View Full Version : Survival "tube" tent...
Is it possible this is all you need? 0.875 pound survival tent...
http://www.emergencysurvivalsource.com/product/SWTT
Comments?
Succesful thru hikes have been accomplished with this tent(see lynne wheldon's "lightweight backpacking secrets revealed") . I have made some similar tarps with clear poly from the hardware store.
wrongway_08
02-04-2008, 14:04
Man if wasnt bright orange, it'd be pretty cool.
doggiebag
02-04-2008, 14:04
Is it possible this is all you need? 0.875 pound survival tent...
http://www.emergencysurvivalsource.com/product/SWTT
Comments?
It may work from late spring to early fall (if you're hardcore) ... but - it has no bug netting or a bathtub floor. I'd probably go with a tarp which would have more setup options. I'm not one to judge by a products price ... but a $6.00 - survival tube tent is probably not robust enough for anything other than a couple of uses. Just my first impression ... I'd be hesitant to rely on that thing for an extended hike. For all it's worth - it's still a shelter - but I've been known just to sleep in my wet weather gear and a headnet in the right conditions when I just need a couple of hours of sleep during night hikes.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-04-2008, 14:07
I'm surprised no one has made one of these from silnylon.
wrongway_08
02-04-2008, 14:07
Doggiebag........ a $6.00 tent is fine - your just too rough on your equipment!
Realy, this is just an emergency tent, its not made to handle being used everyday.
doggiebag
02-04-2008, 14:09
bug net
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-04-2008, 14:19
Succesful thru hikes have been accomplished with this tent(see lynne wheldon's "lightweight backpacking secrets revealed") . I have made some similar tarps with clear poly from the hardware store.Did this person stay in shelters a lot? I've had several of these poly tube tents over the years - they certainly wouldn't last for an entire thru - they are made of about 2.0 mil poly film.
Ramble~On
02-04-2008, 14:23
I'm surprised no one has made one of these from silnylon.
Henry Shires.:D
doggiebag
02-04-2008, 14:26
Did this person stay in shelters a lot? I've had several of these poly tube tents over the years - they certainly wouldn't last for an entire thru - they are made of about 2.0 mil poly film.
I'd imagine someone doing a lot of shelter racing for anyone carrying this thing. A combination of sustained winds and low temperatures can easily add to misearble living conditions that wouldn't help extend a thru-hike attempt. Going light has it's costs. I'd carry the extra weight of a sturdy tent that would allow a reasonable comfort in bad weather. A couple of back to back cold wet days would have anyone using this thing running for the next closest town.
double d
02-04-2008, 14:26
Remember one issue about the "tent", its only use is for survival and should not be depended upon for everyday use on the AT.
earlyriser26
02-04-2008, 15:49
Back in the day when I used shelters this is what I carried for emergency shelter. Back in the 70's shelters were not that full. Only used it once on top of sadelback and it worked OK. Not for longterm use
The Cheat
02-04-2008, 16:06
Slept in one in New Hampshire - early July in the late 1980's. Apparently lived to tell the tale, wouldn't want to do it too many nights in a row.
Man if wasnt bright orange, it'd be pretty cool.
My guess is it is orange to be easily noticed by search and rescue since it's only a survival tent.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-04-2008, 18:25
I'm surprised no one has made one of these from silnylon.
Henry Shires.:DActually more like Ray Jardene / GoLite. But no one has come out with something this simple in silnylon as a one-man tent for the shelter rats to carry just in case they can't get in the shelter and for the very committed ultralighter.
If you add four tabs to allow staking at the corners, 'beaks' at each end to block blowing rain, an overhead hanging bugnet to cover only head to waist and maybe even a 'tongue' of material from the floor to be attached at the ridgeline to provide some wind protection on one end for really awful weather - this could be a very weather and bug-worthy shelter that would weight very little.
fiddlehead
02-04-2008, 22:31
I used one like this on my thru in '77. It lasted us until Erwin, TN when we bought a $19.99 pup tent. It worked ok but didn't have the bug protection and needed trees of course.
Could make them in sil-nylon but what's the point? I'd really rather not have a floor. (floors are a place to collect water) and really can't see any way to improve the design of my Integral Designs Sil-Shelter. At 14 oz. and dry as a bone in a snow/rain storm, it is a better design than the tube tent idea. (and can be set up away from trees, as on the PCT/CDT/Pyrenees/Nepal, etc. )
I did make a sil-nylon copy of the Mega-mid that comes in at 2 lbs. I would use it for 2 or more people on a shorter hike. But if it's a thru, i want to be lightweight as possible.
take-a-knee
02-04-2008, 23:09
I used one of those things in the Cohuttas in the winter of 76, it rained and turned into a bathtub and then froze.
River Runner
02-04-2008, 23:15
Is it possible this is all you need?
No.
They are thin plastic, rip easily, and offer no protection at the ends. You would be better off with a proper tarp that can be configured for different conditons than a plastic tube to funnel wind/rain through.
take-a-knee
02-04-2008, 23:24
No.
They are thin plastic, rip easily, and offer no protection at the ends. You would be better off with a proper tarp that can be configured for different conditons than a plastic tube to funnel wind/rain through.
That is exactly what happened to mine. I think mine froze and cracked when I tried to get the ice out of it the next morning, total POS.
Wise Old Owl
02-04-2008, 23:29
Head net????
Want to give a pint to the flying red cross as a donation?
Head nets are dehydrating. At least the pus filled bites receed after a few days.
doggiebag
02-04-2008, 23:29
That is exactly what happened to mine. I think mine froze and cracked when I tried to get the ice out of it the next morning, total POS.
Well at least you made it through - I'm assuming you didn't sleep at all that evening. Wet frozen conditions scare the carp out of me - more than lightning. Worst scenarios: cold, wet, windy conditions with a crappy shelter system.
take-a-knee
02-05-2008, 00:05
Well at least you made it through - I'm assuming you didn't sleep at all that evening. Wet frozen conditions scare the carp out of me - more than lightning. Worst scenarios: cold, wet, windy conditions with a crappy shelter system.
Only the foot of my synthetic bag got off the sleeping pad and froze, I was a kid and picked a poor campsight in the dark. I remember it being the last night of the trip. I didn't make anymore cold weather trips until I saved up for a tent, a north face Tuolumnee it was, it never leaked a drop.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-05-2008, 09:59
If I were going to do this design in silnylon as an ultralight shelter, it would look something like this (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/lowcarbscoop/Tubetent.jpg)
dessertrat
02-05-2008, 11:16
Why not take a page from Grandma Gatewood's book and just use a plastic shower curtain instead?
Jan LiteShoe
02-05-2008, 11:29
Is it possible this is all you need? 0.875 pound survival tent...
http://www.emergencysurvivalsource.com/product/SWTT
Comments?
Like others have said, it's for survival, not comfort.
Amicalola sells these. They are wrapped up small and tight initially, so could tuck into a fanny pack for an extended dayhike as survival gear, if a person felt the need (I'm thinking of some long rambles in Greyson Highlands in winter, for example). Cheap enough to experiment with, and fun for kids to play "camp" with in the backyard.
It would cut the wind, or you could wrap up in it. But it's thin plastic (think garbage bag).
Gray Blazer
02-05-2008, 12:32
If I were going to do this design in silnylon as an ultralight shelter, it would look something like this (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/lowcarbscoop/Tubetent.jpg)
Did you get that out of a geometry text?
A tent doesn't have to be expensive. I still have a Texsport tent I got for 25.00 that works great. Of course, I put about 25 bucks of sealant and repellent on it....but it works great with the additional chemical load now.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-06-2008, 13:15
Did you get that out of a geometry text?No, drew it with a design program. Dinos are known to have graphic skills. Bet I could turn a Gray Blazer Mary Kaye pink :D
Gray Blazer
02-06-2008, 15:02
No, drew it with a design program. Dinos are known to have graphic skills. Bet I could turn a Gray Blazer Mary Kaye pink :D
My Chevy could use a new paint job. I need to get all new seals first. (If everything doesn't fall off it first. I think my gray blazer made it's last trip to the top of Snowbird .)
Dino,
That looks like Six moons design- free plan- Nightwing
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-13-2008, 22:44
That looks like Six moons design- free plan- NightwingIt does somewhat except mine has a floor and my 'beaks' are a bit longer.
I'm surprised no one has made one of these from silnylon.
if you're going there... make it out of cuben... :D
I used one on a solo bicycle trip one night between Richmond, Va. and Baltimore Md. in the summer of 1978. Slept right off the road in the woods. It was like sleeping in an oven roaster bag with the ends shut, and a buffet for the mosquitoes with the ends open. Didn't get much sleep that night
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-13-2008, 22:55
if you're going there... make it out of cuben... :D:-? $1/ yard Wally-world silnylon or $25 / yard for cuben. (http://www.questoutfitters.com/coated.html#CUBEN)... think I'll stick with silnylon :D
my 'beaks' are a bit longer.This is a family-oriented web site.
:-? $1/ yard Wally-world silnylon or $25 / yard for cuben. (http://www.questoutfitters.com/coated.html#CUBEN)... think I'll stick with silnylon :D
agreed on the price. but i wouldn't shop at wallyworld to save my life.
Lone Wolf
02-14-2008, 08:52
what's wrong with walmart?
kytrailman
02-14-2008, 09:00
bmike- did u say u found sil at walmart. I had heard that before-- but I have no luck in my area. I agree LW-- wallyworld is the Sh#@-- I just bought my sawyer in line filter and got a great deal compliments of Mr. SamWalton.
take-a-knee
02-14-2008, 09:36
bmike- did u say u found sil at walmart. I had heard that before-- but I have no luck in my area. I agree LW-- wallyworld is the Sh#@-- I just bought my sawyer in line filter and got a great deal compliments of Mr. SamWalton.
Today's Walmart has a lot more to do with the People's Republic of China than anything Sam Walton envisioned.
kytrailman
02-14-2008, 09:57
I really dont care who it has to do with -- they still have some ok stuff . It was just a little humor.
Tipi Walter
02-14-2008, 10:11
I used one of those things in the Cohuttas in the winter of 76, it rained and turned into a bathtub and then froze.
One look at the thing and I'm struck with the thoughts of what real-world conditions would do to it. First off, I'd be sleeping in a pool of water. And any attempt to close off the ends would ruin venting. A body bag would make a better shelter. Don't set this thing up, just wrap yourself in it.
take-a-knee
02-14-2008, 10:14
One look at the thing and I'm struck with the thoughts of what real-world conditions would do to it. First off, I'd be sleeping in a pool of water. And any attempt to close off the ends would ruin venting. A body bag would make a better shelter. Don't set this thing up, just wrap yourself in it.
Yep, my conclusions also, if you can't afford the weight or cost of a tent you really need to learn to properly set up a tarp.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-14-2008, 10:38
This is a family-oriented web site.::: Dino whacks the snowman with her tail :D :::
bmike- did u say u found sil at walmart. I had heard that before-- but I have no luck in my area.Some areas seem to get more than others. I've managed to buy DWR, uncoated,silnylon and no-u-see bug net there on numerous occasions
One look at the thing and I'm struck with the thoughts of what real-world conditions would do to it. First off, I'd be sleeping in a pool of water. And any attempt to close off the ends would ruin venting. A body bag would make a better shelter. Don't set this thing up, just wrap yourself in it.Good points, Tipi. The pool problem was why I extended the beaks on the proposed silnylon model.
As I consider it more, a better shelter of this type could easily be made by having a half sil / half bugnet door on one end and half sil / half bugnet wall at the other. A second idea would be a bugnet pyramid hanging from the ridgeline and over the top half of a sleeping hiker. If the ridge line ended before the beaks began then the beaks could be raised (more ventilation) or lowered (more protection) depending on conditions. I will draw this idea later and post some pics for those who are having problems visualizing what I am describing.
what's wrong with walmart?
i won't start, don't want this nice little thread might turn into a politics, religion, handguns, dogs on the trail debate.
i'll add some little sunshines to make it all better...
:sun :sun :sun :sun
Frolicking Dinosaurs
02-14-2008, 12:23
Link to pic mentioned below (http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b47/lowcarbscoop/Tubetent2.jpg)
ATRagamuffin
02-14-2008, 15:10
:-? $1/ yard Wally-world silnylon or $25 / yard for cuben. (http://www.questoutfitters.com/coated.html#CUBEN)... think I'll stick with silnylon :D
I've never been able to find the $1 sil-nylon at Wally World. I think it is just a mirage. :banana Maybe it's a regional thing.
mikeinFHAZ
02-22-2008, 01:18
From the website: "This handy emergency tent is made of waterproof polyethylene. It is fire retardant, and includes instructions for use and durable rope for easy set up."
yea! a durable rope! so when this thing flies apart in a 6mph breeze you will still have a durable rope! yea!
Skidsteer
02-22-2008, 09:50
From the website: "This handy emergency tent is made of waterproof polyethylene. It is fire retardant, and includes instructions for use and durable rope for easy set up."
yea! a durable rope! so when this thing flies apart in a 6mph breeze you will still have a durable rope! yea!
So if things get really bad you can hang yourself. :D
No Belay
02-22-2008, 12:21
They work great for making signs at trail days.
wildkitty
08-30-2011, 15:52
hey noticed to sent a few posts on tubetents i ordered one to expirement with. May make one out of the sylinylon whatever that is or 2 large green shower curtains, like your design and wondering where is best place to get mosqito netting you could close of 1 side totally and put zipper in netting on 1 side , now for how to best have drip line off rope, send ideas
wildkitty
08-30-2011, 15:53
or may just fully coat the cheap one with green ducktape and weigh it il post weight when done
Slo-go'en
08-30-2011, 17:16
You can get netting and various forms of nlyon at Ragged Mountian, just up the road from you on RT 16, north of North Conway.
Tube tents made of plastic are useless, as your just wrapping yourself in a plastic bag and the condinsation will kill you. Bivy sacks, which are sort of like tube tents, use a breathable matterial on the top side (like Gortex) to help control condensation. Many also incorperate some sort of support system to keep some or most of the matterial off you.
Snowleopard
08-30-2011, 19:05
One look at the thing and I'm struck with the thoughts of what real-world conditions would do to it. First off, I'd be sleeping in a pool of water. And any attempt to close off the ends would ruin venting. A body bag would make a better shelter. Don't set this thing up, just wrap yourself in it.
Sadly, a young woman died of asphyxiation in one of these in an ice storm while sleeping in the parking lot at Pinkham Notch, NH. A better shelter would be a tarp made of cheap plastic with a separate ground sheet of plastic.
Pioneer Spirit
08-30-2011, 19:16
I got a yellow version of this thing as a prize when a drug store opened in 1965. It was so thin that grass hopper legs poked holes in it when then landed on it.
Jan LiteShoe
08-30-2011, 23:20
Sadly, a young woman died of asphyxiation in one of these in an ice storm while sleeping in the parking lot at Pinkham Notch, NH. A better shelter would be a tarp made of cheap plastic with a separate ground sheet of plastic.
Snowleopard, how did that happen? How did she asphyxiate?
I had one of those in the early 80s. I live in Southern California where a tube tent would work just fine. It rained the night I remember using it. We had three of us inside of it and the rain blew in and hit about the top 1/3 of our bodies. That was a bit miserable. Especially since it hardly ever rains here. It didn't seem to provide much warmth. No bug protection. Come to think of it, does it do anything at all?
Tipi Walter
08-31-2011, 00:04
I got a yellow version of this thing as a prize when a drug store opened in 1965. It was so thin that grass hopper legs poked holes in it when then landed on it.
Maybe backpackinglight.com types will come up with a cuben fiber version of it for $400.
Spirit Walker
08-31-2011, 01:21
I used one on my first hike in '88. I mostly slept in shelters. By about the 3rd night's use it started to collect holes. It was horrible in wind and driving rain. Useless on tent platforms. And then there were the bugs!
Given the number of very nice lightweight tents out there, and the incredible freedom you attain by having a decent tent - I really don't recommend using a tube tent except possibly as an emergency shelter if you're doing a long dayhike and aren't sure about making it back before dark.
daddytwosticks
08-31-2011, 08:26
...thus the term "survival" tube tents....:)
Snowleopard
08-31-2011, 11:21
Sadly, a young woman died of asphyxiation in one of these in an ice storm while sleeping in the parking lot at Pinkham Notch, NH. ...
Snowleopard, how did that happen? How did she asphyxiate?
My recollection from reports at the time was that she was camped in the Pinkham Notch parking lot. There was an ice storm and the combination of the completely unbreathable tube tent, not leaving enough of an opening at the ends and whatever opening she left got sealed off by ice while she slept. Probably excess carbon dioxide (not monoxide) caused her to lose consciousness in her sleep. Often people used these tube tents with a rope run down the ridge; I don't know if she did this.
I couldn't find anything about this case searching the web, so it's possible that I have some facts wrong. My memory is that this was from current newspapers or an AMC publication and happened in the 70s or 80s. There sure are a lot of sad stories if you google accidents for that area.
Get a TT Contrail-24 oz.---almost all the weight after you add all the extras-bug net, floor....for 2 1/2 lbs, worked great for 1,000 mi in March and during the summer.