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Dry as the hills on Granny's chest and twice as dusty?

Ahh that's good news. Tent is sorted!

I'm lacking decent camping equipment. I have this cheap tent, a sleeping bag and a self inflating mattress.

I might bring two sleeping bags pending the forecast. I'm expecting chilly.

I still need to get a chair. Tomorrow!

Major Softie wrote:Dry as the hills on Granny's chest and twice as dusty?

That's it, Major. Probably the same Granny that Sunbeem warned us about when he said, "Don't shove yer granny when she's shaving."

The real test will be how dry it stays after countless packings and unpackings.

The pros say you shouldn't roll up a tent then put it into it's pouch all the time and leave it that way-- that will cause permanent wear/wrinkles and break down the waterproofing after time. What's recommended is to stuff it back into it's storage bag each time. That avoids the same wrinkles/stress on the fabric.

Part two of this is when a tent is not used for a considerable length of time, same goes with sleeping bags, that the item should be pulled out of its small bag and compressed state and stored inside a much larger bag, like a pillow case. Less damage in the long run.
Makes sense for longer lasting camping gear.

At $40 it doesn't matter how long this tent lasts! They were $30 today! I might take mine back, then get a refund, then buy a $30 one!

Tight arse that I am, that'll 1/3rd fill the petrol tank that $10

Today I got myself a decent bag to carry stuff in over the rear of the bike so that it's easier to strap the lot down.
Also got myself a big weatherproof poncho...just in case.

I have taken to hanging unravelled sleeping bags in a cupboard, just like they do in the camping shops. It's supposed to prevent compression of the down apparently.

https://www.tarptent.com/index.html

http://boxerworks.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=8

space for fun

Not me, but they're not "tents." They are basically umbrellas tied to the ground. I love that they all have rainstorm names. After the rain hits the ground it doesn't disappear, and rain that runs down the side of a tent with no floor... Well, we know where that water is going to go.

Those things might be useful as roofs over a bivy-sack, but not much else.

The web site says they all have "bathtub bottoms"

George Ryals wrote:The web site says they all have "bathtub bottoms"

I knew a woman with one like that. I think they call it 'booty' nowadays. Sigh.

Re tarptents, I understand that new fabrics and treatments permit the construction of good single skin tents. I'm not sure I would trust them for the long term or find maintenance agreeable, but the ultralight hikers love them. There are some excellent designs out there, with proper floors, controllable vents and so on.

This bloke http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/DIY_RNCSummer.htm goes into some good design considerations.

I have just been putting together a tarp kit for those times when camp just has to be pitched in the rain. There have been too many times I have wished for a tarp to shelter from sun, rain and wind. I chose a 3.6m square (12' x 12') silver poly tarp with straps to D-clips dividing each side into quarters. Fooling around in a modelling program I came up with some alternative pitching arrangements.





In the wet it should be possible to erect the tarp using a rope to one tree, then erect the tent under it keeping everything dry. That is the plan, anyway. Then the tent can be shuffled out from under it to provided a sheltered kitchen, workshop or just-sittin'-doin'-nothin' space. The tarp folds up and wraps neatly over the pack I carry on the back of the seat. I bought some more pegs, some good halyard rope for the ridge and 30 metres of cord to go with it. I’m looking forward to road trials.