Forester tent

Last updated December 06, 2022

The Forester tent is meant for canoeing and hiking, especially in wilderness areas. It is spacious for its weight, providing a comfortable shelter with standing room at the front and storage room at the back. It is well suited to inclement weather.

Design

The Forester tent is designed with a wide front and with angled walls and angled floor, intended to capture heat from an open fire and reflect the heat downward to its occupants. Its wide front, which may be screened, allows broad scenic views from within the tent (image above).

The angled shapes of the walls and floor make the tent noticeably lighter than a rectangular tent of similar internal height and width at the front. The Forester tent is supported by poles on the outside or inside, or can be supported by a rope that is fastened to a stake at the back and a tree at the front.

Two-person Forester tent, circa 1960, built for wilderness canoe camping. Approximately 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) at the peak, 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) at the front, and 8 ft (2.4 m). With walls of 6 oz (170 g) polyester, such a tent weighs approximately 6 lb (2.7 kg), including a waterproof fabric floor.

The Forester tent folds to be relatively small, fitting into a corner of a Duluth pack (left) or pack basket (right), along with camping food, sleeping bags, and other equipment for travel to the next encampment. Seen right in a traditional Old Town guide-model canoe in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Both packs can be fitted with tumplines for easier portaging of the tent and supplies.

The angled shapes of the Forester tent avoid an excess of fabric and an excess of weight, yet provide standing room inside and a wide separation at the heads of sleeping bags and mattresses where it is needed, with reduced height and width at the foot where it is not needed (see below).

History

The Forester tent was developed by Warren H. Miller near the beginning of the 20th century.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Miller was editor of the magazine Field & Stream , author of multiple books and articles, and an avid camper and designer. Not satisfied with the wasted space and consequent added weight of conventional tents, it struck him that "half a teepee with a fire in front would be a step in the right direction"^[2] (shown right). He included a small wall at the back and designed the side walls to reflect heat downward.

Miller designed further versions with incremental updates, though he never added a sewn-in canvas floor. Miller called the Forester tent a "cozy little forest home,"^[1] and reportedly every user of the early Forester tent was satisfied with it.^[5]

Original Forester tent (right), as designed by Warren H. Miller, first begun circa 1910. Miller placed the ridgepole inside the tent, and in this later version, circa 1920,^[2] added a flap on the front to retain warm air generated by an open fire in front of the tent.

Construction

The Forester is one of the basic styles of tents and can be erected simply from a square canvas tarp ^[6] approximately 8 ft (2.4 m) on each side (see below). The diagonal on such a tarp will be about 11 ft 3+3⁄4 in (3.448 m), and the tarp can be folded along its diagonal into 45° triangles and erected to make an equilateral triangle outlining the floor and a corresponding equilateral triangle outlining the opening in front (see below). The tarp would be supported atop a ridgepole of 12 ft (3.7 m) or longer, held up by two side poles, as in the original Forester (above right). This arrangement provides substantial space for two sleeping bags, with equipment stored at the back. Such a tent with an open fire in front can be suitable for early and late-season camping, when an open tent is practical, or anywhere on the planet where an open tent can be used.

A Square tarp folded in half ^[6] along a diagonal (bottom left in figure) lifts to form a basic Forester tent (bottom right in figure). In contrast, the same square tarp folded in half along a line parallel to the sides (top left) lifts to form a basic pup tent (top right). The dashed line in both cases represents the fold, which can be supported by a ridgepole. Letters A–F indicate corresponding points on the left and right.

In this type of tent, the angle of the front opening can be broadened for a wider floor, or sharpened for a taller peak. When both are adjusted so the opening for 60° equilateral triangles, the height of the Forester tent can be calculated as approximately 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), providing ample headroom for campers of average height, and its width at the front is 8 ft (2.4 m). Similarly, The height of the pup tent can be calculated as approximately 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) and its width at the front is 4 ft (1.2 m). More refined methods of folding tarps can make improved versions of Forester tarp tents, and other kinds of tents, without any stitching required.^[6]

Beyond the basic requirements for an open tarp-tent, further design, cutting, fitting, and stitching will produce a secure modern tent. The minimum requirements for a Forester tent are two roughly triangular cloth sheets sewn together at the top, with awning sheets at the front and back. In addition, the tent may have a large screened window tightly zippered at the front (below view C) and a small screened window at the back for ventilation, with flaps that cover all windows for comfort in wind, rain, and snow. The tent may also may be fitted with a fabric floor that is sewn in or secured with hook-and-loop fasteners for complete isolation from leaves, pests, and other items unwelcome inside.

In remote unrestricted wilderness areas that are seldom if ever visited by campers, support poles are sometimes cut from sapling trees, such as shown in the original Forester. In more popular areas, folding poles of lightweight metal may be substituted (top image and image below). Sides of the Forester tent may be pulled out with lightweight ropes to provide additional room inside.

A two-person Forester tent, orthographic and perspective outlines design has a wall at the back with a screen window and a triangular flap that can be opened for ventilation or closed to seal out wind. It also supports a large screened front entrance with canvas flaps that can be tied closed, rolled out of the way, or opened wide (image below). The tent illustrated here is 8 ft (2.4 m) long at the base, 3 ft 10 in (1.17 m) wide on each half of the front, 3 ft 6 in (1.07 m) wide at the back, and 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) high.

Comparison with other tents

Miller mentioned that he considered the Forester tent to be like half a teepee, but specifically with only three supporting poles. The Forester is not rounded along its bottom edge like a teepee, though it could be considered rounded in a piece-wise linear way. The piecewise-linear nature provides straight walls for sleeping bags and reclining bodies.

With approximately one-third of the wall area of every Forester tent screened or unimpeded, and with the open wall typically standing vertically or leaning forward, the Forester tent has a decidedly open feeling among tents, bettered only screened party tents or screened porches. At the same time, the tent can be closed tightly in harsh weather. The Forester tent has some apparent similarities to the Finnish Loue tent, which was developed later than the Forester.

Dome tents, also developed later, typically have rectangular floors and two curved poles running corner to corner, crossing at the peak in inverted U-shapes. Two-person dome tents typically do not have standing headroom, but can have more sitting headroom than a Forester tent. If specifically constructed with screened walls, dome tents can also provide an open feeling. The relatively horizontal surface surrounding the peak in dome tents can be a problem early or late in the season at higher latitudes because the relatively horizontal surface will not shed snow naturally.

In contrast, all parts of Forester tents are steep, 60 degrees more or less, so shedding rain or snow is not a large problem. Nor is a protective fly over the tent required, though nothing prohibits a fly for complete protection from penetrating rain. The steep sides provide standing room in the center, for getting dressed or just stretching during a run of stormy weather. However, because the walls slope all the way to the ground, placing desks or chairs inside is not as convenient as it can be in a wall tent. This is not usually a disadvantage though. The Forester is intended for the wilderness, and wilderness campers do not commonly transport desks and chairs in their canoes or backpacks.

Gallery

Forester tents

Two-person Forester tent with aluminum poles on the outside. (A) Side view with front flaps open and rear window flap closed, and with sides pulled outward by a thin rope. (B) Interior view facing the back, with hanging candle lantern and mirror. (C) Front view with screen door zippered shut, pack basket and other equipment inside. (D) Peak with flaps tied into a small teepee top, allowing the entrance to remain open during moderate rain.
Square tarp folded in half.^[6] A square tarp folded in half along a diagonal (bottom left in figure) lifts to form a basic Forester tent (bottom right in figure). In contrast, the same square tarp folded in half along a line parallel to the sides (top left) lifts to form a basic pup tent (top right). The dashed line in both cases represents the fold, which can be supported by a ridgepole. Letters A–F indicate corresponding points on the left and right.
Forester tent, orthographic and perspective

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References

1 2 Miller, Warren H. (1915). Camp Craft: Modern Practice and Equipment. B. T. Batsford, Ltd., London. p. 282.
1 2 3 Miller, Warren H. (1918). Camping Out. George H. Doren Company, New York. p. 322.
↑ Miller, Warren H. (1919). "The footsteps of Nessmuk: Hints and practical advice on the subject of light camping". Forest and Stream. 89 (4): 273–275.
↑ Miller, Warren H. (1921). The Sportsman's Workshop. Stewart Kidd Company, Caxton Press, Cincinnati. p. 136.
↑ Fordyce, Claude P. (1922). Trail Craft: An aid in getting the greatest good out of vacation trips. Stewart Kidd Company, Caxton Press, Cincinnati. p. 202.
1 2 3 4 Wescott, David (2000). Camping in the Old Style. Gibbs Smith, Layton, Utah. p. 240. ISBN 0879059567.

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[Miller1915-1] 1 2 Miller, Warren H. (1915). Camp Craft: Modern Practice and Equipment. B. T. Batsford, Ltd., London. p. 282.

[Miller1918-2] 1 2 3 Miller, Warren H. (1918). Camping Out. George H. Doren Company, New York. p. 322.

[Miller1919-3] Miller, Warren H. (1919). "The footsteps of Nessmuk: Hints and practical advice on the subject of light camping". Forest and Stream. 89 (4): 273–275.

[Miller1921-4] Miller, Warren H. (1921). The Sportsman's Workshop. Stewart Kidd Company, Caxton Press, Cincinnati. p. 136.

[Fordyce1922-5] Fordyce, Claude P. (1922). Trail Craft: An aid in getting the greatest good out of vacation trips. Stewart Kidd Company, Caxton Press, Cincinnati. p. 202.

[Wescott2000-6] 1 2 3 4 Wescott, David (2000). Camping in the Old Style. Gibbs Smith, Layton, Utah. p. 240. ISBN 0879059567.

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