How to lighten the load… RTT

[Beowulf]

How to lighten the load… RTT

What is the heaviest component of the RTT?

Floor?

Canvas?

Mattress?

Other



Is there any way to lighten the load? With the floor you are probably stuck with what you have, other than using thinner material (probably not a good idea). But if it is the mattress, short of just using Thermarest on bare wood, what is a good light weight option?

 

[Spikepretorius]

IMHO the canvas is the guilty party.

 

[compactcamping]

Data Point: On an Oasis, the tent shell at 13 lbs is 32% of the total weight.

You can trim weight by using different types of plywood for the based.
Marine grade Okoume is 40 lbs for a 1/2"(12mm) sheet.
Marine grade fir is 50 lbs for a 1/2" sheet.
Now the Okoume is 7 ply verses 5 ply for the fir, in many applications you could use 3/8"(9mm 30 lbs a sheet) Okoume instead of 1/2" Fir because of the strength differences.

That would be a 40% reduction in weight, although Okuome plywood isn't cheap.

Next add some carbonfiber and fiberglass, and make a composite panel, I can make a similar strength 4x8 panel that weighs 10-20 lbs. Trimming weight is easy, but it isn't cheap :Wow1:

 

[Mike S]

In RTTs flooring and hardware make a lot of the total. The mattress (depending on specs) can weigh a surprising amount. Again, it depends on the design.

A carbon fiber tent is the ultimate lightweight unit, but the material is expensive.

In any RTT design the floor platform should provide both insulation and strength/rigidity, so it should not be thin. We think there is the potential to reduce weight and retain the insulating qualities of the base platform by using Baltek - basically, fiberglass encapsulated end grain balsa wood that is used in yacht construction. It has good strength and is extremely light. Boat builders and chandlers can teach us a lot about materials and equipment.

Tent fabric in a single wall tent (almost all tents are single wall designs) depends on thickness among other things to resist water penetration. Our fabric tents are built with 420g fabric, most African tents are 380g. You could go lighter, but would probably require a second roof - a rain fly. But the fly adds some weight and more work/time to set up the tent. To scientifically evaluate suitability of a fabric you should consider the following:

The ratio between impermeability (maximum column of water the fabric is resistant to, according to ISO 811) and; Breathability (air permeability according to ISO 9237), calculated with reference to dimensions and inner volumes of the tents (habitable area) and area (in square feet/meters) of the textile surface: This is a balancing act to attain a comfortable and healthy interior environment.

Specific purpose of the fabric - The tent's roof or side walls, including stresses and movement that the fabrics are subject to as well as weather and climatic influences.

Stretch (ISO 5081), and tear-resistance (ASTM D1424)

Color Stability (ISO 105B04) taking into consideration weather and climatic conditions, including the reaction of a combination of fabrics and threads.

Light Resistance (ISO 105B02) effectiveness against direct sunlight and artificial lighting.

Weight (ISO 3801) of fabric for suitable water resistance, taking into account the tents weight/volume ratio when folded for transport or erected.

Cleaning and Maintenance: including resistance to dirt and mildew.

 

[12husky]

Flooring Option

Another flooring option to lighten the load would be skinned aluminum honeycomb. I use it at work when I have to design lighter weight panels for elevators instead of mdf.
Paneltec supplies our boards for work.

I'm not sure if forum rules allow me to list vendors, so if not please delete this line.

Just a thought,

Matt

 

[UK4X4]

I have a Mare venezuelan made RTT with a full aluminum structure including the base,

for the
1500mm X 2200mm (queen size) the weight is listed as 45KG inc ladder and cover.

www.mare.com.ve/carpas.htm

 

[LUISJG]

wood floor is responsible for the weight on the ezzi awns.

 

[Lemsteraak]

The OverLand and OverCamp tents use a MicroLam plywood in the interests of dimensional stability, you guys are right, it is heavy, but strong and rigid. Turns out wood is an excellent material for a folding tent, good strength to weight ratio. It also insulates well.

You could use a foam core composite like on a Maggiolina or Columbus, and it would save weight, but you wallet would be much lighter too. I was thinking of making a special super light weight small OverLand but it would be about $400 more so I shelved it. The small OverLand is only 95 pounds and about 25 to 30 pounds of that is the high density mattress. You can use a Thermarest pad and save a lot of weight. Not nearly as comfy, but light. If anyone is interested in a folding rooftent with a composite base, let me know your thoughts.

The hammock style rooftent is engaging. A lot of weight is saved because there isn't a solid base or mattress. These are the two heaviest parts of a folding rooftent. Most folding tents use a wood core for their base for two reasons, insulation and strength. When it gets cold, having an insulating base and a mattress is important as this is where most your bodyheat is lost. Same reason why you carry an insulating pad for your sleeping bag when using a ground tent. Second reason for a solid rigid base is so the whole space inside the tent is usable. There is a reason why all the folding RTT are getting larger and larger. Most folks get a little larger tents for longer voyages, it is nice to be able to spread out a little when it is your home.

Rich @ AutoHomeUS