Wall tent tips & tricks

[mlsthmpsn]

I purchased a wall tent this past spring, and have used it on many occasions over the summer and had it up all fall until yesterday (when I broke camp for the year). I've been slowly working on little things here and there to make camp better...some I've thought up and others I've seen in my tent research.

I've failed to find a concise resource for tips and tricks that other wall-tenters have utilized to make camp more organized, enjoyable, handy, etc.

So, I'm going to try to keep a list here (with pics if possible) of the enhancements I've done and hopefully you guys can add to it as well. This isn't a thread for suggestions on what tent to buy or what size or any of that....there's lots of those (but seriously get the next size up or bigger, they fill up fast!!!)

This is a list for after you have the tent and are making camp home for a while. Some of these might not work for everyone, since they may be tent or frame specific.

[mlsthmpsn]

First up, I color-coded my tent frame and angle pieces...this helps when setting up. No more lining up the pipes to see how long they are and no more flipping the angles around to see where they go. My angles are all the same for eave and ridge, but I painted them anyway. (note: spray paint will rub off onto the tent fabric so if that's a concern of yours, I suggest colored electrical tape or another means of color)

   

[mlsthmpsn]

When setting this thing up by myself, I found that the pieces often would slide apart. So I now run length of rope through the angle pieces and tie the frame together before I lift it. I place a washer (now a nut)on one end so it can't slip through the brace, and on the other end just loop it back through and tie a slippery grip hitch so I can adjust it easily if needed. Each of my angle brackets have this brace hole, so it works for mine...welding a nut or chain link on yours would be easy if needed.

     

It works well and keeps the frame tight and held together. This also serves as a place to easily hang stuff along the eaves inside the tent.

[abbatoys]

Good tips so far..I am considering a wall tent soon..

[mlsthmpsn]

My tent has some grommets in both ends of the eave (tent and fly both have them). I was having issues with getting the tent and awning straight on the frame AND tieing off to the grommets was both difficult and going to tear the grommets out.

This little addition solved the alignment and tie-off problems. I welded a post on the two end pieces, and now slip this through the tent and fly grommets, slip the guy line loop over that, add a fender washer and hand-tighten a nut over it.

 

The threaded post is about 1/8" narrower than the inside diameter of the grommets. Now the rope pulls on the frame and the post keeps the tent and fly lined up...works really slick, better than I imagined!


This is how I had to tie off the fly at the awning prior to the welded posts...no bueno, as it started tearing out on the first use!
   

[YosemiteSam]

Seems like a comfortable place to call home for a while.  I can speak to backpacking camps but nothing of that kind of luxury and space.

[mlsthmpsn]

I am terrible at taking pictures of most things...but I'll try to get better ones as I go.

This is one addition I had a lucid dream about (I often dream up very precise solutions to problems or projects I'm working on).
     

I have a length of paracord hanging from each angle piece along the eave, a loop is in each end (or you could just do one big loop). Note: the middle lengths of cord are the same length, and the outer two are just a bit longer...you'll see.

I cut some 3/4" emt, one for each rafter section. The middle piece is the same length as the rafters, but the end two pieces are 5" shorter. On each end of these pipes, I drilled a hole and added an 1-3/4" s-hook and pinched it closed on the pipe...now you just hang the pipes in the loops on the ropes with the open end of the s-hooks. The two shorter end pipes and slighlty longer ropes will keep the pipes off the end wall and door by several inches (yet still level for hanging stuff on).

As an added bonus (as often happens in my dreamt-up projects)...it turns out that the 3" open s-hoops I bought to hang stuff on the pipes  aren't able to slip over the pipes (see lantern in the image)... BUT they will slide onto the pipe from the ends and then they can't pop off! This prevents them from falling off during transport and for when you are using them and pulling your stuff off....hooks stay on the pipe until you take them off the ends.


p.s.- orange is required for bowhunting during any big game rifle season (including muzzleloader this past weekend when I took the picture)

[mlsthmpsn]

I have a shorter piece of 3/4" EMT that I want to hang by the wood stove for helping dry out wet clothing.


 
Also, I have a thicker survival blanket from Wally-world that I tie behind the wood stove on that rope that holds the frame tight (shiny side toward the inside of the tent)
   

I had to add grommets to the long side, but the short side of the blanket is the same length as my walls....so it fits perfect in the corner. This really reflects heat back into the tent, and helps protect the tent fabric from prolonged heat exposure.

Sorry, no pics of this in operation.

[mlsthmpsn]

Originally posted by YosemiteSam:
Seems like a comfortable place to call home for a while.  I can speak to backpacking camps but nothing of that kind of luxury and space.

Yeah, lots of room for a couple guys...it'd be tight with 4.

Here's a solo trip several weeks ago. I brought my two dogs for company and a bit of Grouse hunting....they didn't want to sleep on the blue cot, so they are both in bags on the floor next to mine.
     


This is how the younger black lab spent the nights.  
   

[damascusdave]

I will add one I learned from an outfitter friend:

If you wake up and notice the glory of the night sky the roof is on fire

DDave

[calgarychef]

If you use wood poles for the frame some people will use a guy rope front and back to hold it up.  Replace the guy line with another pole and it'll stand up to a much bigger wind.

If you really want your wall tent to stand up to big winds sell it and buy a yurt!

[Pete McMiller]

We've made 5-6" S-hooks out of #9 wire and then hung them on a piece of 3/4 EMT that is hung down from the rafter poles about 3" - close to the side walls.  Hang your coat, sox, coffee cup, whatever on it to keep the center of the tent relatively free of all but the wettest stuff that needs to dry by the stove.

[Bill Turner]

Great suggestions. Anyone with a wall tent would be smart to follow your lead and add to your list as needed. Difficulty in setting  up and taking down keeps many from using this type tent. Thanks from letting others benefit from your experience.  

[jcar315]

Thanks for sharing.

[Orion]

Don't have a pix, but I'll see if I can explain it. My center pole is jointed with a piece of PVC pipe.  About in the center, I  have an eyebolt on one of the sections that points downward.  I run a 3/16-inch cable from end to end, through the eye bolt, and tighten the cable, which puts a little upward bow or crown in the center pole, or at least keeps it from sagging.  Then I use hangers and hooks to hang all sorts of stuff from the cable.

[LC]

Gotta love a wall tent and appreciate your
"tips" Who couldn't benefit from those! Now I just have to sit back and wipe the druel off the keyboard!

[mlsthmpsn]

Originally posted by Bill Turner:
Great suggestions. Anyone with a wall tent would be smart to follow your lead and add to your list as needed. Difficulty in setting  up and taking down keeps many from using this type tent. Thanks from letting others benefit from your experience.      

My hope is that people will add their own tips and tricks, so that we can have one repository of camp life enhancements.

Setting up is only a bit more work than tearing down...gotta have a solid process and don't veer from it. This past weekend, I had my brother along to help. It was his first time even seeing my tent. On Sunday morning, we hung up all the sleeping bags and pads on the 3/4" pipes and added a log on the fire. Then we packed up some stuff and went hunting for a couple hours.

When we got back to camp I set the timer on my phone when we parked.... It was 46min to tear down camp. This included the cots, rolling bags and floor up, packing misc supplies, pulling the stove and emptying it and packed away, taking down the tent, emptying the Porta John into the septic, putting some stuff back in the shed... All loaded in the truck, in-law's camper closed and locked, electric power all locked out... And us in the truck ready to leave... 46 minutes from leaving the truck to back in the truck.  Oh,  and it snowed 1" in that amount of time too!

The snow sucks because it just started and by the time we did the tent it had near an inch on it, heavy wet snow, fly was soaked and the tent got pretty wet... Now it'll take a week or more to dry out at home.

We could have easily stayed in the big 26ft slide-out camper with 3 beds, a couch and TV, electric heat, stove, oven, fridge, microwave...it is winterized, but that's the only thing keeping it from being a house.

I prefer the tent and wood stove.

[Stickbow]

I use multicolored electrical tape to identify pole groups as mention earlier. I also run a sharpie around the pole when it is made all the way into the socket to know when a pole is made up  or may have slipped out a bit.

Always stake and rope the tent out even when drying.

A clear plastic fly allows snow to slide easily

I really urge everyone to pack a sharpie and personalize your tent with short notes on the wall depicting trips. Who was there, game taken, weather.....sort of a journal. After several years it makes for some good reminiscing  in the evenings and when tent bound.

[two4hooking]

Shower curtain rings....great for hanging stuff from your frame inside.  Colman lantern, fire extinguisher by door, hangers for clothing ect.

I bought some threaded knobs to go over the eve bolts as shown on the first page.  The knobs are big and keep thing sin place when you lift the frame.

 

 

With my two Egyptian canvas tents I have the aluminum truss with the three dog for heat with a charcoal grid in it to keep the charcoal ash from smothering the unburnt charcoals with my wall tent.  With my 9x9 Egyptian Baker I have the full porch which turns it into a 15 by 9 if we want or open to a contained fire when we need some heat and have enough privacy to have the front open.