Forward Operating Base In-a-Can

[tim292stro]

I wouldn't worry about it. Clean (hot >=110F{44C} with soap to break up deposits that harbor colonies), rinse (reduce remaining colonies to at most a film), sanitize (chemical bath of correct strength + soak time >=1 minute), air dry (not using potentially contaminated objects like towels to contaminate the clean surfaces). Store in still air (but free to circulate) where no dust, dirt, or other contaminants can fall - cups bottoms-up on a sanitized surface and not stacked, silverware food-contact surface down in a sanitized container. Should be essentially nothing harmful left if you do this right.

Steam might break up stains and deposits on used/surplus Carbos, but I'm planning new so I know it's history (yes I know this will end up being more expensive, but this is one area I'm willing to pay retail).

 

[tim292stro]

Just got word the tents are local, trying to arrange a pickup time, and last weekend did not pan out for making enough space in storage so I'm in trouble. Hopefully the shipping company will be able to hold them until Saturday evening, and I'll be able to get the mess in storage straightened out by mid-day Saturday so I can go pick them up.

I figured this would happen with a tight schedule...

 

[Another Ahab]

Just got word the tents are local, trying to arrange a pickup time, and last weekend did not pan out for making enough space in storage so I'm in trouble. Hopefully the shipping company will be able to hold them until Saturday evening, and I'll be able to get the mess in storage straightened out by mid-day Saturday so I can go pick them up.

I figured this would happen with a tight schedule...

If it was easy, then anybody could do it.

 

[tim292stro]

I have to pick up Monday morning, I made a bit of space, but not yet enough - grandpa is coming over to watch the kids Monday morning early so I can make more space before I pick up the pallet. This will be a max-capacity load for my Toyota.

I'm just going to manage

 

[srodocker]

Cant wait to see your full setup all laid out!

 

[tim292stro]

Ditto. I'm going to have to find some space to do that - I've been looking at some local farms, this year might be a good year to pay a farmer a few hundred bucks for access to a fallow field to do a setup to take some pictures. Need to finish first though.

 

[srodocker]

When you have to rent some farmland to do you setup you have a big setup.....

 

[tim292stro]

Started the morning off making some space in storage:


Then drove to the local UPS Freight terminal. The tents had shifted in transit, and the forklift was somewhat dragging one of them - looked like a door popped out o the liner bag, it didn't look packed right (the seller has never seen one of these or owned one, they were in over their head on it).

Got both tents in the truck and threw the pallet over the top to keep if from moving, and took my time getting back on surface streets (35 minutes). Man I could feel the truck hitting the snubbers in the suspension, it was right at max capacity.


I put the two frame bags in first and tucked the liner for the 303 behind them, but I ran out of space for the 305 liner. Since I was already behind getting to work for the day, I just "threw" it on top of the others tents (yeah a 240lb bag, all 165lbs of me and by my self). It's here and in!


Another tenant of the rental unit recognized the Base-X poles sticking out of the mis-packed 305 and came over to chat a bit - strategically, I'm sure, after I finished getting it all in storage

 

[Another Ahab]

Got both tents in the truck and threw the pallet over the top to keep if from moving, and took my time getting back on surface streets (35 minutes). Man I could feel the truck hitting the snubbers in the suspension, it was right at max capacity.
View attachment 552411

Glad you made it OK, because your photo reminds me of this situation right here:

 

[turnkey]

WOW that is a lot of stuff...We deployed in guam for a test run on the Portable HF comm site...20 guys and gear....Had 6 5 tons to carry the stuff and 4 trailers...Took 3 days to set up......Funny thing was a Cub Scout camp out next door to us...The kids helped us pack it all up...Learned how to tie some new notes also,,,,Boy those Cub Scouts were really serious about this stuff...Wanted to follow us back to base to make sure it all got there ...They were kid and said that us 30 year olds learned things quick........Just get some boy or girl scouts to help you with the stuff.....Nice looking rigs

 

[tim292stro]

I went over the scales at the terminal on the way out (because I was curious, not because I needed to), I weighed in the low 4200's-lbs. Max for the truck GVWR is 4400, I could have had a helper with the left over payload. I wouldn't have driven it if the steering felt that light

And it looks worse than it is, the first of the three pictures above shows what a 305 looks like when packed properly (because I took it out and repacked it), the one in the last picture is upside-down in the bag, and the bag isn't closed (only one of the three straps is not caught in the tent frame). They sure take a lot of space when they aren't stored properly...

 

[tim292stro]

...View attachment 552414...

By the way, that's what you get when you don't have proper tongue weight on your trailer - how you pack it matters!

 

[tim292stro]

WOW that is a lot of stuff. We deployed in guam for a test run on the Portable HF comm site, 20 guys and gear. Had 6x 5-tons to carry the stuff and 4 trailers. Took 3 days to set up...

Yup, I'm thinking that's too long for this setup, I'd like to think that we could do the tear-down and setup daily if needed. One truck and trailer for the camp, another vehicle (or many) with the supplies and personal gear (and other people). This idea being, a forward team can go scout a site, the truck and trailer comes in with the camp and the guys in the truck setup the camp, then people come with the supplies and gear they need to stay in it and move in. While the camp is up, the truck can go run errands like fuel runs and food/water runs.

...Funny thing was a Cub Scout camp out next door to us. The kids helped us pack it all up. Learned how to tie some new knots also. Boy those Cub Scouts were really serious about this stuff. Wanted to follow us back to base to make sure it all got there. They were kid and said that us 30 year olds learned things quick. Just get some boy or girl scouts to help you with the stuff. Nice looking rigs

I bread two, but they are still young yet - my friend who put the bug in my ear about getting this started is in the same shape - we have at least 10 years before they are useful in a campsite. Probably the single most prevalent reason I'm building this was having too much time at Boy Scout Camp as a youth - I wanted the ultimate campsite/Base-Camp, not I think I'm doing a fair job building it


I got a line on someone who sells blaze orange 550 Paracord to replace the black wind-lines - these come with both a reflective and glow-in the dark tracer woven into the outer casing. I have to import it from across the pond though. I want the option for it to stick out, passive at day, passive at night, reactive with flashlight. I can always swap out for the regular black paracord if the authenticity nannies come by. About a $150USD shipped for just short of 200-feet.

 

[Another Ahab]

I got a line on someone who sells blaze orange 550 Paracord to replace the black wind-lines - these come with both a reflective and glow-in the dark tracer woven into the outer casing. I have to import it from across the pond though. I want the option for it to stick out, passive at day, passive at night, reactive with flashlight. I can always swap out for the regular black paracord if the authenticity nannies come by. About a $150USD shipped for just short of 200-feet.

That's pricey at almost a $1 a foot:

- But the good news is it will never wear out on you; last you as long as you'll ever need it.

 

[tim292stro]

I had a chance to pull out the newest 305 I purchased and inspect and repack it at my parent's place today - this one if you recall:


It's pretty obvious from the pictures that the storage bag was not used correctly, so I figured the rest of it was probably not much better... When I pulled the bag off the half it was on, this is what I found:

None of the doors had been rolled up and secured, none of the window walls were attached to the wind-line hooks - side panels and doors were mixed in with the poles.


When I tried to open the tent, it wouldn't open - and after digging in the fabric for a while I found a door that had been snagged and pinched in the pivot/scissor-point of two bars:


I had to remove the pin to free the door and get the tent to move and open. Once I got it open I got a better look at the pinch damage to the door:


Once I got the tent spread a bit, I did my survey of the condition. Except for the tear in the door, only one spring-ring was really bad, all the others were in great shape so I replaced the ring with one from the repair kit I bought from they guy I've been talking to about completing the Base-X parts:


When the tent was mechanically sound (I can't do the fabric stuff today - some other time). I fixed the pre-storage problems - I hooked the window panels to the wind-line hooks, and rolled up and secured the doors:


I pushed in the tent and got two compression straps I had to buy from the local hardware store on it, then I got the bag over it, and strapped it really tight (if it starts to take the squared shape of the frame, you're doing it right):



Now in storage, it takes as little space as the other 305:


Now I have the 303 staring me in the face when I open the door to storage, hopefully I'll have a chance to re-pack that and inspect it next weekend - notice that a poorly packed 303 can take more space than a 305 properly packed:


I'll mention that I did all of this myself except for my dad helping with one of the compression straps (I only bought 10-foot straps, should have bought >12-foot straps), and a push loading it into my truck on my way back to storage. Also notice in the picture above that I had to lift the 250lb liner bag for the 303 onto the boxes behind the tent/frame so that I could get into storage past the tents... I can be done single handedly, and safely - one just needs to consider leverage and geometry and not be in a rush, I only weigh in the 160-ish range at 5'8" (1.7M).

 

[rustystud]

So your a strong "wirey" guy then !

 

[tim292stro]

Indeed, don't underestimate determined computer geeks

 

[srodocker]

hahaha I have issues putting a little ozark tent back in its bag...cant imagine one of those

 

[EwaMarine]

Tim,
Could you recap and summarize your plan, and goals met so far?

 

[tim292stro]

Tim, could you recap and summarize your plan, and goals met so far?

I'll give it a stab...

Intent, multi-role camp:

• Large Family/"Scouting" Camp, "Comfortable" hunting lodge
• CERT/SAR C[SUP]2[/SUP]+Support Camp
• Emergency shelter and triage, Improvised Field Hospital
• Assuming I ever get to a rally... a field day setup.

Constraints:

• Two person setup, one hour (prepared site), tool-less - all conditions.
• Fits in single 5' x 5' x 8' bedbox
• Max component weight, 3500lbs
• Self-sustained for 24-hours, bonus for more run-time
• Two hour two person tear-down/pack-out - all conditions.

Environmental Requirements:

• Low ambient temp of -20°F (-29°C)
• High ambient temp of 122°F (50°C)
• Internal temp limits 70°F (21°C) +/-2°
• Must retain capabilities in
  • ​rain (<=3"/hour)
  • snow (<=4"/hour, routine manual clearing)
  • wind (debris laden [sand/dirt] or not, <=60MPH sustained, <=80MPH gusts)

Personnel Capabilities:

• Camp/Lodge - serve/sleep 16
• CERT/SAR - staff 8, other personnel 30+
• Emergency/Triage/Medical, 20 personnel, 20 "patients"
• Rally setup, me + as many groupies as I can fit in...

Where I am today:

• Have two Base-X 305 tents, covering 450-square feet each - these make up the majority of re-configurable space, most of the intended uses share similar needs; bedding space and units, communal space and tables, lighting, etc...
• Have a Base-X 303 tent, covering 270 square feet - this houses exclusively the "latrine" and sanitation needs of the various configurations. This shelter cannot and will not be reconfigured due to sanitation concerns (i.e. not matter how much bleach is used, I'd still not feel comfortable using it to cook food...).
• Have several Base-X couplers for complexing the shelters based on site dimensions.
• Have two 10'x20' canopies for extra exterior shade and rain cover
• Have compact/light-weight chairs and tables for all configurations
• I have an energy plan for each of the configurations - this is important, as it allows for design of the systems with expected constraints. For example, I know how much power I expect lights, phones, and computers to use in the various setups. Heaters are self-powered, air-conditioning is remotely powered (generator in trailer). This helps set limits on what the setup can do in the various configurations.
• I have two complete SHC35 heaters.
• I have components for the generator that will go in the trailer (28.8VDC), batteries for the trailer and the tent power pack.
• I have the phones and computers for the CERT/SAR/Emergency, as well as a transport flight-case for them - this is not "final assembly'd"
• I have the network support gear for the various setups (PoE network switch, PBX, WiFi AP's, cellular modem), as well as the flight case for them - this is not "final assembly'd"
• I have the test components and design files for the lighting system, I have rigid PCB samples for the flex boards I will use in the final build, one strip is assembled, but has not been abused yet - once this is verified, I will procure the final Bill-Of-Materials (BOM) parts and begin production.

Balance of work in summary:

• Finish lighting setup, retrofit Base-X tents for new lighting.
• Need to finish the truck (XM1027) so that the trailer can be built
• Need to finish S-250 comm-shack for extra site capabilities.
• Need two SHC60 heaters
• Need Cot/Bed systems for sleeping/triage/medical use
• Need screens and projectors for Lodge/CERT/SAR use.
• Need to construct "ballance of systems" parts (solar/wind power generation)
• Need to design/construct more compact LWP system
• Need Camouflage netting system for extra shade/cover/concealment
• Want Base-X 103 shelter for extra hallway/complexing
• Want Base-X rapid entry vestibules for more options with weather/site-conditions and privacy-needs
• Want floor systems for the tents - outside of the weight limit, but nice to have for durability
• Want GATR Beachball VSAT terminal for extra-remote usage.
• Want a bunch (10x) of 5-gallon MFC

Other equipment/supplies are intended to be supplied by visiting/using party(ies).

This is a quick and dirty - if you have more questions, I'll be back in town and looking at this stuff by next weekend.