Instruction Final

8/8/2019 Instruction Final

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How to Construct a

Lightweight Backpacking Tent

By Chris Bruce


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IntroductionThis tutorial aims to teach a method of building a lightweight survival structure for use while

backpacking that will sleep two people and their gear comfortably.

There are many tents designed with backpacking in

mind that are made to be lightweight. For

example, the REI Half Dome 2 Plus weighs only

around 6 pounds, which is pretty light for a tent.

However, this can still be heavy when taken on

strenuous hikes where packing light is a necessity.

Therefore, it is important to know how to build a

structure that is far lighter, and more compact,

than an average tent.

One caveat to this design is that it holds in less

heat than other conventional backpacking tents.

As such, this design is best used during the late

spring, summer and early fall. Use during the

winter is discouraged when backpacking in the

mountains or foothills due to the likeliness of low

temperatures.

In order to build this structure, some prior

knowledge about tying knots is helpful. This guide

will provide steps on how to fuse a rope, tie knots,

and pitch the tent. Figure 1: REI Half Dome 2 (approximately 6 pounds) vs. thistent design (approximately 1 pound)


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MaterialsThe following materials are only required during the preparation phase, before the hike:

1 Pair of scissors 1 candle Matches or lighter Yardstick or tape measureThe following materials are required to construct the tent itself:

One pair of hiking poles that are at least 4 feet tall One 9 foot by 12 foot plastic drop cloth, 0.7 mil thickness 40 feet of parachute cord (or other similar thin braided synthetic rope) 8 tent stakes (preferably aluminum) Surveyors tape (optional but strongly recommended) 8 small rocks, fir cones, or other objects that are about 1-1 inches in size(found on site)


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PreparationsFirst, cut the rope into 1 20 foot piece and 8 2 foot pieces.

Warning: This next step will involve fire and melting plastic. Please take care not toburn yourself, others, or your surroundings. Wait for any plastic to thoroughly cool and

dry before touching, as molten plastic will leave burns.

Next, fuse the ends of the ropes to prevent fraying.

1. Light a candle

2. Hold an end of rope about to 1 inch above the flame of the candle until the end melts together.Repeat this process for all ends of the ropes.

Note: Do not hold the end of the rope too close to the flame or for too long. Once

you notice that the end has melted slightly, take it away from the flame and let it cool.

Leaving it on for too long or placing it too close to the flame can result in fire. In

additional to being dangerous, this can result in large balls of plastic on the ends, whichmakes the rope hard to tie.

It is a good idea to get a feel for how to tie the necessary knots in order to build this structure. The

knots that are needed are the clove hitch, the taut-line hitch, and the larks head, which are located in

Appendix A, B, and C respectively.

Figure 2: A rope is held above a flame to be fused (left). A properly fused rope has a plastic shell at the end where some of

the plastic has melted and solidified (middle). An overly fused rope with a large blob of plastic on the end (left). Once it

solidifies, cut the end off and re-fuse the end properly.


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Lay Out Tarp and PolesClear the ground of any rocks or other uncomfortable objects and lay the tarp out flat with the 9 foot

sides parallel to any incline, such as a hill. By orienting the tarp in such a way, water or cold air flowing

down a hill at night will not be able to enter the tent once it is folded in a later step.

Poles should go about 1/6 of the way down the long (12 foot) side of the drop cloth, or about two feet.

If there is an incline, they should be on the far side away from the incline.

Figure 3: The tarp is laid out with packs on it to help prevent the wind from moving the tarp too much.


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Set Up MidlineTie a clove hitch (see Appendix A) to each of the hiking poles using the 20 foot cord at about 3 feet off

the ground. The poles should be close to ten feet apart and there should be five feet of loose cord

available on both poles. The cord between the poles should be taught.

Tie a taut-line hitch (see Appendix B) in both of the free ends of the cord and use stakes to attach the

taut-line hitch to the ground. Tighten as described in Appendix B such that the lines are taught. The

poles should only be able to fall towards the sides, and will no longer fall inwards or outwards.

Figure 4: The midline has been set up and is taught. The poles are tied to the rope using a clove hitch, and the ends are

staked down to the ground using a taut-line hitch.

Next, fold the long side of the tarp over the midline

The tarp (when pulled taught) should now form a triangle with equal side lengths. The triangular faces

should be four feet across at the base. The poles should be running down the middle of the triangle. If

not, fix the tarp such that it is.


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Attach Tarp to PolesAt the middle of the tarp, above the rope, place a

small rock, pinecone or other small object under

the tarp. Push the object up into the tarp.

Twist the tarp such that the object is trapped in

the tarp. Then, tie a larks head knot (Appendix C)

around the twisted tarp.

Tie a taut-line hitch (Appendix B) in one end of the

rope that is coming out of the larks head knot. The

loop should be going around the pole.

Repeat with the other pole

The tarp should now be attached to the poles. This

will help prevent the tarp from sagging down

towards the middle of the midline.

Caution: Do not tighten these or any

other ropes too tightly. Doing so can rip

the tarp, damaging or destroying the

structure. Be sure to make the tarp tight

but not stretching.

Figure 5: The pinecone is placed under the tarp above the

rope (top). The pinecone is twisted into the tarp, leading to

the pinecone being trapped inside a pocket in the tarp

(middle). A larks head knot is tied around the tarp below

the pinecone and one end is tied into a taut-line hitch

around the hiking pole.


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Attach Guy-LinesIn a similar fashion to how the tarp was connected to the poles, twist a rock or other small object into

one of the lower corners of the roof.

Tie a larks head knot (Appendix C) around the twisted tarp and tie one of the ends into a taut-line hitch

(Appendix B). Put a stake inside the taut-line hitch, hammer into the ground and tighten.

Repeat for the other three corners as well as for the lower middle on both sides of the roof.

Figure 6: A pinecone is twisted into the tarp (left) and is attached to a stake (right).


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Final AdjustmentsTighten or loosen all of the taut-line hitches such that the tarp and lines are taught, but the tarp isnt

being stretched.

If you wish, you can use the surveyors tape to mark the guy-lines. Just take short (6 inches or so)

sections of tape and tie them to each of the guy-lines running from the tarp and poles to the ground.

This will aid in visibility during the evening, night and morning in order to prevent people from tripping

over the lines and taking down the tent. This is especially true if the chosen rope is a dark color, like

black, green or brown.

ConclusionIn conclusion, this tent is a small, lightweight alternative to other backpacking tents. This guide showed

how to prepare the needed materials, orient the tarp, and tie the necessary knots in order to erect the

tent.

Figure 7: The line on the left can be hard to see in low light

conditions. The addition of bright surveyors tape will aid in

visibility.


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Appendix A: Clove HitchThis knot is used to attach a rope to a pole.

First, wrap the rope halfway around the pole.

Next, wrap the rope the rest of the way around the pole

such that the ropes cross in the form of an X.

Finally, wrap the rope around the pole again, but this time

pass the rope under the X formed by the previous steps

and tighten.


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Appendix B: Taut-line HitchThis knot is used to attach a rope to a stake. It allows for the

length of the rope to be adjusted to allow for easy tightening and

loosening.

First, make a loop out of the rope. The loop should be about six

inches to one foot across. At the point that the rope intersects

itself the ropes should make a cross. Be sure to have around eight

inches to one foot of slack at the end of the rope.

Wrap the end of the rope around the inside of the loop twice,

making sure that the coils of rope formed by this are snugly

together next to the point where the rope crosses itself.

Continue wrapping once more, but this time cross over the coils

such that the working end crosses outside of the loop.

Finally, tuck the working end of the rope into the small loop

created in the previous step.


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To tighten the knot, simply grasp the knot and the inside of the loop as pictured and pull them apart.

To loosen, grasp the knot and the standing part (the rope leading off to the pole or tarp) and pull them

apart.


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Appendix C: Larks HeadThis knot is used to quickly attach a rope to other objects.

First, make a loop with the rope. The rope should not cross itself, but one

should grasp the point where the ropes touch with their hand.

Next, reach through the loop with the other hand and pull the point where

the ropes touch back through the loop. Be sure to keep the ropes touching

at that point. Two loops should be formed now.

Finally, place the loops over whatever one is tying this to and tighten the

loops. The rope should be sturdily attached to the object now.

Instruction Final

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