Tourist tents

The most common type of camping equipment is a tent. It should have minimal dimensions, weight and cost, be easy to install, provide comfortable conditions, and be simple to manufacture.

According to their purpose, they are divided into types: hunting, hiking, family and camping.

The first type of tent with a capacity of 1-2 people is designed for short hikes. It is small in size, has minimal weight (per person) and provides reliable protection from rain.

A camping tent is designed for sports travel, which usually takes place in rather difficult conditions. It must reliably protect from rain, wind, cold, be easily installed in difficult meteorological conditions, provide fairly good living conditions during a long hike, and have minimal dimensions and weight.

The family tent is designed to accommodate 2-4 people quite freely, and has additional design elements that make it more comfortable: a trunk, L-shaped posts, etc. Tourists use this tent on simple hikes; in this case, a slight increase in the mass of equipment does not play a significant role.

A camping tent is the most convenient and comfortable, but it has a complex design, large weight, and is difficult to install. It is used in motorized types of tourism, during rallies and competitions.

The design of the tent and the materials used for its manufacture largely depend on the season (summer and winter) and the area of ​​travel (forest zone, open spaces, steppe, tundra and mountainous terrain). Any tent is suitable for the forest area. For traveling through the steppe and tundra, it is advisable to choose tents that can withstand strong winds and protect from the sun and cold. In this case, the size of the tents is not limited.

The most complex and contradictory requirements for tents for mountain travel. They must reliably protect from rain and snow if it is impossible to provide good stretching (slope, uneven ground), withstand strong winds, protect from cold, be installed in difficult meteorological conditions, and provide the ability to cook food in inclement weather without leaving the tent.

Many qualities of tents: wind resistance, specific material consumption, ease of installation depend on their shape: prismatic, pyramidal, hemispherical, cylindrical. In table 1 shows the main characteristics of tents of various shapes. Prismatic single-pitch tents are simple and easy to cut, easily stretch between trees, but do not withstand winds very well, so they are more suitable for hiking in wooded areas (Fig. 1, a).

Prismatic gable tents - “Pamirka”, “Poludatka”, “Moskvichka” - have a simple and rational cut, good habitability, are quite easy to install and are universal in use (Fig. 1, b).

Pyramid tents, and especially cylindrical and hemispherical tents, have good wind resistance and are easy to install, so they are used in polar expeditions, where these qualities are very important. However, tourists use them in... rarely hikes. This is explained by the fact that such tents are not made for mass tourism, and cutting them is difficult.

From this group, for base camps and difficult winter trips, it is advisable to use hipped tents (Fig. 2), as well as various modifications of three-pitched tents (Fig. 3).

Tent tents have good habitability and, as a rule, only one pole is required for their installation. However, due to the low entrance height, it is difficult to ensure good ventilation in the hot season. A significant drawback is also that the awning for these tents is quite difficult to manufacture: it is sewn to the shape of the tent. And lastly, the stand, which is installed in the center, significantly worsens the habitability of the camp dwelling.

Rice. 2. Scheme of a hipped tent	Rice. 3. Scheme of a three-slope tent: a - general view; b - side view: 1 - awning

Three-slope tents are also installed using one pole, but can have a fairly large entrance area; As with gable roofs, a rectangular piece of fabric or film of suitable size can be used as an awning for them. But gable tents have worse habitability than gable and tent tents of equal height.

Table 1

The most versatile are penta-slope tents, which successfully combine basic qualities: with sufficiently good habitability, they can also have free entry; in combination with its “deaf” (down to the ground) awning, you get a reliable tourist home that resists winds well, is quite warm in cold weather, and well ventilated in hot weather. In front of the entrance, between the tent and the awning, you get a comfortable vestibule where you can take off wet clothes or set up a kitchen in bad weather (Fig. 4).

Rice. 4. Scheme of a five-slope tent: a - side view: 1 - ventilation sleeve; 2 - awning; b - top view	Rice. 5. Installation diagram of a “blind” awning for a gable tent: a - side view; b - top view: 1 - awning; 2 - tent

Table 2

Name (article)	Capacity, persons	Width, m	Length, m	Height, m	Mass. kg	Note
Domestic tents
"Baby"	1	1,0	2,0	0,8	3
5933 Р	1	1,0	1,75	0,9	2,7
“Pamirka” (V. 0-3)	2	1,4	2,15	1,3	5
“Pamirka” (climbing)		1,4	2,1	1,3
5985Р	2	1,45	2,0	1,5	6
П2Б	2	1,42	1,75	1,5	5
“Pioneer” 5937R	2	1,2	1,7	0,9	2,9
The same 5934 R	2	1,45	1,75	1,5	5
"Istria"	2	1,6	3,6	1,7	5	Has an awning
"Summer-2"	2	1,4	2,4	1,7	4,5	Abse-shaped trunk
"Tourist"	3 3 4	1,6	2,0	1,3	6
"Summer-3"	3	1,6	2,6	1,8	5,0	Same
ПТ-4	4	1,8	2,0	1,8		“
5946Р	4	2,0	1,8	1,3	4,9
"Summer"	4	2,0	2,8	1,8	6	“
Climbing for high altitude ascents		2,2	1,9	1,4

Fig. 6. Scheme of finalizing a gable tent: a - side view: 1- vestibule; g-trunk; b-top view: 1- vestibule; 2-trunk

Of the tents produced by industry (Table 2), the most successful is the climbing “Pamirka”, which has a waterproof roof and floor made of rubberized fabric, as well as a relatively low weight. It is suitable for any travel (except winter), especially mountain travel. For traveling in the forest zone in the warm season, we recommend the “Summer-2”, “Summer-3;”, “PT-4” tents and article number 5985R, which have proportional, easy-to-use dimensions (it is advisable to complete them with a polyethylene awning).

These tents can be adapted for traveling in open spaces. In this case, you should make a “deaf” awning reaching to the ground (Fig. 5) from thin fabric, which will reliably protect from rain, wind and sun. In addition, it is easy to place a camp kitchen underneath. You can limit yourself to modifying the tent by increasing the canopies, attaching a rectangular trunk to the back and sewing a vestibule (panels at the entrance) (Fig. 6). The vestibule will protect the kitchen from rain and wind and allow you to cook food without leaving the tent.

MANUFACTURING TENTS BY TOURISTS

For self-manufacturing tents, it is recommended to use the following materials with a density (in g/m²): tent canvas - 260, raincoat fabric - 200, percale - 60-100, nylon - 40-50, rubberized duplicated percale (fabric 500) - 250, medical oilcloth - 200, “Bologna” - 60-70. For awnings, use polyethylene film - 50-100 g/m².

If tents are made from one type of fabric, then it is advisable to use either raincoat fabric (it is the most durable of the above materials and is also often sold with water-repellent impregnation), or dense percale, which, although inferior in strength, is twice as light.

The above data (see Table 1) show that the specific fabric consumption for each type of tent of all sizes is approximately the same. This means that the fabric consumption, while maintaining the dimensions, is proportional to the floor area. Knowing the floor area and taking the coefficient from the table, calculate the required amount of fabric. This coefficient for tents with other sizes (double-pitched and single-pitched) can be taken equal to 4.5, and for three-pitched tents - 4.0. Taking into account cutting losses - 5.0 and 4.5, respectively.

The table shows that three-pitch tents are the most economical in terms of fabric consumption, and therefore the lightest. A four-person tent requires on average 2 m² (and taking into account the 5 m²) less fabric than a gable tent, and the weight of the first is correspondingly 10-20% less than the weight of the second.

The disadvantage of three-pitch tents is their smaller comfort zone, however, it can be increased, almost without compromising the weight characteristics, by increasing the height by 10-20 cm.

For tourists who intend to make equipment on their own, such a characteristic as the weight of the tent per person is important. The weight of the tent, the amount of fabric consumed, and therefore the cost depend on its capacity and design. You should also decide whether you need a tent with or without an awning. In the first case, the weight of the equipment will be slightly larger, but it will be more reliably protected from rain, cold, and sun. In addition, in hot weather the awning can be used without a tent. In the second case, the tents are lighter and cheaper. Therefore, the table shows data on fabric consumption for both a tent with and without an awning.

Rice. 7. Diagram, modifications of a lean-to tent: 1 - entrance panel; 2 - gauze canopy

For traveling in a forest area, it is recommended to sew a lean-to tent. It is easy to manufacture and has the largest comfort zone and entrance area compared to two- and three-slope. If necessary, by pulling the front wall at an angle, you can turn it into a gable wall and place it in. There are two or three more people with her. With this option, wedges are sewn between the edges of the front and side walls to protect against wind (Fig. 7). The installation of a simple rectangular awning will significantly increase its capabilities: in bad weather, it is convenient to carry out repairs under it, or make a small fire.

For mountain travel, a three-slope or penta-slope tent about 1.5 m wide with some modification of the entrance part is suitable. Since in the mountains people usually sleep with their heads towards the entrance, the tent can be narrowed towards the rear wall to 1.2 m. This will reduce the windage and weight of the tent and will allow it to be better placed on a small one. site. Two panels of waterproof fabric are sewn onto the entrance, which are pulled over the front guy or attached to it, forming a space in which things can be placed on the sides and a stove can be placed in the middle. In the mountains above the forest line, strong winds are common; in these conditions, the presence of an awning makes it difficult to install a tent, so it is better to make the roof of such a tent from a waterproof material, and to prevent stuffiness in the tent, a ring from a ski pole is sewn at the very top and a sleeve is made into which wire twisted into a spiral is sewn for rigidity. Compared to the commonly used “Pamirki” tents, this tent has less weight, is easier to install and only needs one pole.

For hiking in the tundra and steppe, the best option is a three- or five-slope tent with a tent that closes tightly on the front guy and goes down to the ground, with a stand slightly offset from the entrance. At the same time, the comfort zone increases and the material consumption for the awning decreases. You can also use a regular gable tent with a solid awning. In this case, an entrance vestibule is made on one side, and a kitchen on the other.

For areas where there are midges in the summer, to protect against insects and obtain sufficient ventilation, a canopy of gauze or thick tulle is sewn onto the entrance. It is made in the form of a freely hanging curtain, hemmed to the sides and roof of the tent. The lower part of the canopy should have an overlap that allows it to be pulled up. canopy to the roof. You need to know that the canopy impairs air exchange. This is especially noticeable in hot, windless weather. Obviously, in these cases the tent must have a larger entrance area.

Rice. 8. Scheme of installing an awning in the forest: a - with a central guy; b - with side braces

Experienced tourists in the forest area can use an awning instead of a tent. As the latter, a piece of dense, rubberized fabric or polyethylene film is used. The awning reliably protects from rain, is lightweight, takes up little space, and is easy to install (Fig. 8). In inclement weather, it is convenient to cook a camp lunch, repair equipment, or relax by the fire. If it is assumed that during the trip it is possible to spend the night in open places, then the awning is folded along the edges for protection from the wind or additional panels are sewn to it (Fig. 9). Awnings made of polyethylene film, stitched or soldered with a soldering iron, do not withstand strong winds and break off at the fastening points. The best, from the point of view of strength, is the method of attaching guy ropes, in which small objects are placed in the film at the attachment points at some distance from the edge - pieces of foam plastic, pebbles and tied with a rope intended for guy ropes.

Rice. 9. Scheme for installing an awning in an open place

The latter are placed every 0.5-1 m. Since maximum forces occur when the panel “claps”, it is advisable to reduce it by attaching the panels with additional ropes.

In the summer, to protect against mosquitoes, ticks, and poisonous animals, an awning is used together with a gauze canopy. The canopy is sewn taking into account that the width for one person is at least 0.5, and the height of the side walls is 1.2 m. To ensure the necessary gap between the walls of the canopy and the sleeping people, its width is increased by 30-40 cm. Most often, the canopy has a rectangular shape (Fig. 10, a) or the shape of a gable tent (Fig. 10, b). The latter is more convenient in the forest. If the canopy is sewn with a floor made of thin durable fabric, for example, satin, its height is reduced to 80 cm. If you plan to work while sitting under the canopy, its height above the head is increased to 1.2 m. The width of the cells is no more than 1.5 mm for protection against mosquitoes and 0.8 mm for protection against midges. In areas with a dry climate or in stable weather, the canopy is used without an awning.

Fig. 10. Canopy installation diagram: a - rectangular in shape: 1 - gauze or net mesh; 2 - thin dense material; 3 - options for installing pegs; 2 - forms of a gable tent: 1 - gauze; 2 - thin material

When traveling through a heavily swampy forest or during spring floods, when it is difficult to find a dry place to set up a tent, set up a hammock (Fig. 11). For it, take a sheet of thin tarpaulin 60-70 cm wide and 2 m long. A suitable piece of polyethylene can be used as an awning. All this together takes up little space and weighs 0.5-0.7 kg. This eliminates the need for an air mattress or mat.

The most difficult operating conditions for tents are during winter travel. Constant negative temperatures, strong winds, and short daylight hours give rise to a special type of fatigue unique to winter hikes—cold fatigue. If, after the end of a busy day, tourists do not have the opportunity to fully rest and relax, then fatigue will quickly accumulate, which can lead to a psychological breakdown. Therefore, a tourist home must reliably protect against the vicissitudes of the weather and provide a certain comfort of rest. A tent for winter travel should be loose and have a larger comfort zone than a tent designed for the warm season.

Fig. 11. Installation diagram for a hammock with an awning

Winter tents can be single or double. In the forest zone, it is more advisable to use single ones - they have less weight, are installed faster, and are easier to dry. The heat balance in them is maintained using a stove. Single tents are made from thin, dense fabrics - percale, linen. For the roof and lower part of the walls, waterproof material is used - rubberized fabric, nylon. At the same time, there is no need for daily drying of the tent - condensation from the inside and snow from the outside; easily removed with a broom. In frosty snowy weather, when there is snow. If it freezes, it is recommended to warm up the tent so that the snow thaws, and then sweep it away. In tents made of dense material, it is necessary to provide special sleeves for ventilation.

In a forest area, if there is no stove, it is more advisable to use double tents. They retain heat better than single ones. Therefore, when spending the night in such tents, there is no need for night shifts to maintain heat.

For traveling through open treeless spaces, a double tent is most suitable, as it retains heat quite well and has a small windage. The outer tent is made of windproof and non-moisture-absorbing fabric, the inner one is made of thin material - percale, satin. The inner tent is connected to the outer one using carabiners. The distance between the walls should be 5-10 cm. For ventilation, use a special sleeve, which is sewn to the outer tent in the center at the top of the tent or slightly below it. In the first case, the sleeve is brought out, and so that it does not wrinkle, a wire spiral is inserted into it. A ring is sewn into its base, and a ski pole pin is inserted into the central hole. In the inner tent, a ring is also sewn into the top of the tent, which, when installed, is attached in three places to the ring of the outer tent. To regulate ventilation, a thin fabric sleeve is additionally sewn to the latter. If the sleeve is placed on the slope of the tent, the design of the tent is simplified, but when it snows, snow gets into the tent through it.

For a group of six people, the following dimensions of a tent are recommended: length and width 2.5, height 1.8, side height 0.4-0.5 m. For a group of 8 people, the dimensions are respectively 2.8; 2 and 0.6 m. For ease of placement, the central stake will be placed towards the entrance.

The entrance to the tent should open and close conveniently and quickly, which is very important in snowstorms and severe frosts, and reliably protect the home from blowing out. The usual design of the tent entrance in the form of two flaps with zippers, brakes, and long loops is undesirable, since you can freeze your hands when trying to open a jammed zipper or fastening numerous icy loops. For winter tents, the entrance is made in the form of a sleeve with a diameter of 0.7-1.0 m or a freely hanging curtain, the edge of which is folded inward and pressed with a heavy object.

To remove the stove pipe from the tent, a metal insert with a serrated hole along the diameter of the pipe is sewn into it (Fig. 12, a). Such an insert has a point contact with the pipe, heat transfer is small and its heating is insignificant. The insert is sewn to the tent with thin wire or riveted. A fiberglass insert is lighter and more convenient (Fig. 12, b). To prevent the fabric from fraying, fold its edges. An aluminum ring is inserted into the central hole for strengthening, which is sewn with thin wire.

Fig. 12. Insert diagram: a - metal; b—from fiberglass

On winter hikes in the forest area, if it is not possible to sew a special tent, it is recommended to use the usual PT-4, “Summer”, combined with a vestibule (Fig. 13). It is advisable to install a stove in the vestibule. To improve heat transfer and reduce the weight of the tent, it is advisable to evaporate the entrance flaps.

Fig. 13. Scheme of combining two-person tents with a vestibule: 1 - vestibule; 2 - tents; 3 - seam; 4 — sleeve

For ease of transportation, the vestibule is sewn to one tent and fastened to the other.

PARTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF TENTS

Rice. 14. Scheme of installation of guy ropes: 1 - guys; 2 - pegs; 3-wall height; 4-lengths of guy wires

Guys for setting up tents, produced by industry, are made from clotheslines and hemp ropes. They are relatively heavy when wet, stretch out, dry out poorly, and if not dried they become unusable. It is better to replace them with a nylon cord that does not have these disadvantages.

The length of the guys is chosen so that the angle between the soil surface and the guy is no more than 45°, otherwise the pegs will not stick well to the soil (Fig. 14). If this angle is reduced to 30°, then to pull out the pegs you will need to apply twice the force than at an angle of 45°.

Usually the floor and roof are stretched separately, but if length adjusters are provided, it is possible to simultaneously stretch the roof and floor (Fig. 15), which will allow you to quickly set up the tent in any conditions. It is especially convenient for tents with one pole (tents, three-slope).

Fig. 15. Scheme of simultaneous stretching of the roof and floor of the tent	Fig. 16. Scheme for using additional guy wires: 1 - additional guy wires

In open spaces with strong winds, it is necessary to use additional guys to secure the tent. To prevent the wind from flapping the canvas and pressing it inside the tent, it is advisable to sew a loop to the center of the canvas and attach additional guys to it using a carabiner (Fig. 16). In addition, in case of weak soil, it is recommended to use additional guy wires attached directly to the upper ends of the posts. To reduce dynamic loads that occur during gusts of wind, especially in places where guy ropes are attached, it is advisable to use rubber shock absorbers. For their manufacture, cords, tubes and other products made of elastic rubber with a cross-section of 25-50 mm² and a length of 100-150 mm are used. The use of shock absorbers allows you to avoid the unpleasant procedure of pulling a tent in the rain, since they compensate for the slack that occurs due to getting wet and lengthening the guy ropes.

A necessary element for installing a tent are poles, with the exception of the case when tents are stretched on trees. The poles are made of aluminum tubes with a diameter of 12 to 20 mm (depending on the size of the tent) with a wall thickness of 0.8-1.5 mm. The maximum forces in the rack occur in its central part. Therefore, when making it yourself, to reduce its weight while maintaining the same strength, make sure that the connector in which maximum stress occurs does not fall on the central part. The racks are made of tubes of different diameters (Fig. 17).

Rice. 17. Diagram of the action of forces on a tent peg: a - at a > 90°; b - at a - 90°

In winter travel, ski poles or skis are used as stands and instead of pegs.

The tent pegs on which guy ropes are placed undergo significant forces. In general, the peg is acted upon by the forces of pulling out and overturning Po. The magnitude and ratio of these forces depend on the angle at which the guy approaches the peg. Since the resistance to the tipping force is much greater than the pulling force, it is advisable to drive the peg in such a way that the angle between it and the guy is close to 90°, then the peg is practically only affected by the tipping force.

Fig. 18. Shapes of tent pegs

The tipping force is approximately proportional to the cross-sectional area and the square of the length of the peg. Therefore, for pegs designed for use on weak, for example, sandy soils, it is advisable to increase their length. Tourists widely use corner and cylindrical pin pegs (Fig. 18).

Angled pegs have a larger projection area perpendicular to the overturning force, and hold better on loose soils than cylindrical pegs of equal mass and length. However, pin pegs are very convenient for making and using yourself. They are easily introduced into the soil without the use of additional tools. The studs are made of steel wire with a diameter of 3-4 mm or aluminum wire with a diameter of 5-6 mm.