tent material for self build

[crazyjane]

I have some sail makers needles and a thing you put on your hand to push the needles thru the material and it goes pretty easy. I only actually use the hand thing when you have alot of material to push thru. It's a little awkward to use but it definately helps on the thick stuff. Practice and all...Most of the time you can do without it. I don't have a machine with the capacity to sew that material. Sewing buckles on by hand is one thing but doing alot of sewing not this guy. it does hold grommets very well when you double up the material.
With that material you shouldn't have to make a second one because the material does excellent outdoors. We have tents set up for years in AFGH that are still going strong.

 

[Mayne]

I'm curious about sealing the seams on a build like this. Would a simple seam sealer/wax compound be whats needed? Or, is there some secret handshake club trick to it? Also where to get a good window matterial? I have a contact for a guy that will sew the matterial up for me, so assembly isn't an issue. I'm also looking a the 3 dog Camping tents, as they fill a niche need for my dogs, but it makes a Maggiolina's price look cheap!


Mayne

 

[UK4X4]

One is which way you make the seam, as there's a multitude of ways,
two design so that seams are not in critical areas
The roof on mine is in one piece seams are on the sides.

use seam seal or tape the seams before sewing.

I'm still investigating my options for this....

 

[ntsqd]

A long time ago I was shown a tape made for making sails without sewn seams. Mildly sticky to hold position, and then when you ironed it the two pieces of fabric were bonded far stronger than I believe is possible with a sewn seam. I was given a little bit of it for the kites I was making. Worked great there and I've long wondered if it couldn't be used in tents & vehicle covers. The nature of the bond would be as or more water proof than the base material.

FFT anyway....

 

[pray4surf]

Just keeping the thread alive - I have no experience with this site, albeit crude... seems to have quite a selection of goods and supplies

http://www.questoutfitters.com/index.html

 

[mk4]

This place should have the fabric/materials that you're looking for.

http://www.owfinc.com/

I'm not sure what tent you currently have, but the heavier 4 oz nylon rip-stop looks like it would work. They do sell breathable material, but even with the best breathable material you will still get condensation, so vents are more important.

 

[Rezarf <><]

UK-

I bought some Sunbrella fabric off ebay a few months back. I bought the black 60" wide stuff for a song. The dude I got my stuff from sells off the ends of the rolls from the factory.

I inquired with them about the water proofness and got this response...

"Highly water resistant, not water proof. Try to pitch fabric to allow water to shed correctly. Do not allow water to pool, eventually water will seep through. If needed use 303 fabric guard to re-waterproof fabric. I would use a polyester UV treated thread. Please click on link to go to thread -

http://www.outdoortextiles.com/browse.php?CatID=15&SubCatID=94&page=1

Please click through all pages to see all colors.

If you have any other questions, please contact us."

I bought it to make a better rainfly/awning on my trailer. The fabric is super nice and does have some kind of a coating on one side, it is still breathable, my wife is going to sew me up a little something once I get around to making a pattern.

HTH

Rezarf <><

 

[Lemsteraak]

I would hold off on the Sunbrella, it is good fabric but has two drawbacks, doesn't handle chaffe and can leak. This is why you don't see it on any of folding tents, it could work on a tent like a Maggiolina with a solid roof and the Sunbrella is on a vertical wall and well protected from chaffing.

Sunbrella is a superior fabric for the sun. Works incredibly well but you have to be careful in area where it can rub against itself. It generally is very water repellant but I was in a hail storm and the hail beat against it and caused the fabric to be just like a mesh, leaked like I couldn't believe.

I think the best material for your needs would be a blend, part acrylic polyester (Sunbrella) and part good old fashioned cotton. The cotton will swell when it gets wet and be waterproof, Sunbrella needs a treatment to shed water, otherwise it is just a fine mesh. Good old canvas is great but, from what I hear, the quality isn't very good these days, you can't get the old Egyptian cotton canvas. I've talked to guys that have canvas rooftents from the 30's that are still in good shape. You might want to talk to the guys at Seattle Fabrics, they have rooftents and can help you, I send some of our clients that way

http://www.SeattleFabrics.com

The other challenge you will face is the thickness of the fabric. Rooftents take much more abuse that a standard ground tent so the fabric needs to be thicker and stronger to last. The trouble is, most standard sewing machines can't poke their little needles through. I would also recommend getting GorTex thread if you are going to the trouble, last much longer and is very strong. The machines we use have what is called a "walking foot" keeps everything straight. Even still, we have had a few customers comment on how some stitching isn't exactly straight always. When you get four layers of heavy canvas, it is pretty hard to control, so if you are using a standard sewing machine, get a sample of the fabric you choose first to test on your machine. You may need to go with a lighter weight fabric.


Rich @ AutoHome
www.AutoHomeUS.com

 

[stomperxj]

Bump to the top for a progress check...

Any news on this? I have been seriously considering making my own tent top too...

 

[UK4X4]

I've been busy with finishing the trailer I'm building and will now be re-starting my search.

Basicly its to recover my RTT which has "stretch" marks at the 4 outer corners, where the material is de/laminating and splitting.


here's a fly made out of what looks like a suitable material

http://forum.ih8mud.com/camping-gear-recovery/163643-mombasa-rain-fly-project.html

 

[stomperxj]

Yeah looks like he posted his material list and everything. Thats good. I was wondering if there was a seam sealer of some sort...

Post any progress you make... I'm very interested