apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

the first picture looks amazing. I've been daydreaming about pitching a heavy canvas tent and creating an outdoor room in the yard of a house - semi-permanent, hard wood floors, inflatable mattress for bedtime, use it for dining on other nights. I know, sounds horribly excessive, but I was inspired by El Capitan camp grounds in San Bernadino. Any LA folks been? elcapitan.com?

www.elcapitancanyon.com

We did this when I was a kid - great fun! I highly recommend it. It makes you look at your backyard in a whole new way. A big bonus is no porta-potties/latrines.

What is a good, cool looking tent for something like this? Even just to hang out in. I was looking at those tent-ish cabana things at Lowe's and Target, but they seem like one gust of wind and they'd be gone. I assume the quilted/embroidered kind like above is quite expensive, but is there an affordable one?

My brother and I used to do this all the time as kids! Our tent would be about 20 feet from the porch of our house but it still felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. One time it got really rainy/windy out and we went inside the house, when my dad woke up he looked outside and our tent was gone! It blew away - he found it about 5 blocks away in someones yard.

i loved camping in the backyard when i was a kid! i'd probably still do it if i had a yard hehe

We did this all the time when I was a kid. Have fun!

I'd be tempted to go inside and check my e-mail.

I did this as a kid, we left the tent up to play in all day for a couple of weeks, but the one night a friend came over and we did sleep in the tent, my dad came out a few times to tell us to be quiet and go to sleep.

It did not feel very rustic, but it was different.

As an adult, there is no way that I will camp in my yard. I will out in the woods, but I am way too lazy to camp in the yard.
Although I might if my nephew wanted me to.

My sisters and I camped out in the backyard on many summer nights however we used to build our "tent", using 2 x 2s to frame our structure and old blankets as "walls". We generally ended up with 2 or 3 rooms in our tent.

Of course, that one night that the "wall" sagged into a candle and lit the whole thing on fire put an end to that fun!

jenzoe: after bouncing around in links to other links, this is the article that sources the items in the above group of photos:
http://www.cookiemag.com/homefront/product/2007/06/backyardcamping?currentPage=1

Says "price available upon request"...we know what that means.

This is where the tent came from:
http://tibettentshop.com/english/tibet%20tents%20english.htm

Very cool.

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This site DOES mention prices:
http://www.tibetanecology.org/Tibetan-Tent.htm

"Name: Small Picnic Tent
Size: 13x13 ft
Price: $2580 shipping included"

And yes, it IS coming from Tibet.

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What else can we find? How about a whole bunch of tent links? (some don't work):
http://www.currentmiddleages.org/tents/tentlinks2.htm

Do a Google Image search for "fabric tent" or just "tent" to get some ideas.

This is lovely, swiped from Corbis, notice that the sheer side panels appear to be tacked or staked so as NOT to blow around and they MAY provide stability.

That is a really lightweight structure, but use those ideas. Like running stability lines/ropes along the edge of fabric and staking each panel of fabric outwards, as shown.

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There are many styles at Target that ARE less expensive that might need a second look:
http://tinyurl.com/3w2pg6

Pick one of the ones that comes with the bug netting. Then dress it up. You can track down fabric that will work to create your own style, maybe like these?:
http://www.indiantents.com/applique-work-umbrellas.html

Oh, probably not with that material...but how about using those fairly inexpensive cotton bedspreads from India, like this:
http://www.overstock.com/Worldstock/Jaipur-Elephant-Cotton-Bedspread-India/701441/product.html?

I'm getting these links from images on a Google search, gotta love where I end up sometimes...remember that small tent above that was $2,580.00? What if you used a bunch of these on the outside of whatever frame you have:
http://thewitchshop.net/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=T_MANWHT

Here's more of those bedspread type items:
http://www.magiccitycostumes.com/default/index.php?action=category&id=17

Something with an intricate or colorful center medallion would be neat.

Visit your local REI (or shop online) if you're still looking for a tent. Great company, great products, super-helpful staff.

i grew up in a really cute townhouse development. every spring and every fall all the kids on my street would campout on a grassy area in the middle of the neighborhood. we would catch lightening bugs, roast marshmallows, run around and just be silly. those were some of the best times of my childhood.

since my birthday is in the summer i would have sleepover birthday parties when i was little and it was always more fun to sleep in a tent in the back yard than on the livingroom floor.

What a fun post. I have an old airstream trailer that I haven't used in a few years due to time constraints, but now, I think I will pull it into the backyard and have a campout anyway.

Fab idea. Thanks!

i live in philadelphia and during the early autumn, i usually hang a mosquito net from my clothesline and sleep in my sleeping bag under it. It's really nice to sleep out of doors even in the city. having a big dog to curl up with you keeps the neighborhood stray cats away too... my backyard (12'x12) is my little slice of heaven