Monkey Huts

[Warbaby Fox]

Okay, I've been getting a lot of great advice from a lot of you. I followed the chromatest Monkey Hut instructions, and everything came out perfect. Two questions though: Should the the sides of the tarp be rebarred down into the playa, or is a slight opening at the bottom okay? And second, should the open ends of the hut have a bungie/rope support down the middle? I can't help but think that a stiff wind might knock the structure over without some kind of rebar/rope combo at each opening of the hut.

[VultureChow]

After the basics, everyone has some differences. On mine, the tarp does not come fully down to the ground. I like it that way. You get some breeze through the bottom. I do use bungee balls to stake them tight though. Flapping is your enemy. (also, just loud and annoying).

As for the open ends, I've never staked mine down, and have never felt it was about to go over. Others do stake out one or both ends. With the tarp staked tight and the natural tension from the pvc, it's an amazingly sturdy yet flexible structure.

[Warbaby Fox]

I think I'll just keep mine the way it is then. I thought it might catch the wind like a sail, but I have it set up in my yard right meow, and it looks sturdy.

[Drawingablank]

I used to rebar the sides down with bungees to the tarp. Now I just use a ratchet strap front and back. Less wear and tear on the tarp that way. These pics show a pretty good shot of my setup from inside and outside:

3day1.jpg

Note: This was taken in 2011 and if you look close you can see the 2 piece ribs.

DSC00529small.jpg

This was taken in 2012 and wirth the truck we no longer needed the sectional ribs. When we flew out I shipped just the connectors, bungees, and tarp. We picked up the ridge poles and rib poles at HD.

[Warbaby Fox]

Blank, have you experienced strong enough gusts where your hut would have been pulled over without the front supports?

[BeeWeeDee]

One year at the Utah regional BM, the wind was strong enough where the re-bar stakes for the ribs were bent the next day. I did not have guy lines on the ends and the structure survived just fine. Someone said it above... flexibility and a tight taut tarp.

[vargaso]

Blank, have you experienced strong enough gusts where your hut would have been pulled over without the front supports?

In 2008, the front end of our monkey hut started lifting off the ground almost past the rebar during a strong wind storm. Because of that, I tie both ends down. Here's a pretty good picture from that year with the tie coming down the middle.

[Drawingablank]

Blank, have you experienced strong enough gusts where your hut would have been pulled over without the front supports?

I use the guy lines solely because that is easier than attaching the sides of the tarp to rebar and is less wear and tear on the tarp. It is in place of side anchoring. I also usually align it so the prevailing wind will blow through it and keep things cooler. I also have a big box truck on one side as a wind break.

In 2011 I had side anchoring as well as the guy lines - a wind hitting the side bent 2 of the rebars on the upwind side but everything stayed in place.