 person ultra light shelter in the design of the new tarptent moment(which I should just buy and call it a day, buy am curious about the challenge of making my own
_________________________
"In the beginers mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."
Shunryu Suzuki

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#120691 - 09/10/09 11:39 PM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: bigb]
Paul Offline
member

Registered: 09/30/02
Posts: 778
Loc: California
Having sewed a few tents and tarps over the years, I would be reluctant to sew a tent again. Several reasons: first, the pieces of fabric are so large that it is a bear to keep it all under control while you maneuver it through the machine. It is very easy to find you have sewed through a few extra layers of fabric and have to take the seam aprt and try again - a real drag when working with waterproof fabrics. Secondly, tents are tricky to design so that they set up taut, which is essential for weatherworthiness. To get it really right a few prototypes is best, but that is not usually practical for the do-it-yourselfer. Unless you have extreme patience, excellent dexterity, and PLENTY of free time I can't recommend making your own tent. The money you'd save is relatively little, and you can't get much lighter than the stuff that is available form Tarptent and Six Moon and others. Unless I was trying to make something quite different than what I could buy I wouldn't sew a tent. Make a pack instead, they're much more fun!

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#120694 - 09/11/09 12:23 AM Re: Pre made bathtub floor [Re: Paul]
chris2k Offline
newbie

Registered: 08/17/09
Posts: 12
Loc: Nashville, TN
I'm actually very interested in sewing a tent. This thread is interesting and follows what I've seen to be the hang ups as well as advantages.

DIY will always ring true to me. Sometimes it's easier to buy pre-made, but when you make your own, it's yours through and through. It may not be the prettiest thing, but it's all yours.

All that aside, I agree it's a lot of work and I personally don't have the means to do such yet*. But my goal is to get to the point where I can make and compose my own equipment exactly as I need it to be.

*no sewing machine. working on that. didn't want to leave it hanging...


Edited by chris2k (09/11/09 12:26 AM)

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