My 2nd Silnylon Shelter
Never satisfied with leaving things alone, I worked on improvements to my first siltent. The first tent was just enough room for two, but the poles got in the way, especially when we brought along our daughter. Also, NeatoWoman always seemed to knock open the bugnet while moving around in her sleep. After some time at the drawing board I saw my redesigned shelter was beginning to take on the shape of a Ray Way tarp. So, I got his tarp book and found a few helpful tips that I incorporated into the final design. These were some improvements I made over the siltent1:
increased the spread between the poles from 4ft to 7ft to open up living space.
larger tarp for more coverage 8.5 x 12ft (vs. 8 x 10Ft)
improved bugnet.
rectangular floor plan 5 x 7ft (easier to sew, and setup)
added sewn in floor
increased height of sidewalls (protect against rain splatter)
tarp = 18oz
bug net = 19oz
16 stakes = 7oz (minimum of 8, plus 4 to to guy out sides and ends, 4 extra Ti stakes for floor)
guy lines = 2oz
4 carabiners = 1.5oz (minimum of 2)
stuff sacks = 1oz
total weight = 48.5oz ( 3lb 0.5oz)
This design seems to work very well, and is very versatile. Plenty of room for 2 plus a toddler and gear. Both of us can sit up inside and change Anna. It's got two doors, and one or both ends can be opened for maximum ventilation. It can also be tied off to trees, instead of using hiking poles. The separate bug net comes in handy on clear days. The tarp can also be pitched low for good storm and wind protection. The only drawback is that to get a nice taught pitch requires a bit of fiddling with stakes and guy lines (it's probably similar to the ray-way tarp in ease/difficulty of setup). Minimum height is 30in, Maximum height inside insert is 40in. I'll post construction details soon.
here are some photos of it in action:
Front view, poles set at 41in (40in inside bugnet), both ends closed.
Side view same setup.
Front view, one end is opened up for ventilation using a third hiking pole.
You can get the same setup with only two poles if you move one of the poles from
under the tarp out to the edge where the third pole is placed (though, it's not
as easy to switch back and forth from opened to closed setup).
Same setup from straight on.
The mesh insert by itself. The two poles on the side help increase
headroom.
siltent2 diagrams.
a loop of 1/2" grosgrain keeps pole in place underneath tarp.
Seeking to improve on this I designed yet another silnylon shelter.