FOREST AND STREAM 
How To Make a Three Pound Shelter Tent 
By Edwin O. Perrin. 
SMALL tent made of so-called 
“balloon silk" or similar light 
weight waterproof material, if 
bought from a sporting goods 
dealer, costs ten or fifteen dol¬ 
lars. A tent that answers exact¬ 
ly the same purpose can be 
made at home for less than two 
dollars. Unbleached muslin, cambric, or any light 
closely woven cloth can be waterproofed very 
easily with any one of a number of oil and 
paraffin solutions which are now on the market. 
The shape of a shelter tent is largely a matter 
of individual taste and the amateur can safely 
follow any one of the s'andard patterns, or he 
can vary the design to suit his own fancy. 
The fisherman, hunter, or forest cruiser, who 
carries his outfit on his back, requires first of all 
that his tent be light. It must also be of a model 
which can be easily and quickly pitched, and it 
should be proof against the hardest kind of wind 
and rain. There seems to be no style of tent 
made which answers all these requirements better 
than the plain little “A” tent, which is so well 
known as the army dog-tent, and as the trap¬ 
per’s tent of the Hudson Bay Company. It 
covers a very large area in proportion to its 
weight, requires very few pegs and no guy ropes, 
and can be pitched either with a ridge pole, or 
by means of a rope tied between two trees. If 
one end is left open the “A” tent catches the 
heat of the camp fire almost as well as the lean- 
to, and it gives much better protection from the 
weather. A mosquito netting front can easily be 
added when insects are troublesome. The back 
end can be made to peg out in a half pyramid, 
2 In.— 
which gives considerable extra floor space with¬ 
out appreciably adding to the weight. It is also 
wise to have a sod-cloth—a strip of material 6 
or 8 inches wide, running all the way around the 
bottom edge, and lying flat on the ground inside. 
This keeps out rain, wind, and insects, and also 
makes a conventient shelf for small articles which 
are likely to be mislaid around camp. 
I have thoroughly tried out a tent constructed 
on these lines, and I do not believe it can be 
beaten as a light shelter for two people. It 
weighs just three pounds, and the dimensions are 
as follows: 
Length over all . 8 ft. i in. 
Width . 4 f t g i n 
Hei ght . 3 ft. io in. 
Side slope . 4 f t . 6 in. 
Back slope . 4 ft. 4 i n . 
Ridge . 6 ft. 
Area covered . 33 y sq . ft. 
The bill of material is anything but imposing: 
io yds. unbleached muslin . $.90 
1 gal. liquid waterproofing.85 
io ft. light rope.. 
1 roll in. tape.o=; 
Thread . . 
Tota l $1.95 
With the aid of a sewing machine there is 
not much labor involved in making such a tent. 
As the cloth is 36 in. wide only four pieces are 
necessary. First, cut two strips each 10 ft. 2 in- 
long, and sew them together side by side with 
a double seam, lapping the edges about half an 
inch. This rectangle completes both sides of the 
tent, with 7 in. extra on each side for the sod- 
cloth. The back consists of two triangles each 
4 ft. 6 in. x 4 ft- 4 io. x 3 ft. 2 in. In cutting 
these out allow about half an inch on each side 
for seams, and 7 in. at the base for sod-cloth. 
The entire layout of material is shown in the 
accompanying diagram. 
After the back is sewed in hem the edge of 
(Continued on page 679.) 
Diagram and Dimensions of Three-Pound Shelter Tent. 
