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I want to build a tent for Remy's bedroom so she has a space that she can chill in away from everything and everyone. It needs to be big enough to so I can fill it with cushions and lay with my head and shoulders in it.

I'm happy to buy one if the right one exists but so far all the stuff I've managed to find is really cheesy.

I want something simple along the following lines.

- Free standing (not hung or tethered - just like me really)
- 6-8 foot tall
- Plain white cotton canvas (so we can paint it)
- Can be opened up wide (not just a silly little door)
- Must not have a central beam
- Must not be a teepee

This kind of shape is good as is a circus tent:



Any suggestions on where I might find one or lans to build one.

Check out here:
medievalfantasiesco.com/MedievalCamping.htm

thanx rd.. all the good shapes have central poles.

I'm wondering if there is such a thing as a teepee that doesn't come to a singe point at the top.

*keeps researching*

i like the looks of the circus tent better but look at the top two on this page
tentmanufacturers.net/products/at1.html
the black one might work or be adaptable. i didn't spend much time there. do they expect you to buy 1000 per order?

link no worky

what about a miniature yurt?

some build plans

I've always been a big fan of yurts but have yet seen a design that isn't centrally load bearing. Still, something I'm going t research further.

All I've got is my backpacking tarp:



As it satisfies only four of your six requirements:

- NOT Free standing (not hung or tethered - just like me really)
- NOT 6-8 foot tall
- TYVEK == DECIDEDLY NOT Plain white cotton canvas (so we can paint it)
- CANNOT be opened up wide (not just a silly little door)
- Must not have a central beam.. WIN
- Must not be a teepee... WIN

...the best I can do is offer it as inspiration for an afternoon of arts and crafts with the wee one.

You could probably construct one of the circus tent style - a hoop built on five or six posts for the primary frame - and whatever shape you want on top of that. Stitch triangles of cloth from the top down.

I can probably put together a basic sketch tomorrow of what I'm thinking. Should be pretty easy.

err...

how handy are you with a sewing machine?

not handy with a sewing machine but was hoping to enlist the help of one of my friends who has an industrial machine.

I was thinking that all I need are two circles, one for the base and one for the roof bit. If I can make a solid structure then I can probably improvise with the material... just pin it up, cut and sew.

I found this:


while doing some research... mayhaps I will buy her one of them while I get busy trying to make her something more meaningful and long term.. something tells me I'm not going to get it finished before xmas.

FWIW: when Pam was small, I built her an area in her closet. (She rarely used it as a closet - we once used it for a stop-motion video studio).

I built a sturdy platform at about shoulder height, which held a child's mattress, and built a ladder up to it. Then we painted the inside of the closet with trees and sky and hills, making it a treehouse.

My brother even helped me put in a light that she could turn on and off up there.

Also, FWIW, you can buy really cheap, small 'umbrella' or dome tents for under $50. Regular outdoor gear, but small. Get the type where the poles fit into pockets at the corners, and you can easily set it up inside (without stakes, ropes, etc.)


This one's $40 at WalMart.

sweet and sweet.

I'd so love to build a more permanent hide/play space for her but we rent and aren't allowed to use a single nail... thus the need to create something that doesn't hang from the ceiling or require anchoring.

A cheap tent was one of my initial thoughts but I was thinking more of something we can paint and modify. Make felt pictures and sew them int the design... that kind of stuff.

hey baron.. I'm still trying to work out WTF that thing is.

It's a lightweight replacement for a tent: no floor, no poles, suspended from a single line strung between two uprights with shorter lines running to stakes and holding down the sides. The diagram shows three configs looking from the front right: one view with the vestibule shut, another with it open, and a third with it set as an awning.





How about the ol' cardboard box maze/fort/palace?

The mushroom tent arrive yesterday and Mrs Arse has decided that it will be our Xmas tree. The cardboard castle is actually a WIP only I am using plastic packing boxes (full of stuff) like giant lego blocks. In any case both of them are big enough for me to hide in

I'm still planning on the tent thing but recognise that it's going to take more time and resources than I expected.

You aren't allowed to use any nails? Who do you rent from, the GESTAPO?


I'd consider checking modular furniture stores - as I recall even Ikea had some interesting collapsible tent ideas last time I visited... maybe not perfect out of the box but you could modify/ combine some of them as basic structural elements with some ingenuity and a sewing machine...

I would try a closet tension rod, assuming you have some place in her room that is 10 feet or smaller wide. These usually twist or are sprung and require no nails or screws.



I'd then buy a hula hoop and a ton of satiny fabric and hang from the rod:




If the 120" tension rod span doesn't work out you can always take over a closet using a smaller tension rod across the door frame and make sure to put a door on each side of the tent - or just outfit the whole closet as a hooka style den with the tent as the door. Deck it out with christmas lights, pillows and pretty fabric.

the tension rod is a great idea. Her room is much bigger than 10x10 but I could use the side of a cupboard to narrow it down. As long as it doesn't collapse and crush her little skull.

Ari - Oz sucks for renting. Most rentals have a no blu tack policy let alone being able to use nails or tacks. We're not even supposed to paint without written permission.

egad, how dreary. Conversely, here you're expected to do minor repairs like plastering small holes & repainting on your own dime, which is totally worth it, imo - we have tons of shelving we've built in, dozens upon dozens of pictures, plant hooks, etc. - though in truth this is the first apartent we haven't painted when we moved in, other than the bedrooms we actaully like the colours. And of course now that we have a kid first there was no money and now that Steph's working there's no time. It figures though, since neither one of us had the sense to be a surgeon, corporate lawyer, or unionised contractor.


That tension rod idea is a good one for sure. You might also consider clips from behind the mouldings provided the mouldings are solid and not that cheapo facing stuff - it wouldn't show at all once disassembled..

Originally posted by: Arsis
the tension rod is a great idea. Her room is much bigger than 10x10 but I could use the side of a cupboard to narrow it down. As long as it doesn't collapse and crush her little skull.

Ari - Oz sucks for renting. Most rentals have a no blu tack policy let alone being able to use nails or tacks. We're not even supposed to paint without written permission.

No blu tack? WTF, that doesn't damage the walls, and rentals should be painted between leases anyway! Do they want it to appear like you live in a sanitarium?

In WA, at least Seattle area, holes in the walls from hanging pictures are considered 'normal wear and tear', if you've lived in the place at least 2 years. No place I've ever lived has let me paint the walls, though.