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From: destinysurvival
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  • why not just buy a dome climber

  • Would love to have measurements for this project then build a couple for small greenhouses to put them to good use. If anyone has measurements please let me know and I will try and get busy. Thanks

  • @NiteStar131

    I've got a page on my site with links to help you find the info you need. I can't put the URL here, so go to Destiny Survival com and reach me through the Contact page.

  • The "new American peasant" I like that, kind of fitting in these times, thanks for the vid.

  • one could create a series of 2 -- 4 or more of these dome shelters into a long lasting living space with a little innovation and plenty of Insulation water proofing using thick latex roofing material and

    fiber glass / resin connected with short cylindrical walkways / tunnels. on uneven surfaces

  • @Thunderhook715 Interesting idea. Even if you had one for each family member, but they weren't connected, you wouldn't be homeless.

  • i like your explanatory inflection, it reminds me of Dick Proenekke!

  • @Helikaon9 Thanks.

  • @destinysurvival you kind of sound like terrence mckenna. awesome video

  • Richard Buckminster Fuller lives on...

  • Thanks for sharing, this is a great cheap way to make these!

  • wow great!

  • I love the American can-do attitude I see in the construction techniques of the survivalist-DIY culture. I've really learned a lot and as a new American peasant, all I need is some land to live on and I'm ready.

  • Deep thanks.

  • New American Peasant ... I like that. Totally describes the ones of us that will be able to escape the FEMA camp round ups.

  • Survival?

    When the Shit hits the Fan, there won't be a Hardware store open!

  • @ChemTrailSkys Better get it now while you can then.

  • @destinysurvival yes while there is time.

  • Great idea. Inexpensive and easy to assemble. Thanks for sharing this.

  • Flatten the ends of the pvc with heat and punch hole while hot.

    grey conduit pipe costs more but it is about indestructible.

    then you only need one bolt and wingnut for each node !

  • @pyramonitor how do you flatten PVC?

  • @cmorera with heat. conduit ovens are available for the high tech way or you cold use an electric heat gun or hold sections of if over a fire and then press it flat or hammer it into shape. the idea is to heat it not to burn it

  • There is a very simple way to make these structures that is more durable than what was demonstrated. You use conduit instead of PVC, flatten the ends and fasten them together with a bolt. I imagine this would not only make it more durable, but easier to assemble, transport, and still just as cost effective. There's a good example picture on flickr, I can't post a link, if you are interested search flickr for "90’ 30’ Live to Dance Domes 2".

  • @nitaislick Thanks for the info. Yes, I've seen something similar done before.

  • Any cover cloth or plastic will degrade in just a couple years. A long term solution might be; Cover with three layers, #1- clear plastic #2- lathing paper #3- mix plaster/stucco and carefully trowel on the surface with 3 coats, scratch coat, brown coat and finish coat. leave some spaces open for windows and doors. Use poly-carbonate sheeting for top spaces as windows, material is very flexible and virtually unbreakable. Any ideas for doors?

  • @squacher As I mentioned in a previous reply to a comment, when I had a dome a few years back that served as a greenhouse, I simply rolled up the plastic at one place and crawled in through the open triangle created by the PVC. Yes, I had to change plastic every now and then, but that's what a lot of people do with greenhouses covered with such material. The dome mentioned in the video may not be permanent housing, but anyone who builds one is welcome to build as they see fit.

  • I think that's a great idea.

  • Good idea! Appreciate use of common materials.

  • I seen a tent like this in a ad on infowars.com ,It was bad ass but pretty pricy,It had a stove jack for a wood burner and optional Polaris canvas and real beefy with the Geodesic shape ,I wopuldnt mind building one of these ,

  • @aergwetghwrhwdhg I think I know the one you're talking about. It's pretty cool, but if you can build your own, you can do it cheaper, and you can put in it whatever you want.

  • @destinysurvival Yeah it was an ungodly amount of money ,Like 1600 bucks with the upgraded Polaris material ,The guy in the video who was about a 260 lb man pulled hard on the frame and it was sturdy,But way out of my budget ,My wife would divorce me if i bought one ,I know i could build the frame like in this video no problem but making a cover ,Im not sure on that

  • @aergwetghwrhwdhg You might check with a greenhouse supplier for heavy plastic. If you want something sturdier, see if they've got corrugated plastic, which you may be able to cut into triangle shapes and screw to the pipes. That might run into some money, too, and I don't know how heavy it would be against the structure. Just a thought.

  • how would i place a door in the dome? can i remove one cross beam for a door?

  • @hamm336 You might weaken the integrity of the structure by doing that. You can cut or roll up the covering you use in such a way to allow you to enter. You may need to stoop to get inside, depending on how large your structure is.

  • I am sorry to say this but he sounds like a robot. TIP: next time put emotion in your voice.

  • Very nice. I may build a greenhouse like this. Ar the PVC pipe hubs all made identically with 6 holes in each one?

  • @sirtom68 The upper hubs are not identical. Some are for five holes and some six. To get the angles, divide three hundred sixty degrees by the number of holes. The holes are equally spaced. The bottom row hubs have four holes at sixty degrees apart.

  • I built some domes like this some years ago just gluing PVC-Tee fittings on the end of each strut then bungy cording through the fittings... It' very much solved the problem of angles as the struts were free to align as you built the dome... however some kind of better 'Cording' would need to be used than what I used as I had lots of cord breaks with this method... I like the method here with the larger pvc pipe... good info... thanks!

  • @norvman I'm glad you've tried it. Thanks for sharing your experiences. There's sure a lot of interest in domes these days.

  • The wife and I actually built one based on this idea. PVC worked out well, and to fill in the gaps we used papercrete panels.

  • @reelrook9 Fantastic. I'm glad to hear it.

  • Why am I just now finding your video channel???? I've known you for years and POOF here you are! Subbing from both my channels.

    Blessings my friend.

    Donna

  • @GrainStorehouse Glad you found my humble little channel.

  • Nice- but ABS is MUCH stronger than PVC. And not much more expensive. Just a thought!

  • @Patriotgal1 where can I get ABS pipe?

  • @norvman ABS is generally sold where PVC is- or a plumbing store. It's black, and takes a different glue, than PVC. Good Luck!!

  • @Patriotgal1 oh okay... well then I've seen that stuff then... never realized it was ABS just never paid that much attention to I suppose... thanks for the heads up...

  • This is the most interesting idea I have seen in a long time, what if I could build a pretty big one as a semipermanent structure in the woods with a stove...I guess you have som kind of mathematical formula to calculate meziurments on materials depending on how big you want it?

  • @neuroleptika I don't have plans, but you can get more info by going to DestinySurvival and doing a search for dome tips. Then click on the link for a post entitled A Few Tips for Building Domes for Survival Shelter.

  • you know whats great about this shelter. In an actual survival situation, there's plenty of these just lying all over the forest floor..

  • @BrownFlip7852 Ah,but the trick is knowing what to look for.

  • lol this is so unlikely.....you would never in a lifetime had enough time to make a shelter like this

  • @jraybu09 You might be surprised what you could accomplish if you started right now.

  • Not bad at all. you can heat seal pe fil to such structures using aluminum foil and an iron.

  • plz make a video building one.

  • @mrsuperterd I appreciate the flattering request, but it's not likely to happen any time in the near future. Sorry. If you want to contact me at destinysurvival(at)gmail.com I'll send you a link where you can get more links and info on building one of your own.

  • Nive video!

  • No door

  • @bloodandwinearered Make a flap in the covering and crawl through. The larger the dome, the higher the first set of hubs above ground level will be.

  • Just cut some thin branches and shove them in the ground to make arches, do a load more and it forms a dome called a "Bender" Cover it with plastic or sheet, skins of some kind or thatch it with moss and undergrowth. No need to buy or transport any thing. Hippies and gipsys have been using them for decades

  • cover can be inflated, nice frame for sure ! bamboo tied with green bamboo strips

    would be really tight.

  • @pyramonitor Bamboo has been mentioned in comments here before. I like the idea of an inflated cover, too, since it would provide insulation.

  • The spars made with bamboo would be almost perfect material. Perhaps two five gallon steel lids would make hubs of some good strenght. It is interesting.

  • Or just jack one from a playground.

  • great idea

  • great post thank you sir

  • Well I like it and think its a great idea and easy to build..

    

  • Where are you gonna get all that stuff during a depression? Money?? I would go for a machete and some natural green poles which bend, making it possible to make a dome without all the hubs and stuff. Thatched roof or whatever the heck you can find. If your in a clay area, you could get real fancy and use clay and dried grass and make an adobe type stuff to put over the structure. Long term stay of course.

  • @supermuddymud Hey, whatever works.

  • While interesting for the homefront, I dont see this being a viable source for extreme survival needs, such as a depression, or whatever end of the world scenarios some people come up with.It is certainly not earth friendly! All you need is some schedule 40 pvc, a rebar wiring thing-a-ma-jig, some plastic bucket lids, some other kind of pvc parts, some spade bits, which means also a drill, and electricity.... seriously??? Cool, but not survival class.

  • @supermuddymud It's not for everybody, but it might work for somebody.

  • @supermuddymud I think this is a great idea. It's a shelter you could break down and take in a bike trailer. PVC isn't the most environmentally friendly material, but it's cheap and easy to find. Ideally you would build one of these BEFORE the meltdown. I also like the idea of a portable greenhouse.

    One aspect of survival is being prepared. The more you do now the less you have to worry about during the apocalypse.

  • i dont get it

  • We may all have to live in something like this before the depression is over.

  • Very cool stuff...

  • I think people wont have money for pipe. Better to grow and use Bamboo or... what is a good straight wood for northern climates

  • @cybercutealicious Others have mentioned bamboo. There seem to be a number of ways to make domes. At the risk of stating the obvious, this is one of them.

  • when I was back in Nam my platoon and I built something similar using bamboo and some rope we had. laid down some leaves on it and held our position for days with it. made a nice shelter from the rain and not to mention good camo. the Sgt. was impressed when he joined up with us.

  • @j3tst0rm Very interesting. Thanks for that.

  • @j3tst0rm You WERE NOT in the Vietnam war. Your profile says you are 30. This kind of "joke" IS NOT FUNNY!

  • @VaperSteve1975 Like i would put my real age, name and info on the internet. go back to school.

  • This is amazing! Thanks! :)

  • new american peasant very funny, very true : (

  • Now add wod to fill in the holes cover with plastic then attach chicken wire or volcanic fibers and apply stucco afterward disassemble plasti wood shell and build another using same materials. I would hope the structure would hold up if not build out of steel and make many domes to recoup the cost of original shell.

  • @cdltpx Very innovative.

  • @cdltpx You could build a chicken wire roller to roll the chicken wire through, put 2 courses and then make a thin-shell ferro cement structure.  Steel lath would be stronger. Cover with wet burlap sacks while concrete is drying to prevent thin shell cement cracking. I think Airforms for the Monolithic dome project would be easier to utilize though....if you have all that foam/pump equipment that is.

  • If you were in a tropical area could you use bamboo instead of PVC pipe?

  • @sbflash311 You could if you can secure the struts together. I don't know enough about bamboo to know how sturdy it would be for this. There's a lot of tension on the struts when the dome is assembled. Why not try it?

  • @destinysurvival Yes you could probably do it with thicker bamboo, its pretty damn sturdy.

  • @kop4321 Fine business. That's good to know. All the best for you or anyone else who tries it.

  • @destinysurvival yeahh you could, in china they use bamboo for scafolding ahah crazzyyy people

  • looks inexpensive

  • what does this shelter you from?

  • @rcboatdriver1234 Rain and direct sunlight, to name a couple of key elements.

  • @destinysurvival how? theres a bunch of big holes?

  • @rcboatdriver1234 Cover it with plastic or some other material. The video is only ment to show the concept behind building the framework.

  • @destinysurvival ok now i understand i was really confused there

  • How the hell is that a survival shelter ... as practical as a tent witch is not but only more heavy, next

  • LOL, "New American Peasant" I like it. You heard it here folks!

  • sure they could be used for th emodern peasant to live in...I lived in a boat for 10 years and I always tell my husband when he complains about not having enough space in our house that he'd be surprised at how easy us human animals can adapt if we are forced to or make up our minds to just go and do it!

  • @lisarayone On a boat for 10 years? You must have quite a story.It's true that we can economize on space, as well as many other things, when necessity dictates.

  • what a super video. I have seen them built with galvanized pipe and then mud covered straw bales. It made for a great little cabin. Ones imagination is the limit. Thank you for bothering to show us.

  • @artbitesgregory Thanks for taking the time to watch it and comment.

  • I can totally see this being a fun structure to use in a garden. I can imagine vines growing all over it, making a wonderful playhouse for kids.

  • @Crunchy68 A few years ago I had cucumbers growing in a dome. They grew out of three gallon buckets and eitherup twine dangling from the struts, or they'd wrap around the struts.

  • @destinysurvival Imagine walking around inside your dome and getting smacked in the face by a hanging cucumber!

    My kids would crack up. :D

  • i was just having fun with my comment, to me the dome would go under the heading of "temporary shelter" or "home made tent"

  • @starvingagentabc Ok, I had a little fun, too. Yes, it would serve as temporary shelter. It's good for other things, too, such as growing plants, sort of like a mini greenhouse.

  • GREAT IDEA....MY WIFE AND I WAS LOST IN THE WOODS LAST YEAR AND WE FOUND THE PIPE, LIDS, WIRES AND PLASTIC AND EVEN A SAW TO CUT IT WITH GROWING ON THE TREES. I WISH I SAW THIS VID FIRST SO I WOULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT TO DO WITH THEM.

  • @starvingagentabc I'm mystified as to how such an intelligent person got losted in the woods in the firstest place.

  • so this thing has a invisible force field right?.... piece of shit

  • thats a great idea, with useing the 4 in pipe as the hubs, i will have to use that. unless i can think of something else thats cheaper. i would guess the whole thing is only around 15 lbs ~5lbs and would be pretty strong with those size pipes. great video

  • @1crazyfocker Thanks.

  • YA Great ,Where does one attach The Buffalo Hides , will it hold that much weight.. Tatonka .One who walks in outdoors...

  • @DYNODRUM Got buffalo hides to try it out?

  • @causations What if you are in an area and there are no materials from mother nature available? A city for instance..where building have become unsafe to occupy?

  • The thing looks interesting...but it´s useless for survival or hiking! Try carrying those poles around.

  • @Nesembria Some of the other comments have asked about transporting it, too. Perhaps a golf bag or some sort of luggage with wheels could work.

  • Great concept. The geodesic dome is, in fact, one of the strongest structures built. If you want to have the coolest tent in the camp site, go with this, but if you want more room for less money, visit my friend on Ebay; item #320608976135. These are Army surplus tents 18'X18' for $675 and 18'X36' for under $1K. EXTREMELY TOUGH MILITARY TENTS! Sergeant Charlie

  • Very cool stuff, thanks

  • @stefanuk23 ..if you're interested in building a good structure to use under a concrete dome, then check out my channel here on YouTube... i'd be happy to provide you with all the math... this dome is only a 2-frequency, but my dome is a 4-frequency and much sturdier under the weight of something as heavy as concrete. in fact, if you really wanted, you could completely bury my dome structure... check it out ;)

  • I plan 2 build an indoor dome in old large shed. Aim is to keep insects & pests out & I plan to power aircon with solar panels on roof of the shed. Gets mighty hot in QLD Australia. Don't want2 asphyxi8 in insect proof dome. Also we going 2B onoine via wireless local LAN fromt main house. Sounds cool, romantic and adventurous? Maybe . . .i just want the thing to work. Any idea please let me know. Reilgious fundamentalists please respect - not interested, God Bless 

  • @Total1Now That's an interesting idea. All the best with it. I've got a blog post with more info on domes, but can't put the link here directly. If you're interested, go to DestinySurvival(dot)com and type the word Dome in the search box, and you'll see some related posts. You may find the Dec. 29, 2010 post helpful.

  • outsmarting them would be great.

  • we're better off using the parts to crush bankers' skulls before they steal everything in sight.

  • @TadRapidly How about outsmarting them and having a means of living in spite of what they do?

  • @TadRapidly No, Friend, you're kidding yourself and some others—current commercial development has been eagerly desired and looked for by a greedy and wayward people, themselves, . . .

  • @phillipgaley alrighty then.

  • Heating doesn't have to be a problem. Using a glazing on the south facing side and insulation on the north side you can take advantage of some passive solar gain. At night a simple rocket stove or pocket rocket with a clay/earth thermal mass around it could be put together easily enough.

  • @DanialMcCoy I like your thinking on this.

  • One problem with this... you can't put a fire inside or your shelter will melt. If that problem could be solved it would be a wonderful design.

  • @chushinryoku How about putting a ventilation hole at the top?

  • @destinysurvival that's not the problem. Even if you put a vent hole the hot stream of air going upward will melt the struts/hubs. One solution might be to build a tepee out of PVC. It would require about the same amount of poles, wouldn't need hubs, just slightly larger pvc as connectors with some method of securing the poles to the connectors. The top would be far enough away that the area near the vent hole might not melt.

  • @chushinryoku I think it depends on how large you build the dome, which determines how tall its uppermost point is. Even if a person decides it's not advisable to build a fire anywhere within, that doesn't make the dome of no use.

  • This geodesic dome is rather intriguing. It looks easy, but time consuming to first build. The shape is strong and so is PVC. This design looks to be sturdy and should make a strong shelter.

    It looks as if it would be heavy and a bit bulky when disassembled, so transporting one without a vehicle would be difficult. However a small family could probably carry a disassembled larger unit easily.

    If I had to survive in a semi-permanent or seasonal location, I would probably use this design.

  • @mechredd Thanks for the encouraging words. I'd guess a golf bag or two might carry the contents of the disassembled dome. It depends on how big you build it.

  • I see the greenhouse option for growing plants and vermin deflection but *survival shelter* may be a poor choice of words.

  • I used this method when I found myself needing to survive in a playground once

  • @chevygearhead454 There's probably a story there somehere.

  • @chevygearhead454

    hahah... dude that was funny.... I"m just trying to figure out how you carry that in your back-pack...

  • Wish he would have left how much each cost.

  • @WizzleThump building sites throw away cut off's this sort of size - ask a site foreman/woman , i't d be cheaper than hiring a skip to take them away and free to you ...win win .

    ask first !

  • Wow, I used the same method a few years ago with the 4 inch PVC with holes drilled in. Must be on the same wavelength or something! I also recently built a geodesic dome/cylinder with electric conduit pipe. I've seen a bunch of vids with geodesic grow domes which is definitely something worth pursuing for many reasons.

  • @8DoverNJ Very cool!

  • I wonder if you could somehow use the burner pans from an electric stovetop for the hubs?

  • @FoodOrFail I couldn't say for sure. It's worth a try if you like.

  • Thanks to Nobama we may need thinks like this...

  • Interesting ideas of an old concept (more structure with less materials) and I especially liked the direction taken with the larger pipe hubs. In my experience the hubs are the critical part of any geodesic design, therefore one wants to use the stronger material for the hubs. Age effects on plastics tend to suggest plastics aren't the best long service life material option, but a good way to get something up on the cheap and gain some experience with the geodesic designs.

  • @Tsavah Thanks for your insights.

  • I like the concept EXCEPT (you knew there was a but in there, right?) my experience with plastic bucket lids (in the south) has been very poor. They tend to degrade rapidly in the sunlight and any stress placed on them (like the tension placed on them from the pipes) will cause them to crack and break , not to mention the holes will weaken them further and speed the degradation process. If I were to build this, I'd probably use metal lids instead.

    Thanks for the video!

  • @bjusticeforever You make a good point. The plastic lids are easier to work with than metal or plywood. Even the PVC will degrade over time if not covered, and I don't know which degrades faster. So it's a good idea to keep it covered with plastic which will take the brunt of the UV.

  • I wonder how heavy a 20' one of those would be???

  • @KySurivorMan I really can't say. Since it's made from PVC pipes, it's not heavy. More awkward than heavy when put together. You do have to anchor it down when it's completed, or it will blow around when covered.

  • +1 on that idea. go sell it !!

  • @birdhunter67 Interesting thought. There does seem to be a lot of interest in it.

  • Can you camp in that?

  • @branjumba It depends on what size you build it and what size you need. Someone else asked about portability. You might be able to put pieces in something like a golf bag, if you want to put it together as a temporary setup while you're out camping.

  • haha, that's a model i hope :P or maybe you want your shelter to collapse right after you put some soil on it ;p

  • so, stupid question. how are you supposed to get in these things? tunnel in?

  • @TheDizzle976 It varies depending on how big you make the dome. If it's small, you might want to lift one side up and crawl under. But that assumes you don't have enough wind to blow it around much. The much more likely scenario is to ccut the plastic covering along one of the triangle sections and use that for a doorway. You'll want to reattach it with something like Velcro. Or, rather than cut, leave part of the plastic loose enough so you can roll it up enough to stoop and enter.

  • That rino lining is pretty tough that would make an incredible exterior surface i think that stuff has the same crap the space shuttle has on it for heat shields. I want a disaster resistant home first energy efficient so I could use less infrastructure to provide energy. We are newby debt free as of this year we ahve to build up our funds before we can build then we have to pay all those loosers to tell us how not to build a home. I am building a structure that cant burn nor will it fall apart

  • @cdltpx A friend suggested looking up DOMTEC International, L.L.C.

  • @cdltpx have you looked into shipping container homes? they are hurricane proof, fire proof, and mold resistant.

  • @msumad311 I am basically stacking up the cash when we are back up over 20 I will look into a shell.I like the concrete dome homes bc they are so low on maintence expected to last so long and energy efficiency. I believe I might have to elevate since Katrina they raised elevation everywhere we might be ok IDK but have to pay the bean counters to figure that crap out.

  • Man I was watching the man made island from plastic bottles now this. Dome house over a plastic floating island would be the perfect seahouse? haha.

  • Tack wooden squares on the outside add some interior support bracing add chicken wire and some rebar add concrete you have a structure that will last 500 years. U can link 5 of these together and you would have a home of sizeable proportion with bullet resistant courtyard. I would then build a solar panel roof facing the south with a water collection gutter that dropped into a battery of 55 gallon barrels that are elevated and you have sustainable water source for your garden. Reuse the frame.

  • @cdltpx U could build a dome add wood backing and mirrors flip the dome face the sun and you would have a solar collector for an awesome solar oven you can use this oven to cook food water even heat water or oil. Tubing can be placed in your floor where you heat it and the slab would be heated by the sun. These would make great reception antenna too you could place the antenna in the center with the dish pointed in the direction of expected reception.

  • @cdltpx Wow, that's an ambitious project. Thanks for the ideas.

  • @destinysurvival I was thinking these pvc frames could serve as shelter for kids waiting for the bus I bet 10 students could be safe and dry even warm if sealed air tight. Build a dome of concrete for storm survival have a weather warning go into the shelter but to me it would be best to just build your home from the domes and that way you are always protected build one for your car and your car can survive the storm build a dome on top of 55 gal barrels it could float in flood save car home.