[Ansteorra] Enough Room (WAS Need opinions about Panther Primitives models)

[Mike C. Baker]

> 1. How much room is enough room for 2 people & their stuff?
	<SNIP>
> Note, hubbie will probably do a lot of sleeping (which he 
> does on vacation) in the tent. It won't be just a storage 
> space while I'm off gadding about.
> Amie Sparrow

(Gee, I began writing a column on camping years and years ago.  Looks
like it is time to update, extend, and re-issue...one piece at a time.
Like the other pieces in this irregular series, I will no doubt ask more
questions than I answer...)

Tarp-Mender's Tales #3:  Tentage, Storage, and Related "Fun"  
FIRST DRAFT
Copyright 2006, Mike C. Baker
Permission for general publication in branch publications of the Society
for Creative Anachronism is hereby granted.

	A great deal of comfort while camping in the SCA can be improved
by good choices in tentage.  This is ultimately also a matter of safety
and sanity.  

	For most purposes, a mundane tent rated for 4 or 5 adults will
barely be sufficient for two SCA adults with a "normal" weekend array of
costuming, sleeping arrangements, and gear.  However, floor space is not
the only measure of usability or comfort.  How much of the internal
space is sufficiently separated from the walls? How much is made
unusable by internal poles or other parts of the structure?  How tall
are the expected inhabitants, and very importantly what types of
costuming are they normally wearing? (a simple chiton or tunic&tights
can be changed into or out of in much greater comfort in far smaller
area than full Elizabethans / Italian Renn)  What type of bed / bedding?
Is the most important function of the tent in your setup for sleeping,
storage, hosting others, etc.?

	Another increasingly important consideration:  what are the ages
of the campers expecting to use the tent being considered?  What are
their limitations upon movement, or requirements for a sleeping surface?

	With all of that in mind, here's Amra' Rule of Thumb for
Selecting Tent Size:  look at the sleeping area of your regular bedroom,
adjust for your expected bed in camping conditions, and add 15%-plus  --
and a separate fly / pavilion for cooking & other functions.  

	Additionally, fully roping / pegging / staking the erected tent
makes a major difference in maintaining the separation of the tent walls
from the contents AND survivability in inclement weather.  (Tent wall or
roof touching contents of tent = eventual leak, with any breathable
material.)

(NOTE WELL:  if you are this far along, m'lady [or m'lord], you probably
realize that *total* footprint and usable internal footprint are not the
same.  Not everyone does, however, so I mention same explicitly.  Allow
at least five additional feet of clearance on all sides for ropes &
stakes.)

"Basic" Design:  in more traditional tents the marquis, double bell,
"Viking" A-frame, ger ("yurt"), and walled pavilion are all common
sights which I can recommend for consideration.  A major choice in many
traditional tents will be whether or not the roof and the walls will be
sewn together.  While there are strong advantages to both designs, the
relatively casual camper is probably best served by attaching walls and
roof in those designs which allow you to do so.  With larger tents --
anything over roughly 16ftx18ft -- I would advise you to reconsider,
however, due to the total weight of canvas involved.
	A huge consideration in the selection of a design is how you
intend to transport and store it, followed closely by where and when you
expect to use it most often.  As most of us don't travel with the cargo
capacity of a longship at our disposal, the Viking A-frame is not the
best of designs for urban apartment dwellers (unless they have some
serious storage available elsewhere, plus access to a cargo vehicle
large enough to do the cartage...)  Similarly, a small, simple marquis
is not usually appropriate for a growing household intending to host a
hafla anytime soon.  OR anyone planning to do more than an occasional
camping event in heavy weather
	My personal preference, my mundane surname and admission that I
have not personally owned one not withstanding, is a modification of the
modern design known as a "Baker tent". Instead of the relatively shallow
"depth" of the Baker design, this form is roughly ten or twelve feet in
width and fifteen to twenty or more in length with hangings / panels
attaching to the side poles and spanning bars or lines between side
poles in order to create internal rooms.  This can visually appear
similar to tents of the Bedouin with very little effort, and has the
advantage of being expanded even further with very little effort.  In
multiples of up to eight or so, it also can make for a striking
household camp IF one can find a large enough area. (By overlapping the
front flys, and perhaps adding a central pavilion, a sheltered common
area can be easily created with minimum added material or equipment...
Individual tents can be closed off by extra tarpaulins, or by dropping
the front fly into place and tying / pegging / other fastening. By
leaving one or more "spokes" empty or covered by open pavilion[s], this
can be a very inviting arrangement as well.)  

"Advanced" Design:  extra amenities or features may require rigid or at
least semi-rigid framing.  Consider the advantages of the "yurt" roof
frame of hub&spokes in combination with a relatively few number of solid
perimeter posts or poles and flexible resistance of the woven lath or
branch walls.  Extra storage is readily available through suspension
from the ceiling or the wall lattice that is not advisable with canvas
roofs or walls that have not been carefully prepared in advance for such
purposes.  However, practically any traditional tent can have
appropriately-sized netting added *inside* from which similar hanging
storage is easily accomplished.
	The "spanning bars" mentioned above are often omitted from
traditional tents only intended for short-duration camping or other
usage.  They can make a huge difference in the long-term campsite.
Modern tents with external frames, such as were popular before the dome
tent with flexible segmented fiberglass poles became popular, may make a
useful visual reference here.  In addition to the ridgepole, such
externally-framed tents have what amount to secondary ridges which
define the walls of the tent AND make the whole possible without guy
ropes at every corner (and commonly at every side pole as well) needed
in earlier designs.  
	"Better" traditional design for long-term occupancy adds bars
between corner and / or side poles as part of the internal framing of
the tent.  (If it helps, consider the difference in strength and
durability between a door with the hinges simply fastened to a wall and
a door installed with a complete frame...)  While avoiding too much
extra weight, or any large number of extra components, at least consider
such an extra bar between each pair of outside corner poles plus one
between the two poles flanking the primary entrance of the tent.  If
your design includes raising the walls to allow air circulation, these
bars also provide something other than the roof canvas that can be
attached to when opening things up.

Material:  the canopy and walls should be constructed of a good- to
high- quality canvas treated to "Sunforger" or an equivalent standard of
fire retardant and water resistance (if not better).  Modern materials,
such as the ubiquitous nylon used for most "dome" tents, may be far
lighter but in most circumstances it is far less resistant to fire than
properly treated canvas of a decent weight.  There are some situations
that may call for the use of more than just canvas, however, and
reinforcing wear points with heavy nylon webbing may be a good modern
alternative to metal of leather.  In general, metal grommets are far
easier to repair or replace "in the field" than the plastic or nylon
equivalents.  For serious long-term tenting, learning how to make a
sailmaker's grommet, or even a gasket, with rope, fabric, thread, and
the appropriate tools will serve well for several maintenance needs.
	Always clean and dry the tent fabric before storing.  If you
must pack wet, or even damp, brush off all possible debris and dirt
before packing AND unpack and dry out as soon as possible. Clean any
dirt you can by brushing off before hosing down the remaining.  Mudflaps
/ groundflaps and a separate flooring system will generally be far more
flexible / last longer than any sewn-in floor (or any fabric floor, for
that matter). DETACHABLE / replaceable mudflaps (think of lacing them
onto the tent walls using grommets) are even better!
	Traditional cordage can work better than rope made of modern
materials for most tenting requirements:  the natural fibers behave
differently, and are less likely to be antagonistic to other materials
used in putting the tent together.  Modern rope has the advantage of
retaining strength even after being wet for days at a time.  Which you
choose for *your* camp will depend upon multiple factors.  In general,
for camping purposes I prefer hemp over sisal when it comes to rope due
to fewer "splinters".  (While I have made some rope in my lifetime, for
most applications commercially-available rope is a better investment in
time and resources.  I wouldn't mind laying my hands on some linen rope
if anyone can recommend a decent source...)  
	ALWAYS take the time to properly prepare the ends of your rope
before use -- it will last much longer, and be far safer.  "Whip" using
thread or twine if you can't end-splice or eye-splice, or spend a little
time with a good knot-tying handbook to investigate other options. At a
minimum, put a tight overhand knot into the line as close to the end of
the piece as you can. Dipping the result in some paint or varnish can
make for a touch of color, but will weaken the knot you just tied in the
long run.

Frame, Poles, Staking:  invest in the highest-quality metal stakes that
you can see your way clear to.  Include butt-spikes / caps /
"stake-frames" for the main upright poles if possible.  Use as heavy a
material as you can handle for the primary poles, and to the extent
possible make them single-piece construction.  If you must use segmented
poles, the sockets / threading or other connections should extend far
enough to make a complete, strong joint.  Among the best designs I have
seen for segmented wooden ridge poles are those with a welded metal
sleeve surrounding two tapered ends that overlap.  For uprights, I have
seen the least breakage of the pole segments with a fully-sleeved
flat-butt arrangement.  Generally, do not rely only on guy ropes to hold
the walls of a tent where you want them, particularly during any amount
of rain or wind.

Storage:  Inside one's sleeping tent is not the most useful space for
storage, or at least not all of your storage.  A "structured" storage
compartment that can be accessed without entering one's tent is far more
flexible in the long run than adding size to the main sleeping tent.  It
is ALSO far easier to make water-resistant over the long term than most
equivalent fabric enclosures short of non-breathable options (oilcloth
or rubberized fabrics, or plastics / heavily-coated fibers).  

By creating a compartmented box for the tent and accouterments designed
with an eye toward multiple functions, the whole system can also act as
long-term storage of your camping "kit".  Further, ridge poles or solid
uprights can be used as carrying poles for the box if you travel with a
few husky young squires.  With a bit of extra work, the box system can
also be given multi-use wheels:  solid "ox-cart" wheels can re-mount as
tables or even be used as part of a tent flooring system, any axles as
ridgepoles / uprights for the cooking / dining fly while stowing flat in
a trailer, large van cargo area, or truck bed.  A number of similar
smaller designs are available for "chuck boxes" through Scouting sources
[http://comp.uark.edu/~rohughes,
http://www.troop168.net/forms/patrolboxa.htm]; the tent-box system I
describe here is something I've seen executed only a few times and don't
currently have a specific diagram for.

I have probably left something out, for which I apologize in advance.  I
welcome your comments, and will try to include the best / most important
in any future revision of this installment of the column.

Amra "Tarp-Mender"
 
Adieu, Amra / ttfn - Mike / Pax ... Kihe

Mike C. Baker
SCA: al-Sayyid Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra, F.O.B, OSCA
"Other": Reverend Kihe Blackeagle PULC (the DreamSinger Bard)
Opinions? I'm FULL of 'em
alt. e-mail: KiheBard at hotmail.com  OR MCBaker216 at cs.com
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