The Mercury, 1720 Careening Camp

[William Brand]

There are several threads with pics on the Pirates in Paradise Festvial forum.  Here is the link to the pics I took in 2005.  Jim Warren did excellent slideshows last year and the year before.

William, were you in attendance at PiP 2006? Thought I might have shared our bottle of Tattoo with you and some of the other folk gathered round, singing with guitar accompaniment, but, it was dark that night - all I saw was a red goatee ~

Mary

No, I missed it this last year. Financial reasons crept up which kept me away. I have only been the once in 2005, but I shall be there this year.

[Captain Jim]

PiP 2005 Slideshow

The captions seem not to be functioning. I'll fix that this weekend. Check back.

[CaptainSatan]

one small problem with that is key west is a highly populated island and doesn't have a lot of spare saplings about ,,

What, no one will be hitting the cursed mainland over the next eight months?

Maybe I'm just lazy but it seems like a lot less work than building oars from scratch

-CS

[William Brand]

Well, it won't all be oars.

[callenish gunner]

i'll see what i can do to bring some cut sapling poles with me if it's requested :)

[CaptainSatan]

I will most likely be attending with my girlfriend and a bit of privacy would be needed at the very least, although in light of her "need" for creature comforts, something that looks crude and authentic(ish)

You might consider getting a basic two door wedge tent. You can set it up like a lean to (during the day?) or use it as a regular tent. They are available in a variety of sizes and prices. I am very fond of the shelters made by Panther Primitives. I have also heard good things about Tentsmiths as well.

[Panther Primitives (you'll need to download their catalogue).

http://www.pantherlodges.com/

Tentsmiths

http://www.tentsmiths.com/

Jas Townsend & Son

http://jas-townsend.com/index.php?cPath=19

Unless you are an exhibitionist couple I would avoid purchasing a tent made from the Sunforger canvas.

-CS

[William Brand]

My wedge from Red Hawk Trading Company was wonderful. Still is.

http://www.redhawk-trading.com/

[CaptainSatan]

Anyone have suggestions or ideas for something that may suit my needs. ... while still maintaining m'ladies comfort...

One more...

The Queen's Bluff by Red Hawk Trading looks like a groovy little one pole shelter that might meet your needs. But I doubt that there is any documentation on the design. So the Authenticity Police might arrest you.

http://www.redhawk-trading.com/Queen.htm

[CrazyCholeBlack]

Argh, you guys aren't supposed to start talking tents until the weather is nice enough outside. I'm getting all itch to go sleep in the yard now & it's 20 degrees & snowing. So not fair! Maybe I'll just pitch a tent in the living room.

Oh & Michael, I saw a fellow that put up a standard diamond shelter & then threw a second smaller diamond over it to close off the front for privacy. Don't know how picky you're lady is but that might work & it's really nothing more than 2 squares & 2 polls.

[CaptainSatan]

Argh, you guys aren't supposed to start talking tents until the weather is nice ...

Just getting ready for Pyrate Season. I just ordered a 14' dia 11' high conical tent from Panther yesterday.I'm trying to pack lighter for events and I like the idea of a one poler. Thanks to Red Wake I'm thinking about picking up a Queen's Bluff (another one poler ). But I'm concerned about being hassled over it's design.

-CS

[William Brand]

Argh, you guys aren't supposed to start talking tents until the weather is nice ...

Just getting ready for Pyrate Season. I just ordered a 14' dia 11' high conical tent from Panther yesterday.I'm trying to pack lighter for events and I like the idea of a one poler. Thanks to Red Wake I'm thinking about picking up a Queen's Bluff (another one poler ). But I'm concerned about being hassled over it's design.

-CS

I got such an excellent deal on the wedge tent I bought from Red Hawk, that I didn't get the Queen's Bluff, but I still want one. Maybe because it is so simple.

I'm curious, and because the design is so simple, why do you think you would be hassled? What kind of event are you taking it to?

[Jack Roberts]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't you make a wedge tent out of a rectangle piece of canvas, 2 pole on both ends tied down and rope for the ridge? Then drape the canvas over the "rope ridge" and presto its a tent. Is the canvas just to heavy? I will be expirimenting later on.

[William Brand]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't you make a wedge tent out of a rectangle piece of canvas, 2 pole on both ends tied down and rope for the ridge? Then drape the canvas over the "rope ridge" and presto its a tent. Is the canvas just to heavy? I will be expirimenting later on. 

Oh no, people do this kind of tent all of them time. You do have to buy canvas with a weave and weight that will stand up a bit in the weather, but you can do a simple wedge with a canvas dropcloth.

I bought a wedge because I wanted a heavy-duty tent I could use for years, with all of the trimmings. I also got a good deal. Someone had ordered two custom tents from Redhawk and they didn't pay for them. They were not a standard size, so the guy at Redhawk gave me a deal if I bought both of them, which was convenient, because Mike and Andria also needed one for PIP.

If you do the wedge out of a sheet of canvas, be sure to talk to Silkie about her experience last year.

[Jack Roberts]

What weight of canvas should I use? I think I remember seeing 10oz somewere.

Also would I be kicked out if I cotton canvas?

Hemp canvas is alomost 3.5 times as much.

I'm already drawing up little plans on how I want to make the tent.

[William Brand]

What weight of canvas should I use? I think I remember seeing 10oz somewere.

Also would I be kicked out if I cotton canvas?

Hemp canvas is alomost 3.5 times as much.

I'm already drawing up little plans on how I want to make the tent.

If we kicked you out, we'd have to eliminate half the tents already owned. Cotton canvas would be fine, although you'd impress a great many people to no end with a hemp one.

I'd be jealous.

As for weight, talk to Patrick and Silkie about this. They've both built their own shelters.

[Silkie McDonough]

Weight? Well all I can say is that a loose weave equates to a leaky tent.

[callenish gunner]

i got this formula from a friend at a rendezvous to help waterproof your drop-cloth canvas

Waterproofing Canvas, Leather

* CANVAS: Mix 3 cups soybean oil (available from grocery or health food store) with 1-1/2 cups of turpentine. Paint on and let dry. Reapply after a year or two of hard use or outdoor exposure. Great for tents, awnings, and camping equipment.

it is cheaper than the comercial products like campdry or thompson's

[Patrick Hand]

If you do the wedge out of a sheet of canvas, be sure to talk to Silkie about her experience last year.

Silkie was new to this and didn't know that you have to pre-shrink your canvas....

I don't waterproof my tarps, I know some people do, but I feel that it adds too much to the weight.... But you run the canvas through the washing machine on as hot as you can set it, and then dry it on hot.... this causes the fibers to shrink.... when it rains, the canvas swells and keeps out most of the rain... they will still leak (just not as bad a Silkies did....) if you get a bad leak, you run you finger from the leak to the bottem edge, and the water will follow that line.... in a heavy downpour, the rain drops will knock water from the canvas inside the tarp...you get a fine mist.... That is why a watrproof ground cloth is important.... the tarp/tent slows down any rain, but the ground cloth protects your bedding and stuff...

My ground cloth is 50-50 linseed oil and terpentine, painted on, without weighing it first, I'd guess that the waterproofing maybe trippled the weight of the groundcloth.... (that's why I don't waterproof tents/tarps... they weight enough already...) but a ground cloth is smaller, mine is only a little larger than my blanket. Big enough to keep me dry, but not so big and heavy that it's a hasstle...

It would be "nice" if we could all have hemp canvas tents and tarps, but my sail/tarp took 7 yards of canvas at $5.00 a yard.... $35.00 If I made it out of hemp at $15.00+ a yard, just the fabric alone would have cost me more than $105.00. Because of cost, I don't think you will see too many hemp tents/tarps.... so cotton canvas will have to be acceptable.....

My sail/tarp is about 10 to 12 oz. (cotton) canvas.. But I have a chunk of medium weight cotton broadcloth that I use for my Buccaneer tarp.... and it works just as well... heaver canvas is stronger and more sturdy, but it weighs more.... If you have to carry it (for trecking) go with a lighter weight canvas.... My Buccaneer tarp (the one William saw the year befor last ) is very light weight... as a Buccaneer, I wouldn't want to carry the weight of my sail/tarp. But for the Carreening Camp, the extra weight of the sail/tarp isn't a problem....

I prefer to use a ridge pole when I set-up my sail/tarp, but that uses 4 short poles as "sheer poles" and the ridge pole all lashed together.... It's too much to transport to PiP (and fly with...), so I just use two uprights (that I borrow from the Fort) and run a rope as the ridge line..... The cool thing about a tarp, is that they are very flexable is thier set-up.....

[CrazyCholeBlack]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't you make a wedge tent out of a rectangle piece of canvas, 2 pole on both ends tied down and rope for the ridge? Then drape the canvas over the "rope ridge" and presto its a tent. Is the canvas just to heavy? I will be expirimenting later on.

yep, you can make some seriously neat shelters with just rope, a pole or two & a sheet of tarp.

http://www.equipped.com/tarp-shelters.htm

Just ignore the advice about modern tarp materials etc. Boy I can't wait to start playing!

[CaptainSatan]

Queen's Bluff shelter by Red Hawk Traders.....

I'm curious, and because the design is so simple, why do you think you would be hassled?  What kind of event are you taking it to?

I don't know if the shelter is based on any actual shelter from history. I have heard about people going to black powder events only to be told that they couldn't set up their pyramid tent, baker lean-to, or even their Whelan because they were post 1820. I 'm not even sure if it would be welcome at PiP.

I'll write Red Hawk and try to find out if there is any documentation on the design. If nothing else it would be good far SCA and mundane camping.

After having some pretty elaborate camps in the past I am very interested in just taking a couple of one pole shelters that I can set up and tear down myself.

-CS

[Silkie McDonough]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but couldn't you make a wedge tent out of a rectangle piece of canvas, 2 pole on both ends tied down and rope for the ridge? Then drape the canvas over the "rope ridge" and presto its a tent. Is the canvas just to heavy? I will be experimenting later on. 

That's what I had in 2006. Would have been fine if the tarp had been a tighter weave. I don't know if I would want to house 2 people in it. Then again, it would be nice and cozy ...not very private.

[CaptainSatan]

I do quite a bit of tarp camping meself.Especially if there be trees far me hammock. I cheat and use a store bought,waterproof diamond shelter made from flame resistant canvas. In my opinion they are well worth the small investment. I've also made some pretty nifty shelters from a 16'x16' dining fly as well.

The Sunforger tarps are great for merchants,trekkers and people flying to events. Sunforger is much lighter than traditional canvas, it also stays whiter for a longer period of time.It is also a stronger canvas. The downside to Sunforger is that it stays new looking and a lamp in your tent at night can cause you to put a shadow show for the other people at the event. It doesn't pick up an aged look as well as regular canvas either.

-CS

[callenish gunner]

especially for vendors the flame retatdance cert. is required at a lot of events

and if you're doing 30-50 nights a year or more you need the confidence of the lighter fire retadant and sun reisistant fabric

[CaptainSatan]

I was thinking about building a sea chest to transport all of my stuff to PiP....

Maybe you could compromise by building a small to medium sized sea chest that with contents would weigh under 50 lbs. And transport everything else in a canvas sea bag, plus a period looking carry-on bag. Panther makes a canvas back pack that would probably work for a carry-on bag (assuming that you don't over pack it).Depending on the airline, in addition to your carry-on bag you may be able to carry what they call a 2nd personal item like a purse, small back pack, or a computer. In your case make that 2nd item a haversack or very clean possibles bag. You can also wear your coat, hat, and waistcoat on the plane.

Remember if you are flying, ALWAYS carry a couple of pictures of you in your garb. If one of your bags gets swiped for nitrate residue it can make it easier to explain where you are going and what you are doing. If you use any of your carry stuff at shooting events always get to the gate with plenty of time to spare in case you get picked for a random nitrate swipe.

Another option would be to build two chests each weighing no more that 50 lbs. when loaded.

Anyway that's my two cents. :angry:

-CS

PS

They don't usually weigh yer carry-on bags .So you might want to consider carrying some the heavier items on the plane with you to maximize you luggage allowence.

[CaptainSatan]

Weight?  Well all I can say is that a loose weave equates to a leaky tent.   

One gallon of Canvak will waterproof 100' of canvas.

The best price that I've found is 1 gal for $17.99 at Cabellas.

The same product goes for $25. at Panther Primitives.

If you can find it at your local hardware store you can spend the $&H on a pint of Myers.

http://www.cabelas.com/information/Camping...rep/Canvak.html

-CS