Homemade PVC Tent Frames

Experienced outdoor enthusiasts realize the value that a good tent brings to their peaceful forested forays. The process of picking an outdoor shelter, however, can be less than relaxing. You have to balance utility against durability and, more importantly, cost. A professional-grade tent can cost hundreds of dollars and ultimately fall short of expectations. PVC pipe provides a durable and versatile solution to create a homemade tent frame on a budget.

  1. Design Considerations

    • Before you start your work, the first thing you should do is make a list of the places you plan to visit. From this list, research the most common weather conditions you are likely to encounter during your stay. You should use these to direct your design effort. If you are likely to deal with high winds, you should utilize a more stable design with a lower roof, like a classic A-frame. If you might encounter gentle rains or snow without high winds, a marquis design provides protection from rain and room enough to elevate yourself above possibly inhospitable ground. Another consideration worth noting is how many people will utilize (and ultimately build) the tent. You will want to keep the weight and complexity of your design as low as possible.

    A-Frame Tent Frames

    • The Viking A-frame tent is the classic tent shape that most people recognize at first sight. From a design standpoint, it is literally two triangles connected at the corners by straight sections into a geometric shape called a triangular prism. While there are many variations on this classic design, for the sake of simplicity and strength of design, it makes sense to use equal length sections of PVC (at least 1/4" thickness). The trickiest part of the construction is where the various pipes connect at the corners. Because of the limited selection of pieces, you will need a standard 3-way connector with 15 degree PVC adapters on the sides where the triangular sections meet and straight adapters of similar length glued to the ends for connecting the horizontal sections to them.

    Marquis Frames

    • Marquis framed tents provide a means for housing multiple people and offering an experience that is similar to being indoors. This style of frame can vary from having a simple square base, to a convoluted circular one. Despite the potential for a considerably complex design, you can create a functional marquis tent with a simple cubic design and a single support pole. For this version of the frame, all you need are 12 poles of equal length, eight 3-way connectors and a single pole that is at least 1/3 taller than the others to use as a support.

    Other tent frames

    • There are a number of other tent frame concepts that you could fabricate from PVC, such as the double bell, yurt or wagon wheel pavillion style. However, these frames require a high level of complexity without adding stability or protection from the elements. Of these designs, only the wagon wheel is practical because of its quick setup time. However, it requires a heavy, stable base to mount the support pole. If this is not a daunting obstacle, you can create the "wheel" from equal lengths of PVC connected by a 6-way PVC fitting as the central spoke and 5-way connectors to attach the wheel to the legs and rims. The central support will extend from the top and bottom of the 6-way fitting.