Homemade Beach Tent

Intro: Homemade Beach Tent

This Homemade tent can be used on the beach (which is my main use), but can easily be constructed for any outdoor activity.

Hope you will enjoy this Instructable as I had assembling it.

STEP 1: Materials

Lycra fabric (the original roll is 1.5m width), so in order to get 4x3, i took two parts of 1.5m X 4m.

22mm Aluminum pole (the total length needed in 4.3m).

2 Tennis balls.

4 Dog Corkscrew (eBay).

4 Spring Snap Clip Hooks (eBay).

~12-15 meters of nylon rope.

Shhhhh..... (shortcut for the poles).

STEP 2: Poles

There are two option for this step:

Option 1 - Make your own:

To have 2m long pole we need 2.15m of 22mm aluminum pole (the extra 15cm are for the attachment).

Cut 3 X 55cm you will remain with the last part of 50cm.

To create the attachment between two sections of the pole, I used professional blacksmith's help who engraved the poles (5cm from the longer 3 poles).

Finally, cut the tennis ball and insert the pole in (the propose is so the pole won't tear the cloth).

Option 2 - Ready Made:

Buy it ready made at the nearest camping store, it will be more expensive than the first option but might be better quality (depends on your expertise).

STEP 3: Cloth & Sewing

I choose lycra fabric because of its elasticity, this is very important as you will need the tent to be stretched (to endure the beach winds).

I wanted the shade area to be 3m X 4M, this step is relevant only if the cloth you manage to get is smaller than the total area you would like to have. I managed to find Lycra only in 1.5m width and was left with no choice but to sew two parts of 1.5m X 4m.

Thanks to my wife who help with this part ;)

Important thing here is to sew with elastic thread and not regular thread for the same reason of endurance.

The stitch kind was "overlock".

STEP 4: Final Assembly

In this step, you will need to firmly connect the cloth and the rope from one end and the clip hook on the other end.

First cut four 2m long from the nylon rope.

The simple part is to connect the rope and the clip hook.

Now for the cloth and the rope, tie them in a way that they will be bounded together (take a look at the attached picture).

STEP 5: Setup

Setup steps:

1. Unfold and lay out the cloth on the ground.

2. Also lay the strings in a way that they will continue the rectangle diagonals (see picture).

3. Set the 4 "Dog Corkscrew anchors" at the end of the strings, make sure the cloth is stretched.

4. Assemble the 2 poles with the tennis ball at the top, lift each one in the front of the tent (about 40cm from the edge to the cloth).

5. Enjoy!

STEP 6: Done

If you liked it, don't hesitate to leave a comment or even vote ;)
Y.

Comments

[Ricardo Furioso]

Great work. Thank you for sharing.

[YaronShemesh]

Thanks!

[ShippingGuy]

Cool!

[Korvinst]

I've seen similar tents in TLV, and regretted at home that I didn't try to buy one or check what it's made from and how. Now I know thanks to you.

I checked the lycra sellers here around and they offer a wide variety of lycras in different thicknesses. There are fabric in 80 and 300 g/m2 thickness. How thick is yours?

Thank you

[YaronShemesh]

The tent here are bit expensive, which was one of the reasons to build my own.

as for the thickness i'm not sure, i asked for the +UPF50.

[Korvinst]

Thanks. UPF is for the fabric UV protection, where 50 is high.

It could be helpful to measure the weight and size of your fabric. No pressing, just if you have a chance to do so.

Thanks again.

[SpeedOfLate]

How much do you estimate it all weighs? Toting everything I want to the less crowded part of the beach is sometimes an issue.

[YaronShemesh]

It all weighs about 3.5 kg (7.5 lb).

[SpeedOfLate]

Thanks for the quick reply. I could carry that easily enough.

[cavik]

Simple yet ingenious way to provide shade. Thanks!

[YaronShemesh]

Thanks

[attitude1]

love the tennis ball touch

[YaronShemesh]

Thanks

[chefspenser]

Bravo, well done!

[YaronShemesh]

Thanks

[IanJC78]

Nice I like it. Instead of aluminum for the poles you can use PVC and a cap on top. Cuts out the need for the tennis balls. Or how about instead of tieing the cloth to the rope, you use the tennis balls in the cloth and locking them in with more carabineers. That way you can change the shape of the tent if need be.

[YaronShemesh]

Thanks!

I would love to see someone use this instructable and implement it with PVC.

Good idea with the tennis balls at the end, a knot would also do the trick ;)

[Lauriebitz]

Great instructable! Here in Arizona-That will be perfect portable shade.

[YaronShemesh]

Thanks!

[TJLee089]

Hey, maybe it's just me, but some key details are missing. Like: how to connect the poles; how to connect the rope to the cloth. A tarp with grommets might simplify the entire project. Ropes can be tightened with a tauntline hitch.