that's sad that your dealextreme lights were so bad!!

just to put it out there, i have had really positive experiences with them getting bright, inexpensive battery-powered lights.

good luck GLOWING!!

to the point about tubing buckling under weight - i think your bigger problem could be breaks at your welding points unless you're expert welders. i would worry about that before tubing buckling. take care, also, to make sure that your tubes won't sink into the playa - that's an argument for plywood...