Tent and cover tips needed, please

[RemingtonRand]

Thanks for the input - much appreciated. I did fork over a few bucks for a medium-sized tent at Big 5 (what a bargain!). Big advantage is that there is not a lot of screen to cover up, versus my big tent which is almost 50% screen.

I did a test of the canopy with the stitched-together solar blankets today. It was 110 so it was a good day for a test. Standing in that shade was not bad. I'm thinking my medium sized tent will be happy in there - testing that out tomorrow as well as testing how to secure the blanket for the high winds. Lucky me i live in a very windy place.

[dragonpilot]

The EZ-Up type shelters don't have a real good survivability record for the playa, but that's mostly due to folks having no clue about securing them enough to withstand the winds...you seem to be noodling this out enough to forestall a cartwheeling shelter...but still they're rather flimsy.

Are your solar blankets actually space blankets commonly found in survival kits...the very thin mylar? If so, they'll get shredded during the first big blow...they just don't hold up. If the blankets are heavier they might do better. Have you thot about silver-sided tarp...same construction as blue tarp only...silver colored?

There's also shade cloth, and the more expensive version...aluminet.

[Savannah]

Yeah, if those are mylar they will shred in 10 seconds, like a trash bag with a cat in it.

[theCryptofishist]

Is there no end to the tortures you devise for your cat, Savannah?

[Savannah]

Not when I was 5, no . . .

But the torture was usually just a dress, a bonnet, and some baby booties.

[theCryptofishist]

The baby booties were the worst! So hard to run away!

[RemingtonRand]

The solar blankets are very thick, much more than the tent material, and they have metal gromitts where the holes are. I don't have it fully secured in the photo. That's my next little project.

[theCryptofishist]

The baby booties were the worst! So hard to run away!

Or to scratch you...

[RemingtonRand]

Therapist: does the aluminet require a spacer between it and the tent? I looked at that, seems like amazing stuff. I was guessing that it, like my solar blanket, could rest right on top of the tent (or shade structure) to keep the heat off. Perhaps I'm wrong?

[Savannah]

The baby booties were the worst! So hard to run away!

But so, so stylish. And so quiet.

At long last, QUIET.

[media]

[BoyScoutGirl]

Sav, I don't know where you find this stuff, but I was nearly crying with laughter at that video.

Therapist, probably the most lightweight, low-space thing to do would be pack more stakes and string. The aluminet would be on the tent at the top, but stake the bottom out three feet beyond the tent, effectively lowering the angle. Not as much space up top, but around the sides, yes. I'm just not sure how taut you can get aluminet.

[theCryptofishist]

Carpet absorbs a lot of dust, and becomes heavy and messy to take home. YOu can drop it off at places that are in the survival guide.
It can be a useful thing, but I want you to know its drawbacks.
You might look at those sleeping pads for backpackers/campers. You don't have to buy from them here (they are known for being a bit pricey), but this could provide some edumacation on the subject. Carpet is potentially free, but probably one time use. Only you know what your criteria are.

[dragonpilot]

Any thoughts of bringing a small roll of carpet for a floor in my tent? something thick and moopproofed with copious ducktaping.

Consider using painter's drop cloth (not plastic sheeting, but cloth)...or mover's blankets...they're lighter weight and easier to manage and will give you under-foot comfort in your tent.

[Savannah]

Nah, don't bother with a floor cover then. Just something cushy to sleep on like an air mattress or sleeping pad.

[theCryptofishist]

If you use an air mattress, bring two, because one will mysteriously develop a leak on Thursday.

[Savannah]

Some of us like to wake up in a sagging, hissing plastic chalupa!

Not really. I'm in Sisterhood of the Traveling Cot.

[Cal_cloud]

mmmm.. chalupas

[guerrillayogi]

Regarding the space between the top of the shelter and the shade... has anyone tried something like this?



Basically, a geodesic dome (parachute cover not shown) has a taller PVC pole in it's center, with an inverted salad bowl on top. The shade cloth is draped over the dome and secured around the southern perimeter.

A vent fan vents the top of the dome into the area below the salad bowl.

Feasible?

[pretty_monster]

i prefer a small tent under a much larger shade structure. i had a big tent the first year and it was a nightmare to me. it was impossible to keep it clean, it got caught by the wind, it was hard to get warm at night, it stayed too hot during the day. blarg. then i passed by a camp where they'd created a more open concept living space out of a carport canopy. bingo!

now i just kinda live outside in the shade. i've got a 10 x 10 shade canopy & my tent is only big enough for my full size air mattress. all of my living space is outside of my tent but within my shade enclosure: table, fill length mirror, wash station, chair, cooler, etc.. i snuggle up in my little tent with blankies and sleeping bag at night, then bring my air mattress out into my enclosure during the day for naps.

my shade canopy isn't waterproof, so everything that stays outside of my tent is either stored under the table in sealed sterlite containers or can get wet. my tent has a waterproof floor and a rain tarp juuuuuuust in case.

also: i can bring my bike into my enclosure and lock her to one of the support poles. it makes me feel secure that she's safely stowed for the night.

[RemingtonRand]

Lollergirl, thanks for your post! So very descriptive I could almost picture your living space in my mind!

[gyre]

More important to block light and heat than have perfect spacing.
The refectix I have is impossible to tear by hand.
Better to have it underneath, than at home.

[RemingtonRand]

I need to post that my tests revealed that the glue for the velcro strips melts in the hot sun. Oh boy! I was putting tabs of "industrial grade" velcro in between the zip ties - these are at each corner in a grommet. I've followed someone else's suggestion to put several layers of duct tape spaced between the grommets, and a zip tie thru these sections of tape. I put one section of tape going the direction of the stitching on both sides, and another at 90 degree angle covering both sides. I'm hoping this will work!

IMG_3974.jpg

[BoyScoutGirl]

Thanks for the update, Rand. I was considering using some velcro for a light-duty job but now will reconsider...

[C187]

Just wondering, but does your big tent have openings on each end? If so you might be able to set that up next to your sleeping area to use as a lounge. Just leave both ends open.

I'm going to tell you about my ez-up in hopes of giving you ideas about securing your canopy. My ez-up has yet to blow away, and short of wind speeds that will move a car I doubt it ever will. If that happens, we're all doomed anyway, so no one will know. tee-hee. Like Lonesomebri on page one I tie up top and cross like it was Gulliver. But I don't use that danky rope that came with it, and you shouldn't too. I've seen people replace the legs with PVC pipe with concrete at the bottom, and I've also seen people encase the legs with PVC pipe. If your legs are thin, I would suggest covering it, personally I don't with my ez-up. To secure the legs to the playa I drive rebar about a foot and half to two down, with about equal length going up. The rebar it's self isn't in the leg, or using that little hole in the plastic foot. Instead it's placed right next to the leg. Then I tighten plumbing / hose clamps on the leg, and rebar multiple times. After that's done I get some more rope and wrap it around tightly the bulk of the length of the two, and then some. Doing this adds an extra layer of clampy-ness, and happens to give something soft-ish to bump into.

Getting back to the rope up top I secure that like spide-man, and then secure the canopy guylines separately. The guylines on the campy are enough to keep it on the frame if the velcro would happen to fail, but to be extra safe I loosely ziptie it to the frame. Finally I have the oh shit lines, which connect the top of the frame to my roof rack. One to two of those lines are tow straps, and are placed to be connected to the bulk of the frame in case the frame fails. Also a line goes around the frame to keep it together if it breaks apart, and I have redundant guylines.

Like others have said, ez-ups, and the like are very much YMMV. Even though I use one, successfully to this point, I still tell people to just make a monkey hut if they have the room for it. So keep that in mind. It's not that I don't love it, it's just a pain in the ass.

For walls, and extra shade. Go with something that breaths well. If you use a sold grey tarp as a wall, extend it out so you have enough air flow.

[RemingtonRand]

Thank you C187. Good stuff to consider.

Good news on my end. I was invited to join a camp with some friends. They have put me inside the circle of large RVs. I guess they suspect I will need protection. Just like a virgin!

[CFresh]

Holy cow, mudpuppy. That tee pee looking thing looks awesome. I could probably call the vendor, but I'll ask you:
Would it protect from dust? Looks like a major part of it is screen. If so, I'm guessing it's primarily a shade and hang out space?

i plan on bringing this http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/ ... 1b2166c2c0
along with a 6' hexayurt. the tipi has two doors and i plan to have the second door join to the yurt.

i'm a burgin. lashing everything down is going to be hard the part. getting lots of rebar. the tipi has done surprisingly well in mountain winds and rain, not sure about playa winds. thinking of maybe running some shade connected to the top of the tipi center pole as well. concerned about building a sail instead.

these threads are amazingly helpful.

[Savannah]

Hey CFresh.

Be ready to sew, pin or spring clamp some fleece (cut up a blanket or buy some yardage) over the mesh on that tent. To my memory, the pictures suggest the mesh does not zip shut, but merely ties shut and might conceivably gap a little at the sides. If that's true, you will wanna make it a little more tight against the baby powder-fine dust.

I have the same company's single-pole wigwam and it holds up very well out there, but there is virtually no mesh on the model I have.

[CFresh]

Hi Savannah, yes this model does have mesh windows, but I think they all zip shut, can't remember. If not I'll cover them up. I'm planning on attaching a small hexayurt and having that be my "dustfree" zone. We'll see how well that works. Thanks!

[RemingtonRand]

IMG_4014 (3).jpg

It's a year later and I'm just now posting a photo of how it worked. It was pretty much perfect. In the photo you can see my cheap-o tent in the shadows. I hung my trash bag on the side with a clip, and used those clips to hold down fleece cloth over the screens. Inside my tent was a cot with my be on top, and my clothes in plastic tubs underneath. The Figjam cooler worked like a charm allowing me to sleep until about 10am. If I needed some privacy (or escape from crabby camp mates) I could close the side walls of the shade structure, sit on my cooler and feel the cool breeze from the cooler. Thank you Figjam. I filled my empty Arrowhead water bottles with hose water at home for the cooler, went thru a 5 gallon container every day.

The solar blankets on top of the shade structure did make noise in the wind, but they showed no signs of stress or tearing. It was significantly cooler under my shade than my neighbor's large shade.

But most important of all, my bike had an awesome orange basket on front. No loosing it at center camp!

This year: travel trailer for me and my man. A buddy will use my setup and camp next to us.

[Ratty]

Great job. I bet you actually DID your homework when you were in school. It really paid off this time.