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That's going to be a condensation fest in there. Pretty sure The Outdoor Gear Review did a real world test of something very similar. They 'work' in that they

That's going to be a condensation fest in there. Pretty sure The Outdoor Gear Review did a real world test of something very similar. They 'work' in that they do heat up, but they're a lot of work and get extremely sweaty when made from those non-breathable plastic survival sheets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJwvH90g3Yw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJwvH90g3Yw For a more in depth look at using more 'appropriate' modern materials, 'Simon, A Bloke in the Woods' has a decent series on making a Baker Tent from scratch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Df0keicL5U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Df0keicL5U

ghaff 5y ago
Furthermore, there are a lot of places where you can't even have an open fire and/or there isn't a lot of wood. Cool experiment but tents and other sleeping arrangements like hammocks are a pretty well-trod area where real innovations are mostly through using new materials--one disadvantage of which is that super-light gear in my experience is increasingly fragile.
- oblib 5y ago
  I think this experiment offers a glimpse into an area that might deserve looking into. For example, a breathable weave of that reflective coating on the inside of a tent might make it warmer rather you use a campfire or not and reduce condensation when compared to my garage built proof of concept made with off the shelf materials. As to places where you can't have a campfire, I addressed that at the end of the post. One of the things I didn't really talk about, but did show in the video a couple times, is that reflective bubble wrap I use for the floor of the tent. That stuff makes a great pad for under your mattress pad or bag. It makes a huge difference when you're sitting or sleeping on cold ground and it protects your mattress from rocks and other small sharp hole poking stuff, folded up it makes an awesome pad to sit on, and it's pretty light.
  - ghaff 5y ago
    Bubblewrap is an interesting idea. It's also pretty robust and even if you get a puncture, you just affect one bubble. At the end of the day, I'm not really that interested in a lot of hardcore ultralight although my gear, for those occasions when I use it, is pretty light.
- galangalalgol 5y ago
  There are a lot of places with plenty of deadfall and fires are fine too. They usually are lower traffic, and the season when you'd want this, fire and condensation are both non issues. For those other places my UL buddy ( both he and his gear are UL) uses a home made tyvek bivy for every trip. His half pad is a therma-rest, but he likes that bivy better than anything he can buy.
zikzak 5y ago
When I was a kid we'd walk about five hours to a lake and fish there. A structure like this was there. It was just rough poles lashes to a couple of trees. You like evergreen brush on it. A tarp thrown over it keeps the rain of but breathes well. And if you like mosquitoes and black flies out is basically paradise.
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  I don't think anyone likes mosquitos and black flies though.
oblib 5y ago
>>That's going to be a condensation fest in there. Oh yeah! I spent a few nights in it on a gravel bar on Sylamore Creek in Arkansas and I didn't have a campfire because it was warm out. In the morning it was practically a downpour of rain when I got up and bumped the side walls. On the plus side, when the sun came over us and burned off the fog the tent warmed up fast, and enough, to dry everything out very quickly. But that was probably the wettest I've ever seen the inside of any tent get.
tweetle_beetle 5y ago
A still evening in winter in a dense forest, as hinted at in the article, is actually a pretty easy environment to design for. Any sort of weather conditions, exposure or ambient humidity would really reveal its weaknesses. To poorly re-tell a joke from someone who has made been on dozens of expeditions around the world - the ultimate test of any tent is an autumn day on a camp site in a farmers field in north Wales.

ghaff 5y ago

Furthermore, there are a lot of places where you can't even have an open fire and/or there isn't a lot of wood. Cool experiment but tents and other sleeping arrangements like hammocks are a pretty well-trod area where real innovations are mostly through using new materials--one disadvantage of which is that super-light gear in my experience is increasingly fragile.

oblib 5y ago
I think this experiment offers a glimpse into an area that might deserve looking into. For example, a breathable weave of that reflective coating on the inside of a tent might make it warmer rather you use a campfire or not and reduce condensation when compared to my garage built proof of concept made with off the shelf materials. As to places where you can't have a campfire, I addressed that at the end of the post. One of the things I didn't really talk about, but did show in the video a couple times, is that reflective bubble wrap I use for the floor of the tent. That stuff makes a great pad for under your mattress pad or bag. It makes a huge difference when you're sitting or sleeping on cold ground and it protects your mattress from rocks and other small sharp hole poking stuff, folded up it makes an awesome pad to sit on, and it's pretty light.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Bubblewrap is an interesting idea. It's also pretty robust and even if you get a puncture, you just affect one bubble. At the end of the day, I'm not really that interested in a lot of hardcore ultralight although my gear, for those occasions when I use it, is pretty light.
galangalalgol 5y ago
There are a lot of places with plenty of deadfall and fires are fine too. They usually are lower traffic, and the season when you'd want this, fire and condensation are both non issues. For those other places my UL buddy ( both he and his gear are UL) uses a home made tyvek bivy for every trip. His half pad is a therma-rest, but he likes that bivy better than anything he can buy.

zikzak 5y ago

When I was a kid we'd walk about five hours to a lake and fish there. A structure like this was there. It was just rough poles lashes to a couple of trees. You like evergreen brush on it. A tarp thrown over it keeps the rain of but breathes well. And if you like mosquitoes and black flies out is basically paradise.

frosted-flakes 5y ago
I don't think anyone likes mosquitos and black flies though.

oblib 5y ago

>>That's going to be a condensation fest in there. Oh yeah! I spent a few nights in it on a gravel bar on Sylamore Creek in Arkansas and I didn't have a campfire because it was warm out. In the morning it was practically a downpour of rain when I got up and bumped the side walls. On the plus side, when the sun came over us and burned off the fog the tent warmed up fast, and enough, to dry everything out very quickly. But that was probably the wettest I've ever seen the inside of any tent get.

tweetle_beetle 5y ago

A still evening in winter in a dense forest, as hinted at in the article, is actually a pretty easy environment to design for. Any sort of weather conditions, exposure or ambient humidity would really reveal its weaknesses. To poorly re-tell a joke from someone who has made been on dozens of expeditions around the world - the ultimate test of any tent is an autumn day on a camp site in a farmers field in north Wales.