Parachute Shelter

[Twodogs]

In a fit of madness I have just brought a parachute off the bay of evil crap that I didnt know I needed ...
Its a small one 20 foot ish , having looked at the site below looks like fun , Any hints and tips from other users ?

http://naturallore.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/parachute-tipi/

Twodogs

[Nonsuch]

I just got one like this too and would be interested as well. For one thing it strikes me that for a smaller group you could fold it in half, thereby increasinmg its water resistance, suspend the centre from overhead, peg the curved edges down to the groud and create a semi-circular shelter open on one side.

I was a bit annoyed when I realised the "window" panels were in fact mesh, but I suppose I should have known that

[Gill]

i looked at these as well ,but has all the shroud lines been cut off completely ,if they are how do you peg it out.

[Twodogs]

The way I will do it is get a small pebble and place it on the parachute and the tie cord onto that , move them where needed then without ripping the chute.
Twodogs

[SMOKOE]

If you go to Fenlanders blog

http://www.naturallore.co.uk/

and enter parachute in the search box he gives a tutorial on how to turn a parachute into a tipi

Just noticed with this post I've knocked my century !!!

[Sniper]

We tried a configuration at the Ayrshire meet last weekend which seemed to work well. Sort of "roundhouse" style. Three 17' poles connected at the top by paracord or similar with the chute draped over Tipi style, and pegged down at ground level all round but leaving a raised section as an entry with 6' poles to hold the "doorway" up. This worked in keeping the draughts at bay and the fire kept the inside reasonably warm in the evening. There is a picture in the Possible meet in Ayrshire thread in the meetups section.

[RAPPLEBY2000]

This is a smallish parachute i use there is around 3"-6" cord left on each section, but even so I've managed in an evening to tie bowline loops on the parachute and add IPK cords to the parachute.

siting the chute, and getting the right length is a bit hit and miss but i think I've done OK

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...lters002-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/RAPPLEBY2000/Norfolk%20and%20Norwich%20Grou p%2009/shelters002-1.jpg

the parachute from behind
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v690/RAPPLEBY2000/Norfolk%20and%20Norwich%20Grou p%2009/shelters004.jpg

Hope this helps:)

[rik_uk3]

The cord is cut off for legal reasons. They are not that waterproof to be honest but work OK as a shelter. A good result is to suspend them from a tree above ground, even five or six feet off the floor; this may sound crazy but you get a great heat circulation doing this when using an open fire, the heat goes up, hits the canopy and sort of comes back down if that makes sense. So long as the wind is down you get a 'bubble' of warm air on the group sitting underneath and not much smoke.

[RAPPLEBY2000]

I took the chute out for an air:rolleyes: today, and tried to hang it as before and peg it down as if a huge Teepee.
damn it it's hard!:bluThinki
it's difficult to figure out how big to make the circle for a start.

how do i start, do i make it a loose square first or what?

[Twodogs]

I will tell you next week when mine arrives ..lol
have you folded it in half ?
Twodogs

[RAPPLEBY2000]

:lmao:
I'll try it next time!

[Twodogs]

The parachute has arrived .. yippee .
Spent a hour last night attaching tie down points to the cut off cordage .
Next a test flight ...hmmmm
Twodogs

[Andy2112]

The parachute has arrived .. yippee .
Spent a hour last night attaching tie down points to the cut off cordage .
Next a test flight ...hmmmm
Twodogs

Be careful mate, you'll end up over the mezza if you catch a gust of wind. lol

[Twodogs]

Just had a fine weekend with the lads from bushcraft living helping to clear a wood for bushcraft , gave me a chance to try out the parachute shelter , love it makes a fantastic cheap windproof shelter and admin area .
Twodogs

http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv120/CLB-Twodogs/02052009749.jpg
http://i675.photobucket.com/albums/vv120/CLB-Twodogs/02052009750.jpg

[addo]

Very nice set up. Im tempted to buy one to use like this, and for a group area set up higher and opened up with a fire underneath.

[Twodogs]

You know it makes sence ..lol..
Twodogs

[MartinK9]

Looking good

[Bravo4]

Just had a fine weekend with the lads from bushcraft living helping to clear a wood for bushcraft , gave me a chance to try out the parachute shelter , love it makes a fantastic cheap windproof shelter and admin area .
Twodogs


Very nice pictures. I have a surplus chute that I was thinking of selling. Since I'm a little backwards at times, I ended up getting another one:rolleyes:, an MC1 1C. The risers were cut off (after the trooper landed;))but it has 32x18 feet of useable "450 para-cord", mil-c-5040 type ll. Good stuff.

http://schools-wikipedia.org/images/56/5637.jpg

So, I got to looking around at shelters and found this pretty cool use of a parachute,
http://www.johnzerning.com/diy-geodesic-dome-that-packs-into-a-suitcase/
It's an article first published in Architectural Digest, 1973. Far beyond my ambition level but I like the use of wood for the struts and that is a very clever u-joint.

Larger sizes of the images below and accompanying text from ARF64-4, Search and Rescue survival training,
http://onlinebooks.110mb.com/af%2064-4/64-4-15.htm#15-8.
http://rk19-bielefeld-mitte.de/survival/FM/_graphics/fig05-04.gifhttp://rk19-bielefeld-mitte.de/survival/FM/_graphics/fig05-08.gif
This looks like a good price for a chute, shame they slice the panels and remove all the cord.
http://www.denbigharmysurplus.co.uk/army-stores/Army-Parachute-Green-Army-Parachute-30ft-Diameter.html

:umbrella: (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50307) Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door...

[drewdunnrespect]

i have one ordered from endicots cant wait for it to arrive near the end of the month

[Shewie]

i have one ordered from endicots cant wait for it to arrive near the end of the month

Is Kev leaving the cords on for you Drew ?

[drewdunnrespect]

no he said he wasnt aloud to because of the law but would leave the strips to attach them myself drew

ps did u get my pm and are you coming to the meet on the seventh till the nineth of may

[dr jones]

i like the look of that Cliff,bin wondering how to create a decent shelter with the chute stashed in my shed . if it could be made weather proof be even better . now i know what ill kip under at the moot.

[Shewie]

ps did u get my pm and are you coming to the meet on the seventh till the nineth of may


I'm struggling mate, we're supposed to be in Blackpool for a wedding that weekend, trying my best to get out of it but it's not looking good at the moment.

[drewdunnrespect]

okay cool keep trying but i understnd if you cant

[Neumo]

How much was the chute at Endicots & are they slashed up a lot when you get them. I know the MOD has to do this to stop idiots jumping off a building with one but it would be nice to get an idea of how ripped up the canopy is on these ex MOD chutes.

[drewdunnrespect]

55 quid including 15 quid postage and there not ripped at all cos endicotts repair them for you if you get the one of the ones i am getting
drew

[Neumo]

THanks for that, I may have to get me one of them from Endy's

[Bravo4]

http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac146/mizzenmanphotos/pt2.jpg
Retired chute, 24 footer folded in half.
Pair of old oars, lashed and fished to make a sturdy 12 foot pole... :naughty: (sailors and seamen don't have dirty mouths, just sounds like they do. It's army guys that curse non-stop).
Rigged as such, makes a base of about 12 feet in diameter.

http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac146/mizzenmanphotos/ptintpoleht12ft.jpg

http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac146/mizzenmanphotos/paratipi.jpg

http://i894.photobucket.com/albums/ac146/mizzenmanphotos/ptnite.jpg

[drewdunnrespect]

thats ausome mate especially the one in the night it looks ausome