Home made or custom made tents

[squeezebox]

This thread would indicate it is possible to make DIY gear including tents with no sewing experience and actually do it the first try:

https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthr...y-Backpack-Kit

I will strongly disagree!
I did a fair amount of sewing in my 20's. I even worked for a Russian tailor and a furrier. I could take out the torn lining of a fur coat and produce a replacement. Did the repairs for Sachs & Nieman Marcus. So with that experience back then I might have tried a DIY tent. Considering the difficulty of a curved zipper, probably not. By the time you buy material at retail, then make a mistake or 2,you're up to the cost of good ready made. It's just a bad idea.

I'm considering to start doing my own dental work.

[Crossup]

I truly appreciate the input, nothing wrong with cautionary posts. I'm sure the majority of people should heed them, however I asked only if one could buy materials for no more than the price of a finished tent.

Thats because besides my long ago experience(sewing dacron(ceconite) covering for airplanes) tells me its no different from a dozen other skills I exercise. I've spent my life becoming a jack of all trades, and NO that does NOT mean master of none- I have a wife, family and ex-employers who all know I can do anything I have a mind to. Part of being a successful "jack" is to know and respect your limitations, a lesson I took to heart as a child. Sewing is not one of them.

Iv'e also learned in todays world of ultra specialization, most people cant accept that some one can have old school independence from others and embrace technology at the same time. I think most intelligent people with moderate dexterity can do this IF you devote your life to it- the rewards are endless

I will strongly disagree!
I did a fair amount of sewing in my 20's. I even worked for a Russian tailor and a furrier. I could take out the torn lining of a fur coat and produce a replacement. Did the repairs for Sachs & Nieman Marcus. So with that experience back then I might have tried a DIY tent. Considering the difficulty of a curved zipper, probably not. By the time you buy material at retail, then make a mistake or 2,you're up to the cost of good ready made. It's just a bad idea.

I'm considering to start doing my own dental work.

[Crossup]

I barter for that service(with insurance to cover the bulk of the cost), but have both a power post hole auger and jack hammer I could loan you.

I will strongly disagree!

I'm considering to start doing my own dental work.

[Crossup]

So having just purchased a BA FC2 for $222 shipped off Steepncheap, I'm now able to take my time acquiring a machine, material and knowledge for future DIY projects. This was motivated by wanting to do another week on the AT hopefully in about 10 days and needing to cut at least 5 lbs out of my base weight of 35lbs. The FC2, a Kymit Insulated Static V and deleting my SS Konzi Kocher/Trangia stove gets me there for $300. Now who needs a BA Copper Spur UL3?

[Just Bill]

So having just purchased a BA FC2 for $222 shipped off Steepncheap, I'm now able to take my time acquiring a machine, material and knowledge for future DIY projects. This was motivated by wanting to do another week on the AT hopefully in about 10 days and needing to cut at least 5 lbs out of my base weight of 35lbs. The FC2, a Kymit Insulated Static V and deleting my SS Konzi Kocher/Trangia stove gets me there for $300. Now who needs a BA Copper Spur UL3?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000JQM1DE...a-272833457493

Brother cs6000i would get you started.
I made 10k worth of gear with a singer curvy before it bit the dust.

You couldn't make a BA tent for any money. You cannot buy the poles.
If you made a dome version, add in the cost of the sewing machine, notions, and fabric and you couldn't make it for $222.
If you include your labor (or your time taken away from hiking) then it's no contest.

On your fourth or fifth version, you'd probably have a piece of gear you'd want to use and start to even up on potentially designing something better if that was your goal.
Design is also a job or hobby in and of itself and protyotypes are the name of the game.
The cost to sew the 'finished design' should reflect the 10 you built before it; not the $100 of materials it took to make the last one.
Perhaps you are one of those rare people who can produce things at a quality level equal to a pro... but most cannot and produce inferior gear at the end of the day. The decent ones make functional replicas.

As you said; doing things yourself is a matter of personal pride, self-reliance, or stubbornness.
All good enough reasons to justify any hobby.

But the MYOG to save money argument will never fly in today's market.
There are too many options, discount retailers, and folks importing sewing for a nickel an hour to discuss it.

Not only that; but there is so much high quality gear available at reasonable prices that if I were considering starting sewing now I wouldn't bother.
I made gear originally (and still) because nobody made gear I wanted. To an extent that is still true for me; but for the most part that is no longer the case.

I've spent enough weekends sewing gear to realize I'd rather be using it.

[Crossup]

JustBill, I agree with all you said with the sole exception of the BA poles- I own both a lathe and mill. I can make them easily enough including the hub as I have a rotary table and index plates. I would also shave many grams off by making end plug fittings hollow and using carbonfibre tubing.

I have a lot of experience with CF from both the yachting world and R/C models- its VERY rare that a model build does not have CF somewhere in it. This winter I will be making my first CF F3P plane, does a 40" wingspan model weighing less than 50 grams, radio control for precision aerobatics with a power to weight ratio of 2:1 or greater sound cool? The CF frame is made from scratch and utilizes homemade curved CF rod, along with boron filament bracing.
Typical F3P plane: https://static.rcgroups.net/forums/a...223_092652.jpg PLEASE click on the image to enlarge,other wise you wont even see the CF rods and rigging the largest being 0.7mm.

[Crossup]

Now you have me started.... my R/C shop(everything else for cars and life is in garage). The other pic is my scratch built carbon fibre gear box- dual ratio for counter rotating 12" props(1 gram each) prototype. All CF except plastic gears, ball bearings, homebrew bearing carrier/prop mount and of course the motor. 9.85grams produces 100gram thrust This is what we use to power F3P planes and eliminate the effects of propeller torque. I can buy one for only $300 if I choose not to make my own.