Truely Original Ideas....

“www.ipaterson.ca/survival/reviews/alpha.tent.html

Someone please post a link here will you please?

Searching the web for emergency shelter ideas led me here...

Now if you apply the logic used to say a 6'X 8' sil tarp, or the military poncho, this is a really neat idea...note the smoke hole ventalation at the apex...HMMMMM

How many of us have the poles from the last tent we wore out? I know I do.... Comments anyone?”

“By the way...howdy!”

“Hey! Good to see you posting some more. We'll have to round you up the next time there's a HMWHC meeting at Hooter's.”

“Man, that site doesn't like you to cut and paste from it. Try it and see what happens.
I think I'll go hide now. The "fast patrol" may be looking for me.”

“Not really a original idea! Many people have been using ponchos for shelters for quite awhile.
http://royrobinson.homestead.com/

Roy and Brian Robinson have instructions for making a sil-nylon
poncho/shelter and also for a bug screen that attaches to it. Streamweaver”

“Streamweaver, you are quite correct, I was talking about the SPECIFIC system the Alpha Tent uses with an unmodified Military Poncho...Military folks will recognize this as a GREAT idea...”

“I didnt mean anything by that but I really should have read the whole thing first Streamweaver”

“I have two of the old, military ponchos. (One I found at Mt. Sterling, GSMNP.) But they are too heavy for backpacking. They could be used for car camping, but why bother when I have other equipment.”

“That must big one BIG poncho to be able to cover a person completly and still be able to form a dome.

How big are those military ponchos and how much do they weigh?”

“Heh. Earl Schaeffer did that for his through-hike back in the 40s. Mil-issue poncho and a stick.”

“exactly...why suffer with minimilist nonsense...I have other light weight superior gear...and so do you ST...Its not like I;m goin out on sniper patrol or something like that...I'm out to enjoy myself, not try to see how much I can inconvenience myself and make myself uncomfortable...anyway...good to see ya back online...whatch doin and do ya wanna come west and play on the water this summer?”

“I like the simplicity and innovation involved. You know, work with what you've got instead of aquiring more.

Life is more fun that way.”

“Built the tent last night... It's smallish, but plenty big for me to sleep under if I go corner to corner...

I see many uses for this by the military, and I also agree with stikmon, we as backpackers have better gear than this; but consider (you have to understand the military mentality here) the fact that the military frowns on use of non military equipment in the field...This shelter has the IR pattern, is made from coated nylon, utilizes a piece of gear you are REQUIRED to carry to the field, and forms a free standing dome...

Uses I see just off the top of my VERY bald head:

Cache shelter(Store the gear)
Rain/camoflage shelter for a two man fighting position (Foxhole)
Bivy...(Duh!)
Bathtub...(What holds water out holds water in...)

I propped it up, hung it by the hood, etc...

Great shelter from sun and wind for a lunch break....

Finally, I remind you that this IDEA could be utilized with a sil Tarp, just modify the length of the poles for the size tarp you use...How about a free standing sil shelter? Think of all the ways you modify other gear, use your imagination....”

“I'm still wondering what happened when SS tried to cut and paste.”

“SW - Try it and see!”

“That must big one BIG poncho to be able to cover a person completly and still be able to form a dome.

How big are those military ponchos and how much do they weigh?"
walkindude
05:57:36 PM
06/03/03






Well?”

“I have only done it in my living room but more than one of my tents sets up that way with just the fly.
If it touches the ground you will have terrible condensation problems and if it doesn't then you will have bugs.

My poncho or a tarp and a stick are so much lighter that I have never taken just the fly and poles. The tarp does not have condensation problems and I don't mind the bugs we have in this part of the country.”