Bedouin Tent
Just your average run of the mill links page.
Bedouin Tent v1.0 You have to start somewhere
Bedouin Tent v1.1 Bedouin Sausage Roll
Bedouin Tent v1.2 Getting a Handle on It
Bedouin Tent v1.3 Too High to Be Low
Bedouin Tent v1.4 Thoughts on the Prototype
Hi Mary,
I found your site by searching for a Bedouin Tent plan. The one you did look perfect.
The question i got is about the canevas. Is painter drop cloth (the one you used)are good enough for the rain? I will need to used that tent for a period of 7 nights in middle of august, so i’m wandering if i will be able to stay dry! I also want to used that canevas for a yurt, but i think i will double it.
Sorry for my bad english.
Its funny you should ask that. I have yet to do a really good rain test on the Bedouin tent. I used painters tarp on my min yurt project, and it worked great in the rain. The difference between the two tents is the large amount of unsupported canvas the bedouin tent has. I am more concerned about pooling water that leakage. The Bedouin I made was a trial run, as I plan to make another using black canvas instead of painters tarp. As per normal on untreated canvas it will mist a little when it begins to rain. As the fiber swells that will cease to be a problem.
A good book on various nomadic tents if you are intersted is ” Tents – Architecture of the nomads ” by Torvald Faegre. You can sometimes pick it up pretty cheap on ABE books.
Good Luck.
I have managed a rain test on the bedouin tent a couple of weekends ago. I put the hose on torrential shower setting and hosed it down for a half hour. The drop cloth inside the tent was just about completely dry (didn’t even feel a fine mist). The only water that got in was stream of water that poured over the side of the tent and dropped directly on a corner of the cloth.
I heart heavy duty drop cloths. Off to buy more at Canadian tire for the two wall section I never go around to making.
I am going to the store tomorrow to buy a bunch of tarps, I have a gift card, and a few things that I bought but never used, so think I’ll go trade them in on tarps… Just want to add another ridge pole and near double the size. This will be the first tent that I ever make. Any feedback both here, and on yahoo are greatly appreciated.
I just flipped through my books on nomadic tentage, and I could see no really examples of two sets of center poles that look like my bedouin. You can always give it a try and see what it looks like. The problem I see is it would change the basic profile of the bedouin tent. If the center poles are placed closer to the ends the angle of the roof is perhaps to steep. Their is a style called an ouled nail that sometimes have the front center of the tent pushed up with an additional pole. This gives a larger opening to walk into the tent without ducking. If you did this along the back wall, it would give you additional head space to set up a kitchen.
There are a few barrel vaulted roof nomadic tents that have multiple sets for roof ridges, but I have never tried to make one like that…yet.
Cheers,
Dirty Mary
and post pictures to the middle eastern list when your done.
So I’m making on as we speak, I am so excited for your blog its awesome! I was wondering, what the dementions of the walls and your poles. I was going to wing it but I really like yours it looks great! Thanks Mesha
I found your bedouin tent for sale on eBay, or at least the picture is of yours. Are you selling it already?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Canvas-Bedouin-Style-Tent-1-5-person-UNIQUE-CUSTOM-/230493242780?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35aa77c59c
Just wondering. I do think that you did an awesome job on yours.
Thanks for the heads up Ailire. I suspect they just wanted images of Bedouin tents as they are selling 10 tents according to the listing. I sold my Bedouin about a month ago to someone from Texas, not Portland Oregon. Weirdness… I reported it to ebay about the photo ownership stuff. Thanks again.
I would like to know if I can obtain a copy of your plans for your bedouin style tent. My wife and I saw it on e-bay and were considering purchasing but then to see the comment about this same tent makes my concerned. So I would like to obtain your plans so we can make this tent. We both think it would be a outstanding Sukkah for Passover, more in keeping with what the Israelites had at the time of Moses.
Hello Thomas Gray.
I did not have plans for the bedouin tent when I made mine. Having looked at images of modern tents, and doing a little research on historical ones I came to the conclusion that they are giant rectangles of cloth with wide cloth straps to maintain tension.
Roughly speaking. My tent was 22-3′ long by 9′ wide (2 painters cloth sewed together). The center strap was ~6″ wide, al other straps ~4″ wide. The end strapping was sewn on at 36″ from the edge of the cloth.
I really like the length of this tent, but when I make my next one…if I stay with a north african/berber style bedouin I would be widening it to ~12′ (or what ever the closest size I can get with bolt black canvas).
One day if I have something people call free time…. I’ll draw up plans.
Cheers
PS. Easiest tent I have ever made. Have fun with it.
In a week i will try my new Berber tent and yurt. I have follow your plan (or photo) and they look great. I make my yurt 15 feet and my berber 27 (3) by 12.
After this tryout, il will send you some pictures. I hope they will be good in the rain, but i’m pretty sure they will.
Thanks for the details of your work, it was an inspiration for me.
@Jean-Marc Belanger
Thats awesome. Look forward to seeing the photos.
I am at this very moment sewing my new Bedouin tent based on the northern Algerian “Ouled Nail” style tents. Large square tarp were the side and front walls are part of the square, and all the strap work is on the inside of the tent.