Wall tent with gazebo frame?

MD

MD

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I got an old canvas 10x12 wall tent earlier this year and I know from experience with my other old 9x12 wall tent that I need seven 14-foot poles to erect one. In fact I had to use two more to brace the tent front and back to keep it from falling down, so that's nine.

Well today my neighbour left out for free a dismantled 10-x10 lightweight metal gazebo frame. During the next fair weather spell I think I'm going to assemble it and see what my 10x12 tent looks like draped over it. It might not look super-"Trapper Nelson" cool, but it would be a damn sight quicker to assemble and put up that searching for seven 14-foot poles up and down various logging roads and packing them back to camp in the back of the truck. And for me alone, 10x10 would be plenty of room for my cot and gear.
 
Seven 14 foot poles!? I'd have bought a metal frame after the first trip! Lol

The one issue I could see with your plan is how long are the sides? Most tents I've seen have 4' or 5' sides, whereas most 10x10 gazebos I've seen are tall enough for me walk under without ducking.

I'm assuming you have a reason for not buying a proper frame?
 
I'm assuming you have a reason for not buying a proper frame?[/QUOTE]

I am incredibly, painfully parsimonious, I don't really anticipate going moose hunting very often, I'm usually quite content just camping out in the canopy of my pickup or in a MEC tent for two or three days and looking at the expense and weight of a proper frame fitting a 10x12 tent, as well as the space required for the pipes, (I have a Toyota Tacoma) I've been looking for an alternative. My canopy is full already when I go for even a three-day trip and size of the pipes of frames I've seen would take up too much room.
 
I feel your pain with finding the 7 tree poles... I have done it a few times; usually in a rush, right now my balsam tent poles are still at my camp site stood up in a conifer tree waiting for next November.

This last year at deer camp my father in law, a very seasoned winter camper and canvas hot tent user, showed up to camp with his old to him, and now new to him (long story) 12x14 high wall tent for our dining tent.

In the setting up, he brought out his home made poles in his home made nylon sack and sat back on the cooler and smoked a pipe while the young 'ins set up the tent with his directions. Anyway his pole setup was simple - One metal ridge pole that you assembled from 3 or 4 sections and tied the tent ridge to on the ground. 2 metal vertical poles then went on each end of the ridge pole to raise the ridge, the end (or top) of the vertical poles had a bolt welded on pointing up that fit into a hole drilled through the ends of the ridge pole and held the main frame together. the ridge was guyed out once erected with two cords on each end. Then for the eaves (sides) he used 8 or 10(one for each grommet along the eave of the tent) 4' poles stood up vertical with the same welded in bolt, for each tent eave grommet and then guyed out each eave.

I know it sounds complicated but I hope the explanation will help you with an idea to turn the discarded frame into a set of poles. I wish I had a pic, but it was generally 3 poles to hold up the ridge like a giant staple and one short pole for each grommet on the sides.
 
rocklobster said:
I feel your pain with finding the 7 tree poles... I have done it a few times; usually in a rush, right now my balsam tent poles are still at my camp site stood up in a conifer tree waiting for next November.

This last year at deer camp my father in law, a very seasoned winter camper and canvas hot tent user, showed up to camp with his old to him, and now new to him (long story) 12x14 high wall tent for our dining tent.

In the setting up, he brought out his home made poles in his home made nylon sack and sat back on the cooler and smoked a pipe while the young 'ins set up the tent with his directions. Anyway his pole setup was simple - One metal ridge pole that you assembled from 3 or 4 sections and tied the tent ridge to on the ground. 2 metal vertical poles then went on each end of the ridge pole to raise the ridge, the end (or top) of the vertical poles had a bolt welded on pointing up that fit into a hole drilled through the ends of the ridge pole and held the main frame together. the ridge was guyed out once erected with two cords on each end. Then for the eaves (sides) he used 8 or 10(one for each grommet along the eave of the tent) 4' poles stood up vertical with the same welded in bolt, for each tent eave grommet and then guyed out each eave.

I know it sounds complicated but I hope the explanation will help you with an idea to turn the discarded frame into a set of poles. I wish I had a pic, but it was generally 3 poles to hold up the ridge like a giant staple and one short pole for each grommet on the sides.
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Thank you. Good description. I can picture it. On a BC hunting site another response indicated that he used a ridge pole and an upright at each end and simply guy-lined the sides out.
 
Glad that you can picture it.

Yeah I guess that you could just guy the sides out, but I would think that you would have to guy them out to a tree or something high enough to hold the sides up. The short stakes I was talking about acted like struts to hold the sides up and the guy rope to a stake in the ground held the sides out and taut.

My FIL also said that you could use 3 poles just like the ridge pole for the sides, or he has used sticks sharpened with a point as well to stick in the grommets instead of metal poles.

I hope that you can work something out for a tent frame that fits in your tacoma!
 
rocklobster said:
Glad that you can picture it.

Yeah I guess that you could just guy the sides out, but I would think that you would have to guy them out to a tree or something high enough to hold the sides up. The short stakes I was talking about acted like struts to hold the sides up and the guy rope to a stake in the ground held the sides out and taut.

My FIL also said that you could use 3 poles just like the ridge pole for the sides, or he has used sticks sharpened with a point as well to stick in the grommets instead of metal poles.

I hope that you can work something out for a tent frame that fits in your tacoma!
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Sounds good. It would be easy enough in the field to cut short poles to hold the sides up with guy lines.
 
I did similar with my 10x12 wall tent - made 4 foot poles from cutting PWF 2x4 to 1 1/2 x 1 1/2, then screwed a #10 3" screw into top end - screw sticks out about 1/2" - goes through grommets on eaves - I use short cord guy lines out from that screw to the peg in the dirt for each wall post. Most times, I have the rear end of the ridge pole (two /three (?) pieces of metal tube that slide inside the other) tied to a tree - so often end up with a "spare" tall pole - using tree does away with need for front to back sway brace while assembling it. I have stood it up several times by myself - does take more than 10 minutes to do though!!! Not something that I would want to do every day by myself ...
 
Grizzly Adams said:
Once you've used a proper frame, there's no going back. ;)

Grizz
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Agreed. Using the tree pole setup gets old real fast. Interior frames are so easy to assemble and FAST. Considering you are already packing a canvas tent and wood stove another 10-12 lbs in frame weight is no biggie. Deluxe Wall Tents (Canadian manufacturer) can provide you with an interior frame easy and not terribly expensive either.
 
Boomer686 said:
Agreed. Using the tree pole setup gets old real fast. Interior frames are so easy to assemble and FAST. Considering you are already packing a canvas tent and wood stove another 10-12 lbs in frame weight is no biggie. Deluxe Wall Tents (Canadian manufacturer) can provide you with an interior frame easy and not terribly expensive either.
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Don't have a stove.
 
rocklobster said:
Sounds like upgrade #2 LOL

Does the tent have a stove jack? If not you can get one on amazon and sew it in.
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Oh I can get a stove jack from Deakin Equipment down the street from me.

A frame would cost me $749.00 before taxes from Deluxe Wall Tents. My tent was $60.00
 
MD said:
Oh I can get a stove jack from Deakin Equipment down the street from me.

A frame would cost me $749.00 before taxes from Deluxe Wall Tents. My tent was $60.00
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And just what type and quality of wall tent did you get for $60 bucks..??

I lived/hunted out of a 14' x 16' wall tent for 2 to 3 weeks at a time for 16 yrs. Internal frame is a must, cut your own Guy rope pegs out of metal fence posts. 24" long fitted with hooks. The plastic pegs will not hold squat in rainy weather, ground gets to soft. A sheet metal wood stove was a must have for heat and comfort. Propane lights. Heavy 10 to 12oz canvas even when water proofed is not reliably water proof, so two extra large high quality plastic tarps to go over it all. One ran L to R the second run front to back that sticks out at least 10 ft. at front because this is where you cook etc. to keep a lot of condensation outside. What condensation you do produce inside will pass through the canvas, condensate on the first tarp and run off. It also creates two airspaces which has a insulative effect.
We have stayed in such a set up through days of heavy rains and heavy wet snows without issues. Warm, dry and comfy.
 
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As someone who owns a delux wall tent, I bought the frame kit, it’s worth it, but you will save a few bucks by ordering the pre made junctions and self cutting the poles. They are just conduit. It’s heavy as well. Certainly not a 10-12lb option. I have the 14x16, my tent with canvas weighs no less than 300lbs all in. I’m sure the 12x10 is a 35% weight savings, but it’s not light.

I am going to have to try out the rope ridge pole. I don’t really know why I hadn’t thought about trying that before.
 
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