FAQ

About Tschum

Why a fire tent?

What do I have to consider with an open fire in Tschum?

Is a Tschum fireproof?

How much water does the cotton fabric absorb?

Are the cotton fabrics waterproof?

Is there condensation in the cotton tents?

Are the Tschum tents storm-proof?

What distinguishes light from heavy cotton?

Should I take the heavy or light fabric?

What distinguishes the Tschum cotton fabrics from plastic tent fabrics?

What are the cotton fabrics treated with, do they have to be impregnated?

How should the tents be stored?

What can be repaired on the tents?

What is the lifespan of the cotton tents?

Which stove size is best for my tent?

What accessories do I need to operate a stove in my tent?

What are the sources of danger when operating an oven in a tent?

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About Tschum

The term "Tschum" describes a traditional dwelling tent of Siberian indigenous peoples, similar to the Lávvu and the Kote.

Our Tschum 2P was born out of the desire to finally have the smallest and lightest possible portable fire tent for two people. We later developed the 1P and 4P.
We started production in January 2016 as the smallest possible "cottage" manufactory.

A special feature is that our tents are completely handmade in Germany. By optimizing our production method and direct sales, we can still compete in price with products manufactured in the Far East.

We would be happy to advise you on which model and which equipment is best suited for your purposes.

 

Why a fire tent?

Because you can use natural fuels to heat it. In a normal plastic trekking tent, only your own body is available as a heat source. Even running a small stove can quickly become a dangerous experiment, and drying wet clothes is often almost impossible. As soon as everything is wet and cold and you can no longer compete with it with body heat, you are thrown back on civilization.

As long as you are traveling in an area where wood is available, you can create cozy warmth in a fire tent, keep the equipment and yourself dry and warm. You do not have to spare on the fuel to prepare warm meals or drinks.

With the lightweight Tschums we manage the balancing act between the comfort and heatability of a cotton lavvus and the easy portability of a small plastic tent.

Maintaining an open fire in a tent carries risks and dangers, for example inhaling smoke is harmful to your health, but no stove can keep up with the cozy radiant heat of an open fire. And it can be a safety aspect to simply have the option of being able to heat in case of an emergency, even if it smokes and smells.

 

What do I have to consider with an open fire in Tschum?

First of all, you have to comply with local regulations, open fires are not allowed everywhere, and it is not wise wherever allowed. The ground surface must be suitable, for example non-flammable. A fire bowl can help to protect the surface and can improve the combustion by better air supply.

The choice of firewood is crucial. Beech, ash and birch are best suited. Conifers also work, but you have to be careful when sparks fly. There are types of wood such as chestnuts that emit so many sparks that they are unsuitable for a fire in the tent. The wood should be as dry as possible. Do not damage living trees, the wood burns badly anyway.

If necessary, leave the tent during the lighting phase until the fire is on and there is less smoke. It helps to keep the entrances completely closed. When the entrances are open, the smoke is often swirled within the tent instead of being pulled upwards. The further the smoke hole is opened, the better the smoke is extracted.

 

Is a Tschum fireproof?

A Tschum can burn. A flame that licks briefly along the fabric does no damage, and small sparks extinguish on the fabric without burning a hole into it. The cotton tolerates very high temperatures where the smoke escapes or there is an insulated exhaust tube next to it.
Large sparks that fall on the outside of the tent and glow for longer time can burn holes in the tent, fall through it, and sometimes even cause further damage to objects in the tent. If the fabric is very dry, the edges of such a hole may continue to smolder.
This type of sparks has so far only occurred when using a stove. This should be avoided by selecting suitable wood and / or a spark arrester.
If a Tschum should start to burn in spite of all prudence, this happens relatively slowly compared to most plastic tents. There is a longer reaction time to extinguish / leave the tent and no sticky, burning plastic drips fall  down.
So far we know of a single case of a fully burned Tschum. The conditions were very dry and windy and no spark arrester was used.
All fire damage known to us comes from furnace operation, not from open fire. This is an interesting point, and we think the reason is that in case of an open fire the dangers are far more prominent.

 

How much water does the cotton fabric absorb?

The watertightness, as well as the regulation of the climate and the condensation inside the tent, arise from the ability of the cotton fibres to absorb relatively high amounts of water.
The fabric is never completely dry. Under normal use, the humidity will average around 10% to 15%, when the tent looks and feels „dry“.
Up to 20% water content the cotton fabric can still have a dry touch, after reaching around 30%, drops will form.

Considering that only 75% of the tents weight are from the cotton, the tent will absorb roughly 10% of its „dry weight“.
For example a 3800g Tschum 4P light KATUN will absorb something around 380g or 380ml of water.

In addition, there are the drops on the surface of the fabric, that cannot be shaken or wiped of, but in that point, cotton tent fabrics do not differ very much from other materials.

Are the cotton fabrics waterproof?

The tent fabrics made for us have a water column of at least 300mm. The tent shapes have no horizontal surfaces, so that puddles cannot form and the water drains very quickly.

The cotton fibers swell due to the moisture, which makes the fabric denser and stiffer and the tent contracts somewhat. The pegs may need to be relaxed to keep the zippers at the entrances usable.

In the event of continuous rain, the inside of the tents stays dry for a long time. After a while, the fabric feels damp inside. Touching the fabric from the inside makes no difference. Even a down sleeping bag lying on the tent wall does not draw rainwater from the tent fabric.

 

Is there condensation in the cotton tents?

In most cases, there is no condensation in the Tschum tents, or the condensation is absorbed by the fabric. Under extreme conditions, however, so much water can condense on the inside that the surface gets wet.

In particular, a lot of uncovered floor space, water areas nearby, and strong temperature fluctuations with the tent being the coldest spot, can increase the amount of condensate.

In our experience, you stay drier in cotton tents than in plastic tents.
 

Are the Tschum tents storm-proof?

Storm is defined as a wind with a speed of over 80 km / h.

All Tschum models can easily cope with it. Additional guy lines are not required, as the tents have so-called caternary cuts, which effectively guide the strength of the pegs into the entire tent skin.

Of course, good holding pegs, a stable pole or outer poles, as well as a taut and precise pitch are important for storm resistance.

 

What distinguishes light from heavy cotton?

The obvious difference is, of course, the weight. The lower weight of the light fabric is achieved by spinning the highest quality cotton fibers into a particularly thin yarn, which is woven as densely as possible. The raw material is more expensive and processing is more difficult.

The heavy fabric has a tensile strength of approx. 80daN warp and weft, the chain's resistance to tearing is 2.20daN, that of the weft 1.50daN.

The light fabric has about 70daN tensile strength in the warp and 60daN in the weft, and a tear strength of about 1.00daN each.

The water column is even slightly higher with the thin fabric than with the heavy fabric. We are quite enthusiastic about the light fabric and think that the higher price is absolutely justified.

 

Should I take the heavy or light fabric?

If the weight plays a role because the tent has to be carried over longer distances, we strongly recommend the light material.

If weight hardly plays a role, we recommend the heavy material.

That sounds trivial, but in our experience, many customers try to make a decision dependent on far more factors, such as robustness and durability, or water resistance.
In our opinion, however, these other factors are far less relevant than often assumed. Although the heavy cotton has more reserves to withstand a real abuse than the lighter fabric, (By abuse, it is ment to build a stretcher from it, or to throw firewood on it and drag behind you through the woods...), the lightweight fabric has also been put through the tests. It is absolutely capable to withstand all conditions including high winds and snowloads, if you just pay a little attention.

 

What distinguishes the Tschum cotton fabrics from plastic tent fabrics?

When band new, plastics often have a lot higher tearing strength than cotton, but one should know that they can lose their higher tear strength quite quickly through UV light, and then there is a "break even", from which the cotton fabrics are more tear-resistant.

Cotton fabrics have no plastic coating made of polyurethane or silicone. This means that there is always little air exchange through the fabric, the fabric is open to diffusion, and the cotton can absorb and release water.

The inside of a cotton tent therefore has a much more pleasant climate.

Another significant advantage is the much lower noise level in the wind, in a cotton tent it is simply much quieter.

Cotton is also predestinated for hot tents in our opinion, because it is not so easily damaged through heat.

 

What are the cotton fabrics impregnated with, do they have to be impregnated?

The cotton fabrics made for us are permanently impregnated with paraffin. The thin fabric is also treated with a special resin.

The equipment is made in France, under DREAL's environmental supervision of the materials used and wastewater treatment.

In our experience, post-impregnation will not be necessary even in twenty years. Please do not treat your tent with cleaners or impregnations.

 

How should the tents be stored?

If a Tschum tent is to be stored for a longer period of time, it must be dried completely beforehand.

Brief moist storage, such as on a hike, is not a problem since the fabrics are treated with a fungicide. In general, however, the fabrics are completely compostable, and when stored wet for longer periods, they will start to decompose.

When storing, keep in mind that rodents also feel comfortable in a Tschum and like to use cotton for nest building ;)

 

What can be repaired on the tents?

So far we have been able to repair everything that has been brought to us. Small holes are simply closed with sewn-on patches. Zippers can be replaced relatively easily.

 

What is the lifespan of the cotton tents?

We have over 20-year-old cotton tents that are still absolutely practical, without re-impregnation.

 

Which stove size is best for my tent?

With this question it should be noted that the heating output is a rather crucial criterion. Even the Poshehonka S gets a 350cm high lavvu very warm.

The salient feature of the larger stoves is that a lot more fuel goes in, and that they burn much longer with the same performance.

In addition, the M and L ovens are 50cm long, and you don't have to trim wood so short, which in turn saves work.

For the Tschum 2P we recommend the Poshehonka S or the Kabanchik.

For the Tschum 4P we recommend the Poshehonka S. You can fit the M into the 4P if you like to make a sauna or if you really need the long burning on one lay of wood, but it will reduce the living space.

The M and L ovens are more practical for larger tents up from 300cm ridge height.

 

What accessories do I need to operate an oven in my tent?

With all of our Poshehonka ovens, the standard scope of delivery (with isolated pipe and spark arrestor) is sufficient to install the oven in a Tschum 2P or 4P with a completely sloping stovepipe.

We definitely recommend the angled pipe routing, as the positioning of the stove is more flexible, the heat emission is more efficient, and the pipe penetrates the tent skin rather at a right angle.

For the use of the Kabanchik or the Poshehonka S in a tent from Luxeoutdoor, we have a special smoke pipe bushing/ stovejack instead of the iso pipe in our program.
On the product page you will find drawings that contain all dimensions of the individual parts of the furnace. With this information you can determine the need for other tents.

 

What are the sources of danger when operating an oven in a tent?

•     The Tschum tent stoves are only intended for temporary use in suitable, well-ventilated tents or outdoors.


•     Always use a suitable insulating tube or a fire-resistant tube outlet in tents.


•     Follow the local regulations when operating the stove.


•     You are responsible for the safety of your stove setup.


•     Before firing, check the pipes for deposits and clean them if necessary. Clogged exhaust pipes are extremely dangerous!


•     Before each use, check the stove and the flue pipes for stability.


•     Remove combustible material near the stove. Have water ready so that you can react quickly to dangerous situations by extinguishing the fire.


•     Never leave the oven unattended.


•     Keep children and pets away from the area around the oven.


•     The surfaces of the furnace and the pipes become extremely hot during operation.


•     There is a risk of burns to humans, animals and equipment.


•     Wear protective gloves when handling the oven and parts of it.


•     Do not operate the oven for long periods with the air supply fully open. There is a risk of overheating.

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