The Armour Archive

Does anyone own one of the Soulpads?
My wife really wants to get it as a cheap starter canvas tent and I am still a bit unsure.

So...
Is it good?
Is it crap?
Should I make her wait another year and keep saving up for a Panther?

Everyone that I know of that has a one loves em.

Compact & easy to set up.

Not really period but much better than a modern dome/earth pimple.

-John

You can get a reasonably accurate wedge tent for significantly less money.

Simpler to set up, period, less expensive, and uses less space.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton wrote:You can get a reasonably accurate wedge tent for significantly less money.

Simpler to set up, period, less expensive, and uses less space.

-Derian.

I think the lure of the SoulPad is how small it packs away and how easy it is to set up.

I know I have looked at them for years as an option for those really long trips where you don't have the space to pack the pavilion. My only hesitation has been that I can't seem to figure out whether or not these things are straight canvas, or a "plasticized" canvas.

My fear is that what they claim as "canvas" is infact a plastic infused canvas that will have similar heat retention properties as nylon.

If I remember correctly it's pretty much the same as a regular canvas tent. I'm sure they are treated with something but it's not plasticized.

My buddy has the model with the detatched floor; if the tent gets warm he raises the bottom of the wall and it vents the heat out the roof vents like a yurt.

InsaneIrish wrote:I think the lure of the SoulPad is how small it packs away and how easy it is to set up.

Smaller and easier than a wedge tent? I find that hard to believe.

Our tent has two upright poles at about 6', a split ridge pole that breaks down into two 4' sections, and a small tote box of canvas. I can set it up by myself, or in about 1 minute with a helper or two.

-Derian.

Derian le Breton wrote: I can set it up by myself, or in about 1 minute with a helper or two.

-Derian.

Awesome.

Derian le Breton wrote:

InsaneIrish wrote:I think the lure of the SoulPad is how small it packs away and how easy it is to set up.

Smaller and easier than a wedge tent? I find that hard to believe.

Our tent has two upright poles at about 6', a split ridge pole that breaks down into two 4' sections, and a small tote box of canvas. I can set it up by myself, or in about 1 minute with a helper or two.

-Derian.

Soulpads pack down into a bag roughly the size of a standard military duffle bag. Canvas, poles, everything.

My buddy says he can set it up in about 15 minutes or so by himself.

Setup a wedge in a minute?

Derian le Breton wrote:Smaller and easier than a wedge tent? I find that hard to believe.

As I understand it yes.

There is only 1 pole, it is metal and is collapsable. Basically you lay out the tent, stake out the lines, then lift the center pole. Make some minor adjustments and your done.

Is it cheaper? No, but you can get a 13ft dia. Round tent that packs completely into a duffle bag that is 37.8" x 13" x 7.9". And the whole thing only weighs 30lbs.

http://soulpad.com/sanctuary/component/ ... /Itemid,1/

It's not the most period option in the world, but it is a damn site better than your average land pimple.

Those tents are very popular with Larpers here. I bought one from a camping gear distributor from Holland, and it is great! Not suitable for reenactment, true, but less garish than the plastic tents and it packs quite small.

Andreas Korff wrote:Those tents are very popular with Larpers here. I bought one from a camping gear distributor from Holland, and it is great! Not suitable for reenactment, true, but less garish than the plastic tents and it packs quite small.

Since you have one, can you tell us about the canvas it is made out of? Is it like the canvas you see on "period pavilions" or a treated/coated plasticized version?

double post

John Widcombe wrote:Soulpads pack down into a bag roughly the size of a standard military duffle bag. Canvas, poles, everything.

That's much larger than my wedge tent, except for the two 6' upright poles.

Setup a wedge in a minute?

Into a free-standing configuration with two helpers, yes.

Unfold the tent, insert the ridgepole, attach the uprights, have each helper hold an upright while you pound in the four corner stakes. Done.

It obviously takes a few minutes longer if you only have one helper or are doing it yourself.

-Derian.

InsaneIrish wrote:It's not the most period option in the world, but it is a damn site better than your average land pimple.

Is a canvas land pimple really that much better than a nylon one?

Unless you are SEVERELY limited on storage space (like, going to the event on a motorcycle), just get a period tent. There are lots of options in the same price range.

-Derian.

Irish, there will be a bunch at Gulf Wars, if you want to check one out I know several folks that have em.

Derian le Breton wrote:

John Widcombe wrote:Soulpads pack down into a bag roughly the size of a standard military duffle bag. Canvas, poles, everything.

That's much larger than my wedge tent, except for the two 6' upright poles.

Setup a wedge in a minute?

Into a free-standing configuration with two helpers, yes.

Unfold the tent, insert the ridgepole, attach the uprights, have each helper hold an upright while you pound in the four corner stakes. Done.

It obviously takes a few minutes longer if you only have one helper or are doing it yourself.

-Derian.

I'm sorry I went back and re-read your original post.
Are you talking about a 8x8 wedge?
Yeah one that small is easy to set up.

Much larger bundle? really?
It dosen't have 6' poles and we are talking about a much larger tent;
Some of these are 16' rounds.

Even if the bundles were the same size I would much rather have 200sqft vs 64sqft.

It's a lot better than a nylon earth pimple. If you decorate (paint) it like a seamed pavilion with piping, flames, and charges it would probably nearly negate the ahistoric shape a great deal.
I have one I was planning to use for an armoring/storage tent to so I can sleep comfortably in my wedge or to use on a short non-pennsic weekend camp. I haven't broken it out of the duffle yet, though.
-Cian

I have kicked around picking up one of their 5000 series 16' tents, especially the tribe, it could easily pass for a late period conical.

InsaneIrish wrote:

Andreas Korff wrote:Those tents are very popular with Larpers here. I bought one from a camping gear distributor from Holland, and it is great! Not suitable for reenactment, true, but less garish than the plastic tents and it packs quite small.

Since you have one, can you tell us about the canvas it is made out of? Is it like the canvas you see on "period pavilions" or a treated/coated plasticized version?

I have nothing to compare it against, so take this with a grain of salt, but the tent feels like I would expect canvas to feel like. It is not plasticy like nylon or such, but falls and feels like cloth. It could very well be that it has been chemically treated, but I have no way to discern it.

I googled around, the only thing I could find is that it is pretreated to be more water-resistant, but not what kind of treatment was used. All sources say that the tent skin is made of cotton canvas...

John Widcombe wrote:I'm sorry I went back and re-read your original post.
Are you talking about a 8x8 wedge?
Yeah one that small is easy to set up.

Actually I misspoke, it's a 8'x9', so the ridge poles halves are 4'6". Larger wedges aren't really any harder to setup... A-frames take quite a bit more time though.

Much larger bundle? really?
It dosen't have 6' poles and we are talking about a much larger tent;
Some of these are 16' rounds.

From the description it sounds like much more canvas.

Even if the bundles were the same size I would much rather have 200sqft vs 64sqft.

I'd rather have 72 square feet of period tent than 200 square feet of modern tent. YMMV.

-Derian.

I own one it rocks! I love mine. I purchased it for Estrella and it held up great. I highly recommend them for ease and portability. It is not the most period looking tent...I do have to say it is based on a tent call a Laavu i believe. I purchased mine and had it delivered in about 4 days. I have to say I am very happy with mine!

Kazimir Konstantinov wrote:I own one it rocks! I love mine. I purchased it for Estrella and it held up great. I highly recommend them for ease and portability. It is not the most period looking tent...I do have to say it is based on a tent call a Laavu i believe. I purchased mine and had it delivered in about 4 days. I have to say I am very happy with mine!

Other than being round and cone shaped, it has nothing in common with a laavu...

Sasha_Khan wrote:

Kazimir Konstantinov wrote:I own one it rocks! I love mine. I purchased it for Estrella and it held up great. I highly recommend them for ease and portability. It is not the most period looking tent...I do have to say it is based on a tent call a Laavu i believe. I purchased mine and had it delivered in about 4 days. I have to say I am very happy with mine!

Other than being round and cone shaped, it has nothing in common with a laavu...

Isn't a Laavu a little steeper in pitch?

The soulpads are based upon the Sibley, which IIRC were inspired by the Laavu

sha-ul wrote:
Isn't a Laavu a little steeper in pitch?

The soulpads are based upon the Sibley, which IIRC were inspired by the Laavu

I wouldn't say that the Sibley tent is inspired by the laavu, since the support structure is so different.

The ethnically and factory-made laavus I've had a chance to examine are quite a bit steeper in pitch.

will anyone be at Pennsic this year with one? I would like to look at it first as a possible tent for my kids to use at pennsic and then we could use it as a family for small weekend events.

(facepalm)

Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, WHY would you spend more money on something modern when you can have something period for less money?

My cheap alternative would have been one of those 7ft canvas A frames you can get for $150. At least they used to be $150.

One of my squire brothers has one, and really likes it. The instructions are pretty funny, and a 13 year old boy way.

Robert The Stout

A question for those who have been mentioning that you can get period examples of tents for the same price or cheaper. Have you got any specific examples? Particularly in terms of something with similar floorspace, and especially examples in the UK - it would be rather...interesting (never mind expensive!)...to try and get a period tent shipped from the US to Scotland!

I can't help with overseas shipping, but here are three cost and size comparable options.

Comparing it to the 13' Soul Pad, which I will average at $535 ($500 and $570 models available). Approximately 132 sq ft.

12" Round from Midwest Tents: $415
http://midwesttent.com/catalog/product_ ... ucts_id=34
You will need to get your own stakes, poles and ropes, which is around $120 with a ridge pole sleeve. Downside is you will need a lot more space to carry it because of the number of poles. Approx 113 sq ft.

Large Wedge from Midwest Tents: $349
http://midwesttent.com/catalog/product_ ... ucts_id=98
You will need to get your own stakes, poles, ridge pole sleeve and ropes, which is around $80. 150 sq ft.

Great Wedge by Blockade Runner: $309
http://www.blockaderunner.com/Catalog/catpg31.htm
You'll need to scroll down to see the Great Wedge Tent. Once again you need to make poles, and get stakes and ropes. Approx 117 sq ft.

In fairness, none of the above tents have a ground cloth, which the soul pad does. If you feel you *need* one, they can be made from a canvas drop cloth from home depot.

The Soul Pad seems to be a good deal -- you get everything you need in a small carrying case for a fairly small amount of money. There is no question (in my mind) that ANY canvas tent will look better than a nylon tent, but there are price comparable options that are more accurate.

Thanks for the info Jestyr. Unfortunately, shipping costs are going to be a significant factor, if I'm having to get stuff sent from the states - a quick look at USPS, shows their cheapest postage for a 30 lb package (weight of the soulpad) as coming in around another $120+. So when you start talking about significantly more canvas, the prices are just going to get more appalling!

My second problem is the issue of transportation, as I'm usually dependant on public transport either to get my kit to events or to friends' places for them to transport to events! This is something that's made the soulpad and other similar options more attractive than those more historically accurate options!

I had also had the thought that starting from a soulpad or similar, when I've got more time and money (ha!) it should be reasonably doable to convert it to something more historical in appearance - longer walls, longer centre-pole, wall poles or spokes, etc.

Trevor wrote:(facepalm)

Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, WHY would you spend more money on something modern when you can have something period for less money?

Because I would like something I can use mundanly as well as scadian. We have a huge oval marquee. We have 16 x 16 regent. I want something that is easier to get in and out of a smaller vehicle and can use it not just for sca events. I want to be able to put it up by myself so I don't always need "help". That is "why".

Trevor wrote:(facepalm)

Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, WHY would you spend more money on something modern when you can have something period for less money?

Because it's 2011, and most of us don't have myriad servants.

Natavia wrote:Because I would like something I can use mundanly as well as scadian. We have a huge oval marquee. We have 16 x 16 regent. I want something that is easier to get in and out of a smaller vehicle and can use it not just for sca events. I want to be able to put it up by myself so I don't always need "help". That is "why".

You can get a period conical tent that is just as easy to pack in a smaller vehicle as a "Soulpad", is spot-on period, and looks just as dorky to mundanes who are used to seeing nylon.

Maeryk wrote:Because it's 2011, and most of us don't have myriad servants.

Doesn't take any more manpower to put up a period conical tent than it does to put up a non-period conical tent.

Sorry folks, but you can do better.

I'm not trying to push people to buying a soulpad, but I do want to say that you really need to compare what you're getting. It's great to say "medieval example" is less than a soulpad, but mostly these are prices for canvas only. Where-as the soulpad has a groundcloth, sodcloth and poles included (which are usually additional initital cost or something you have to make yourself).
I have a panther double bell wedge (12'x20') and technically it covers twice as much as real estate (257 sq. ft total) as a soulpad 13' 400 lite (169 sqft), because the soulpad has forshortened walls, the actual feel you have of space is not that much different. If the soulpad didn't have the short outside walls, and made like a tee-pee it would actually occupy about 240 sq. ft of real estate.
My panther double bell wedge costs $550 new. Only $51 more than a soulpad 13' lite. But this is only for canvas. Once you throw in the pole kit, sod cloth and ground cloth, it's more like $980.00 (not including the fly or it's poles). It also takes up about 3 times as much storage space and about 3 or 4 times as heavy.
Once nice thing about it as a side note is that it has roll-up short walls and roof vents like a sibley, this works like a chimney. allows cold air to pass through, below and hot air to vent out of the top. Also, neither the double bell nor the soulpad 13' is good for entertaining (little to no head-room).
For some people, a price change of $500 to $1000 is insignificant if you get something more historically accurate. But that is in effect doubling the cost from soulpad to double bell wedge.

If your requirements are; Canvas, durable, moderately light, compact storage, but enough to sleep 2 people with some gear. Then the soul pad doesn't look too bad on those points.

If additionally, you require it to be historically accurate for the medieval period and to be as inexpensive as a vinyl tent, then it does NOT fit the bill. (if we want to nit pick, medieval tents in western europe were probably linen or hemp).

The least expensive option that is at all historically acurate is a linen pop-tent or lean-to. Or to wrap your self in a cloak and stay near the fire on a cold night.
-Cian