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Unless of course you were to put some isolation in those tents (or regular buildings, for the matter). The ingenious building style in hot countries revolves a

Unless of course you were to put some isolation in those tents (or regular buildings, for the matter). The ingenious building style in hot countries revolves around few windows, light colors and thick walls. With that, there is not much need for air conditioning. But then again, the US has a track record of building inefficient houses, so this should not surprise anyone.

jonknee 15y ago
We're talking about tents here... Building adobe houses at every camp might also be a tad expensive.
- petrilli 15y ago
  And $20B isn't?
- astrodust 15y ago
  They're made out of dirt. How can that possibly be "expensive" compared to flying equipment half way around the world?
  - Klinky 15y ago
    Making mud huts doesn't seem very realistic in the middle of a sandy desert, a war zone or a disaster area. Nor are they entirely easy or quick to build & their ability to cool would be temperamental & inconsistent.
    - astrodust 15y ago
      There aren't any bases literally in the middle of a sandy desert, as what are you defending in that case? They're usually somewhere on more solid ground. If there's dirt, there's material for building. There are no bases of any consequence in the middle of the Sahara. Iraq isn't Saudi Arabia. Rammed Earth construction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rammed_earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rammed_earth) is an ancient practice made easy with modern equipment. The tents the American forces use are better suited to a European climate, not the intense heat of the desert. They're also going to resist mortars a lot better than some flimsy canvas tent.
      - Klinky 15y ago
        There are desert & remote outposts in action. The military could invest in compact, easily constructed tents or it could rely on the possibility that mud is available in the area & that they have the time, the personnel & the heavy equipment free to build them. Huts that you can't deconstruct and take with you. Also we're not just talking about military purposes. You could put up an industrial grade tent in an hour for disaster relief. How long would a mud hut take to build in a disaster area? How about at a festival or fairgrounds? It looks like in some areas the army is re-purposing tents for semi-permanent housing. Tents are already on hand. Their specs are known. I am not aware of an army approved mud hut. Perhaps the army should look into it, but there are many varying factors that can go wrong in constructing a mud hut vs a standard issue tent. Also I don't think a quickly build mud hut is going to fair a whole lot better than a tent to a mortar round. Additionally the tents are being sprayed with insulating foam on the outside which makes them almost airtight. Though I'd question if there is the ability to re-purpose the tent after it's been sprayed.
      - thomaslangston 15y ago
        I'm a big fan of the concrete cloth inflatable structures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBHVKFCoYFc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBHVKFCoYFc
        Klinky 15y ago
        That's pretty spiffy. Though not very portable. Also they recommend covering with earth or sand for insulation.

jonknee 15y ago

We're talking about tents here... Building adobe houses at every camp might also be a tad expensive.

petrilli 15y ago
And $20B isn't?
astrodust 15y ago
They're made out of dirt. How can that possibly be "expensive" compared to flying equipment half way around the world?
- Klinky 15y ago
  Making mud huts doesn't seem very realistic in the middle of a sandy desert, a war zone or a disaster area. Nor are they entirely easy or quick to build & their ability to cool would be temperamental & inconsistent.
  - astrodust 15y ago
    There aren't any bases literally in the middle of a sandy desert, as what are you defending in that case? They're usually somewhere on more solid ground. If there's dirt, there's material for building. There are no bases of any consequence in the middle of the Sahara. Iraq isn't Saudi Arabia. Rammed Earth construction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rammed_earth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rammed_earth) is an ancient practice made easy with modern equipment. The tents the American forces use are better suited to a European climate, not the intense heat of the desert. They're also going to resist mortars a lot better than some flimsy canvas tent.
    - Klinky 15y ago
      There are desert & remote outposts in action. The military could invest in compact, easily constructed tents or it could rely on the possibility that mud is available in the area & that they have the time, the personnel & the heavy equipment free to build them. Huts that you can't deconstruct and take with you. Also we're not just talking about military purposes. You could put up an industrial grade tent in an hour for disaster relief. How long would a mud hut take to build in a disaster area? How about at a festival or fairgrounds? It looks like in some areas the army is re-purposing tents for semi-permanent housing. Tents are already on hand. Their specs are known. I am not aware of an army approved mud hut. Perhaps the army should look into it, but there are many varying factors that can go wrong in constructing a mud hut vs a standard issue tent. Also I don't think a quickly build mud hut is going to fair a whole lot better than a tent to a mortar round. Additionally the tents are being sprayed with insulating foam on the outside which makes them almost airtight. Though I'd question if there is the ability to re-purpose the tent after it's been sprayed.
    - thomaslangston 15y ago
      I'm a big fan of the concrete cloth inflatable structures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBHVKFCoYFc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBHVKFCoYFc
      - Klinky 15y ago
        That's pretty spiffy. Though not very portable. Also they recommend covering with earth or sand for insulation.