Carports are way better than tents. Discuss.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:28 am

How picky they are about whether you qualify for a membership seems to vary by location. When they opened one in my small town in Montana I just went in and applied. They asked where I worked, I told them (tiny company that I don't think had registered with them) and they gave me a card. I could have given the name of any company.

You can get in without a membership by telling them you're going to the snack bar or pharmacy. Check it out and see if there's enough stuff there you want to buy to justify the cost, if the answer is yes go in and apply. The worst thing they can do is reject you, in which case you need to find a friend with a membership or something.

Post by **AntiM** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:34 am

Originally they asked us for a business card. The one I had was when mylarry drove for Armadillo, I'd printed the cards myself. We're supposed to switch to a personal account, but since it costs the same we haven't bothered.

The organic milk is cheaper than even the commissary on base, and when larry was doing OTR, it was the best place for large bags of snacks to keep him fed. There aren't a lot of places to find organic foods in Ogden, so costco is handy for that.

Zatoichi · Post by **Zatoichi** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 11:47 am

I am considering the Costco carport also, my only concern are the vents along the ridgeline, might be nice to vent hot air, but im worried about the dust factor.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 1:25 pm

They are happy to sell anyone a membership here, but with them being located so far out of town, I still can't justify it.
I'm looking for someone I know with a card.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:32 pm

Zatoichi wrote:, but im worried about the dust factor.

Oh Please......By the time you go back to the default world , you'll have Playa Dust even up your ass.. It's everywhere..

BAS · Post by **BAS** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 5:46 pm

ibdave wrote:
Zatoichi wrote:, but im worried about the dust factor.
Oh Please......By the time you go back to the default world , you'll have Playa Dust even up your ass.. It's everywhere..

Which is why a shower and a change of clothes (to ones sealed inside TWO airtight bags) is highly recommended at some point on the trip back!

B.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:04 pm

Good four season tents successfully keep dust out.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:13 pm

BAS wrote:
ibdave wrote:
Zatoichi wrote:, but im worried about the dust factor.
Oh Please......By the time you go back to the default world , you'll have Playa Dust even up your ass.. It's everywhere..
Which is why a shower and a change of clothes (to ones sealed inside TWO airtight bags) is highly recommended at some point on the trip back!

B.

Free showers at the brothels, but sure to leave a tip.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 12:33 pm

Carports are great shelters...sturdy..easy to put up..Their also great kites, if you dont secure them properly..2004 @ Black Rock Roller Disco....our neighbors carport across the street, came flying through the air..landing directly on D's mini van...no one was hurt thankfully, and it took 20 of us to return the structure in heavy winds...as it turned out, the carport was staked down with 8 inch pieces of rebar...

Zatoichi · Post by **Zatoichi** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:49 pm

***********By the time you go back to the default world , you'll have Playa Dust even up your ass..

isn't that what Jiffy Lube is for?

Zatoichi · Post by **Zatoichi** » Tue Apr 03, 2007 1:50 pm

[quote="ibdave"][quote="Zatoichi"], but im worried about the dust factor.[/quote]

Oh Please......By the time you go back to the default world , you'll have Playa Dust even up your ass.. It's everywhere.. :roll: 8)[/quote]

isn't that what jiffy lube is for?

Enzo · Post by **Enzo** » Sun Apr 08, 2007 9:41 am

Pep Boys ad shows a Shelter Logic # 25757 Carport Canopy 10 x 20 for 59.98 with rebate. Anyone try these? Are they too flimsy to hold up?

stormfeather · Post by **stormfeather** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 2:13 pm

Harbor Freight carport 42211
http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/42 ... /42211.PDF
compared to Costco one ?

Quality, Ease of use?

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 4:11 pm

Shelter Systems seems to have the best selection of pipe based kits.
They have sun blocking cheap tarps as well as high end stuff.
A lot of carports are see through and you then have to go spend more money on a working tarp.
They have a kit that can be set up in two different sizes and will try to fit different size pipes.
They can be hard to find on a web search, as it seems there are a lot of places with similar names.

http://www.shelsys.com/index.html

800/650-7004

The catalog request didn't work for me on the netweb.
Holliday Canopies is a similar company.

http://www.hollidaycanopies.com/

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:23 am

I just saw it at Costco today.

Man, three windows, a clerestory and doors at one end and one to midships! This sucker's getting CLASSY. And the price rocks, too, $165.

I know we have the parts for one in the locker up there, but I'm gonna snag that sucker anyway. It's too nice to pass up. Off to clean out the closet some more...

Nick Collide · Post by **Nick Collide** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:34 pm

[quote="TomServo"]...as it turned out, the carport was staked down with 8 inch pieces of rebar...[/quote]

I have heard that rebar is the only way to go for playa-proof tent stakes (or, in this case, car port stakes). I have several 10' lengths of 1/2" rebar and was thinking of cutting them to 30" bars - six inches of which would comprise a welded triangle-shaped top. Is that long enough? Too long?

PurpleKoosh · Post by **PurpleKoosh** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:53 pm

Nick Collide wrote:I have heard that rebar is the only way to go for playa-proof tent stakes (or, in this case, car port stakes). I have several 10' lengths of 1/2" rebar and was thinking of cutting them to 30" bars - six inches of which would comprise a welded triangle-shaped top. Is that long enough? Too long?

Rebar is one of the eternal debates here. If you're gonna use it, two full feet of length is more than damn near anyone is going to want to drive into the ground(and trust me, you want it all the way down so nobody breaks his ass on it). And we haven't covered pulling it out again at the end of the week.

I'm looking into 18-24" lengths with the top 6" candy-caned over.

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 7:56 pm

You can find equivalent stakes to the ones you'll make with rebar that are better. We've been using rebar on the playa and never had trouble, but a couple weeks ago we had our carport bend and sheer off some of our rebar stakes, We'll still use them, but you should know that they are not the best or only option.

Nick Collide · Post by **Nick Collide** » Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:23 pm

What we are planning to do is put up two carports side by side and use the tie-down setup that AntiM has a picture of earlier in this thread: using rachet straps in an X pattern for all of the "exterior" spaces but leaving the two inner spaces open. That way we'll have to squeeze between the straps to enter the space, but once inside we would have a 20'X20' open area (except for the poles in the center). We also plan to park the truck and trailer on the windward side to serve as a break.

We didn't think we would need to drive more stakes 10' or 15' out from the carport and tie ropes from the top of the carport down for additional strength in the wind (thereby reducing the chance for people to trip over the stakes or get "clotheslined" by the ropes) but the more I hear about "hurricane-force" winds the more I wonder.

But all this anxiety is probably needless - BM couldn't have two Big Wind years in a row. Could it?

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:41 am

Last year was mild compared to 2005.

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Wed May 30, 2007 10:41 am

For those buyers thinking "Tent, or CarPort", I worship my tent and praise it's advantages over carports in another thread! Pics, too!

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 134#318134

Red Vixen · Post by **Red Vixen** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:58 am

Putting up a shade structure is great creative fun.
I've used a regular quick set up gazebo, covered it over with various types of camo (netting, snow camo) and used old mess shower curtains for the entry wall. Cheap shower curtain hooks secure the camo and have a curtain feature for the entry. It can be secured from the wind using ratcheted tie downs over the top and staked into the playa.

bdeywoo · Post by **bdeywoo** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 8:00 am

Looking for someone who has tried these stakes before. I've always anchored the carport to hand bent rebar but these stakes seem to do the job much better. Any thoughts?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... n%26sa%3DN

Though only being 12 inches long might be too short.

safetythird · Post by **safetythird** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:32 am

Nick Collide wrote:What we are planning to do is put up two carports side by side and use the tie-down setup that AntiM has a picture of earlier in this thread: using rachet straps in an X pattern for all of the "exterior" spaces but leaving the two inner spaces open. That way we'll have to squeeze between the straps to enter the space, but once inside we would have a 20'X20' open area (except for the poles in the center).

We didn't think we would need to drive more stakes 10' or 15' out from the carport and tie ropes from the top of the carport down for additional strength in the wind (thereby reducing the chance for people to trip over the stakes or get "clotheslined" by the ropes) but the more I hear about "hurricane-force" winds the more I wonder.

Not to take away from AntiM's setup, it is a fine one for sure, but I thought I'd share the results of our side by side experiment last year. Just to show that's more than one way to skin the shady cat.

2 carports erected side by side. Straight rebar under all 16 legs. Make sure everything is squared before pounding any rebar.

Ringed rebar about 10' or so out from each leg so that the ratchet tie downs create a roughly 45 degree angle.

Only 2 rebar in the center area, right next to the 2 inner legs. Soft ties connecting both carports together and then straight down to the rebar.

Instead of side walls we used white cammo running down and zip tied to the ratchet tie downs.

Nice open feeling, no obstructions and a little more square footage due to the 45 degree cammo walls.

During the worst of the dust storms she remained quite solid. While the cammo doesn't provide much wind or dust protection it does allow air to just pass through it while also helping the larger volumes up and over the top.

No one was clotheslined and we only needed to run leds down the front 2 guys sice the cammo wouldn't reach that far. Nice large area for the good sized group we camp with.

Carports are way better than tents. Discuss.

Look! Up in the sky!...

Shelter Logic Canopy

Harbor Freight carport unit????

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