I would like to know if anyone has plans for making a tyvek tent. (Solo/Duo) and has anyone attempted to put a stove in one. is it firesafe?
A stove in a tent ???
Jack L
Tyvek
…is polyethylene material…Plastic…it will melt!!! 2nd danger of a stove in a tent …carbon monoxide poisoning.
CO poisoning?
– Last Updated: Apr-06-14 10:24 PM EST –
I don't know anyone dumb enough to think that it would be okay to have all the vents tightly shut if operating a stove inside the tent. In cool or cold weather this will also lead to a huge condensation problem - another obvious reason to have the vents open. It's not that the need to operate a stove inside is usually all that great, but I've heard it's a common thing for some people in rainy weather, especially if they have a vestibule so that any cooking spills land on the ground instead of on the tent floor. Spills would be my biggest worry. My second-biggest worry would be tipping over the stove and melting the fabric. Still, winter mountaineers do nearly 100-percent of their cooking inside.
For those of you not familiar with hot
– Last Updated: Apr-06-14 10:30 PM EST –
tents, they are widely used for winter camping in the north.
They are usually made of Egyptian cotton or canvas but can be made of nylon with sufficient venting. They have a stove jack in the roof or side for use of a wood stove inside. They do not have a floor.. for fire safety purposes.
Tyvek is sometimes used for making emergency tents though I have not heard of anyone trying it for a hot tent with a stove. I would think its chief problem is incorporating the stove jack into the Tyvek. Does Tyvek sew well?
The other issue of course is that tents require seams.. Does Tyvek sew well( yes a repeat)
Backpacking light http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=18510
discussion of tyvek inner winter tent. The problem is ventilation.. You really dont want to get rained on inside nor suffocate. Canvas hot tents are naturally breathable; even nylon is considered breathable (if not treated)
Here’s what Dupont has to say -
FLAMMABILITY
The flammability characteristics of Spunbonded Olefin, a synthetic nonwoven material, are similar to those of most synthetic fibers. When exposed to a flame, Spunbonded Olefin shrinks away rapidly. If the flame is made to follow the shrinking sheet, Spunbonded Olefin will melt at 275°F (135°C), and if its auto-ignition temperature of 750°F (400°C) is reached, it will burn. Type 10 Spunbonded Olefin is rated class “A” when tested in accordance with ASTM E-84-89a. Types 14 and 16 are rated “Class 1—Normal Flammability” by the Federal Flammable Fabrics Act for Clothing Textiles (16 CFR-1610). Spunbonded Olefin does not pass DOC FF3-71, Children’s Sleepwear Test.* Spunbonded Olefin and laminates of Spunbonded Olefin are not intended for use in fire-retardant garments. The user should ensure that Spunbonded Olefin meets all flammability standards for the application.
I would hope you would see the answer within the above text.
thanks for the good info. anyone else?
mostly I’m looking for layout dimensions for a one man and two man set up with a little extra for gear. my goal is to eliminate my heavy five lb. tent in trade for the tyvek. the woodburner thing was an afterthought and not a serious need by any means. however I have camped out in the cold 25 degrees or so in others tents with woodburning stoves and had no issues. adults only situation
here
http://survivalkitclub.com/tyvek-tents-3-ways-to-improve-your-tyvek-tent/
http://www.tarptent.com/projects/tarpdesign.html
Youtube
Youtube has a couple vids on the topic.
different varieties of tyvek
there are different varieties of tyvek materail, depending on what they were intended for. not sure which would be best for a tent.
I use tyvek sold as kite building material for a groundcloth under my tent. it is not totally waterproof, and does get damp on the one side which is less plastic like - but it has never gotten totally soaked either. it is quite strong for that application, and I have been using the same pieces (cut to size for different tents)for 5 or more years.
a typical roughly 5’x 7’ piece weighs 3 or 4 ounces
one advantage is you can buy just the quantity you need (try "into the wind.com)
I don’t know if any tyvek material is flame retardent treated - that might be a better choice if you found some that was, regardless of whether you would use a stove inside or not - picture sparks from a campfire landing on the tent on a windy night
I made a solo tube tent out of plastic sheeting once, still have it somewhere, and only used it one time. ALl I did was get a wide enough piece of plastic so that there was only a single seam, and that was joined with tape - maybe duct tape, don’t remember - it required no sewing - the ends were open though
Tyvek + Heat = Bad Idea
You do NOT want polypropolene anywhere near flames or even heat! Tyvek is primarily olefin which is polypropolene. Having worked in the outdoor gear biz during the years that synthetics like polypro started to enter the market (and also having worked in a polymer chemistry lab and in the construction business) I have pretty good knowledge of the material’s properties. It has a low melting point and is considering unsafe for flammability, though some items like carpets are treated to improve upon that. I have anecdotes that are instructive about it’s properties in this regard, both personal and historical.
The first is back in the late 1970’s when the co-owner of the backpacking store I managed used to do his laundry at the automat in the strip mall where the store was located. He came back into the shop with his basket of recently dried underwear griping that somebody had “stolen” all of his polypro liner socks from the dryer. As he dumped the basket out on the floor behind the counter to sort and fold the clothes I noticed there were strange little white chunks of something mixed in with the items. I picked one up and announced: “here are your socks”. The heat from the commercial clothes dryer had melted each polypro sock into a lumpy small plastic blob.
The second report of polypro versus heat is one I experienced personally and one that the British army discovered as well, to their dismay. I had Lifa polypro longjohns that I bought when they first came out and used for XC skiing and mountaineering. When I was working in construction in my 30’s I wore one of the shirts to work under my cotton canvas coveralls. I had the coverall sleeves rolled up and the polypro shirt sleeves covering my forearms while I was using a step bit to drill holes in a steel cabinet above me – this operation produces white hot steel shavings, several of which fell onto the shirt and instantly melted the fabric, bonding the hot plastic to the skin of my arm and causing a painful burn. I still have the scar. The British Navy had outfitted their sailors with polypro long johns too, and discovered to their horror during the brief armed conflict with Argentina over the Falkland Islands that when the troops were hit with burning debris in combat the underwear similarly melted and welded to their skin causing great difficulties in treating the burns. They subsequently discontinued usage of the material for military clothing.
If you are skeptical, buy a piece of Tyvek and lay it in your driveway (with some sand or kitty litter underneath so the mess will be easier to clean up) and expose it to flame.
There are better lightweight fabrics for tents. Seattle Fabrics has many choices.
i have a wallet made of tyvek
Its pretty awesome
I think making a Tyvek tent …
… is based on the idea that the stuff is dirt-cheap or even available as scrap, and that it could be fun to throw together a tent that is light and cheap, but not expected to be good or last a long time. Naturally there are better fabrics for making a tent, but I can’t imagine that the OP is thinking that Tyvek is in the same category as any of the “good” tent-making materials. I bet this is just a “hey, let’s try this” kind of thing.
Sharper Image?
I saw a kevlar one there once and have been looking for the same model to replace my dilapidated pile of rotten leather.
nope
Local t shirt shop. Company is called mighty wallet. Give it a google.
Kevlar is heat resistant and strong.
Maybe some sailmaker has it in a real light fabric. But it does absorb water, which Tyvek does not.
Polyester/Dacron still looks good for sails, tarps, and tent flies.
Stephenson used to make single layer tents out of metal-reflective Mylar, but that won’t cover the heat issue. Wish I’d bought one. The reflective property was supposed to hold down on the condensation.
Practical? Breathable? Fire aside…
Having built and wrapped my house in Tyvek, futzing around trying to come up with a homemade tent lay-up with the stuff, is not my idea of tinker-time well spent.
Here’s the lightest(and cheapest)tent solution I’ve come up with for packing on-board a kayak(–Even somewhat flame retardant, if you’re dumb enough to use a stove inside.) If bugs be a problem, sew on some mesh to the ends…
http://www.rei.com/product/768984/coghlans-tube-tent
Inside of this, shove your bod inside a Sol Escape Bivy(breathable)and add a lite poly fleece blanket(That’s if your sleeping bag’s too heavy as well.)
You’ll find you’ll stay very toasty in temps down in the low 20’s with this arrangement(I have). And with no more weight, than about one pound TOTAL.
If that’s not light enough or warm enough, shoot-up some testosterone…And if you feel absolutely compelled to place supplemental heat inside a small tent of any kind, try warming things up with a lite aluminum candle lantern before you turn in for the night–But blow the thing out first!
…Or use a foil wrapped baked potato inside your sleeping bag.
I wondered about that
The model I saw had a heavy weave but it still has to absorb water. I recently saw a nice sailcloth model but I thought it might act as a sponge.
go all out
– Last Updated: Apr-09-14 7:28 PM EST –
and make it out of cuben fiber! Super cheap!