One of the biggest problems in outfitting or supplying yourself for adventure is the danger of reinventing the wheel: frequently, a long period of experimentation/research can reveal that something like what you were trying already exists. In my case, find that either a) I wanted to buy something ultra-specific, while a commonplace DIY existed, or b) that I wanted to DIY or invent something, and that there was already a commercial product available. It's not grounds for criticism; it's just life.
Civil war reenactors use some pretty nice tent halves as a system to create a lot of variations of set ups. They used buttons, but since everyone was made to the same specs, the bittons always lines up no matter who in the unit you were paired with. In a fantasy setting i think that would require the party to buy the tent pieces from the same guy at the same time.
"Living Anachronism independently rediscovers half-shelters, a long-standing piece of military kit, and that it was issued for centuries for a reason. More at 11."
Actually I believe the French developed the shelter half. They used it during the Crimean war and that is where the US army saw it and it became standard during the Civil War. It should be noted that from the time of the longhunter they used horses to carry gear. Hollywood gave us the idea we carried very little. In the north when there was snow sleds were used. Heavier loads were pulled by dogs. Even the plains tribes used dogs for pulling.
It's called a Plough Point, a Shelter Half, or most commonly a Diamond Fly and there are a number of RUclips presentations on different ways to set them up, in singles and in pairs. They are easy to make, but there are also a number primitive style tentmakers who sell them ready-made (waterproofed with gromets and ties points). My favorite is Spring Valley Lodges. My son bought one from them many years ago for LARPing and it still is as solid and waterproof as new (though well used). However, he made his first one using the information he found in a 1920s Boy Scout Manual. Boy Scouts 100 years ago were a lot tougher than today.
There is a lot of comments saving how your reinvented the wheel with half-shelters, I'm sitting here screaming this is so bad ass. You have friends that you are willing to do this with and learn how to improve your setup. Already shared with my entire Ranger group. Would love to see more of this type of content.
I appreciate the step-by-step discoveries presented in this video. This is very informative for those who have never attempted this sort of camping endeavor. Thank you!
Ww2 pup tents, german and American (I don't know about other armies). Ww2 US tents, each guy gets a shelter half, a pole, some stakes and rope. The tents button together to form the ridge line. German tents, 4 guys each get a triangle tent piece. One pole in the middle, 2 guys sleep, 2 on watch. The getma. Tents can be buttoned together into very large shelters because they are triangle pieces
Combinations of the us Army shelter half tents and the Polish Lavvu …. The lavvu creates a tipi style shelter out of two segments with a single triangle door… BUT you can make a larger shelter with additional sections …. A two section lavvu and a two panel shelter half tent gives you a canvas igloo , and you can convert the lavvu into a hot tent . Lavvu can have four sections with two doors. Shelter halves can be made double long using four sections. Lavvus can also use six panels and have the three openings be at 120 degree from each other… suddenly you have a canvas structure with a main central room with a protected entrance , side tunnels for sleeping, or leading to smaller secondary chambers
The biggest issue with the American shelter halves is that they are not long enough, I really got tired of waking up with my feet out the bottom of the "tent". I really think they were designed for people about 5'6" to 5'8" or so, being even slightly over 6' you simply can not get inside the tent and straighten out. Let alone at 6'5". And if you bend your knees your going to hit the other guy in the tent with them.
I was issued a shelter half in the Marines in the 90s. I don't think I used it in the Fleet, but those things made it to the late 90s before they got phased out.
The guy from modern history tv says most medieval travelers did not camp, they stayed at inns…I seem to recall. Consider a hand cart rather than backpack to haul sufficient gear for survivable comfort.
That is true, but certain people Like outlaws and the people hunting outlaws, would need to have a quick to set up and quick to take down shelter. Past medieval times you could also add in Longhunters to the list.
I think in this situation there is a lot of difference between a more "everyday" traveler and an adventurer. The traveler would likely follow a road that has some traffic, and there would likely be smaller settlements about a day's walk from each other (exactly because of these travelers), while an adventurer often goes off the well-known path, into the wilderness where no one lives. In Hungary, where I live, even now the villages still reflect this quite well: the least populated area is a huge plain, and the villages are ususally about 10 km from each other - even with a cart carrying crops, or if you are travelling with your children, or in the middle of the summer (there is barely any shade, the plain is all wheatfields and pastures) it is realistic to go this much every day, or even twice this much, so you can even have a lunch at an inn, and reach another before sunset.
Your friend’s idea with the two guidelines is a very effective method I’ve seen used in larger tents in order to allow a small fire inside. I have over ten years of experience in living history btw.
Thank you for sharing your findings. I very much respect that you actually go out and do the things and come back and report to us what you find and mistakes and everything else thank you.
Another advantage of a multi person tent: HEAT! People give off a lot of heat. If you're sleeping in two separate blankets, try throwing a third over both of you. Even a thin cotton sheet makes a big difference.
My favorite set up for a double tarp, is a plow-point diamonds shelter with one, and the other forming a wall, and half floor. This lets you have a completely included shelter, without open ends, from two square tarps. I've done this at SCA events and stayed drier than people in modern tents.
German "zeltbahn" shelters were 4-man tents, each section being something of a triangle shape that doubled as a poncho. Obviously, the US shelter-half that I used in the Marines, as well as the numerous other countries that copied the basic pattern. There's ways to rig shelters from military-issue ponchos, as well. I've also seen a number of bushcrafter shelter designs that were modular enough to allow for adding in "tent-mates" to expand your shelter. Looks like y'all had fun!
The military did have half shelters, so that the men could have a small emergency shelter if need be but when they got to where they were going their bunk buddy could combine them together for one large one exactly like you guys did basically except the shelter pieces are made to snap together obviously
I would make a boat of the ground tarp, get stakes and use the guy loops to hold the ground tarp lip up 3-6 inches but only on the edge as a wind/water break ( u shaped). You can then use the top as a normal A cover right to the ground, but the raised lip underneath it will help as a barrier. You could even make a simple pot hook and hang the lip of the ground cover up to your guy wire as a door, if the ground tarp is long enough.
It isn't just a "secure feeling" or even avoiding drafts that makes me want my head opposite the door. It's also more convenient to crawl into the tent and kick your boots off if you don't need to turn your whole body 180° (and possibly track in snow/mud from your footwear OR get your socks wet trying to do it). You just crawl halfway in, kick the boots off just inside the door, and then wiggle into your bedroll. This is especially true when you don't have much headroom to even kneel (I spent years maining a tiny $20 off-brand [Stansport] pup tent that packed tiny and was lightweight... there were tradeoffs).
In weather where the ground may be saturated, you almost certainly must get off the ground. Consider a cot or flat packed bed (skill tree) which is why I suggest a hand cart.
Yes. If you design the cart with removable walls, laid end to end, you have a cot. Laid on 3 or 4 inch logs, your off the wet, cold ground. Stuff leaves under and you stop cold air flow. jmho.
Adventuring party should be base 3. Each has a shelter half (one to be used as a ground cloth) that doubles as a poncho. Shelter halfs measure 8x6 rectangle with equilateral flaps on both sides. Two people sleep while the third has watch and they switch watch half way through.
Someone mentioned shelter halves- they make a lot of sense, it's not like there as was no standardization of designs. The Romans built flat pack forts that they carted into location and put up. If you can do the equivalent of an Ikea fort, you can make those. rather than buttons, probably reinforced eyes and toggles might be even easier. And always carry more rope. On the list of things I"m always glad I packed but carried home, only thing I'm happier to not need than all my cordage is my first aid kit.
I used the first example for the past years Reckoning, it survived and protected me from the torrents of rain and wind, staying dry through the tornado. The fix for the door issue I accidentally found when making it, was to have the canvas be rectangular, 12x9 in my case which when put into a square made plenty of fabric to temporarily stake to the ground for a door. A raised cot fixed the no ground cloth, which tbh wasn't going to fix anything besides just getting mud soaked and destroyed. Glad to see a regular schedule, keep it up! God bless your adventures!
A wagon. Once a party is established as a group and has at least one retainer - preferably two, then a wagon is the way to go. You can store tents, rations, lanterns, oil, etc. in a wagon.
How about in a fantasy adventure, you have a magical item that is a wearable cloak that transforms into a tent? Take it off, put it down and poof, instant tent. After you're done using it, just pull it down and sling it over your shoulders and poof again, instant cloak. I call it "The Cloak of the Traveler". Yes, a lot of people would probably think it's pretty useless as an item, but I think people who want a little more roleplay without having to figure out all the details might like it. =^x^=
Who is cooking the tomatoes, sausages, and nice crispy bacon? Not bad for a BARD I guess Kramer You are blessed to have the friends you do. It must of been a thrill to brave the wild with that company.
Apparently in the modern day military, soldiers each carry a shelter half and join their shelter halves together when setting up camp so it is definitely a practical way of minimizing a single person's pack an maximizing efficiency of shelter setup.
While this is true, more often soldiers sleep with no shelter, weather allowing. Also the shelter system in question is a Poncho and a Poncho liner, otherwise known as a woobie.
There are dozens of solid bushcraft shelter building tarp discussions. Many full coverage tarp layouts for a 10'x10' square tarps with sewn tabs in the appropriate places.
Oh man this is perfect timing my friend just got three 10x10 waxed canvas tarps, we both kept one and turned the third into some waxed canvas raincoats and pants. Perfect for the winter and rain.
I do historical reenactment and i honestly don’t advise to have a tent with no bottom or door. It can be dangerous depending on the environment. I mean even if you are on a budget there are plenty of medieval looking tents that are kinda modern but still pass enough for medieval reenactment. It depends on the reenactment group you are in. Not all groups are very strict and as long as it passes for looking medieval it’s okay.
Have you heard of fall creek suttlery tents? Are they any good ? Looking to buy one for SCA glamping and debated buying a ground cloth for camping in a humid thunderstorm place
If you do the folded taco set up, try overlapping them and using buttons (the stone tied up inside style) to make secure tie points to suspend the ridge down from your line. This way you only need to carry some small bits of cordage and a handful of pebbles or marbles in addition to your main line to set up.
Idealy you want a tent like that with a camp fire and reflector (rock, logs/ wattle) at the open end. Far enough away that theres no fire risk. Also do anything to get yourself off the floor that sucks heat from the body.
With 2 tarps, 3 ridgelines would allow you to keep a fully overlapped single slope at the top. Position them in a classic triangle shape, one at the top and two a little lower. Looking at it lengthwise, the tarp on the right goes under the right ridgeline but up & over the top line and attach to the lower left ridgeline. Then the left tarp goes up & over the other tarp, over the top line, and down to attach to the lower right ridgeline.
I was in the Boy Scouts as a kid and my troop would set up what we called tarp cities. Everyone in each patrol would bring a tarp and we would set up shelters using 4-8 tarps for each patrol.
1-you need a small flap extending over the connection point between tarps about 100m / 4 inches that will cover the gap 2- you need tie off points in the centre of your tarps to hole the middle of the tarp out and not get loaded up with snow 3- you want your tarp to be a sort of extended hexagon which is match longer on 2 sides for your tarp with 6 togals on one side and 6 togals holes on both sides ( think 9X9 6 togals , X5X5X5X5 2 togals and holes each measured in feet ) the extra long 5 sections let you make an end that actually closes
You have independently rediscovered the Shelter Half. I used these when I was in the army, they work exactly as you described. The only big difference you might want to look at is the shape. They have this rectangle-diamond-ish shape so the door ends line up with each other to make the doors (not sure how exactly to describe it, just search images for military shelter half)
A few years back my son and I climbed up Mt. Islip to Little Jimmy campground and made an A frame out of 2 Harbor Freight tarps. These days I use a aluminuzed tube tarp. It zips into its own little A frame complete with floor. When sleeping in a hammock it becomes my sunshade/rain fly/privacy screen.
You look real dapper in this coat You mentionned the Polish lavvu. One solution to the center pole problem is the tripod. Mastering the clove hitch is a must for this one, luckily it's a fairly simple knot. There are tripod brackets on sale on ebay or etsy, most of them 3D printed, but there are also leather ones available - they make fastening a tripod easier and also protect the fabric of the tent, although you can do without them and find another way to protect the fabric
Wow, it's been a while since I've come around to one of your videos. My first thought, "Dude, you look awesome!" But I shouldn't be surprised, you're great at the story-in-constume idea.
I've been getting a lot of use out of the large wooden chest from your store. I use it to store winter clothing and it gets used as an extra seat. It also looks really nice in my living room by the couch/fireplace.
Nice tarp setup! I will have to try that out on my next LARP. I usually go for the first setup you showed (is there a name for that setup? Doghouse sounds about right), or I set up a plow-sheer next to a tree. Tarps in general are a good flexible way to set up camp. If everyone carries one, you can make the tent bigger an bigger to fit you party. In general though, historic camping gear is just heavy. I think for some serious adventuring you have to bring a mule, or some other beast of burden. Saw an american with pack-goats on RUclips once, and while looking funny, it also looked very practical for adventuring.
My suggestion would be to use the two tarps kind of like you did, but maybe use two 12'x9' set even higher off the ground (either using a slack guy line or raising it) and then you have nearly 8 feet to play with. Further I would suggest using the bottom 1.5-2 ft as vertical sides meaning the angled part is 7' meaning it will have 6.5-7 foot at the ridge line and be up to 10ft wide depending if you need more headroom or not. grommets or tie-straps at the 2 ft line across. Not quite an army tent but add a 3rd for a round cloth or alter them to have door flaps and it could work. Definitely something for me to think about for demonstration pieces for conventions :) I will have to try making some terrain mockups
One historic solution was your walking stick became part of the tent. Overlap 2 of them by a foot and wrap a cord like 10 times tightly around them to increase their length. (5 ft - 1 ft) x 2 = 8 ft Make a hoop 1 ft wide from 2 feet of rope and tie the ends together. Put the top of the hoop on top of one of the sticks, and the bottom of the hoop under the bottom of the other stick. Then wrap that like 10 times to keep it all together. The hoop will take the brunt of the weight so the wrap doesn't have to try to hold the weight by friction alone.
I’ve been making my own roaming kit to do walk-in camping(my nearest camp site is 24 miles away by trails) and my goal next summer is to walk-in and walk-out in the fall. I have… an over designed canvas tarp tent plan im saving up to put together and your end point is very similar to what i have!
3:00 I've seen the same configuration with a tripod, both internal and external, giving way more room. I usually use a floored style if I'm going to 'close' it in.
My buds and I carry Mylar emergency blankets and use them to line Aframes we build using local materials. Been down to 20 degrees and slept three comfortably in such creations. Take the Mylar and cordage with you when you go, the rest rots away.
1 long thin stick, or 2 longish ones overlapped and tied together, tarps tied to them. Roll the tarps together with the ridgeline stick. It would help to have a heavily burdened peasant along, perhaps with 2 coconut halves for your adventuring kniggit group.
With a 10x10 a 3ft wide bottom gives you 2 3.5ft sides 10 ft long or 3ft sides w a foot of overlap. A tubular triangle. The end can be closed off, the side can be opened. Basically your taco shape but a little narrowed.
I've got one of the (somewhat) more modern German tents - two parts, multi-section poles, all for two persons including door/flaps on the end. Each shelter half can be used as a rain cloak of sorts, including door/flaps on the end. I can see it working for a medieval version for sure.
The best pattern for an adventurer tent is the soviet tent cloak pattern. In essense, it is is a rectangular piece of cloth that can be worn as a cloak by a person, hung as a tarp or groundclotH or buttoned together with however many others the squad has into a tent. The lone one is big enough to make a ground shelter for one man in a fetal position.
If you have a 10’x10’ tarp and fold it in half over a ridge line you have plenty of tarp on the end to take the end corner on each side and bring it in and stake it in a flap configuration over lapping in the back and your friends tarp can be your ground cloth and if needed you use his ground cloth at the front of the A frame if needed but if you have the ridge line no higher then say 3 1/2 feet off the ground or 4 ft tops and neither of you is more then 5 feet tall, you could stake the side of each bottom two back from the end giving you a plow point closure in the back for your gear where no weather gets inside and still have enough in the front to bring the front corners in also to give more weather protection. Just something to try and practice before your next outing.
A very simple way to use a tarp for shelter is to lay it out on the ground, using between 1/3 and 1/2 for your sleeping arrangement and gear, and then simply fold the rest over the top, and have enough to tuck under on the other side. Granted, you get no head space, but it is very simple, and usable when there are no convenient trees or rocks to string lines to.
When talking about openings I would take the vent at the bottom versus the top anytime. Some have mentioned the shelter half style of tent and those all have some sort of closure to the ridge to keep out rain or snow in most instances.
I would love for you to come out to Bicolline and test out some camping ideas for a completely period/decorum event that lasts a week with a mixture of hot weather, rain, and so on. The issue with Bico that my brother and I run into is that we fly into Quebec from Alaska and then port everything into our camp on the far side of the village on foot (about a mile or so), so we're VERY limited in the weight and bulk of our gear. Your take on light, non-bulky, but effective period camping would be handy for both of us.
2 square tarps, with a few extra tie points, could be combined into a rectangle then pitched in a tipi style. 2 8x8 ft tarps would fit 3 adventurers without being too tight, leaving a 3rd tarp for the floor. Or splurge for 10 ft. squares for a roomy 3 man tent.
A better funded Adventuring Party would also have Horses or Even Wagons if they are running gaurd duty which would have been a more common job to do between destinations
A suggestion for you is to hunt at least 6 inches of compressed material to keep you off the ground, its good padding and your not losing heat to the ground. As for fantasy i love the idea of the hand carts the Mormons used to get to utah, you can easily carry 300 pounds of gear and supplies between the group
Hemlock (AKA Tsuga) boughs work wonders for making a debris bed. Obviously location dependent, but they're all across North America and Asia. Other options are cedar and fir.
@MisterKisk yes sir, we have used everything from corn stalks whitch is in high supply here to reeds, I learned the hard way about staying off the ground won't do that again
The seam on top actually probably did you more favors than you think by allowing the vent and preventing condensation (assuming it wasn’t so much it was sacrificing heat but it’s an open face so I don’t think that was a huge concern)
Plenty of #36 bank line, bungee cords for quick set up. Definitely 2 guy lines and prussik loops. Bug netting if necessary. Ground cloth, A large plastic garbage bag stuffed with leaves to create insulation from the ground as a no frills sleep pad. A sharp knife to make tent stakes. A fire with wet plant materials to make it smokey for mosquitoes.
3:15 ish: an advantage of sleeping with your feet by the entrance is your feet are by the fire. Cool head, warm feet is generally considered better for sleeping. Because I historically camp alone, I prefer to sleep with my head at the entrance. ... more likely to detect threats and far faster response to threats. To keep my feet warm, I bury some coals under my feet. BTW sleeping on buried coals works nicely if you don't have a sleep mat
Half Shelters from the US Civil War and on are a thing. One thing they do is they have buttons and loops/holes that are set in from the edge a short distance. This gets the top ridge line closed as the sides have to overlap to join.
Take a look at old scout tents or any military poncho tent, they've got all the lessons and designs repeated a thousand times without having to figure them out yourselves. You will have the advice for different types of weather and the scaling methods for as many people as needed when combined. I have known many larpers who use the poncho tents and many that use them as part of their in character kit as wet weather gear.
Combine to build something bigger and better...sounds like a metaphor for life! As for the ridge, can you get one to fold slightly over the other? The one-man variation of this is to have the ridge line run down the center of your tarp. If you had a second tarp, you could use it as a groundcloth. Of course, then you have a seam at the lower edge, but that seems (no pun intended) preferable to me.
I was thinking another oiled cloth draped over the ridge line and staked down. Either an extra cloak, or maybe oiled wrapping around the outside of a pack for being useful while on the move to make up for the extra bit of weight.
Waxed canvas is pretty flammable so careful with the fire or heaters. I think modern silicone tarp would be better if authentic isn't your focus, especially in a climate with higher fire risk. It doesnt snow where I live. It just gets dryer in the winter.
I agree on the bugs, we did the Pathfinder survival school in early march to avoid bug. 28 degrees F with a tarp and wool blanket for shelter got mighty chilly, gave me a new understanding of surviving the cold
I'd like to get a pair of medieval-ified Polish Lavvu poncho/wearable tents for me and the missus (I know you mentioned it). One makes for a decent lean-to or bivvy and a couple can be connected and be turned into a nice size tent for 2. It could easily be made as a sort of hooded cloak.
I remember when i wen't on a backpacking trip for boy scouts my dad and i brought a two man tent and he carreid half the poles, i carried half the poles, he carried the tent and i carreid the ground cloth.
If you had enough people each with their own tarp, you could easily have constructed a makeshift pavilion tent. You would just need a few long sticks and like 5 tarps, and a surprisingly small amount of rope
It's called a shelter half. You have half the shelter (tent) and one collapsing tent pole. Your battle body has the other half and his collapsing tent pole. You did make me smile, though.
Hot tent camping is a lot more fun in winter. I haven't yet seen any hot tents made with waxed canvas, though, which is unfortunately. May have to make my own eventually.
At higher levels, a wizard or sorcerer should invest in Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. ^_^ And if you have a cleric who can cast Heroes' Feast, your party can go anywhere in the realms while always having shelter and food!
hey just a thought you are starting to make a basic tent if you are camping in snow 2 things first if you put ground sheet down you cant let the sheet be expose to out side world as rain get on sheet it will spread this is why we have sod cloths on tents also if you make and inner and outer sheet (Flysheet) the heat is kept in better as the air between sheets keeps you warm
Gotta be careful with the fold-over twin tacos, because if you don't overlap the ridgeline sufficiently, heat will escape from the interior. Something like a hand-length should provide enough of a fold to reduce drafting from your body heat causing the air inside to rise. But if it's a fingerlength or less, the air's going to whip around that bend (so to speak). Not bad for a summer shelter, but in winter, it can get dangerous to lose any warmth. ...This is, of course, presuming that you can enclose the two ends sufficiently. And presuming that your tent setup isn't involving a brazier of some kind that would produce smoke, because you'd need a chimney effect for that. Best way to get around that, however, is to heat up a dry stone (not taken from wet ground or a riverbed) in the embers of the fire, and put it on a non-combustible patch of ground inside your tent (not on your ground tarp), and let its radiant heat keep you warm. Sand, mud, or a pile of gravel/rocks big and stable enough where it won't roll are good options for that, plus a few barrier rocks to keep you from bumping the super-heated stone in the night. All the heat of a fire without any open flames!
3:40 uh... I prefer the opposite actually. Where my head is tward the entrance so I feel like I can defend myself by attacking instead of having to turn around or fight past my feet. No idea why.
I did find it amusing you came up with the shelter half solution on your own without prior exposure through the military. Good on ya!
‘Rope!’ muttered Sam. ‘I knew I’d want it, if I hadn’t got it!’
Exactly my thought :)
That's the reason in every PC game or p&p session I have rope in my inventory. Needed or not, you got to pack rope
Why do I hear this in the voice of Dominic Noble doing the LOTR list?
Sounds like you had an actual adventure, brilliant!
But if you are a larger group adventuring outside of civilization for days or weeks you can at least add a mule to carry your stuff.
One of the biggest problems in outfitting or supplying yourself for adventure is the danger of reinventing the wheel: frequently, a long period of experimentation/research can reveal that something like what you were trying already exists. In my case, find that either a) I wanted to buy something ultra-specific, while a commonplace DIY existed, or b) that I wanted to DIY or invent something, and that there was already a commercial product available.
It's not grounds for criticism; it's just life.
Civil war reenactors use some pretty nice tent halves as a system to create a lot of variations of set ups.
They used buttons, but since everyone was made to the same specs, the bittons always lines up no matter who in the unit you were paired with.
In a fantasy setting i think that would require the party to buy the tent pieces from the same guy at the same time.
nah, they can add buttons on the road while camping, lots of time to burn, so they would only need the same size fabric
The tentmaker has wisely set his shop up in a tavern.
@@athena1491 That's a good point.
Instead of sewn buttons, use the tied in pebble method
@@drewschumann1 that could also work
"Living Anachronism independently rediscovers half-shelters, a long-standing piece of military kit, and that it was issued for centuries for a reason. More at 11."
Yes I am aware of things such as the polish Lavvu cloak I mention it in the video 😉
Still used in the swiss army.
British basha
I remember camping in one during basic in 1990
Actually I believe the French developed the shelter half. They used it during the Crimean war and that is where the US army saw it and it became standard during the Civil War. It should be noted that from the time of the longhunter they used horses to carry gear. Hollywood gave us the idea we carried very little. In the north when there was snow sleds were used. Heavier loads were pulled by dogs. Even the plains tribes used dogs for pulling.
It's called a Plough Point, a Shelter Half, or most commonly a Diamond Fly and there are a number of RUclips presentations on different ways to set them up, in singles and in pairs. They are easy to make, but there are also a number primitive style tentmakers who sell them ready-made (waterproofed with gromets and ties points). My favorite is Spring Valley Lodges. My son bought one from them many years ago for LARPing and it still is as solid and waterproof as new (though well used). However, he made his first one using the information he found in a 1920s Boy Scout Manual. Boy Scouts 100 years ago were a lot tougher than today.
There is a lot of comments saving how your reinvented the wheel with half-shelters, I'm sitting here screaming this is so bad ass. You have friends that you are willing to do this with and learn how to improve your setup. Already shared with my entire Ranger group. Would love to see more of this type of content.
Rename this video 'Kramer rediscovers the shelter half'
LOL,exactly! 😂
I appreciate the step-by-step discoveries presented in this video. This is very informative for those who have never attempted this sort of camping endeavor. Thank you!
Ww2 pup tents, german and American (I don't know about other armies). Ww2 US tents, each guy gets a shelter half, a pole, some stakes and rope. The tents button together to form the ridge line. German tents, 4 guys each get a triangle tent piece. One pole in the middle, 2 guys sleep, 2 on watch. The getma. Tents can be buttoned together into very large shelters because they are triangle pieces
This is how you do it.
Combinations of the us Army shelter half tents and the Polish Lavvu …. The lavvu creates a tipi style shelter out of two segments with a single triangle door… BUT you can make a larger shelter with additional sections ….
A two section lavvu and a two panel shelter half tent gives you a canvas igloo , and you can convert the lavvu into a hot tent . Lavvu can have four sections with two doors. Shelter halves can be made double long using four sections. Lavvus can also use six panels and have the three openings be at 120 degree from each other… suddenly you have a canvas structure with a main central room with a protected entrance , side tunnels for sleeping, or leading to smaller secondary chambers
I was just typing something similar when I glanced down and saw this, LOL. It's what I used when I did SCA events.
The biggest issue with the American shelter halves is that they are not long enough, I really got tired of waking up with my feet out the bottom of the "tent". I really think they were designed for people about 5'6" to 5'8" or so, being even slightly over 6' you simply can not get inside the tent and straighten out. Let alone at 6'5". And if you bend your knees your going to hit the other guy in the tent with them.
I was issued a shelter half in the Marines in the 90s. I don't think I used it in the Fleet, but those things made it to the late 90s before they got phased out.
The guy from modern history tv says most medieval travelers did not camp, they stayed at inns…I seem to recall. Consider a hand cart rather than backpack to haul sufficient gear for survivable comfort.
Yes this is true, but I'm coming at it from the more fantasy perspective rather than directly historically accurate
....or maybe, just traveling with a pack pony or a donkey?
@@TheSaneHatter yup…if one is fortunate to have one of those
That is true, but certain people Like outlaws and the people hunting outlaws, would need to have a quick to set up and quick to take down shelter. Past medieval times you could also add in Longhunters to the list.
I think in this situation there is a lot of difference between a more "everyday" traveler and an adventurer. The traveler would likely follow a road that has some traffic, and there would likely be smaller settlements about a day's walk from each other (exactly because of these travelers), while an adventurer often goes off the well-known path, into the wilderness where no one lives.
In Hungary, where I live, even now the villages still reflect this quite well: the least populated area is a huge plain, and the villages are ususally about 10 km from each other - even with a cart carrying crops, or if you are travelling with your children, or in the middle of the summer (there is barely any shade, the plain is all wheatfields and pastures) it is realistic to go this much every day, or even twice this much, so you can even have a lunch at an inn, and reach another before sunset.
Your friend’s idea with the two guidelines is a very effective method I’ve seen used in larger tents in order to allow a small fire inside. I have over ten years of experience in living history btw.
Thank you for sharing your findings. I very much respect that you actually go out and do the things and come back and report to us what you find and mistakes and everything else thank you.
Another advantage of a multi person tent: HEAT!
People give off a lot of heat. If you're sleeping in two separate blankets, try throwing a third over both of you. Even a thin cotton sheet makes a big difference.
My favorite set up for a double tarp, is a plow-point diamonds shelter with one, and the other forming a wall, and half floor. This lets you have a completely included shelter, without open ends, from two square tarps. I've done this at SCA events and stayed drier than people in modern tents.
German "zeltbahn" shelters were 4-man tents, each section being something of a triangle shape that doubled as a poncho. Obviously, the US shelter-half that I used in the Marines, as well as the numerous other countries that copied the basic pattern. There's ways to rig shelters from military-issue ponchos, as well. I've also seen a number of bushcrafter shelter designs that were modular enough to allow for adding in "tent-mates" to expand your shelter. Looks like y'all had fun!
The military did have half shelters, so that the men could have a small emergency shelter if need be but when they got to where they were going their bunk buddy could combine them together for one large one exactly like you guys did basically except the shelter pieces are made to snap together obviously
I would make a boat of the ground tarp, get stakes and use the guy loops to hold the ground tarp lip up 3-6 inches but only on the edge as a wind/water break ( u shaped). You can then use the top as a normal A cover right to the ground, but the raised lip underneath it will help as a barrier. You could even make a simple pot hook and hang the lip of the ground cover up to your guy wire as a door, if the ground tarp is long enough.
It isn't just a "secure feeling" or even avoiding drafts that makes me want my head opposite the door. It's also more convenient to crawl into the tent and kick your boots off if you don't need to turn your whole body 180° (and possibly track in snow/mud from your footwear OR get your socks wet trying to do it). You just crawl halfway in, kick the boots off just inside the door, and then wiggle into your bedroll. This is especially true when you don't have much headroom to even kneel (I spent years maining a tiny $20 off-brand [Stansport] pup tent that packed tiny and was lightweight... there were tradeoffs).
In weather where the ground may be saturated, you almost certainly must get off the ground. Consider a cot or flat packed bed (skill tree) which is why I suggest a hand cart.
Yes. If you design the cart with removable walls, laid end to end, you have a cot. Laid on 3 or 4 inch logs, your off the wet, cold ground. Stuff leaves under and you stop cold air flow. jmho.
Adventuring party should be base 3. Each has a shelter half (one to be used as a ground cloth) that doubles as a poncho. Shelter halfs measure 8x6 rectangle with equilateral flaps on both sides. Two people sleep while the third has watch and they switch watch half way through.
Someone mentioned shelter halves- they make a lot of sense, it's not like there as was no standardization of designs. The Romans built flat pack forts that they carted into location and put up. If you can do the equivalent of an Ikea fort, you can make those. rather than buttons, probably reinforced eyes and toggles might be even easier.
And always carry more rope. On the list of things I"m always glad I packed but carried home, only thing I'm happier to not need than all my cordage is my first aid kit.
I used the first example for the past years Reckoning, it survived and protected me from the torrents of rain and wind, staying dry through the tornado.
The fix for the door issue I accidentally found when making it, was to have the canvas be rectangular, 12x9 in my case which when put into a square made plenty of fabric to temporarily stake to the ground for a door. A raised cot fixed the no ground cloth, which tbh wasn't going to fix anything besides just getting mud soaked and destroyed.
Glad to see a regular schedule, keep it up! God bless your adventures!
A wagon. Once a party is established as a group and has at least one retainer - preferably two, then a wagon is the way to go. You can store tents, rations, lanterns, oil, etc. in a wagon.
Or at least a pack animal or two. Wagons can't go off-road very well.
And then you hit the typical DM and there are no roads, but either thick forest, bogs or rocky mountain terrain 😂
If we’re talking D&D, you have no idea how often the DM has killed my horse (or had it run off while we were trapped on another plane).
Shorty had the open bottom tent! Boots with the fur. The whole guild was looking at her🎉
How about in a fantasy adventure, you have a magical item that is a wearable cloak that transforms into a tent? Take it off, put it down and poof, instant tent. After you're done using it, just pull it down and sling it over your shoulders and poof again, instant cloak. I call it "The Cloak of the Traveler". Yes, a lot of people would probably think it's pretty useless as an item, but I think people who want a little more roleplay without having to figure out all the details might like it. =^x^=
Experience will always be a great teacher through life. Especially when camping.
You definitely find out what does and does not work in a hurry, when you camp out.
Who is cooking the tomatoes, sausages, and nice crispy bacon?
Not bad for a BARD I guess Kramer
You are blessed to have the friends you do. It must of been a thrill to brave the wild with that company.
First shot I see; Beautiful color grading and focus blur
Worst camping weather is near freezing yet not freezing. Any solution must address this situation, if not, misery is a constant threat.
Exactly. Nothing will kill you faster than 40 degree F humid weather
Apparently in the modern day military, soldiers each carry a shelter half and join their shelter halves together when setting up camp so it is definitely a practical way of minimizing a single person's pack an maximizing efficiency of shelter setup.
While this is true, more often soldiers sleep with no shelter, weather allowing.
Also the shelter system in question is a Poncho and a Poncho liner, otherwise known as a woobie.
There are dozens of solid bushcraft shelter building tarp discussions. Many full coverage tarp layouts for a 10'x10' square tarps with sewn tabs in the appropriate places.
With a 10x10 you can make an A frame and instead of staking the corner tie outs, go one in from the corners and you can close the ends for doors.
If you want a historic and easy to carry ground cloth, try usin a shepherd's plaid and/or a fly plaid.
Oh man this is perfect timing my friend just got three 10x10 waxed canvas tarps, we both kept one and turned the third into some waxed canvas raincoats and pants. Perfect for the winter and rain.
I do historical reenactment and i honestly don’t advise to have a tent with no bottom or door. It can be dangerous depending on the environment. I mean even if you are on a budget there are plenty of medieval looking tents that are kinda modern but still pass enough for medieval reenactment. It depends on the reenactment group you are in. Not all groups are very strict and as long as it passes for looking medieval it’s okay.
Have you heard of fall creek suttlery tents? Are they any good ? Looking to buy one for SCA glamping and debated buying a ground cloth for camping in a humid thunderstorm place
Off topic but that sheepskin(?) coat is dope 🔥
If you do the folded taco set up, try overlapping them and using buttons (the stone tied up inside style) to make secure tie points to suspend the ridge down from your line. This way you only need to carry some small bits of cordage and a handful of pebbles or marbles in addition to your main line to set up.
Idealy you want a tent like that with a camp fire and reflector (rock, logs/ wattle) at the open end. Far enough away that theres no fire risk. Also do anything to get yourself off the floor that sucks heat from the body.
With 2 tarps, 3 ridgelines would allow you to keep a fully overlapped single slope at the top. Position them in a classic triangle shape, one at the top and two a little lower. Looking at it lengthwise, the tarp on the right goes under the right ridgeline but up & over the top line and attach to the lower left ridgeline. Then the left tarp goes up & over the other tarp, over the top line, and down to attach to the lower right ridgeline.
I was in the Boy Scouts as a kid and my troop would set up what we called tarp cities. Everyone in each patrol would bring a tarp and we would set up shelters using 4-8 tarps for each patrol.
Borrowed an old treated cloth canvas tent. Dirt from drainage ditch was used to hold down flaps. Each person carried a different part.
Memories. 😊
1-you need a small flap extending over the connection point between tarps about 100m / 4 inches that will cover the gap
2- you need tie off points in the centre of your tarps to hole the middle of the tarp out and not get loaded up with snow
3- you want your tarp to be a sort of extended hexagon which is match longer on 2 sides for your tarp with 6 togals on one side and 6 togals holes on both sides ( think 9X9 6 togals , X5X5X5X5 2 togals and holes each measured in feet ) the extra long 5 sections let you make an end that actually closes
You have independently rediscovered the Shelter Half. I used these when I was in the army, they work exactly as you described. The only big difference you might want to look at is the shape. They have this rectangle-diamond-ish shape so the door ends line up with each other to make the doors (not sure how exactly to describe it, just search images for military shelter half)
A few years back my son and I climbed up Mt. Islip to Little Jimmy campground and made an A frame out of 2 Harbor Freight tarps. These days I use a aluminuzed tube tarp. It zips into its own little A frame complete with floor. When sleeping in a hammock it becomes my sunshade/rain fly/privacy screen.
You look real dapper in this coat
You mentionned the Polish lavvu. One solution to the center pole problem is the tripod. Mastering the clove hitch is a must for this one, luckily it's a fairly simple knot.
There are tripod brackets on sale on ebay or etsy, most of them 3D printed, but there are also leather ones available - they make fastening a tripod easier and also protect the fabric of the tent, although you can do without them and find another way to protect the fabric
Wow, it's been a while since I've come around to one of your videos. My first thought, "Dude, you look awesome!" But I shouldn't be surprised, you're great at the story-in-constume idea.
I've been getting a lot of use out of the large wooden chest from your store. I use it to store winter clothing and it gets used as an extra seat. It also looks really nice in my living room by the couch/fireplace.
Nice tarp setup! I will have to try that out on my next LARP. I usually go for the first setup you showed (is there a name for that setup? Doghouse sounds about right), or I set up a plow-sheer next to a tree.
Tarps in general are a good flexible way to set up camp. If everyone carries one, you can make the tent bigger an bigger to fit you party.
In general though, historic camping gear is just heavy. I think for some serious adventuring you have to bring a mule, or some other beast of burden. Saw an american with pack-goats on RUclips once, and while looking funny, it also looked very practical for adventuring.
My suggestion would be to use the two tarps kind of like you did, but maybe use two 12'x9' set even higher off the ground (either using a slack guy line or raising it) and then you have nearly 8 feet to play with. Further I would suggest using the bottom 1.5-2 ft as vertical sides meaning the angled part is 7' meaning it will have 6.5-7 foot at the ridge line and be up to 10ft wide depending if you need more headroom or not. grommets or tie-straps at the 2 ft line across. Not quite an army tent but add a 3rd for a round cloth or alter them to have door flaps and it could work.
Definitely something for me to think about for demonstration pieces for conventions :)
I will have to try making some terrain mockups
One historic solution was your walking stick became part of the tent. Overlap 2 of them by a foot and wrap a cord like 10 times tightly around them to increase their length. (5 ft - 1 ft) x 2 = 8 ft
Make a hoop 1 ft wide from 2 feet of rope and tie the ends together. Put the top of the hoop on top of one of the sticks, and the bottom of the hoop under the bottom of the other stick. Then wrap that like 10 times to keep it all together. The hoop will take the brunt of the weight so the wrap doesn't have to try to hold the weight by friction alone.
I’ve been making my own roaming kit to do walk-in camping(my nearest camp site is 24 miles away by trails) and my goal next summer is to walk-in and walk-out in the fall. I have… an over designed canvas tarp tent plan im saving up to put together and your end point is very similar to what i have!
Lol Congratulations! You have recreated the shelter half system! 🤣🤣
3:00 I've seen the same configuration with a tripod, both internal and external, giving way more room. I usually use a floored style if I'm going to 'close' it in.
You can also do it with a bipod, so just two sticks bound with a bit of rope. That leaves the middle of the tent free.
My buds and I carry Mylar emergency blankets and use them to line Aframes we build using local materials. Been down to 20 degrees and slept three comfortably in such creations. Take the Mylar and cordage with you when you go, the rest rots away.
1 long thin stick, or 2 longish ones overlapped and tied together, tarps tied to them. Roll the tarps together with the ridgeline stick.
It would help to have a heavily burdened peasant along, perhaps with 2 coconut halves for your adventuring kniggit group.
With a 10x10 a 3ft wide bottom gives you 2 3.5ft sides 10 ft long or 3ft sides w a foot of overlap. A tubular triangle. The end can be closed off, the side can be opened. Basically your taco shape but a little narrowed.
I've got one of the (somewhat) more modern German tents - two parts, multi-section poles, all for two persons including door/flaps on the end. Each shelter half can be used as a rain cloak of sorts, including door/flaps on the end. I can see it working for a medieval version for sure.
The best pattern for an adventurer tent is the soviet tent cloak pattern. In essense, it is is a rectangular piece of cloth that can be worn as a cloak by a person, hung as a tarp or groundclotH or buttoned together with however many others the squad has into a tent. The lone one is big enough to make a ground shelter for one man in a fetal position.
If you have a 10’x10’ tarp and fold it in half over a ridge line you have plenty of tarp on the end to take the end corner on each side and bring it in and stake it in a flap configuration over lapping in the back and your friends tarp can be your ground cloth and if needed you use his ground cloth at the front of the A frame if needed but if you have the ridge line no higher then say 3 1/2 feet off the ground or 4 ft tops and neither of you is more then 5 feet tall, you could stake the side of each bottom two back from the end giving you a plow point closure in the back for your gear where no weather gets inside and still have enough in the front to bring the front corners in also to give more weather protection. Just something to try and practice before your next outing.
A very simple way to use a tarp for shelter is to lay it out on the ground, using between 1/3 and 1/2 for your sleeping arrangement and gear, and then simply fold the rest over the top, and have enough to tuck under on the other side. Granted, you get no head space, but it is very simple, and usable when there are no convenient trees or rocks to string lines to.
When talking about openings I would take the vent at the bottom versus the top anytime. Some have mentioned the shelter half style of tent and those all have some sort of closure to the ridge to keep out rain or snow in most instances.
I would love for you to come out to Bicolline and test out some camping ideas for a completely period/decorum event that lasts a week with a mixture of hot weather, rain, and so on. The issue with Bico that my brother and I run into is that we fly into Quebec from Alaska and then port everything into our camp on the far side of the village on foot (about a mile or so), so we're VERY limited in the weight and bulk of our gear. Your take on light, non-bulky, but effective period camping would be handy for both of us.
2 square tarps, with a few extra tie points, could be combined into a rectangle then pitched in a tipi style. 2 8x8 ft tarps would fit 3 adventurers without being too tight, leaving a 3rd tarp for the floor. Or splurge for 10 ft. squares for a roomy 3 man tent.
A better funded Adventuring Party would also have Horses or Even Wagons if they are running gaurd duty which would have been a more common job to do between destinations
A suggestion for you is to hunt at least 6 inches of compressed material to keep you off the ground, its good padding and your not losing heat to the ground. As for fantasy i love the idea of the hand carts the Mormons used to get to utah, you can easily carry 300 pounds of gear and supplies between the group
Hemlock (AKA Tsuga) boughs work wonders for making a debris bed. Obviously location dependent, but they're all across North America and Asia. Other options are cedar and fir.
@MisterKisk yes sir, we have used everything from corn stalks whitch is in high supply here to reeds, I learned the hard way about staying off the ground won't do that again
The seam on top actually probably did you more favors than you think by allowing the vent and preventing condensation (assuming it wasn’t so much it was sacrificing heat but it’s an open face so I don’t think that was a huge concern)
Consider: hammock.
Plenty of #36 bank line, bungee cords for quick set up.
Definitely 2 guy lines and prussik loops. Bug netting if necessary. Ground cloth, A large plastic garbage bag stuffed with leaves to create insulation from the ground as a no frills sleep pad. A sharp knife to make tent stakes. A fire with wet plant materials to make it smokey for mosquitoes.
Could also throw cloaks over the gap at the top of the “2 tacos” configuration… especially if it starts raining/snowing after putting up.
I wish more episodes were like this one
3:15 ish: an advantage of sleeping with your feet by the entrance is your feet are by the fire.
Cool head, warm feet is generally considered better for sleeping.
Because I historically camp alone, I prefer to sleep with my head at the entrance.
... more likely to detect threats and far faster response to threats.
To keep my feet warm, I bury some coals under my feet.
BTW sleeping on buried coals works nicely if you don't have a sleep mat
Half Shelters from the US Civil War and on are a thing. One thing they do is they have buttons and loops/holes that are set in from the edge a short distance. This gets the top ridge line closed as the sides have to overlap to join.
Take a look at old scout tents or any military poncho tent, they've got all the lessons and designs repeated a thousand times without having to figure them out yourselves. You will have the advice for different types of weather and the scaling methods for as many people as needed when combined. I have known many larpers who use the poncho tents and many that use them as part of their in character kit as wet weather gear.
Combine to build something bigger and better...sounds like a metaphor for life!
As for the ridge, can you get one to fold slightly over the other? The one-man variation of this is to have the ridge line run down the center of your tarp. If you had a second tarp, you could use it as a groundcloth. Of course, then you have a seam at the lower edge, but that seems (no pun intended) preferable to me.
I was thinking another oiled cloth draped over the ridge line and staked down. Either an extra cloak, or maybe oiled wrapping around the outside of a pack for being useful while on the move to make up for the extra bit of weight.
There are different ways to use a tarp as a tent, you could also drape it on a rope between two trees/poles
For tarp tents, I like the woodsman setup. Takes some practice though
I've been using 2 Romanian plash Palatka. This summer. Still working on a good shelter shape though. I used either a plow point or just half lean too.
Waxed canvas is pretty flammable so careful with the fire or heaters. I think modern silicone tarp would be better if authentic isn't your focus, especially in a climate with higher fire risk. It doesnt snow where I live. It just gets dryer in the winter.
Melted plastic in a ER setting trying to peel it off your skin is not good ,just saying
@@HosCreates wax has the same issue with sticking to the skin. Beeswax, especially. Paraffin usually melts cool enough to touch.
I dont know if you should cover content thats so..... intents
I agree on the bugs, we did the Pathfinder survival school in early march to avoid bug. 28 degrees F with a tarp and wool blanket for shelter got mighty chilly, gave me a new understanding of surviving the cold
I'd like to get a pair of medieval-ified Polish Lavvu poncho/wearable tents for me and the missus (I know you mentioned it). One makes for a decent lean-to or bivvy and a couple can be connected and be turned into a nice size tent for 2. It could easily be made as a sort of hooded cloak.
First great way to improvise adapt and overcome take what you've learned and do better now wild bear has a tarp set up for 1 woth a floor and door
I remember when i wen't on a backpacking trip for boy scouts my dad and i brought a two man tent and he carreid half the poles, i carried half the poles, he carried the tent and i carreid the ground cloth.
If you had enough people each with their own tarp, you could easily have constructed a makeshift pavilion tent. You would just need a few long sticks and like 5 tarps, and a surprisingly small amount of rope
It's called a shelter half. You have half the shelter (tent) and one collapsing tent pole. Your battle body has the other half and his collapsing tent pole. You did make me smile, though.
This is as illuminating.
Hot tent camping is a lot more fun in winter. I haven't yet seen any hot tents made with waxed canvas, though, which is unfortunately. May have to make my own eventually.
At higher levels, a wizard or sorcerer should invest in Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. ^_^
And if you have a cleric who can cast Heroes' Feast, your party can go anywhere in the realms while always having shelter and food!
Kramer, toss a ball or roll of tarred marline in your kit. Strong enough for shelters and lashing work, but takes up little space.
#36 bank line.
The german army zeltbahn triangles 2 or more is good too. And with a 10x10 square tarp i prefer the low tetra set up
I do tarpology videos on my channel using a 10x10ft tarp. Many options for great shelters with a tarp.
Do the Civil War thing. Wool blanket under a gum blanket. Mummy wrap sitting up with back against a wall or tree.
Coalcracker Bushcraft has some good videos on how use tarps for shelter in various configurations.
hey just a thought you are starting to make a basic tent if you are camping in snow 2 things first if you put ground sheet down you cant let the sheet be expose to out side world as rain get on sheet it will spread this is why we have sod cloths on tents also if you make and inner and outer sheet (Flysheet) the heat is kept in better as the air between sheets keeps you warm
Gotta be careful with the fold-over twin tacos, because if you don't overlap the ridgeline sufficiently, heat will escape from the interior. Something like a hand-length should provide enough of a fold to reduce drafting from your body heat causing the air inside to rise. But if it's a fingerlength or less, the air's going to whip around that bend (so to speak). Not bad for a summer shelter, but in winter, it can get dangerous to lose any warmth.
...This is, of course, presuming that you can enclose the two ends sufficiently. And presuming that your tent setup isn't involving a brazier of some kind that would produce smoke, because you'd need a chimney effect for that.
Best way to get around that, however, is to heat up a dry stone (not taken from wet ground or a riverbed) in the embers of the fire, and put it on a non-combustible patch of ground inside your tent (not on your ground tarp), and let its radiant heat keep you warm. Sand, mud, or a pile of gravel/rocks big and stable enough where it won't roll are good options for that, plus a few barrier rocks to keep you from bumping the super-heated stone in the night. All the heat of a fire without any open flames!
3:40 uh... I prefer the opposite actually. Where my head is tward the entrance so I feel like I can defend myself by attacking instead of having to turn around or fight past my feet. No idea why.
Cold.
Cold.