Is a cheap tent ok when under a monkey hut?

[stangogh]

Will be attending my first burn, and plan on building a monkey hut. Will I be ok with a cheap tent like the one below, as long as it's sitting under the monkey hut?

[Sham]

Opinions vary on this. My thought is that if you get some 8 inch stakes, this should be just fine. You want to make sure there is a minimal amount of mesh under the rain fly.

[AntiM]

From the mention of good ventilation in the reviews, I assume there are mesh roof vents. Bring something to clip tightly over the top, under the rainfly, or you will have a tent full of dust. Also, bring a sheet to place over your bedding when you are not in it.

[TT120]

A cheap tent will be fine, just make sure it's staked down well. As others have said, seal up all that mesh to keep out most of the dust.

[stangogh]

Bring something to clip tightly over the top, under the rainfly, or you will have a tent full of dust. Also, bring a sheet to place over your bedding when you are not in it.

Thanks for the advice. What would you recommend to clip over the top? What do you recommend using as a sheet over my stuff? A drop cloth like this?

[AntiM]

We use an old pressed fiber blanket or a light comforter. Think soft and drapey, but thick enough to be a filter. A campmate uses a polar fleece throw successfully. Old curtains work too, if they're heavy.
And a sheet? Use a flat sheet. Or a tablecloth. Any big piece of fabric. Drop cloths tend to be a bit heavy and plasticy. You want the dust to stick to your dust cover, not slide off.

If you can't hit a thrift shop, or have spare bedding on hand, get a couple of throws something like these:
http://www.amazon.com/Cozy-Fleece-Blank ... 00DP4XBGI/

You will need some spring clamps. Great things. I like the big plastic ones (muslin clamps on Amazon), but the metal ones work too.

[FossaFerox]

I used a sundome last year, using one again this year. Although they're inexpensive, they're relatively well made. You'll want longer stakes, even under a monkey hut, but those are dirt cheap. 10" nails from your big box hardware store will cut it so long as the hut is acting as a wind break and you're somewhere in the city (would not recommend for walk in camping). The bigger problem is covering those vents. There's one on each side that can't be zipped shut and the rain fly will act as a wind scoop. I cut down flannel bedding sheets to fit the sections and used safety pins and spring clamps to keep them in place. Worked very well, though it was annoying getting them cut to size and setup.

I'm actually borrowing the tent from a friend (who lent it to me again this year, overly generous, seriously) otherwise I'd seal the vents permanently with caulk or the like.

[vlajim]

Welcome to your first Burn.
We use a Colman EZ-UP tent because it has 2 small top vents that you can close. The mesh panels in most dome tents are a real problem at Burning Man. You can watch the dust just rain into the tent. A section of plastic sheeting or a cheap table cloth might serve to block out the dust. There is no escaping the dust.

[stangogh]

Welcome to your first Burn.
We use a Colman EZ-UP tent because it has 2 small top vents that you can close.

I've been trying to find forever a relatively affordable tent where you can close the mesh windows. Tried googling the Colman EZ-UP tent but it did not come up. Is that the actual name or do you have a link to it?

[TT120]

Look for 4 season tents. Those are the ones that will have little to no mesh and closeable windows.

[FossaFerox]

4 season tents cost a lot to bring into the dust. A 2 season and some sealant are a lot cheaper.

[Sic Pup]

Cost is relative, I picked this up in 2010 for $99. It's been through 4 burns and still in excellent condition. I did have to soap a stubborn zipper on the rain-fly this year but that's been it in terms of maintenance. It's not something you can have a party in (unless guests are very small and intimate with each other) but I only use it for sleeping and it's comfortable with my full size cot. Not counting this year, c. $4 a night, not too spendy. It fits nicely under the shade flap of my Monkey Hut leaving the bulk of the space for monkeying around. YMMV

[Joeln]

If your sewing skills are up to it you can sew in a light fabric cover to seal up the mesh on a cheap tent.
Here's my rough handiwork:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=68119&p=1002642&hil ... r#p1002642
This cost me my time only as all the materials were gifted.

[FossaFerox]

Half the space at twice the price? I'll stick with my shitty Sun dome.

[vlajim]

The correct name is a Colman Instant tent. This tent is 9x10ft.
Sorry for the confusion.
We bought that tent just for Burning Man because you can close the small top vents. The only bad thing, the tent is a dark color. This year we are going to set the tent up under the 20x20 shade canopy. One person in our camp will be using a dome tent and we will be able to make a comparison.
Drive safe, we look forward to seeing you there, VLAJim