Tent idea

Unless someone knows of a tent like this, anyone else think it would be cool to have a tent fly made of clear nylon? The whole tent made from the same material type the windows are made from in tents today.

Cool yes, practical no. For starters maybe my googlefoo is weak but I can't find clear nylon fabric, the stuff that says clear well... isn't. Maybe you meant vinyl or some other plastic.

In any case assuming it isn't nylon it would be heavier. It would also be hotter during the day and colder at night due to more radiation loss/gain. The clear material would allow sunlight to more easily enter the tent and would probably make it sauna like inside because vinyl doesn't breathe to well.

I use a sheet of clear plastic over my hammock sometimes. I dont carry it far cause its heavy, but its amazing. I laid under it fir a couole of hrs with the last snow storm. I agree with it being hotter in the day, but its also warmer in the night. It doesnt let anything through, no moisture or wind. Condensation is awful with it as well, the worst ive ever seen by far. But one again it is amazing in the right circumstance. Any kind of precip is really cool.

Clear fabric is becoming popular with people from the north that use a fire in front of a lean-to.  The clear is placed over what is normally the opening and radiant heat is trapped in the shelter.  It could also be used for solar gain under cold sunny conditions.  An intriguing idea.  Most people rely on tents for privacy and a sense of security.

Gary - a very interesting idea.  I think one stumbling block is that there aren't any (that I know of) transparent fibers.  Anything woven scatters photons so that even if the constituent fibers are transparent the aggregate fabric is opaque (Bill? Help?). So, most things that are transparent are films that are extruded in one contiguous sheet.  As folks mention, films typically weight more, don't breathe as well and are harder to work with.  Some films, like CUBEN, have a fiber overlay to improve strength. Perhaps a transparent CUBEN would be possible?

Seth,

How about some retired mylar sails recycled into shelters?

How about some Star Trek technology and just a force field around the sleeping area?

Guess I was just thinking how nice at night something clear would be to block the wind, have a vent to disperse inner vapor and use of an bug netting under neath so I could still look up and see the stars on moody weather nights.

On my 3 1/2 month bicycle tour it only rained three times from Wyoming on Spetember 3rd to Tucson. Once at Monument Valley, again over two days/nights in Wickenburg. So I only used my no-see-em inner tent the other97 days and nights.

I love seeing the stars and moon going thru its phase's all night or at least when I am awake. That was the main idea behind the clear fabric tent.

Just a quik look and I found this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nylon-Clear-Invisible-Sewing-Thread/dp/B002V7586Q

So yes it can be done. I think that it would be opaque and let the light of the stars and moon in. And on cold sunny days it would heat up the tent like a green house. Interesting.

And Here It Is!!

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/transparent-nylon-fabric.html

Get out that sewing machine!

Now that is weird!

Bill Mason the famous canoeist used visqueen as his preferred material clear material on the front of his Baker type tent on winter canoe and snowshoe trips since the 1970s.  Calvin Rustrum also liked to use it in winter.

Not nylon but if you want to test the clear tent idea you could make one out of Polycryo (often spelled polycro) Search Google under "polycryo shelter" It is the film used on windows also used as a groundsheet.

A 72" x96" piece is 3.65oz (from GossamerGear)

mikemorrow said:

Just a quik look and I found this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nylon-Clear-Invisible-Sewing-Thread/dp/B002V7586Q

So yes it can be done. I think that it would be opaque and let the light of the stars and moon in. And on cold sunny days it would heat up the tent like a green house. Interesting.

And Here It Is!!

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/transparent-nylon-fabric.html

Get out that sewing machine!

It might be an option for making a window that has a silnylon or similar flap to cover it. I'd question this stuff's durability in the face of wind, not to mention waterproofness.

BTW, if it's opaque, then it's not going to let the light of the stars and moon in, because that's what opaque means. You're probably thinking of translucent, like sheer curtains.

Well I have noticed that the No-See-Em netting stops about 50% of the wind when its not blowing to hard. My Mtn Hardwear tent is covered with 60% noseeem and works fairly well. I have only used my rainfly a few nights on my 2000+ bike tour over 120 days since early Sept 2012.

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