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About us… all
websites have this little section to let a
visitor know more about the people that you are
dealing with. But I am finding it the hardest
section to complete.
Because basically, it’s who
am I, and why should you feel comfortable
dealing with ME? What is it about me that I
can tell you? Because this company is me; the
designs are mine; the manufacturing is my
responsibility; I will be the one that handles
any issues that come up. The warranty offered
to you is mine; the shipping to you is mine; and
yes, I will sweep the floors when needed.
So, to start out I was
and still am a Boy Scout. I earned my Eagle and
my God and Country as a boy in Troop 8, Bristol,
Va. I was always there on the camping trips
(in the early 60’s). I guess I was most proud
of my Vigil honor from the Order of the Arrow.
Philmont was great! And the National Jamboree
was pretty good, too. By 1967 I must have
camped 150 plus nights with these guys.
College, starting a
family, working at a communications systems
business… these all kept me away. But finally I
got re-involved with Scouting, and started
serious hiking and camping again. It’s been
great. For the last twenty plus years I have
been a Scoutmaster (check out troop8bsa.com).
And I’ve accumulated about 450 more camping
nights…
I was almost surprised to
find that the tents we were using in 1985
weighed just as much or even more than the ones
we hauled around in 1965. Modern materials were
being used, but now a tent had a thick floor,
double walls, five different poles, zippered
windows with screens, a detachable vestibule and
just as many stakes as we used to have. And you
still had to add a ground cloth to go under the
tent.
Now, that’s fine for
tailgating and Camporees, but when you have to
carry the things, you sometimes have time to
contemplate the alternatives. And our Troop
does like to backpack.
Shouldn’t there be a
better way? Of course there should. So for
years I experimented with shelter tarps, and
rain flys mounted without the tent, and whatever
else I could think of to get the weight out of
my pack. I got it down to 17 pounds for a
typical 4 day summer adventure. In so doing I
realized that what we needed were tents like we
used in the ‘60s simply updated with modern
materials. The weight isn’t in the important
parts of the tent, the part that keeps you dry
and warm. The weight is in the accessories.
So I began to experiment
with plastic tents. Actual tents created with
strapping tape and clear plastic. I learned a
lot about what would work, especially if you are
innovative. However, plastic is stuffy and
actually pretty darn heavy by modern standards.
(And don’t try to sleep under clear plastic with
a full moon…)
Next I started working
with rip-stop nylon. One bad lesson was that
silicon waterproofing might sound great; it’s
light and will stop a light rain. But a heavy
rain “bombs” right thru the fabric, creating a
fine spray on the inside. Miserable. The cloth
had to be coated fabric.
But again there is a
problem. Coated fabric doesn’t breathe. If you
want to build a solar still, plastic and coated
nylon are good materials. On a sunny day, you
must have a way to vent out the moisture. So
vents (with screening) are a must to prevent
moisture buildup inside the fabric.
So this is where the
designs came from. I realized that you can have
light weight without having to use expensive and
fragile materials, and you can afford to have
enough room to sit up or even kneel, to get
dressed without elbowing your tent mate… shute,
light enough to carry a tent and not have a tent
mate! Great if you tend to snore.
At one pound and three
ounces, you would still be carrying less tent
weight than ever before!
Sam Belew
- OUT WITH THE GUYS -
Backpacking Tent 1 lb. 11 oz.
6’ tall 4/5 man (Yes!) Or even lighter, a three man
weighing 1 lb. 3 oz and standing 3.5 feet tall.
That’s right! These are
serious tents at as light a weight as we could
make them. Solid 185T polyester!
PU1000 coated.
Backpacking Tents. Light!
And yet great for short trips, too.
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