I received the Oyster sawdust mycelium to inoculate my composting toilet - thus creating a Myco-Toilet!!! I will also inoculate the second stage "compost bin" that I compost for one year - before adding to a third stage of compost with soil mixed in....
I was tempted to buy a new tent since I left up my tent from LAST winter - but I checked my storage and I discovered two more tents - I restored the downed tent with a perfectly cut Willow branch - just tall enough for me to stand in. Will it hold up to the new storm rolling in? It was raining this morning so I just left my sleeping bag in the tent!! There is already water on the tent floor from this Spring - but I loaded up some ground tarps and mats - and I slept very very comfortably - enjoying the beautiful bird songs as it got dark....
Field & Forest 10 ft x 10 ft Screenhouse Canopy
OK NOW I see I was supposed to tie up the two ends of the bottom of the poles! Very strange design...I think I got this tent at Goodwill?
there is a awesome random strap at the bottom of the "door" that does nothing but cause a massive tripping issue.
Glad I didn't follow the instructions on tying up the bottom of the side poles!! Still the bottom "sod cloth" would HAVE to be covered up with cut woods for this thing to really keep out insects - hence all the 1 star reviews.
That's why I added a 2nd tent INSIDE the Screenhouse - the Teepee tent.
Here it is on AliExpress
I got this tent on Aliexpress or actually maybe Alibaba - because I actually corresponded with one of the sales people via Chat - which you can do on Alibaba. Why? The first tent I bought of this design had a PVC inner fabric. PVC off-gasses toxic fumes super badly - the worst situation for being in a tipi tent!! So this 2nd tent saleperson assured me it was NOT PVC lining - rather it was maybe Polyurethane or I think just Nylon.
Actually the Screenhouse emits way worse toxic fumes than the Tipi Tent. So not sure why - I think it has Flame Retardant sprayed on the screenhouse?
Of course the problem with the tipi tent is it is definitely NOT mosquito proof - so really can't be used except in the winter time. They've now added an inside bug screen but it's tiny - seems like a pain to have to hide in that when you can't stand up!
I have to admit I'm addicted to the bizarre tents being made out of China - since they don't really last but sometimes have strange designs. So by combining these two problematic tents into one then it should confuse the mosquitos enough for non-winter use.
Also I have privacy from the tipi inside the screenhouse while just a screenhouse has NO privacy obviously.
Also what's fascinating is how the SAME tent is sold under different brand names in the U.S.
So for example I bought a Cabin tent that is 10 x 12. It's sold in the U.S. by Walmart as Ozark Trail (now out of stock) and it's sold by Fleet Farm as Field & Forest (also now out of stock) and it's sold by Costco - as Timber Lodge brand (they have some left). Field& Forest says the tent is sold on clearance for $100 but you have to contact each store to see if they have one. So the workstaff has to go check. I called one store and they said: Nope we don't have it. But I'm not sure the workstaff can really check thoroughly? I have not even put that tent up yet since again it is a WINTER tent - unless you cover up the sod cloth on the outside to keep out bugs.
I really like sleeping in tents in the woods because the bird songs are awesome to listen to and the Earth's energy produces wonderful dreams - the Schumann resonance. I do NOT like sleeping on a cot - it is too soft for the spine. (Ironically the FIRST tent I bought was a "cot tent" - again I love these bizarre tent designs). WAIT apparently the Chinese Cots have a terrible design that causes serious back pain - a rod that goes down the middle of the cot!! I had no idea. I just figured ALL cots messed up my back. hahahaha. I should have guessed it was just the Chinese Cot tents. Wow. Now I feel like I really need to try the original Cot Tent - the Kamp-Rite Cot Tent - to see if I enjoy it. Besides it would guarantee sleeping OFF the water. Although still nice to have a tent so I can maneuver without water inside - for changing out boots and clothes, etc.
I prefer the ground with a sleeping mat. I set up a couple mats to keep out of the water - it was super comfortable!!
This Tipi Tent is also sold under various brand names out of China. I think they have the same design but maybe different factories or different batch runs since one used PVC for a lining fabric and the other batch with a different brand name did NOT use PVC. I tried to cover up the PVC tipi tent with silicone using a solvent - it never really dried nor properly covered up the PVC fumes. So luckily the 2nd tipi tent did NOT have the PVC lining and hence no fumes.
I have bought around 10 camping tents in the past seven years!! Actually one of those tents was from Craiglist's Free. A couple of the tents were from Goodwill I think. So seven NEW tents.
These tents all have cheap zippers that are too small and the zippers break easily. My U.S. made Wiggy's sleeping bag has huge zippers in contrast. So big fancy zippers can be made.
The only reason I was able to SAVE the tent from last year that collapsed over the winter is because I asked my neighbor to use her industrial sewing machine to sew together two canvas painting tarps from Harbor Freight!! I got the tarps on sale - and she did it as thank you since I helped her out. And so I used that tarp as a rain fly - and I water proofed the tarp with silicone also - so that canvas tarp held up. Even though the tarp collapsed the tent - I was able to just prop up the tent and the tarp together and the tent had been protected enough under the tarp.
Basically my friend said "you want to be able to stand up" - and I consider that a minimum standard for a tent! Alot of these tents - MOST of them are not tall enough to stand up in.
But these tipi tents - even if you can stand up there is a pole in the middle!! So there is one Tipi tent now sold that has a corner pole system. It's sold as the Ozark Trail Walmart brand - but you could buy it directly from China (stocked in the U.S.) for $10 cheaper. hahaha.
The U.S. charge companies are suspicious of AliExpress or biased against it since if you buy multiple low price items off that website then they stop processing the charge card!! They flag Aliexpress as a suspicious source for accepting charges. I had this happen and so that also prevented me from ordering a new tent again. Thankfully!!!
Some of my older tents I am using as insulating in my primitive hut. I have another big cabin tent in storage since the zipper busted and I think a pole busted. I have a third cabin tent that did not survive the winter - so I have it just as my ground fly for my current tent setup (at least that's how I remember it).
Eventually I will try to EAT these tents using Oyster mushrooms as bioremediation!!
carbon fiber tent poles!!
the brand says "generic." hahahaha.
I remember now - the Tipi tent I bought of the Sil-Nylon material did not survive the Wood Stove - the stove jack melted out. So I had to throw it away but it did serve to celebrate a Birthday out in the snow!! So it created some fun for sure. I bought a HUGE version of it though.
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