I've wanted to build a campfire tent for several years now and finally got it done last fall. It's roughly patterned after Bill Masons plans in his book Song Of the Paddle. I tweaked the pattern to fit my needs and the Sunforger canvas I bought.
I'll spend the next couple seasons adding to it as needed but it will be nice to have a tent that opens up to the elements in nice weather but that closes up for the harsh stuff.
Should fit real well with the traditional archery mindset and get me closer to ma nature at the same time.
Floor size closed up is 5' by 10' Opened up like the picture shows gives lots of space with the 7'by 10' flap.
Weight is 17lbs so it's light enough to top pack on a packhorse and still get a good camp in on one horse.
Most of the time the frame will stay home and I'll use a rope between a couple trees. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/roughcountry/015.jpg)
Way to go! Congratulation on a nice tent and look like good craftsman ship!!
That is a FINE tent sir. Wishing you many seasons and lots of clean air to you!
Very classy. I can picture a fine elk rack propped up next to that setup...
I have hunted Oregon several times, Mt. Emily, Starkey, Eagle Gap and some very nice weather. I can imagine on some of those evenings after a tiring day in the field you can open that tent up and sit and listen to the elk bugle and watch the stars & campfire. Nice job.
Looks good. :thumbsup:
Thats a nice lookin rig. Would look real good back in hells canyon someplace.
John
I grew up in eastern WA and I never used a tent unless it was absolutely necessary due to inclement weather. I can't do that here in FL. Too many bugs. There isn't much better than sleeping under the stars. Your tent will give you the best of both worlds. Nice work.
Looks great Roughcountry, I think you will find this to be one of the most versatile tents around. I have had one of the exact same design for nearly 28 yrs now, in nice weather, open the flap and enjoy the outdoors, in foul weather close it up and you will be dry and comfy. Mine is a larger version w/ a smoke hole for a stove, works out well in the cold weather as well. Just a note, you can open the flap and put canvas curtains around it and double the size. I think you made a great choice in design, and done an AWESOME job of construction! Congrats on a job well done!
That's a cool set-up there! Great job! :campfire:
:thumbsup: Nice looking shelter. Well done
That is beautiful!!!!
MAY THE SPIRIT OF FRED BEAR GUIDE OUR ARROWS.
What a great tent. I have been watching the Fred Bear compilation DVDs. He camps out of a very similar design. I t would be tough most of the year here in Maine due to Mosquitos and black flies. But I don't think there could be a nicer way to camp.
Thanks for the good coments. I had a blast planning this out and getting it sewed up.
It's got nylon web strips sewn into the seams to beef stress points up. Had to set the sewing machine up on the patio to get it all put together.
Moleman, I plan on getting some sidepanels finised down the road. One panel will have a stove jack.
Maineac, Bill Masons plans have a bug screen and I may add one if I need it.
Sweet looking set up Robin! That's going to make for some fine mountain camping for years to come.
:thumbsup:
Nice looking tent!
That's great. Looks good. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: God bless.
A great design and quailty workmanship; hope you nothing but many years of enjoyment; thanks for posting.
:campfire:
Robin,
That is a good looking design, I really like the openness. I can think of several places where I used to sit and spend the weekends glassing (before the wolves) elk, deer, and moose, without fihgting the elements. My spike tent was nice, but even with the attached rain fly we were subjected more to the weather then your design. I like it.
Very nice design right there!
Perfect for the Blue Mountains....
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
I have one very simular to that made of waterproof ripstop. Use it as a spike camp when elk hunting the high country. Don't use pools but the tent weighs less then 3 pounds when I pack it in.
Nice design I think Rusty called it a "Baker's Tent"
Looks great Robin. Home away from home.
I like the fact that you can add wind breaks to the sides if the need arises.
Nice looking tent Roughcountry. Do you plan on putting the side flaps on it at some point, like Bill had. You mentioned side panels earlier with a woodstove jack, are you going to replace one of the existing sides? Bill Mason was the Fred Bear of the canoeing world. I still like watching all his movies.
I have a 9x9 campfire tent made with Egyptian sail canvas. I have a window in the back, a bug screen front, front side panels and for cold condition a front cover which gives us a total tent length of 15 feet. It has been on numerous canoe trips and has withstood many thunder storms, sleet storms, and even hail. I use a single adjustable ridge pole with four up rights all made with two foot aluminum lengths. I found that with a little practice the campfire tent can be set up in about 20 minutes and often we take advantage of local trees and skip the need for the stakes and poles. A stout rope tied with a truckers hitch between two trees can easily eliminate the ridge pole and a bit of parachute cord tied to the stake loops with a rock holding down the the loop of cord will hold the tent in place in quite a lot of wind and never move. Once everything is set up they seem to work as a unit. If we have a good supply of softball sized rocks we never bother with the stakes. the total weight of the tent, extra panels, rubber floor, poles, number three Duluth pack and rope is 41 pounds. a small campfire will heat these tents very nicely, when there is little or no wind.
Nice...I sure like the light weight and design.
I am confused (easily done!)about how the stove will be set up. Any chance you could do an illustration?
Thanks,
Bob
You did a great job on that tent. I've been wanting to make one like that far several years. Hope you don't mind me asking what the material cost was and how you sowed the seams together. That is a cool set up
Jerry
Sorry for the delay guys, out lookin for cats today.
Thanks for all the great comments.
I plan to try a small campfire out toward the edge of the tarp like Mason shows and describes in his book. I'll see how things work.
I thought I'd try the stove jack in one of the side panels first (side panels are easyer to replace)
Bob, I've got to do some experminting before I know just how the stove will be placed. Mason shows a stove set out at the end of the flap with the pipe clearing it in a few pics.
I'll use the tent a few times this spring to get a idea how the side panels should be built. I have a small stainless stove I made for my smallest wall tent that will work for this one if the campfire smokes me out.
I'll most likely use my horse trailer side to tie the flap to on a couple trips out with a colt. Great way to break a tent in, colt, a couple hounds and a few long ridges to ride.
Hope to have all the bugs worked out when the bulls start to bugle this september. Homemade gear makes a hunt feal better somehow.
Walt, I saved my doodle sheet plans if you got a good ridge in mind up there. Even have some nylon tape left.
Didn't see your post while I was one finger typeing Jerry.
I'll try to get some close up pics of the details tomorrow for you.
The canvas, tape and cord was under 150.00 so far.
The canvas was 60" sunforger with flame retardation treatment. It was the biggest cost @130.00
QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:
I have one very simular to that made of waterproof ripstop. Use it as a spike camp when elk hunting the high country. Don't use pools but the tent weighs less then 3 pounds when I pack it in.
Nice design I think Rusty called it a "Baker's Tent"
Yes, Baker tent like this one;
(http://www.trackofthewolf.com/imgPart/lean-to_1.jpg)
And the Whelen like this one (a bit too breezy for my elk country :) );
(http://www.trackofthewolf.com/imgPart/whelen_1.jpg)
Where did you get the rip stop version. That would make it packable without the horse. :)
Here's a couple pics of the way I did the seams and the gussets in stress spots Jerry.
Hope this shows up ok, storming the last couple days so I just thru it on the leather bench.
All seams are double stitched with nylon thread.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/roughcountry/001-3.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/roughcountry/002-1.jpg)
Looks great Robin!! :campfire:
Thanks Curt.
I used a old industrial singer sewing machine to sew it up. It was getting pretty close to maxed out sewing thru the seams with the nylon web.
I found some thinner webbing that would have made that a little better (to late)
I'm sure time will show lots of little things that could have been done different, but thats part of the fun building it.
I like. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Nice!
I like that tent. be sure to take pictures of your different trips to share.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Thanks guys, for all the comments. I hope this prompts a few to tackle like projects in the future.
Charlie, I'll do my best to get some pictures this summer and fall.
Too bad you didn't have that a few years ago bud. We could really have made that Texas kid squirm.
:wavey:
Nice job!!! :thumbsup:
Nice work - simple - well thought out.
Connie made ours. She said it was pretty easy and we waterproofed the seams.
I throw it in Jason's pack along with anything I can think of that might add weight to mine. LOL
Mike
Charlie, I gotta admit I think about CK in the snow with a chuckle every now & then. Good times.Hope you wintered well :wavey:
Mike, do you have a picture of your light weight model?
Nice lookin' camp Robin!
Let me know where you plan on setting it up and I'll come visit ya next September. I'll bring along a few sticks of wood for the fire and hopefully some elk steaks to roast over the coals...might even mix up some peach cobbler in the Dutch oven.
I can think of several saddles where the bulls would keep you awake at night.. not a bad thing! Hope the bugles haven't been replaced by howls now!
QuoteOriginally posted by Tree Killer:
Nice lookin' camp Robin!
Let me know where you plan on setting it up and I'll come visit ya next September. I'll bring along a few sticks of wood for the fire and hopefully some elk steaks to roast over the coals...might even mix up some peach cobbler in the Dutch oven.
I can think of several saddles where the bulls would keep you awake at night.. not a bad thing! Hope the bugles haven't been replaced by howls now!
Elk steaks and peach cobbler??? How many can ya squeeze in there, Robin? :D
Looks great!
Dang Ron, you got my mouth waterin.
For peach cobbler we should be able get several people crammed in Stan. I have some huckleberries and a couple dutch ovens to hold em also. :)
Got room for a flatlander!! :bigsmyl:
Elk steak and peach cobbler sounds good, Now I'm hungry dangit!
I sure miss that Oregon country and the fine people I got to know over the years. The tent looks great Robin you did a fine job and I bet you will get many years and many memories out of it.
Tracy
Sure do Tracy, bring a fork & spoon.
I think if I take care of it, this tent should outlast me.
Our weather during archery season is mostly mild and I wanted a shelter that give you a veiw but dosn't block the smells and feel of the great outdoors.
The older I get, the more important the little things are to me. Now I want to see that little bird making that noise, and feel the dampness from a fall rain. I want to smell the smells after a fall rain hits pine needles and hot earth, not just the smell of the cavas in my enclosed wall tents.
Later, when the weather gets cold I can enjoy the smells of all those old camps in the canvas of my old wall tents(and be warm) ;)
"The older I get, the more important the little things are to me. Now I want to see that little bird making that noise, and feel the dampness from a fall rain. I want to smell the smells after a fall rain hits pine needles and hot earth, not just the smell of the canvas in my enclosed wall tents."
Wish I had written that. :knothead:
That tent and your mountains look like a match made in Heaven. I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it.
I am beginning to believe that there are very few worthwhile things that you can't make!
Looking forward to the pictures and stories.
Killdeer
Very nice. A man of many talents. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Good luck with the cats Robin. I wish you were closer to help with these yotes in Ohio.
Nice! Sure would be cool to come help ya break it in... some day... :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Hi Killie, I can't even warm you up in the writin dept. Or the thinkin for that matter.
Mike, prices are goin up on yotes. I payed the doctor bill on my daugters birth with coyote hides. I've even called a couple into a archer, very fun.
Doug, I got something planned down the road. This tent may be a bit cool for what I'm thinking about but your in that plan. No way out bud :D :campfire:
Hey Robin, very cool looking tent.
how many hounds can you get in there ? ;)
I love Killdeers Philosophy on live and her writing is outstanding.SteveO's got it right ,I can picture that rack propped up against the tent AND the tenderlions roasting skewered on sticks above a hot coal fire,with my old coffee pot just to the side.Like Killdeer said ,man the small things! Must be an age thing as I no longer remember the hard sweating climbs with aloaded pack heading up the mountain LOL
Man I love your tent.
Hey Walter, good to hear your typin :wavey: I'm down to seven hounds so we all should stay outta the rain :D
Thanks Steve, hope to start breaking it in soon. :campfire:
nice tent Robin
where you at in Eastern Ore? I spent some wonderful time in the Joseph area and Eaglecaps!
Hi Jim. I'm on the west side of the Blue Mt's north of the little town of Helix.
I've spent some time in the Eaglecaps, wore some horseshoes out on the rocks. A few years ago Charlie Lamb & Curtis Keller joined me for a hunt on the edge of Hells Canyon. C.K. like to froze to death in 12" of snow, quite a temp difference from south Texas.
We had a blast.
That was a great thread I think I will try to find it again. You guys did great in some awesome country and tuff weather .
Tracy
Thanks for the info. I look at your tent every day because I copyed it and made it my wallpapper. It keeping thinking. I will try to make one.
Tracy, I think of that camp and campmates often.
Sure glad I brought the woodstove.
Charlie got a buck but the elk pulled down outta the snow.
Jerry, Bill Masons book has pretty detailed plans with bug netting, windows and lots of tips. It's also the best book I've ever read on canoe camping. I'll email you a sorce for sunforger canvas if you need it. RS
Robin do you remember the name of the thread?
That blood trail in the snow was unreal after Charlie shot that deer.
Tracy
I sure don't Tracy. I think Charlie or Curtis started the thread and it would have been 7 or so years ago. Dang time flys.
Charlie's shot on that buck was unreal, then we walked over by the tree that was behind it. The tree was painted, I've never seen a trail like that before or since.
7 years already dang!
I will keep looking buddy and check Charlie's old threads to. Thanks!
Tracy
Robin, sent you a PM.