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The Tent
Designed by Alain Hubert and made by Lowland in the north of Holland,
the tent has been modified during successive expeditions in polar
regions. It is hexagonal with five hoops (called a geodesic dome)
in order to withstand winds up to 200 km/h. The tent interior is
made from 100% uncoated open-weave polyamide (greater resistance)
weighing just 29 g/sq.m. The exterior tent is made from ripstop
fabric with a polyurethane coating (38 g/sq.m.). The total weight
of the tent is 4.85 kg, with 8 mm and 10 mm hoops made from aluminium
7075, T9 hardness. The colour of the outside fabric is dark so that
it absorbs a maximum amount of the sun's rays, following the principles
of Stephan Boltzman's law, E=SigmaT4. The tent meets the following
requirements:
- Wind resistance: hexagonal dome with five hoops and extended
flap to prevent wind-blown snow from getting inside the tent.
- Lightness: all of the materials used have been selected for
the best possible resistance to weight ratio.
- Comfort: the principle of a two-layer construction is designed
to be iso-thermal so that you can cook with ease on the inside
while allowing steam to escape so that there is no condensation
at night between the tent and the double roof.
- Ease of assembly: in extremely low temperatures ( -40°
-50°C or even lower), materials and neurones alike react
differently to the way they do at our own latitudes. To enable
the tent to be assembled easily, there are a number of special
details: the hoops fold in two and stay in their sleeves. The
end of each hoop unit can be detached so that the rubber bands
holding the various parts of each mast can be adjusted.
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