tent living

[pinkponies]

I am planning on attending this years festival with a friend and it is the first time for both of us. We have been reseraching tents and ive been getting conflicting information from differant retailers as to weather ot not they can withstand the wind. Does anyone know which tents can and which cannot?

I am not sure about my freind but ive never been camping before for real, what should we live in. Understanding out tent is more then a place to sleep its a place to live i wanted a large one and have chosen a 16x12, i am an ameature skydiver but im reasonably sure the rigs we use arent even that big. Beyond the lets go fly my house issue im worried it will get to hot inside to live in there. Anyone have any advice?

[Lydia Love]

don't plan to live in it for starters. Plan to sleep in it but make a shade structure of some sort to hang out (and take naps) under during the heat of the day because between the dust and the heat you *will not* wanna be in your tent except to fall over and crash in the wee hours of the morning.

[robotland]

If you've never really camped before, you might benefit from taking your tent for a "test drive" sometime this summer or earlier....As LL sez, you won't be living in it- depending on the number of tentmates you'll have, you might want to go smaller unless it's more like shade space than an enclosure. Are you talking about a 16x12' TENT, like a Cabela's base camp with the portholes and stove hole and chandeliers and inflatable Doric columns and circle driveway? Or more like a tarp-top pole garage to put yer tents under?

[Dork]

Most tents can handle the wind reasonably well if staked down properly and installed downwind of a car. My $30 *mart cheapie worked just fine. The big problem is shade structures. You'll want a shade a foot or so over your tent (above, to the East, and West of it) to keep it from becoming a kiln as soon as the sun rises and ideally another shade to cover your cooking/eating/chill space. There are off the shelf options that work for this, or you can build your own. It depends on what you're up for.

Tents are for sleeping, storing clothes, and doing whatever else you might want to do in private with your friend or any new one you make on the Playa. They're too hot and closed off to live in. You'll want to be outside, in the shade, interacting with people. If you need to hide, rent an RV.

[retropsycho]

My first $30 dome tent snapped a fiberglass pole in the Black Rock winds. This might have been avoided if I guy wired it correctly to keep the poles from bending too much in the wind. I replaced the snapped pole with an aluminum one. The new pole cost almost as much as the tent. The no-see-'em mesh skylight and unsealable rear mesh window were also problems as playa dust penetrates them easilly. Forget tents with lots of mesh only covered by a fly. Inside zippered window seals are a must.

I upgraded to a used "storm" cabin tent. I has a exterior steel frame and a height that allows me to stand up inside. The design is such that no guy wires are needed. It's perfect for the winds. The ceiling is reinforced to block the sun better, but I use spring clamps to attach opaique silver tarps to the sides and top. The external frame is really handy for this.

I bought the tent for $60 from http://www.sportsmansguide.com/ however, I haven't seen any used for sale recently. That company has a great return policy.

I had to replace the zippers recently for $120, but I thought it was worth it to keep the tent. BTW, the tent taylor uses candle wax for zipper lubrication. WD40 is a disaster when used on dusty zippers.

My favorite tent accessory in '03 was my sleeping mask. Even with the tarps, the morning sun is a killer. Recommend the masks to get a few extra winks of sleep in the am.

[Juju]

My $30 target tent held up just fine the last two years, but a pole snapped as I was taking it down during the dust storm of sunday. This tent has lasted me 2 years on the playa, plus countless other weekend desert/forest camping trips, so I figure I can afford to just buy a new one to replace it.

I made it suitable for napping by hanging pieces of fabric on the inside.. I have metal clips that I attach to the seams, and just hang dark pieces of satin with the windows open. Spray em down with some water, and they'll keep you cool and dust free while still allowing a breeze into your tent.

Whatever you decide, it is IMPERATIVE that you do a dry run before taking it out on the playa. Set it up in your livingroom or take it camping *highly reccomended* beforehand, so you'll understand the dynamics and will be able to set it up easily.

good luck.

[Icepack]

We had a tent last year that we bought on ebay from Summit Central. It was pretty cool. It had one big outer shell and then inside were two smaller tents that clipped inside. You end up with a hallway in between that is good for putting your cooler and folding chairs in during a dust storm. It held pretty good, but we did have a fiberglass pole split. We guy wired it against the wind, and that was pretty good except when the wind shifted during a rain storm. We also had our car parked on the side that was guy wired to help with the wind as well. Our biggest problem seemed to be people trying to walk through our wires. Even with glow sticks and other markers in place to alert people day and night that there were ropes there, people still felt the need to cut through our tent strings.

Not sure what we'll do for 2004. We're thinking of building a dome. Need to find a way that is space efficient for packing though. If we drive out in a car like we did last year, space will be at a premium and long poles of any kind could be a nuisance to deal with.

Also thinking of buying something from Cabela's or Sportsman Guide. Not sure yet though. Gotta check out those sales.

[centrifuge]

I had a little $30 tent as well. Didn't have any problems with it at all. Just put a 10 inch length of rebar in place of tent stakes.

Although, we only slept in it once. We also had a 12'x20' canopy with nice mosquito netting sidewalls. The canopy contained 2 couches, a kitchen & a dj booth comfortably. We slept on one of the couches that folded out into a queen size bed & it was one of the most blissful weeks of sleep I've ever had. No earplugs & Not much privacy either but we could have cared less. Just lying there in the open canopy, exposed to all elements & individuals, watching fireballs & meandering ships creating choas at the end of another memorable night....I wouldn't want to sleep anywhere else. I know we'll do the same this year.

We didn't host any parties though either & when we wanted to be alone...well luckily the other members of our camp had their own tents outside the canopy & weren't around very often anyways.

Whatever your decision is....you'll have the time of your life for sure.

[robotland]

We haven't decided exactly what breed of structure we'll bring this year, but one thing's for sure....It must be capable of supporting my big Brazilian hammock. After years of Gilligan's Island reruns I think my mind was poisoned to the true, beauteous comfort of Big Hammock Snoozin'.

[_tears_]

Last year my $30 target tent help up SHOCKING well considering i had taken it out on a camp trip that summer before and one of the poles snaped and all we did was tie the strings back together lol. Clearly as i will be attending BM for many years to come i am looking into a more desert-friendy tent that will last my awhile. I am also looking for one without mesh ROOF i had a mesh roof laster year and even thought there was a rain fly the inside of my tent was COVERED in dust and me being a clean freak wasnt so good lol. I did eventually put thngs over my bed before i left, but i have found the perfect tent at camping world website for a good price