Folks on the always inspirational Lead Adventure Forum have asked how we make our tents. They are quite inexpensive to make, with most of the materials being small bits of wood and paper and larger bits of glue and paint. As requested, I’ll start with the triangular tents used in the Gautrian camps.
The tent frames are constructed out of oak scrap wood carved into log shapes where they are visible at the roofline. Balsa wood could be used (and would have been much easier to carve) but would probably need extra pieces to brace the frame.
The tent material is paper dipped in a solution of one part water to 2 to 3 parts white glue. We used heavy packing paper crinkled and folded over the frame while wet. The triangle sides are cut to just touch the ground.
The paper for the long sides of the tents is folded under and glued back on itself.
Some pieces of masking tape were used on the inside to hold the paper in place.
The glue mixture is a huge mess and should make the paper fragile and easy to tear.
Once the tent material had a pleasing drape, it was left to dry and harden. Lastly, a black wash and some brown paint finished the piece. The final tents are both light and sturdy, perfect for most any terrain.