Campfire tent

[Rock Chuck]

Has anyone seen or used one of these things? They appear to be too heavy for backpacking, but for boat or stock packing, they might be pretty good. Pricey, though.
campfire_tent (http://www.frostriverdesigns.com/tents_tarps/campfire_tent.html)

http://www.frostriverdesigns.com/images/products/Tent_Scenelg.jpg

[tjhuels]

Bill Mason, the great Canadian canoeist who wrote "Path of the Paddle" said everyone called his Campfire tent a "circus tent", but when the weather turned to a three-day blow of rain and sleet everyone thought it was just grand! You can set out the wings, the fly and the front and you have an enclosed kitchen space and room for four-or-five to sit in, play cards, etc.

Calvin Rutstrum, who wrote "The New Way of the Wilderness" and ten other books about canoe/dogsled travel in the northwoods, also described this type of tent (sometimes called a "Baker") as being ideal for canoe travel.

Myself, I have canoed and camped for fifty-two years in a modified Whelen Lean-to that my mother sewed for me when I was thirteen years old. It's been used at least twice a year on trips as long as ten days. I re-waterproof it with beeswax and turpentine every four years or so. It is going with me and my three grown kids to the Boundary Waters this weekend!

Tom
MInnesota

[Altjaeger]

The old baker tent was a mainstay for the Boy Scouts for decades. This differs in the bug screen and floor plus wings to the canopy. I would classify it as a "Baker Improved". It is a great tent tpo open for a view and circulation at night or if canopy is thrown over the top to reflect a campfires heat on cool nights.

[bill m]

http://www.pahaque.com
This is a link from an ad in the new Rifleman magazine. It is quite similar to the picture you show. Only the solo tent is only 1.3 lbs.

[Rock Chuck]

This Campfire tent is made of canvas and is pretty heavy in the 4 man version, about 35lb. I'll be using it for llama packing so a little extra weight isn't a problem, but I don't want to handle one that heavy. I'm thinking of making one out of nylon with a few adaptations. Coated nylon, screen, and hardware is easy to come by, but tent poles are another story. I spent quite a bit of time looking before I found a site that carries a good supply of DIY pole making supplies. They have both fiberglass and Easton aluminum stuff (the same material that Easton arrows are made from but in larger diameters). Its hard to find stuff that is stiff enough to support a tent of this type and also be collapsible for packing.

[bill m]

I'm not sure what there is out in your neck of the woods. But in my area, there's a place called Seattle Fabrics. This place only deals with the fabrics, insulation, and hardwares that you find on outdoor gear. This is where I went for most of my stuff to make sleeping bags and tents out of. Any special tools that I needed were also there. A couple of things I mail ordered. But I knew better what it was by seeing the stuff at the store.
I think making your own stuff is kind of fun if you have the time.
You can tell when you look at my tent that I was new at sewing. But 15 years later, it's still together and strong.

Lots of materials out there are really strong and really light.

[Rock Chuck]

Seattle Fabrics is one source of fabric that I found. However, they don't carry what I need for poles. I'm at work now and don't have the source for poles that I found on this computer.
I've made several backpacks and other stuff in the past. It is fun for a winter project. I just draw out my own design and go to work.

[tjhuels]

The great benefit of the Baker/Campfire tent is the ability to either heat it with a stove or to set it so that the campfire (hence the name) reflects light and heat into the tent. I would be very wary of using nlyon for the fabric, as it does not mix very well with stoves and campfires.

I've seen articles and plans on making a Whelen Lean-to out of nylon. But it's a lot easier to get out of a burning lean-to than out of a Campfire tent with the wings out....(don't know from personal experience, don't want to find out.)

Tom
Minnesota