Building shade structure off your vehicle?

bigstreets · Post by **bigstreets** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:21 am

Can anyone offer some advice/pic/plans on how to construct a shade structure off of my rental minivan? There's just 2 of us & I'm thinking a 12' by 10' structure should be enough to put our tent under plus a couple of chairs, but the last time I've come out to BM I was with a bunch of guys that did all this stuff, plus we had an RV.
Anyway, long story short -- I'm a girl that could use some help in how to build a modest shade structure without too much hullabaloo.
-Also, I'm flying from Atl to San Francisco & then driving out to BM from there.

Thanks much!

golgotha-a-go-go · Post by **golgotha-a-go-go** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 7:38 am

Hi BigStreets,

I do this every year. You have the right idea. I have two 10x20 aluminum framed carports (the fairly beefy ones) that are covered with a silver tarp. Easy to put up with a couple of people. We guy-wire them down and stake down the legs. Next, I attach 20x40 heavy duty silver tarps to the sides and cover the 4 vans that serve as the perimiter of the camp. This way, the vans are covered and we have a great carpeted chill space in the center. The trick is to create a sloping surface on the sides so the wind can flow smoothly over and down. We also leave room at the ends of the tarps for extra air flow below by staking the perimiter with rebar and attaching the big tarps with bungies so they can flex. More details if you wish. Had a few years to think this through. Even still, some years a big wind will cause some damage, but we survive. That's the Playa.

bigstreets · Post by **bigstreets** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:41 am

Thanks Golgo for the info; I was hoping to avoid buying a carport because I won't be able to bring it back home with me & I'll just be creating more waste, plus we're trying to do it on a budget, as well.
What I had in mind was tying a trap down to the top of the van and out to two 10 foot poles and then tying them down.
As you can see, I'm really in the dark about this. May just end up buying a Costco carport because I don't want to get out there & realize my idea can't be executed....uf!

golgotha-a-go-go · Post by **golgotha-a-go-go** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 9:45 am

BigStreets,

OK, understand the limitations. If it's just one van, a 10x10 structure can suffice. These can be very cheap if you look in the right places. You could even get by with a flat roof, i.e. just a 10x10 aluminum frame with a top tarp. I know a place in San Jose that sells them cheap. Then a 20x20 silver tarp can cover both van and structure. If you use poles alone, they will need to be guy-wired in a couple of directions and pounded into the ground. A bit unsteady in moderate wind if it's not done right and problematic if the wind decides to thrash them into your van. That's why the four legs anchored down, a tarp covering and extending to the van offers a little more stability. Again, never perfectly bomb-proof on the Playa.
Here to help. Others may have more wisdom... anyone...anyone....

golgotha-a-go-go · Post by **golgotha-a-go-go** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:01 am

BigStreets,

Just had a flash of inspiration. How about just getting a 20x20 silver tarp, drape it over the van squarely, put something flat on top of the van to raise the tarp about a foot and secure the corners and sides of the tarp to rebar stakes about two feet off the ground on one side and four feet on the other for entry using rope or bungies? This way, you create a dome-ish structure, the van is in the shade, and you have a few feet of chill space if you carpet the area. Have not personally tried this but it sounds reasonable, easy and pole-less. The raising of the tarp above the van keeps the hot tarp off the van and creates air flow. We do the same with our 4 vans. Trying to keep it simple for you.

bigstreets · Post by **bigstreets** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:15 am

That sounds like a great idea! Thanks so much. I may try to do some test runs out here beforehand.
This makes me even MORE excited!

phil · Post by **phil** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:25 am

> What I had in mind was tying a trap down to the top of the van and
> out to two 10 foot poles and then tying them down.

What Louise and I did on our first trip was to slam the door shut on one end of our fabric shade and stake the other end to the ground. Not much room to stand or sit, so I don't recommend staking the far end to the ground

so your idea of poles on the other end seems good. You can get collapsible shade poles from a variety of sources. I have metal poles that collapse into maybe a 4 foot length that you can easily carry. You need grommets in your fabric - or some other way to make sure the poles stay fixed to your shade.

Go to http://www.cieux.com/bm/bmtoc.html and use your browser to search the page for shelter - you'll get maybe a dozen articles on shade and shelter on the playa to browse.

chrispburn · Post by **chrispburn** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:35 am

this company makes shade structures - some free-standing - others designed specifically to hook up to a car or van/suv. Some cash to buy, but just putting it out there. It may be a good option for some people.

http://www.backcountry.com/store/group/ ... d=uruthmer

or if that link is too long, click here to go to one specific item, and backtrack t o the category
http://tinyurl.com/2m5f8m

also, see another discussion about carports:
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?t=20064

golgotha-a-go-go · Post by **golgotha-a-go-go** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:56 am

Wonderful. No better way than to try it at home first. As for the tarp, be sure it's a fairly heavy-duty silver tarp with good grommeted eyelets. If it's too thin, the sun will filter through. The best are the ones with a black underside and a silver outside. You want as close to complete sun blockage as you can get. Others are offering good ideas here too.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:23 am

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION:
Especially with a rental- Bring foam or cloth to pad any interfaces between vehicle and shade! The constant winds will oscillate your rig and cause tarps, poles and guylines to pose danger to the integrity of your rental's finish or worse! A little extra time spent considering flexible interfaces and car/structure movement may help stave off disaster. Slip-on pipe insulation is very cheap, and has infinite uses for bonk prevention, although ANY material plus grit equals sandpaper...
If you have access to cardboard tubes- use them to enhance structural integrity by zipstripping them diagonally as braces or anchoring them into the roof rack (if applicable) or other fittings. Then you just need to MOOP out the zips at week's end and burn the tubes. I built a geodesic porch for my Element last year from castoff tubes, and it held perfectly well for the entire week.

corpuscle68 · Post by **corpuscle68** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:27 am

Also, tie onto every grommit! If you just use the corners, you risk tearing. I've done the following;
Secure a PVC pipe to the ground by tying it to rebar or stakes. It's lying flat, parallel to the edge of the tarp I want to secure.
Tie each and every grommit to the PVC.
Now the load from wind is distributed.
Don't forget to pad the rebar or stakes!