DIY-Tarp Dome Shelter-PIC HEAVY

[1861navy]

I apologize for the length but I wanted this to be as complete and as concise as possible, while still trying to keep it short. Also there are a lot of pictures. I hope this DIY can help someone or inspire someone to think outside the box a little. This shelter has a lot of pros, and few cons IMHO. It is extremely lightweight, convenient to carry, takes up very little space in gear, is extremely versatile in set up options, large amount of floorspace, enclosed on all sides but one which can be closed too, circulates heat efficiently, stays a comfortable temperature throughout most times of the year, during winter put a small fire near the front with a reflective barrier and you are cozy, water rolls off, dome structure lessens "the wind sail" effect of most tarp shelters, and a plus for me is it resembles the shape of woodland longhouses, and wigwams.
The cons are: folding and rolling two tarps, can be time consuming at times (wind variable), and the varying possibility of tie-outs being needed.

Materials:

1: 6 - 48" fiberglass driveway markers @ $3 ea.
2: 1 - 6' long x 1" diam. Aluminum tube @ $ 5 ea.
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3: 3 - coghlans tent repair kits @ $2 ea. (we only need the ferrules)
4: 1 - package athletic tape @ $5 ea.

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5: 1 - package of 1" rubber caps @ $2 ea.
6: 2 - corks - I already had
7: 1 - tin or container for convenient storage of tent ferrules - I already had

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8: 1 - 103 pc. Grommet repair kit @ $7 ea.

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9: 9 - tent ferrules from kits (item #3) View attachment 28191


10: 4 - orange caps from driveway markers (make sure the ones you buy have these)

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11: Tarp - hopefully you have one otherwise add $10-$20 (btw mine is a 10x12)

Tools:

1: Hacksaw
2: Hammer
3: Board (for punching holes)
4: scissors, or knife
5: file
6: bench vise
7: sharpie
8: measuring tape
9: refreshing beverage and music


.......continued on next post

 

[1861navy]

How to make:

1: Take the orange caps off of the driveway markers, cut the cap end/enclosed end off of two of them, to make a tube. Take two more and leave this cap end on and group all four together, then set aside. Do with remaining 2 what you want. These help secure the driveway markers in the 9mm. and 10mm. tent ferrules. The tube is for the 9mm. and the uncut one is for the 10mm.

2: Take one of your driveway markers and measure and mark 24". Take the hacksaw and cut it in half and set aside for later. This is done because not all 6 will fit in the tube.

3: Take aluminum tube and lay a driveway marker next to it. Take each cork and place them right up against the marker on each end and then put the rubber end caps over the corks. This will give you the total length of tube to cut, so everything fits snugly. Mark the length, clamp in vise, and cut with the hacksaw. Then smooth it up with the file. (my tube measures 51" overall)

4: Now we have our tube cut to length, it's time to wrap it up in athletic tape. This is pretty straightforward. This gives us grip and keeps the shine down.

5: Take your tarp and lay it out flat and measure and mark where you will add grommets. The distance will vary based on size of your tarp, but chances are they will be somewhat staggered. For example, my grommets are placed 11.5 in., 6 in., and 9 in. apart IIRC. You'll just have to measure for yourself on your tarp, basically though you want them to all be at least somewhat equal distance apart and around the entire hemmed edge of your tarp. This is done to allow us to weave the driveway markers through the tarp on any side we want. Giving us more versatility in set up options.

6: Lay the tarp on the board and begin setting grommets, this will take some time depending on the size tarp you use. I think I added around 50. (+/-) I believe all commonly available commercial grommet kits come with the tools required for this part.

7: On the other 5 driveway markers, put a small strip of athletic tape about 1-2 in. from the flat ends and then another strip around the middle of them. This helps them to stay a hell of a lot more quiet in the tube. Make sure that all 5 will still fit in the tube easily. Basically the strips length should be the diam. of the driveway marker, and should not overlap.

8: Enjoying that music and beverage? Good, celebrate because you are done with construction. It's now time to gather your materials and pack them up.

9: I took all nine tent ferrules, 8mm., 9mm., and 10mm. Then I put them in an old cigarette tin I had lying around, added a couple small and large bandaids, guaze pads, and cottonballs to make a mini first aid kit, and to silence the tent ferrules in the tin. Then to keep secure I added a rubberband so it won't open spontaneously. Inside two of the 10mm. tent ferrules I put in the orange caps we prepared earlier.

10: Remember that driveway marker we cut in half? Well insert it into the slots where your internal pack frame rails go, and it no longer takes up space, adds a few inches to your bag, and gives our bag more support. If your bag doesn't have the slots you could sew some in.

11: Insert all 5 other markers into the aluminum tube and then slide the corks into the tube, followed by closing it up with the rubber caps. Now your "poles" are in a convenient to carry, lightweight walking stick, that now also has a good amount of spring and stability to it. It might be tricky to get them in, but if you put them in a pentagonal shape they slide right in.
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Setting up:

1: Lay out tarp and remove poles from tube. Gather your mini-kit and remove the tent ferrules. Starting at one corner, weave a pole through the grommets until about 6 in.- 2ft. of the pointed end is sticking out. Then weave 2 more through the grommets until the ends are close together. You should have a pointed end on both sides now. Connect the poles with 2 of the 8 mm. tent ferrules.
2: Grab one pointed end and insert into ground about 6 in. for now. Pull and bend over other side and insert in ground. These can be inserted more to adjust, mine are usually anywhere from 1-2 ft. in the ground on both ends. Now we have the front of our shelter.
3: This is where some of the versatility comes in. The back pole can either be weaved into the grommets on the other side and another tarp added to close it off and make a floor; or What I do is assemble the back pole, line up with front and insert into ground, then I take my tarp and fold it over, using the excess of my tarp to close off the back of it. Take some tent stakes, or rocks, logs, or whatever and secure the sides and back to the ground. Sometimes I use tent stakes, and others I just use old logs lying around or rocks. I manage to get by with 4 tent stakes, when I use them.
4: Now our dome shelter is complete, all it needs is a floor, here you can use whatever you want. I carry a 7x9 tarp and a fold up poncho for this purpose. Also, it will take a little adjusting; and depending on size of tarp, how far your grommets are, how deep your poles are in the ground, or how you set it up will determine whether or not you'll need tieouts. The reason I didn't add these in the instructions is because, they are easily improvised in the woods, and it will vary based on the factors above; so you will have to play with it to see what suits you.

Note: Chances are the 10mm. tent ferrules won't get used, unless you expand on this with more poles or just decide to use them, or maybe lose a ferrule. The big bonus here is if one or two of the ferrules get lost, you already have a couple replacements handy, and buying more is cheap.


If you want to make it larger or smaller, you can do many things to adjust the size. (for these examples we are using a 10x12 tarp) 1: Change sides, i.e. instead of using the 10ft. length side use the 12 ft. side. 2: use 2 poles instead of three for each side; making a total use of 4 poles instead of 6. 3: Bring the back pole in or out; either degree of bend, depth in ground, or distance from front pole. Also, let's say you need a quick shelter, the dome is quick but this setup allows for a quicker one in case of emergencies. Take one end cap off of walking stick, slide all five poles out a couple feet, and wedge into the fork of a tree, you can either set other end in another fork or on the ground. Then throw tarp over top and stake out. I prefer placing one end on the ground as it is closed off more.

 

[1861navy]

Some pictures of it set up in the yard.

View attachment 28193

View attachment 28194
The inside of the shelter
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Me laying down. I am about 6 ft.
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Me pouring water on it to show what it does. Sry for the bad angle.
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The only water that got in.
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I have a couple pics of the water on the sides and it rolling down if anyone is interested.

 

[RAMBOCAT]

You need to make a you tube video explaining from start to finish.

 

[1861navy]

Hmm... I've thought about that, maybe it would help some seeing it happen in front of them?

 

[Cpt Caveman]

I appreciate your DIY-ness. Nothing wrong with that. But that Shelter would be a rattle trap in even light winds. I think you can do better. Let us know what you come up with.

 

[1861navy]

I appreciate your encouragement, but this is not the first time it's been set up. I have used this exact setup for about a year now, and have been using the dome shelter for close to 4 years now. It isn't a "rattletrap" in any winds I've experienced. The day these pictures were taken, there were 25 mph. wind gusts and the shelter stayed there all day and night and came out fine. Throughout the day there was a period of two hours where the only thing keeping it down was my bag and the front pole. Did it blow and sag a bit more than normal then? Yeah, but it still never came undone or caused any damage. It seems flimsy, but it's flexible. It doesn't blow around any more than a regular dome tent, and with a few tie-outs it's even less.

This also isn't meant to be a permanent shelter, this is something I made for when I go camping, have used and still use it, like it, and thought it would have it's use in a survival kit(non SHTF) or SHTF.
Not trying to come across as a jerk, just clarifying a bit.