Hello everyone. I've joined the Eldorado club Had it out twice - love it very much, and liked the appreciative looks from other festival goers - but need to get a porch area nailed - not too big, just somewhere to put wellies, chairs and firewood out of the rain, maybe hang a little washing. We camp at a very windy site so if it's too big it'll just cause trouble.
Last week I tried with a Quechua tarp. It's just under 3m square. The back end was pulled right back over the peak of the tent where the pole is. Sort of did the job but made a racket in the wind and had to be taken down in the night (hence no pic).
Now I want to get a canvas awning but want to figure out the right size and best way to fix it. I wondered about getting eyelets to match up with the door frame poles so it can hook over those. Any thoughts? It only needs to stick out the front by 1 or 2m but I'd quite like it to wrap down at the sides(like the front on an Alaska) so it's sheltered from the rain. I love the awning on pic by CanvasCamp on this thread but suspect that's actually part of the tent.
Suggestions about size or how you fixed yours would be so helpful. I've got several king poles and tarp clips if useful.
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Thank you for replying epa661 - that looks like a great sunset. Really helpful to see a picture.
1) Just to clarify, looks like you've got the poles at the front of the tarp and the midpoint along the side, and that the back corners are just guyed low. Is that right?
2) Do you have any holes in the tarp where it goes over the little metal sticky-up rods at the top of the door frame, or is it just resting on them?
3) It looks like the back edge of the tarp comes mid-way along the ridge between the door frame and the centre pole. Is it pressing down on the tent, or is just sort of gathered up?
4) What's a DD tarp?
1. Yes
2. No holes in tarp, just covered the pointy end of the poles (like the technical description?) with some old plastic lids and gaffer tape
3. It is guyed out towards the rear of the tent. It does pinch the tent a wee bit, but not much.
4. See Muckers reply above
Paul
Quote: Originally posted by Mamazeb on 23/7/2015
Thank you for replying epa661 - that looks like a great sunset. Really helpful to see a picture.
1) Just to clarify, looks like you've got the poles at the front of the tarp and the midpoint along the side, and that the back corners are just guyed low. Is that right?
2) Do you have any holes in the tarp where it goes over the little metal sticky-up rods at the top of the door frame, or is it just resting on them?
3) It looks like the back edge of the tarp comes mid-way along the ridge between the door frame and the centre pole. Is it pressing down on the tent, or is just sort of gathered up?
4) What's a DD tarp?
Mucker and epa611, thank you for your replies! The DD tarps look great - all those attachment points mmm. I have however bought a canvas tarp - one of these on eBay, 2x3m, and some ridge pole ends (but 14mm). My idea is to have a bash at a fitted porchy thing (like on this bell tent but with a square top), by balancing two short poles across from the pointy door frame tops across to two king poles and then drape the canvas over there, perhaps making holes in it with eyelet kit if it seems necessary). 3m won't be long enough to reach the ground so I'll have to guy it at the bottom.
If that doesn't work (might leak massively where it joins with the tent), I'll rig an awning like yours - bottle lids already in the random camping bits bag - then await the evening sky ;-) We're off to Dartmoor on Friday so I'll come back with pics if it's not too embarassing. Thanks again...
------------- 2015:
Ashdown Forest (June)
Sibbertoft (July)
Buddhafield Festival (July)
Village Retreat (August)
If it doesn't turn out quite as expected an old singer 15k or 201k sewing machine ( can be had for peanuts if you don't buy from a dealer) is great for making custom canvas parts, & there's always a good supply of past their best frame tents where the canvas is still useable.
We started by using 390 gsm canvas to make quiet windbreaks ( 40mm tree stakes as poles ) on a £5 singer 201 ,& i had never used a sewing machine in my life.The windbreak has since been slightly modified & can be a shelter /bivvy/porch or lean to on the van.
Great fun & very satisfying.
------------- The cheap tat was much better quality when i was young.
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Hi in4apenny,
I already have the tarp clips! not Clingons but something similar, so they are also in the mix for affixing the tarp.
I love busking things on the sewing machine - in the past I've run up a couple of baby carriers on my ancient old Bernina, though it mostly gets used for badly sewing up the knees of my son's jeans. Added extra guy points on the Quechua tarp with it too (next time I'd just buy a DD). I nearly just bought some canvas cloth to make an awning but then decided I'd start first with this German-bought canvas I've got and then re-shape it (or make a new one) in the light of experience. I'm aware there's shaping on the bell tent awning but don't think well in 3-d to plan it in advance.
The fabric shop had lovely stripy twill that was very tempting to make windbreaks from, but I refrained. It was doubt about high to make them that held me back (luckily really, been spending money like water on camping this summer what with the second Outwell Dreamboat and all...) Maybe next year... Your modified windbreak sounds intriguing.
------------- 2015:
Ashdown Forest (June)
Sibbertoft (July)
Buddhafield Festival (July)
Village Retreat (August)