Airlocks for structures and vehicles?

[sparr]

I'd like to keep cool air in and dust out as I open the doors to my sleeping space. Has anyone experimented with designs for airlocks? Simply, I'm considering a small "room" with two doors, one that goes outside and one that goes inside. But I'm not sure if that room should have a floor, be insulated, have hinged or zippered doors, etc.

[trilobyte]

If you're trying to keep dust out, then your 'airlock' should most definitely have a floor. You can keep a huge amount of dust out of a tent or other sleeping space by something as simple as having a welcome mat or carpet outside the door. Being under or inside a great shade structure is also a big factor - a solid structure not only protects you from the sun but dramatically cuts down the amount of wind and dust that will be blowing around inside the space where you'll be camping/sleeping.

Shade has probably been the number one factor for reducing the amount of dust in my sleeping space. Number two has been that mat. In my first couple years I had a big tent with multiple rooms, and I had a tiny scrap of carpeting as a mat out front. Wiping feet first, then using the outer-most room as a place to take shoes off helped me keep the inside space with my bed relatively dust free. In subsequent years I've camped in smaller tents without an outer chamber, and in domes (which had no airlock chamber), vans, and shipping containers. Shade and a bit of carpet made them all comfy and pretty dust free. I take off/put on boots just outside the tent/van/dome, and just inside the door of the shipping container.

As for cool, I couldn't really say. I've usually adapted pretty well to the temperatures within a day or two (helped greatly by having decent shade), and so haven't ever bothered with aircon or coolers or whatever.

[mudpuppy000]

Last year I stayed in a tent with a vestibule (no floor) on the outside, and a zipped up chamber to sleep in. Even with mesh all over the sleeping area there wasn't really any dust that got in there other than what was all over myself/my clothes. Other years I've slept in a tent inside a carport. (no floor) That was pretty dust free as well.

[BBadger]

I keep a decontamination room in front of my on-playa Class 4 cleanroom. It's built from a money hut using heavy duty tarps and "nuclear grade" duct tape to seal out the dust. The floor is covered with those sticky foot mats to collect any dust and there are mist showers just before the entrance of the cleanroom. All this effort has reduced the number of defects in my chip-fabrication runs to acceptable levels, but getting into one of those Intel "play that funky music white" cleanroom suits is still a pain.

This coming year, I'm planning on implementing full-on 5-stage "Andromeda Strain" sterilization procedures. Nothing is too good for my nose.

Though realistically, you could do the same kind of thing with a monkey hut, tent, or portable shower. Mostly you're just looking to allow a person to shake off loose dust and have that dust settle down before entering the clean area. Maybe even provide some spray bottles and those cleanroom sticky floor mats. Then the person enters with their shoes off. It's about as good as you can get.

[maladroit]

I eat, breathe, and sleep dust. I wear it as makeup and underarm deodorant. It cures all disease and gets you high. I'm the one outside my hexayurt with a broom sweeping dust into it. That's the worst part about hexayurts, they don't let in enough dust.

[Meat Hunter]

Embrace the dust and learn to enjoy it.

Having a dustless burn -- is akin having a birthday party with no birthday cake.

[Jackass]

I wish I had some pics of my tent and bed my first year, everything in there was fuzzy with dust at least a 1/4" thick. I'd give the mattress a good slap and then don the dust mask, lay in it and pass out. After a couple of days, I finally started putting my pillow in the truck when I was done sleeping. I was super powdery and all dried out and crispy after that experience. No lotion could save me! No shade either, I was so fried...

[BBadger]

Having to maintain a dust-free environment on the playa is kind of like worrying about scratches on a new car, where it becomes a real chore. Mostly I'm concerned about just having things in their place so that when I wander in to fall asleep after being up for 20 hours that I don't need to deal with shit. Having to go through a huge amount of prep and hassle.

I do throw my pillow under my bedding to keep it less dusty though.

[some seeing eye]

BBadger is right.

You are not talking about an air lock, as in outer vacuum space, but a successive multi-step particulate reduction sequence.

Airlock to vacuum is perfect.

BM to dust free is impossible.

I have been in imperfect clean rooms and it is a huge PITA so I minimized it at every chance. And even today, there is the human admitted clean room part, the machine-only better clean room part, and the inner-inner clean room part. Humans are only in the first.

Your best bet is to have an incoming dustproof segmented serpentine tunnel sequence of shedding all outer dusty clothing/footwear, getting rid of/enclosing hair dust, washing/laminar flow blowing off all skin dust (ears and nose included).

Then get into non dusty fleece coveralls and new footwear and enter the lesser "dust free" zone.

Reverse it outgoing. Hang/bag all your been-outside-in-the-dust clothing there in the outer tunnel sequence.

Never heard of anyone doing that. Every space needs HEPA filtering+ and circulation to the atmosphere. If you do such a thing, document it.

[trilobyte]

Are there any playa dandies or keeping-cool specialists out there who've done some kind of airlock for 'keeping the cold in' purposes? I've visited a number of friends who employ one form of cooling or another, but never anybody who's done an airlock.

[ygmir]

Are there any playa dandies or keeping-cool specialists out there who've done some kind of airlock for 'keeping the cold in' purposes? I've visited a number of friends who employ one form of cooling or another, but never anybody who's done an airlock.

I'm your Huckleberry.

[Elderberry]

We have a two room yurt. The second room is virtually dust free. It's totally sealed including the floor tarp which is taped to the walls. Last year we thought we'd only use one yurt and a costco carport for the first room. Big mistake. So this year back to two rooms. I guess the entry room works like an airlock of sorts?

[AntiM]

Our small 60 second meshless tent is pretty much dust free. Under a carport, with carpet below, and a welcome mat, no dusty clothes or shoes in the tent. We do allow the dust to range freely through the carport, as trying to keep it out made dunes, and the wind resistance damaged the end walls.

I have been in a big Army tent for a massage camp which had a vestibule where you removed your shoes and shook off the worst dust, but never seen a full on airlock. Not even medical has one, do they?

[lucky420]

An airlock? To keep the dust out? Where the fuck do you think you're camping?

Embrace the dust, don't be such a pussy.

[tamarakay]

A guy that camped near us had a two room tent. Since the divider was just a curtain he duct taped it to the floor and then put a Velcro strip on the opening flap. Clean clothing and bedding in room two with his figjam cooler, dirty clothing removed in room one. That whole thing was up under a monkey hut. Worked well for him.
Nothing is dust free, but it sure made his sleeping time better.

[lucky420]

A guy that camped near us had a two room tent. Since the divider was just a curtain he duct taped it to the floor and then put a Velcro strip on the opening flap. Clean clothing and bedding in room two with his figjam cooler, dirty clothing removed in room one. That whole thing was up under a monkey hut. Worked well for him.
Nothing is dust free, but it sure made his sleeping time better.

See, you're way nicer than me...

[tamarakay]

A guy that camped near us had a two room tent. Since the divider was just a curtain he duct taped it to the floor and then put a Velcro strip on the opening flap. Clean clothing and bedding in room two with his figjam cooler, dirty clothing removed in room one. That whole thing was up under a monkey hut. Worked well for him.
Nothing is dust free, but it sure made his sleeping time better.

See, you're way nicer than me...

It was my turn. Next time I'm the bad burner

[Skuzzy61]

Well, we are renting an RV for the trip, and as I do not want to spend 3 days trying to clean it after BM, I figure to do some things to reduce the amount of dust getting into the RV.

I have considered a small, positive pressure, structure at the door of the RV where we can change clothes. The idea of being dusty does not bother us at all. I have seen what an RV looks like when no dust infiltration precautions were taken and it aint' pretty.

I have given up on getting any deposit back, but I do not want to give BM a bad name with the RV dealer.

[ygmir]

A guy that camped near us had a two room tent. Since the divider was just a curtain he duct taped it to the floor and then put a Velcro strip on the opening flap. Clean clothing and bedding in room two with his figjam cooler, dirty clothing removed in room one. That whole thing was up under a monkey hut. Worked well for him.
Nothing is dust free, but it sure made his sleeping time better.

See, you're way nicer than me...

It was my turn. Next time I'm the bad burner

how bad?

John Whayne.jpg

[lucky420]

See, you're way nicer than me...

It was my turn. Next time I'm the bad burner

how bad?

John Whayne.jpg

oh my...

you know that's straight up sexy

[sparr]

Well, we are renting an RV for the trip, and as I do not want to spend 3 days trying to clean it after BM, I figure to do some things to reduce the amount of dust getting into the RV.
I have considered a small, positive pressure, structure at the door of the RV where we can change clothes. The idea of being dusty does not bother us at all. I have seen what an RV looks like when no dust infiltration precautions were taken and it aint' pretty.
I have given up on getting any deposit back, but I do not want to give BM a bad name with the RV dealer.

This, times ten, for my second year bringing my home to the playa.

I suspect that everyone saying "just deal with it" gets to leave the dust behind on Monday. If you were stuck with it, I bet you'd care more.

[sparr]

[...] your 'airlock' should most definitely have a floor. [...] having a welcome mat or carpet outside the door. Being under or inside a great shade structure is also a big factor [...] I had a big tent with multiple rooms, and I had a tiny scrap of carpeting as a mat out front. Wiping feet first, then using the outer-most room as a place to take shoes off helped me keep the inside space with my bed relatively dust free.

We have a two room yurt. The second room is virtually dust free. It's totally sealed including the floor tarp which is taped to the walls. [...] I guess the entry room works like an airlock of sorts?

A guy that camped near us had a two room tent. Since the divider was just a curtain he duct taped it to the floor and then put a Velcro strip on the opening flap. Clean clothing and bedding in room two with his figjam cooler, dirty clothing removed in room one. That whole thing was up under a monkey hut. Worked well for him.

These all sound like great approaches. Thanks for the examples. I was probably going to do a shade structure for temperature control already; good to know that will help a little with dust. I hadn't considered carpet, but I can definitely visualize how it would trap dust a lot more than other surfaces might, and I'll incorporate floor mats and carpeting into my strategy. I had also considered the idea of removing dusty clothing before entering the cleanest room, so it's good to hear that's been done and worked; I honestly wasn't sure how much more dust was coming in with clothing rather than on skin and in hair and on the wind.

[Simon of the Playa]

i have commissioned a 10 hour long condition alpha dust storm for this year.

cost me plenty, but it will be so worth it.

[lucky420]

Well, we are renting an RV for the trip, and as I do not want to spend 3 days trying to clean it after BM, I figure to do some things to reduce the amount of dust getting into the RV.
I have considered a small, positive pressure, structure at the door of the RV where we can change clothes. The idea of being dusty does not bother us at all. I have seen what an RV looks like when no dust infiltration precautions were taken and it aint' pretty.
I have given up on getting any deposit back, but I do not want to give BM a bad name with the RV dealer.

This, times ten, for my second year bringing my home to the playa.

I suspect that everyone saying "just deal with it" gets to leave the dust behind on Monday. If you were stuck with it, I bet you'd care more.

Yeah because it magically just disappears on Monday...

[VultureChow]

Oh the fun I've been missing... positive air pressure, clean rooms, etc.

There's a law of diminishing returns here. The only thing positive air pressure will keep out is airborn dust, and once you've closed up your mesh and gaps, unless you open your dwelling in a driving whiteout, the main source of dust is you.

You hair will have more dust than a few seconds of nominal air exposure.

So I guess what I'm suggesting is a Bubble Boy type suit and a mobile Level 4 biohazard lab.

[ygmir]

Oh the fun I've been missing... positive air pressure, clean rooms, etc.

There's a law of diminishing returns here. The only thing positive air pressure will keep out is airborn dust, and once you've closed up your mesh and gaps, unless you open your dwelling in a driving whiteout, the main source of dust is you.

You hair will have more dust than a few seconds of nominal air exposure.

So I guess what I'm suggesting is a Bubble Boy type suit and a mobile Level 4 biohazard lab.

Mr_f6bff4_156961.jpg

yes, yes I did have to.

[some seeing eye]

Think through positive pressure. To create positive pressure, you have to suck in the ambient air and filter from micron dust to at least a hundredth of a micron. That takes a lot of energy, changing filters and expense.

[Skuzzy61]

Like I said, just a thought. And yes, it is only good for the airborne dust which would be the dust shaking off clothing as we remove it to go into the RV. Would not take much air as the particulate mass is very small. It would only operate for a few seconds at a time.

From what I can gather, most of the dust is carried into the RV with you. I do not see a way to be completely dust free when you enter from outside, but doing something to help mitigate the transportation of dust from outside to inside would seem to be a good effort.

I do realize there is no way to stop all the dust from getting into the RV. Just looking to minimize the amount of work and time it will take to clean it up when we get home. I have about 8 hours to clean it up once we get home.

Helpful suggestions are welcome.

[Jackass]

This thread is F-ing ridiculous, nobody's going to strip down to their drawers every time they want something from the RV fridge or when they forgot that killer wig or their chapstick on the bedside table. That just doesn't work that way... Engineer the shit out of a system, build it, test it, tweak it, disassemble it, pack it up, reassemble it, only to find out that you never tested for swirling, strong and persistent playa winds absolutely laden with dust. You'll tear your hair out, kick the dog, throw a fit and then have to live with the fact that it was all in vain as the playa has different plans for you and your "airlock". Accept defeat now, that way it's an easier pill to swallow when you get bitch-slapped by reality. You can not defeat the dust, thousands before you have tried and failed. Embrace it, and actually enjoy your time on the playa instead of chasing individual dust particles from your living space day and night to no avail... It will wash out people. Maybe someone will create a giant zip-lock bag you can park your car inside, one day.

"You got another smoke or a beer?" "Sure, give me a few minutes while I strip down to my underwear and decontaminate myself through the three cambers, I'll be right back"

[Skuzzy61]

You could very well be 100% right jackass. Maybe instead of trying to stop it from getting in, I take control of where it can land once it gets in.