Darren's FTR tent with stove pitched on deep snow. 44.2 tent and stove pitched on deep snow.

FTR tent stove photos

This is a collection of Darren Jakal’s beautiful and functional FTR tent and stove photos. They show how they both combine for backpacking ski touring camping when access is normally From The Road.

I have previously posted about the FTR tent stove and other innovative backpacking tent and stove combinations where the stove pipe is the support for the tent and sometimes the stove. Darren kindly supplied me with many photos to enable me to more fully understand how his FTR tent stove combination works.

The many ‘leftover’ photos should make a rich resource for ideas for future DIY tent stovies. I thought that it would be a good idea to put them all together in one place with a brief description (subject to correction) for future reference.

Many of the photos are available on Darren’s witty and incisive blog post where he forthrightly shares his philosophies, offers solutions to the world’s problems, cracks down on bullshit & dogma and shares some wonderful uses of technology and his intelligent designs Jakal.

Still, I thought that less than a total gallery of all the photos would not do justice to this wonderful creation that should be an inspiration to many. Thanks to Darren for his innovations and his sharing.

What it’s all about

Darren FTR tent inspiration came from the use of a Megamid tent over a large snow pit. Depending upon the extent of snow excavation it could sleep four people.

Darren's Megamid pitched over a big snow pit. It was his inspiration for the FTR tent and stove for accommodation on ski touring trips From The Road.
Darren’s Megamid pitched over a big snow pit. It was his inspiration for the FTR tent and stove for accommodation on ski touring trips From The Road.

The FTR custom tent incorporated a stove for snow melting and cooking using a liquid fuel burner and also wood fuel for heating and cooking when wood fuel was available. The system is designed for comfortable, standing, sitting and sleeping for three skiers.

Darren's FTR tent with stove pitched on deep snow. "This photo tells all without detail."
Darren’s FTR tent with stove pitched on deep snow. “To backcountry skiers, I expect this big picture will take their minds to a wonderful place. The remaining photos help to explain how this beautiful backpacking shelter is made possible. Please forgive me if I have some of the explanation details a little wrong. I will do my best to correct them if this is so.”
Cross sectional sketch of the FTR tent and stove set up in an excavated snow pit.
Cross-sectional sketch of the FTR tent and stove set up in an excavated snow pit.
FTR tent stove. A plan sketch of the set up in an excavated snow pit.
FTR tent stove. A sketch of the plan of the FTR set-up over an excavated snow pit.

The FTR tent stove set up

Under trying alpine conditions the tent is designed for quick deployment. The three skiers can, as a team, take the three structural ridges of the six faceted pyramid and anchor them down to the snow. The remaining three ridges can be anchored down to form the taught canopy.

Three anchored stays (I thought that they were connected to three skis in the photo, but I was wrong, as they connect snow anchors shown below.) run to the tent ridges to stabilize them. They also connect to and stabilize to the lower portion of the tent pole assembly that is a tent pole, stove pipe, stove mount and spark arrestor. Heat resistant cables make the final connection at this point. If that is not enough functionality, the cords look as though they make nice washing/drying lines (shown later).

“The only problem that I saw with using the skis as pegs is that I could not easily go out and do a bit more of a ski after setting up the tent as is my usual wont. Maybe a bigger version of my sewn polyester snow bag anchors would suffice.”

Trust Darren, has already thought of snow anchors that keep his skis free for skiing.

Darren's snow bag snow anchor. "A little bit more sophisticated than my snow bag anchors, but they both work, and mine are designed to be used on many more tie-down or tie-out points that share the load."
Darren’s snow bag snow anchor. “A little bit more sophisticated than my snow bag anchors, but they both work, and mine are designed to be used on many more tie-down or tie-out points that share the load.”
Darren's metal snow peg that can be used as buried snow anchor.
Darren’s metal snow peg that can be used as buried snow anchor.
FTR tent with all doors closed.
FTR tent with all doors closed.

Note: As far as I know, the seams on this tent are sewn bias-cut/bias-cut for what I called the three structural ridge seams (the ones that are set first when pitching the tent). The straight grain of each of the three tent panels falls from the apex down the middle of each tent panel and down beside the doorway zippers where they are tensioned to form three more secondary ridges. Additional fabric triangles (joined on straight-grain /straight-grain have been added to these straight grain ridges so that the panel closes to the ground level and form a hexamid shape.

FTR tent with one door open
FTR tent with one door open
FTR tent with three door open. The mystery round thing high on the tent canopy is part of a snow chute to shovel fluffy snow into so that it can flow down into the snow melter to make water (More on that later).
FTR tent with three doors open. The mystery round thing high on the tent canopy is part of a snow chute to shovel fluffy snow into so that it can flow down into the snow melter to make water (More on that later).
FTR tent stove jack showing the apex where the protruding rods and stove pipe that support the tent.
FTR tent stove jack showing the load-bearing apex where the gold support tubes (see below) terminate on the three silver ones at the tent stove jack. The stove pipe protrudes through the stove jack.
FTR tent phenolic apex load disk that is inside the stove jack. It is an insulating and heat resistant material that was used as a substitute for a previous aluminium one that conducted heat too much. The wider yellow support tubes terminate under the disk and are located by the silver ones.
FTR tent phenolic apex load disk that is inside the stove jack. It is an insulating and heat resistant material that was used as a substitute for a previous aluminium one that conducted heat too much. The wider yellow support tubes terminate under the disk and are located by the silver ones.
FTR tent stove mounting elbow at bottom of stove pipe. It is the support for the integrated tent pole, the connection point and support for the tent stove and the connection point for the short adjustable supporting pole that sits on the floor of the snow pit. The three hanging cables stabilise the tent pole and the tent ridges by connecting to the tent ridge seams and then by cords to three snow anchors (those poor skis that are stabbed into the snow).
FTR tent stove mounting elbow at bottom of stove pipe. It is the support for the integrated tent pole, the connection point and support for the tent stove and the connection point for the short adjustable supporting pole that sits on the floor of the snow pit. The three hanging cables stabilise the tent pole and the tent ridges by connecting to the tent ridge seams and then by cords to three snow anchors (those poor skis that are stabbed into the snow).
FTR tent stove load bearing elbow with lower support pole ready for fitting.
FTR tent stove load-bearing elbow with lower support pole ready for fitting.
FTR tent rolled up stove pipe showing spark arrestor holes that will be at the bottom of the stove pipe when formed and located within the load-bearing elbow.
FTR tent rolled up stove pipe showing spark arrestor holes that will be at the bottom of the stove pipe when formed and located within the load-bearing elbow.
FTR tent stove mounting pins for mounting the stove to the elbow.
FTR tent stove mounting pins for mounting the stove to the elbow.
FTR tent stove mounted to the stove pipe elbow.
FTR tent stove mounted to the stove pipe elbow.

Two stoves in one stove body

The stove body was originally designed as a housing for a liquid fuel stove to provide safe and efficient snow melting to make water. It could provide cooking and also a little warmth in the tent. The stove pipe took the combustion fumes out of the tent.

Darren later discovered that the stove could also be used to burn wood to provide warmth (one of my passions) and be a supplementary source of cooking heat.

The FTR tent liquid fuel stove (snow melter or boiler)

FTR tent stove. Looking down at the liquid fuel burner in the stove firebox in liquid fuel-burning mode .
FTR tent stove looking down at the liquid fuel burner in the stove firebox in liquid fuel-burning mode.
FTR tent stove. A side view of the stove with liquid fuel supply mounted on the tent pole.
FTR tent stove. A side view of the stove with liquid fuel supply mounted on the tent pole.
FTR tent stove in liquid fuel mode with the boiler pot beside firebox.
FTR tent stove in liquid fuel mode with the boiler pot beside firebox.
FTR tent stove in liquid fuel mode with the boiler/snow melter pot inside the firebox.
FTR tent stove in liquid fuel mode with the boiler/snow melter pot inside the firebox.

The FTR tent super snow melter

The FTR tent and stove was designed for camping on deep snow where there is no liquid water and often no trees for collecting firewood. As anyone would know if they have made water from snow, it takes a lot of snow to make a little bit of water (10:1 for crappy Aussie snow probably much worse for beautiful Canadian powder.) Anyway, Darren devised a clever and lightweight fabric snow chute to connect to a circular portal in the tent canopy. It hung down to connect with the top of the snow melter/boiler pot that can be heated with the liquid fuel burner.

“I can just imagine it would have been fun to see Darren (or his able assistant) come out of the tent, close the zipper tightly and start wildly throwing shovel loads of fluffy snow upwards into the open snow portal.”

I am a bit short on photos about the details of the connection of the chute to the top of the boiler pot that is shown in the above photo. To me, it looks like there is a drawcord in the hem at the bottom of the chute and this may engage with aluminium rim fitting on the top of the boiler/melter pot. Probably, the swing lid is removed? “Anyway, all this detail is subject to change as Darren is devising a simplified and improved way of loading the snow and decanting the boiling water from the pot.”

The snow loading chute is hanging down from the snow loading portal and is attached to the boiler pot.
The snow loading chute is hanging down from the snow loading portal and is attached to the boiler pot.

The FTR tent wood stove

FTR tent stove looking down onto the fire grate in the firebox in wood-burning mode.
FTR tent stove looking down onto the fire grate in the firebox in wood-burning mode.
FTR tent stove is inverted showing the ash pan that is attached to the bottom of the stove in the wood-burning mode. The two open ports are used to light the stove in wood-burning mode and would be closed during normal combustion and the three side vents shown below are the source of combustion air.
FTR tent stove is inverted showing the ash pan that is attached to the bottom of the stove in the wood-burning mode. The two open ports are used to light the stove in wood-burning mode and would be closed during normal combustion and the three side vents shown below are the source of combustion air.
FTR tent stove ash pan removed showing the stove lighting ports closed. The three vents in the wall of the ash pan are the air vents. Air control devices were planned for these vents but have been found to be unnecessary. "Darren and I emphatically agree that the best designs have the least number of bits to go wrong or to leave behind. In my similar updraft stoves, I needed to carefully control the air intake to prevent runaway combustion rates. Darren has designed his way around this problem."
Tent stove ash pan removed showing the stove lighting ports closed. The three vents in the wall of the ash pan are the air vents. Air control devices were planned for these vents but have been found to be unnecessary. “Darren and I emphatically agree that the best designs have the least number of bits to go wrong or to leave behind. In my similar updraft stoves, I needed to carefully control the air intake to prevent runaway combustion rates. Darren has designed his way around this problem.”
FTR tent stove. Darren's buddy enjoys the warmth from the woodstove while cooking in a big pot that forms the stovetop. The three stabilizing cables connect to cords that connect to the three major tent seams and then to the three skis that have been used as snow pegs." The structural lines appear to make excellent drying lines."
FTR tent stove. Darren’s buddy enjoys the warmth from the woodstove while cooking in a big pot that forms the stovetop. The three stabilizing cables connect to cords that connect to the three major tent seams and then to the three snow anchors.” The structural lines appear to make excellent drying lines.”
Pot lid and frying pan for use while cooking on the wood stove.
Pot lid and frying pan for use while cooking on the woodstove.

Conclusion

While Darren’s FTR tent and stove were designed for ski travel from the road I can see many elements of his innovations being very applicable to those that do less ambitious snow camping. They should be an inspiration for even those who base camping beside or near a road or from a pulk.

“I have come up with some crazy out-there inventions and this one is outrageously out there with them! Really, nearly all of the FTR tent stove is in this realm and Darren has done it with such quality and class. Thanks to Darren for sharing with us.”

Tim

2 Comments

  1. Hi Tim, This is fantastic. I have been using a teepee silnylon tent for years in the Southern Ontario forest and lake area. I have a roll up stove pipe and small firebox made of very thin stainless. All of them are in need of repair and I’ve been think about building a new stove. Your site is pretty great for cheering me on! In this episode your friend must have used some pretty sophisticated maker tools? Curious if the connection of the pole to the elbow. Are the pots and round fire holder home made? Or a refashioned dinner pot?
    Very inspiring! Thanks for sharing.

    1. Author

      Hi Sara, Thanks for your comments and encouragement. Yes, Darren is a professional designer and his FTR tent stove uses some sophisticated tooling. It is a contrast with my make-do tinkering. I think his fire bowl and pot are made from modified cooking pots. I was very inspired by his work and thought that it should be shared widely. I don’t understand your comment; “Curious if the connection of the pole to the elbow.” Can you elaborate?

      If you are making a new stove, have you considered making a simple downdraft stove like my KISS stove They are very efficient and light to carry, but getting the size right is critical for getting the right red glowing temperature for heating and cooking.
      Or my cookie tin stove.
      Also, if you are going to make a new pipe, then I hope you have read my posts on DIY stove pipe improvements
      And don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter if you like my stove stuff. Tim

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