Winter fishing is a passionate hobby that captivates you immediately and forever. Once they fall in love with this type of leisure, fishermen remain faithful to it, despite the cold and the dangers that lie in wait for this difficult activity.
Experienced fishermen experience incomparable pleasure from winter fishing, receiving, in addition to the excitement of hunting and the joy of catch, quiet unity with nature and relaxation in the fresh air.
It is a mistake to think that these “unfortunate” people, when exposed to cold, windswept ice for a long time, freeze “to the bone.”
Nowadays, a huge number of ways have been invented to keep warm even in conditions of complete immobility. These are thermal underwear, special shoes and overalls with special impregnation that do not give the slightest chance to cold air, and in case of very severe frosts and bad weather, fishing enthusiasts set up tents for winter fishing, many of which are made with their own hands.
What should a tent be like?
Making such a shelter yourself does not require effort, although it protects from adverse weather conditions no worse, and sometimes better than a purchased one, while saving money.
Taking these conditions into account, a homemade tent for winter fishing should:In the manufacture of such structures, the craftsman’s own requirements for the size and weight of the product, the speed of its assembly, the ability to protect from cold, the possibility of insulation and the installation of additional equipment are taken into account.
To retain heat, therefore, to cover it, use a material that has good strength, thermal insulation, moisture resistance, but at the same time has breathable properties.
Be lightweight, mobile, compactly folded, and quickly installed. Frames made of aluminum or composite materials meet these requirements.
Assembling the tent on site
Assembling the entire structure takes a little time and effort:
- Skis, the tongues of which are inserted into the slots of the plates, are connected to the halves of bent tubes, which should be located along the axis of the ski, and at the same time the ends are turned inside the tent by 90 degrees.
- The ends of each pair of bent tubes are threaded through special holes on the ski racks.
- The skis are connected to each other to create a rectangular shape.
- Then a box is installed on this structure.
- At the ends of the skis, four vertical pipes are installed, which serve as racks.
- The roof pipes are connected using a tee. Connecting parts are installed at the ends of vertical tubes.
- After aligning the holes of the tubes and tees, the installation wires are pulled into them.
- A tarpaulin is stretched over the frame and secured with laces.
Disassembly of the structure is carried out in the reverse order. To make the process faster, you can number the parts.
So, despite the fact that there are many different types of fishing winter tents, homemade, time-tested ones have not been canceled. They are easy enough to make yourself. But we must remember that they must meet all the requirements of the fisherman. After all, it becomes a temporary home and shelter from the frost.
When making your own tent, you should carefully design it and select high-quality materials.
Types of shelters
Depending on the methods of ice fishing, structures are divided into:
For mobile devices. They are extremely light and quick to install, they are useful when changing holes frequently and protect more from wind than from frost. These include:
A cape tent in the form of an isosceles triangle, which is easily made from transparent polyethylene film, which gives a good overview.
An appropriately elongated ice screw can be used as a support in such a structure, and pins or screws can be used for fastening. Among the disadvantages of such a shelter, the fragility of the material and cramped living conditions are noted.
A dome tent with a central support in the form of a metal pole driven directly into the ice. For ease of transportation, the pole can be collapsible. The same plastic film or a denser synthetic material is attached to it, which adheres to the ice using pins.
Stationary (frame). They are used for fishing at a fixed location. They can serve as a permanent place of residence or as a temporary shelter.
The functional characteristics of such a building can be improved by installing a warm floor and a heating system.
This category may include the following types of structures:
Umbrella - a frame made of strong rods and duralumin tubes is covered with a tarpaulin or synthetic awning according to the principle of an umbrella.
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Automatic - The protective material of the shelter is immediately attached to the frame, which, when unfolded, takes the desired shape. The advantage of such a product is the speed and ease of assembly, the disadvantage is its fragility and instability in strong winds.
Frame. A base is constructed from several duralumin tubes, bent in an arc, fastened together and covered with an awning. The shape and size of the base determines the dimensions of the tent.
Types of tents for ice fishing
Depending on the design features, winter tents are divided into specific models.
Umbrella
These are the simplest designs that are easy to assemble and install. To make the frame of such a tent, you should use durable but lightweight materials. Synthetic fabrics or their combinations with tarpaulin are more suitable as an awning for covering.
Machine
The design is designed in such a way that the frame acts as a spring, which takes the desired shape when it is released from the packaging. They are quite popular due to their simplicity of design and lightness. Despite this, these tents have a number of disadvantages. Firstly, they are not resistant to strong winds, and secondly, they are not so easy to fold. Therefore, when going fishing, you will have to practice beforehand. It unfolds itself, but without the skills, it will be very difficult to fold it and if you overdo it, you can break it.
Frame
This tent consists of several folding poles and an awning that covers this frame. We can safely say that this is the same simple option, but it takes a long time to assemble and disassemble. In addition, it is not particularly durable. Therefore, fishermen rarely purchase such a design.
HOW TO MAKE A WINTER CHUM TENT / DIY / DO IT YOURSELF
Making your own tent
When deciding how to make a tent with your own hands, there is no need to be afraid that special knowledge or skills will be required.
The entire work process is divided into several stages, the sequential implementation of which makes it easy for even a beginner to complete their plans.
Step-by-step instruction
This design is very old, but very reliable. More than one generation of fishermen have tested it in practice.
How to make a tent with your own hands photo and pattern
- Ski poles will serve for the frame, where they are installed vertically. Horizontal tubes should be an order of magnitude thinner. The upper nodes must be made in the form of a triple connecting adapter and its end is made like a cylinder. It is worth noting that the diameters of the cylinder and the tubes with which they are connected must match.
- Next, the tubes are secured in a vertical position to the skis. A T-shaped tongue is inserted into a metal plate attached to the ski, which is located at the lower end of the tube. After this, the tube is rotated 90 degrees.
- Two tubes taken from the clamshell serve to connect the frame to the box. The end of the connecting product is secured to the end of the bent tube. The latch is installed at the other end of the tube.
- Eyelets made from copper strip will serve to connect the box to the tubes.
- At the end of all the work, all that remains is to pull the awning. Metal plates with slots are installed in its lower part. You need to insert staples into these slots, which are driven into the side ends of the skis. The connections are secured with laces. In order for the structure to remain stable on a frozen body of water, it must be equipped with two anchors.
Homemade tent pegs and screws
In order to make pegs that will be used for a winter tent, you need to take long and strong screws. The peg has a hook-shaped top. This process is performed using pliers. Screws are made of metal tubes that have threads. If you don’t have one, then self-tapping screws will do just fine.
How to sew a tent with your own hands in the form of a house
You can consider another very popular type of tents, which are made in the form of a house. To make such a tent yourself you will need:
- Fabric that does not get wet - 14 sq. m.
- Metal washers – diameter 1.5 mm (up to 20 pcs.)
- Braided rope – 15 meters.
- Not a wide tape - 9 meters.
- Rubberized fabric for bedding - 6 meters.
Having prepared all the materials, you can proceed to making a tent that can accommodate one or two people. To begin, cut out 2 pieces of fabric of the same size - 1.8 by 0.9 meters. A marking of 65 centimeters is made along the long side, and the same operation is performed on the other side. The fabric is cut at the connection points. This creates the entrance and back wall of the tent.
The diagram shows how to complete all other work step by step. The only thing you need to remember is that all the elements are sewn together with high quality. This is where tape will come to the rescue to strengthen the seams.
If regular fabric is used for the tent, then additionally polyethylene will need to be used. Rings are also sewn into the tarp so that the tent can be reinforced.
Frame assembly
To make the frame, metal tubes or even ski poles are used as supports. They are connected using fastening hinges and installed directly on skis or other available materials.
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What may be useful
In order for a do-it-yourself winter fishing tent to be reliable, it is not at all necessary to purchase expensive material. Moreover, everything that a master might need can be found in almost any home.
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For example, the tent most often created by fishermen is made on the basis of a special box, which can be easily purchased at a fishing store.
In addition to such a box, you will need a few more materials, which are also not difficult to obtain. Two pairs of skis, some for children, others for schoolchildren, along with poles.
If you don’t have ski poles, then old metal pipes of small diameter will do. You will also need a folding bed, the old model of which many people have.
Well, tarpaulin is most often used as a dome for such a house. It can be insulated at will with any material of your choice that retains heat.
Before you start making it yourself, make detailed drawings of a tent for winter fishing.
Manufacturing of coating
In order not to make a mistake with the size of the awning, a drawing with preliminary calculations is first made. On its basis, a pattern is created from the desired fabric.
Be sure to add at least two centimeters for seam allowance. To avoid sagging, the dome is secured with eyelets, reinforced if necessary with reinforced tape.
Creating Fasteners
To fix the shelter on the ice, screws are usually used, which you can make yourself using metal rods and self-tapping screws.
The rod, performing the function of a handle, is welded to a large self-tapping screw. For convenience, it is covered with protection made of rubber or silicone tubes.Using hooks or pegs driven into the ice as fasteners is also acceptable, but not very convenient.
Umbrella tent
This option is the simplest design. It does not cause any difficulties during assembly and installation.
To make a frame of this modification, it is necessary to use strong, but as light as possible materials. When it comes to the awning, it will be possible to use artificial textiles or some new types of fabric made on the basis of tarpaulin as a basis for it.
Floor construction
To create more comfortable conditions, you can build a floor for a winter tent with your own hands. This simple work will ultimately help reduce heat loss and, as a result, save on heating the structure.
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The material for making the floor can be any thick insulation, for example, isolon. When using foil insulation, it is folded in half with the foil facing out, which allows you to retain heat for a longer time and avoid melting ice when using heating appliances.
You can pre-cut openings in the insulation for future holes.Tent heating
The main requirement for heating devices is low fire hazard and no waste.
In this case, you can use special industrial devices: gas burners or mobile mini-ovens, or you can heat a winter tent with your own hands using scrap materials.
This is done using:
Hot water in a large closed container, covered with a thick cloth to enhance the effect. Its action lasts for several hours.
Tourist candles. With low heating efficiency, even one candle can increase the temperature inside a small shelter by several degrees.
However, fire safety is required here; for this, candles are placed inside cans or other objects that insulate from fire.
Hot stones or hot sand. To reduce the rate of heat loss, a large stone is wrapped in foil and placed on an insulating base. For the same purposes, but without foil, small stones or sand are used.
The considered methods heat the tent in mild frosts and for a short time.
In conditions of severe frosts and many days of staying on ice for a winter tent, it is better to build a stove with your own hands, which will provide long-term heating of the structure and prevent freezing of the holes located inside.
Drawings of a homemade winter tent
As you can see from the diagram, the tent is mounted on skis and this makes it easier to secure it on the ice.
After all, mounting regular winter tents requires a lot of time and effort. And with such a design, the fisherman can move around the reservoir many times. Wherever a new hole is made, the angler drags it towards him and, having climbed inside, is ready for fishing in warmth and comfort. Note! To reduce windage and make it easier to drag the tent in strong winds, you need to remove the awning from the tent. If you don’t do this, it will simply be difficult to drag it.
Furnace for winter shelter
Any beginner can create homemade stoves with a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
The most primitive and popular design is made from an ordinary tin can and is not inferior in functionality to industrially produced models.
To make it, in addition to the jar, you will need:
- a metal mug, the diameter of which is 1 cm less than the diameter of the jar;
- spare parts from an old TV antenna;
- fastening material;
- a piece of tin sheet.
Having collected the necessary parts, you can begin assembly:
A circle with a diameter of 3 cm is cut out of a tin sheet. It is divided into three segments, bent at an angle of 90 degrees, forming petals.
Regarding the position of the petals, three holes are made in the bottom of the jar, matching in size with the tips of the petals.
The circle is fixed on the bottom of the jar due to the petals that fall into the corresponding grooves. Its surface is intended for fuel.
At a distance of 2-2.5 cm from the top edge of the jar, three holes are drilled for the nuts on which the mug is secured.
Slots are made in the bottom of the structure for legs made from parts of an old antenna; their size should not exceed the diameter of the mug.
For the lid of the structure, you can use another tin can, cut appropriately and tightly fitting to the top of the stove.
Several more holes are scrolled along the entire bottom of the product, located at an equal distance from each other.
Such a device, despite its unpresentable appearance, does an excellent job of heating a tent, and with a little improvement, heating food.
Types of shelters
Existing designs of fishermen's shelters for ice fishing have several varieties:
In the form of a canopy. This rather primitive design can provide protection from generous precipitation.
The basis of the supporting structure is made of aluminum profiles. For covering, special fabrics with a water-repellent base are usually used.With automatic device. The frame is made of polymer materials and, after being removed from the packaging, is transformed into a tent of the designed shape. Such shelters are quite popular among ice fishing enthusiasts, but they have disadvantages.
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There are certain difficulties in assembling the structure in the absence of skills. The design of such a tent itself is very unstable and requires additional fastening to the base.
In the form of a frame. Arcs made of polymer materials are folded into a frame and covered with an awning made of water-repellent fabric.
This shelter design requires a certain amount of useful time for assembly and has low performance indicators.
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A tent is an indispensable thing for winter fishing
When planning winter fishing, it is necessary to provide for many situations in which lovers of this extreme recreation may find themselves.
A self-made tent, as well as equipping it with necessary household items, will take into account all the individual needs of the creator, and thereby not only preserve his health, but also provide the necessary comfort and safety in difficult weather conditions.
DIY winter tent photo
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