Ideas for DIY shade?

[Paul Luminous]

Greetings!

I'm planning my virgin trip to the burn this year and I would appreciate some input on building a shade structure. While I will be new to Burning Man, I have a basic working knowledge of anchoring, staking, and tying things to keep them from blowing away from previous desert camping/gathering experience. The problem is that I have never worked with anything besides a pop-up shade. I'm looking to cover most of my camp, which I anticipate will be about 20' x 20'. What is my best bet? I anticipate spending some time in camp and would like to keep it as cool as possible. The commercially available pre-fab stuff is too expensive for my budget and not exactly the "bedouin" vibe I'm going for. I'm thinking more along the lines of inexpensive, but playa-worthy stretch fabric, extension (curtain) rod and/or lumber for holding everything up, and finding some way to tie it all down. Also thinking of the possibility of trying to do something with shade sails, if I can find an inexpensive source. Does anyone know of an online/southern California source for this material and any mechanical know-how/helpful hints? Many thanks!

[Ratty]

Welcome to eplaya! Stop by the introduce yourself board and tell us a bit about yourself. We don't bite but...You'll get a better response if you do some of the 'leg work' before you ask for help. You can find a couple thousand useful tips on these boards. viewforum.php?f=277

Do a little research and narrow down your options. We love to help those who help themselves.

[burner von braun]

Hi Paul Luminous, here's some background music to listen to while you do your research.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GcB-JTAZQow

[Paul Luminous]

Welcome to eplaya! Stop by the introduce yourself board and tell us a bit about yourself. We don't bite but...You'll get a better response if you do some of the 'leg work' before you ask for help. You can find a couple thousand useful tips on these boards. viewforum.php?f=277

Do a little research and narrow down your options. We love to help those who help themselves.

Done, will do, and thank you! I have a lot of prep work to do. I have been reading and researching for the last week or so. There is a wealth of information here! Looking forward to digging and discovery...

[LowePro]

2 carports next to each other would give 20x20' of shade or more. Playa tested and tons of advice here on eplaya how to anchor.
You can find carports at Costco, Hardware stores, Craigslist, and the prices are reasonable and they break down efficiently.
Extra sidewalls or fabric on the walls helps cut down dust and wind.
Having used domes, carports, popups, I find carports to be the easiest and most stable for the cost and weight. Dome is way cooler but much larger/heavier/expensive/and difficult to assemble. We have 2 heavy-duty carports which have survived windy years just fine (with proper staking and ratchet straps) but the lighter-duty popups, I would not trust. The popups are heavy and only give 10x10 shade compared to a carport.

[Paul Luminous]

Hi guys! Thanks for the input!

Here's the skinny... I'm trying to keep my shade under $100 to fit the budget. My roster of playa-worthy camping equipment is short, so the list of stuff I need to buy is fairly extensive. I like to be prepared, and I'm trying to make camp as comfortable as possible since we'll at least be spending some time there...probably sleeping during the day

I'm thinking something along the lines of this: http://www.cnet.com/pictures/high-style ... k-city/19/ but on a smaller scale, that is, if I can find wide enough fabric at the right price.

With that in mind...my question is this. Would I be better off to bite the bullet and invest in a carport structure from the standpoint of being the first line of defense against wind and dust?

[Popeye]

You can't build a 20x20 shade structure that will hold up to playa conditions for $100.00.
Different types of shade structure have been discussed and rediscussed on here. Do a quick search (box on top right) for some of these threads. Pick one that looks good to you and google Lowes Emt or Lowes tarp for some quick and representative local prices. Don't forget rope, bungies. stakes, etc. Think about how big your transportation is and what will fit.

If you are going to sleep all day in a tent you will need a bucket cooler.

Actually, I think the best advice I can give is to go viewforum.php?f=275 and pick a subject that interests you then look for threads that narrow down to your question. As you read you'll find your question twisting and morphing into something else that will be answered further on in that thread. Might find something that started between last April and last August that will be recent and topical. But don't be afraid to go back 10-15 years though- lot of good information there.
Good luck- half the fun is in the research and preparation. Come back and ask "Why do you/should I X? or I don't understand Y? and a lot of people will give you specific help and lots of opinions.

[mudpuppy000]

Hmmm, under $100 is going to be really hard to do unless there's something I don't know about. Carports would be ~$440 for two, plus ~$50 or so for ratchet straps and rebar. 20x20 EMT might be around $200+tarps/ratchets. I don't think you'll be able to seal up EMT as well as carports though if that's a concern.

I think monkey huts are probably the cheapest option but those are usually 10x20.

[VultureChow]

Ahhhh fun times. Where dreams and reality collide. Monkey hut is probably the cheapest and easiest. The 20x20 dimension is a bit tough, though the lovely folks at Dye With Dignity build YUGE one.

[Paul Luminous]

Hmmm, under $100 is going to be really hard to do unless there's something I don't know about. Carports would be ~$440 for two, plus ~$50 or so for ratchet straps and rebar. 20x20 EMT might be around $200+tarps/ratchets. I don't think you'll be able to seal up EMT as well as carports though if that's a concern.

I think monkey huts are probably the cheapest option but those are usually 10x20.

Thanks for the reality check. I was hoping for under $100 At least I have a baseline to work from now

[LowePro]

$100 is a pretty tight budget for group shade. And you NEED shade, esp if you are tenting. Don't forget you'll want some space to hang out/sit/eat/relax, not just fill the shade with wall-to-wall tents. Get plugged in to your local burner circuit and look for some used gear, and on Craigslist/FBook. If you're in socal there are lots of options for used gear.