Tensahedron Stand

[Latherdome]

Wow that's really thinking outside the box. Good job.

Really thought it was cool that only one side had to be staked!

Story: At one point I thought of this as like a turtlelady/dog with bipods instead of tripods, whose 4 legs touched to make 2 feet. First assembly had a ridge pole, which I figured would be in compression. I anchored only one end in haste to try it. When I got in, I was surprised to see the apexes splay, leaving my ridge pole suspended by the shock cord inside it, bearing no load. Then I realized that the unmoored apex stabilized only a couple inches out, needing no further support. Shear and downward forces balance when you let them.

And then you have a tiny footprint, those 2 feet finding a level on any slope, and around half the necessary pole footage of a turtle type. With turtle stands, if you use the same material for ridge pole as tripods, your tripods are overbuilt/overweight or your ridge pole under. With this, all poles have identical strength requirement so easier to optimize in a cost/weight/space sense.