Tipi Build

[Fl0und3rz]

No help on sewing guidance, but I started messing around in Google sketchup to start thinking about designs and materials for a 6 person 150 Sq ft designs.

If J_s doesn't consider it a threadjack, I'll post them up.

[Jonathan_S]

No help on sewing guidance, but I started messing around in Google sketchup to start thinking about designs and materials for a 6 person 150 Sq ft designs.

If J_s doesn't consider it a threadjack, I'll post them up.

Please do. I love the DIY stuff

[Special T]

Tag

[Fl0und3rz]

These are just basic cones, designed to give me a general idea of how much material I would need for a 60" roll.  Dimensions are approximate, and you would have to add seam allowance, subtract for the center pole support, add for zipper storm flap, sod skirt, peak vent, etc.

The first is based on a 10 sided cone shape (like a Seek Outside design), approximately 150 sq. ft, and would take about 35 yards of fabric based on the ripstop pattern being perpidicular to the ground plane edge.  If you could cut it on the bias for a 60" roll, you might be able to half that.  I haven't noodled that out yet.  Door zippers go between the panels on the opposite X-axis (red).  The one line on the negative Y axis panel is just there to show a length of the panel measurement.



The the second is based on an elliptical cone shape (like a Kifaru design), approximately 150 sq. ft.  I haven't figure out how much fabric it would take, because you can see that the shapes only repeat 3 at a time, which would make planning, calculating, and cutting a little more onerous.  Door zippers go between the panels on the opposite y-axis (green).


Based on studying these two commercial designs, it would seem that the commercial vendors might have access to greater than 60" rolls.

I haven't settled yet on final details, but I will likely go with some version of the first, to ease the transition from sewing noob.  Intended use is car/base camping, 4 season, with up to four people, so I won't be too concerned with weight.

Next, I am going to be working up a stove design, based on a hybrid of a Seek Outside and Kifaru box stoves, which I am also going to attempt at some point.

Google sketchup is pretty cool.  I thought about doing these in paper, but this gives me a lot of ways to easily mock up stuff that I otherwise might have a hard time trying to envision.

Thanks, Jonathan_S for the inspiration.

[luvmystang67]

I'm kind of curious what a 60" (roughly) panel width would do for you on an 8 sided figure.  That way you could cut diagonally across a rectangle piece of fabric that is full sized by however long you wanted your side heights to be, cut again on the base to make the triangle isosceles instead of right, and stitch those all together.  Seems like it'd waste VERY little fabric and give you a solid large tent.  Your panels at the base would be slightly smaller than 60" length do the the isosceles cut, but you get the idea.  That'd be your only waste. 

Roughly, doing circle calculations... you'd get a 12-13' diameter base for 127 square feet.

If you did the same thing with 10 panels: ~16' diameter base for ~200 square feet. 

I suppose you could do 7 as well.  I was just trying to minimize material waste.

[Fl0und3rz]

Yeah, that's probably my next step in dinking around with these designs, to minimize waste.

However, I do worry that, by cutting/stitching on the bias, there might be unforseen unequal stretching in the fabric leading to a misshapen form or unequal load bearing.  I read that the stretch of the fabric is not symetrical with respect to the ripstop grid. 

Keep in mind that you can use much of the fabric with a roughly 60" base isosceles triangle on the things described above (e.g., sod skirt, zipper storm flap, peak vent, reinforcing tieouts, etc.) in addition to stuff sacks, etc.

[Fl0und3rz]

Home made stove to boot!  Get some coals going and she will simmer for hours.  You can roast yourself out pretty fast though.  Got it as hot as I think you could get it and we didn't melt anything   screwed up cutting the hole for the pipe, so really thought we were gonna torch it

That is pretty sweet.  That is about what I am looking to put together (like a Seek Outside, but with a swinging door like the Kifaru). What did you use for sheet metal stock (material, gauge, source)?  Did you use a break for the panels or just hand and bench tools?

[Fl0und3rz]

I'm kind of curious what a 60" (roughly) panel width would do for you on an 8 sided figure.  That way you could cut diagonally across a rectangle piece of fabric that is full sized by however long you wanted your side heights to be, cut again on the base to make the triangle isosceles instead of right, and stitch those all together.  Seems like it'd waste VERY little fabric and give you a solid large tent.  Your panels at the base would be slightly smaller than 60" length do the the isosceles cut, but you get the idea.  That'd be your only waste. 

Roughly, doing circle calculations... you'd get a 12-13' diameter base for 127 square feet.

If you did the same thing with 10 panels: ~16' diameter base for ~200 square feet. 

I suppose you could do 7 as well.  I was just trying to minimize material waste.

Your numbers are pretty close. 

Here's an 8 panel bias cut on a 60" roll with 7.5' peak and about 120 sqft. Note that this also works approximately for non-bias cut, except the 4.977" bottom edge leaves only about a quarter inch seam allowance, and you would have more offcut area, as noted.  This seems about the equivalent of the 4 man Seek Outside with about a half foot of additional headroom.

[Fl0und3rz]

OK, after goofing around, here is a basic stove box and door.  Principal dimensions are 9" W, 12" L, 8" H.  The panels have approximately a 1/2" lip and the seam sockets on the side panels are about 5/8" of material.  Now I just have to find a good source for stainless sheet stock. 

[Jonathan_S]

You guys out about 3000% more thought into this than I did 

[luvmystang67]

Jonathan, what was your thought process when planning?  Were you trying to mimic a retail-available option?  What size factors were you considering?  How close did your reality match the plan you started with?

[Wanttohuntmore]

Now we need a material source.  The sil nylon isn't cheap.  What's the cheapest/yard folks are finding?

[luvmystang67]

Here's some of the resources I've been looking into:

https://ripstopbytheroll.com/

http://www.owfinc.com/fabrics.html

http://www.questoutfitters.com/coated.html#SILNYLON

http://diygearsupply.com/

What else do people have?

[Jonathan_S]

Jonathan, what was your thought process when planning?  Were you trying to mimic a retail-available option?  What size factors were you considering?  How close did your reality match the plan you started with?

My thought process was as follows...

I ordered some unknown material from a website I can't remember. They sent me more than I ordered so I thought, "hey what about a tipi?" I drew a few triangles, punched a few numbers and started cutting a few hours later.

Now we need a material source.  The sil nylon isn't cheap.  What's the cheapest/yard folks are finding?

google is your friend  silnylon isn't the only option either, I'm making a new tipi of silpoly for myself because it doesn't stretch when wet like silnylon does

[luvmystang67]

I'm also thinking of going sil poly for my first build.

Here's some interesting comparisons of materials and their waterproofness.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/105800/

Hydrostatic head is important to keep in mind as all fabrics are not created equal.