Range tents and external poling systems

[Andy BB]

Browsing youtube - as one does! - I came across the following site

http://cowboycamp.net/range_tents.html

What I found particularly interesting here was the use of two external poles used to support these. Now I've got a Vango tipi and one of those polish army ones, and this looked like a brilliant way to increase the internal space by doing away with the central pole. Presumably something similar could be done with a bell tent.

Anyone tried this? I've used the Wilkinson washing line poles on the Polish tipi, which worked fine apart from worrying about them touching the canvas on the inside and letting water in there. This looks like a nice, elegant way to avoid that and the loss of space that a centre pole takes up, without any major differences in erection time.

[Shewie]

Yeah I reckon that'll work just fine Andy

I couldn't work out why the pole didn't just fall over to the front or back, I suppose when the tent is pegged out first and then you hook the centre on it can't go anywhere.

One nut and bolt through the top of the wilko poles should do it easily enough.

[Andy BB]

Yes, reckon it'll work fine on the Polish tipi - may be a bit more of a problem digging up poles for the Vango tipi though - the 500 is quite tall! But worth it to get all that spare internal room - I find centre poles a real pain, although they are really quick tents to put up. Those range tents looked quite tasty though - hmmm - wonder when I'm off to the States next!

[PDA1]

This vid is an excellent illustration of how the poles are self supported. Also v. good use of a flat tarp. Canvas looks a bit heavy for me, but you can do the same with a 10x10 or 10x12 (3mx3m, 3x2.5) synthetic tarp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJHu...46E5F98911242A

[Tony]

I do like those range tents, nice and simple

[Tony]

That's a good one as well PDA

[Dave]

Under a 'safe' tree, you can suspend a tipi, by attaching paracord to the top, and throwing the line over a 'safe' branch, and tying round the trunk.

I'm after a pole which forms a circle when joined, as I want a 'drying rail' to suspend inside a tentipi. And I dont fancy paying seventy quid.
Anyone got a solution for that?

[PDA1]

@ Dave- buy a bunch of 4-5 ft. garden canes from a garden centre. organize ferrules from a length of Al tube, the canes will be flexible enough to form into a circle. I'm assuming that you need a pretty large diameter. Alternatively, over here we can get Coleman tent pole kits for USD 10 at Walmart. A couple of sets of those should make a circle circumference 12-15 ft. I'm sure that such are available at equivalent traders in the UK (Argus???? - I left the UK in 86 and am a bit out of date re UK traders.)

[bilmo-p5]

One nut and bolt through the top of the wilko poles should do it easily enough.

Hooking the clothes prop end fittings into each other would probably suffice.
........................

Plastic water pipe for a drying rail.

[Dave]

@ Dave- buy a bunch of 4-5 ft. garden canes from a garden centre. organize ferrules from a length of Al tube, the canes will be flexible enough to form into a circle. I'm assuming that you need a pretty large diameter. Alternatively, over here we can get Coleman tent pole kits for USD 10 at Walmart. A couple of sets of those should make a circle circumference 12-15 ft. I'm sure that such are available at equivalent traders in the UK (Argus???? - I left the UK in 86 and am a bit out of date re UK traders.)

That's not a bad idea actually. I'm going to give that cane/ferrule thing a go. Thanks PDA1.

[bilmo-p5]

This vid is an excellent illustration of how the poles are self supported. Also v. good use of a flat tarp. Canvas looks a bit heavy for me, but you can do the same with a 10x10 or 10x12 (3mx3m, 3x2.5) synthetic tarp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJHu...46E5F98911242A

Nice link, PDA. I'm always looking out for different tarp rigs. There's other interesting options on the NWWoodsman site too...

http://www.nwwoodsman.com/Product/Shelter/TarpTent.html

http://www.nwwoodsman.com/Articles/TarpSetUp.html

http://www.nwwoodsman.com/Articles/MoreTarpSetUps.html