Decomidification and obscuring logos

[Soliton]

Hi All!

I read: viewtopic.php?f=277&t=56127&p=848574&hi ... logo+cover and it seems opinions varied a bit as of a few years ago.

This morning I received an email from a truck/trailer rental company (orange and white) offering a removable white vinyl product for covering up their truck logos for participants going to BM (for $25). Great idea -- helps them avoid truck damage and less advertising on-Playa.

I'm just renting an open trailer. Opinion/consensus from the folks that have been to the playa a few times whether covering a logo on a small trailer is advised (using tape or above mentioned $25 vinyl)? Other suggestions?

I don't really want to be a walking billboard, but my shoes, bike, canteen, camp stove, tent, hydration pack, car,.... *EVERYTHING* has a logo on it
Where do you draw the line?

Soliton

[Sham]

It's hoped and suggested that there be no blatant advertising on the playa. Many vehicles do not cover up the logos. The hope is you'll be creative and make the logos disappear. Those orange and white folks seem to be using this as a profit center.
The good news is they're embracing the rentals for the playa, when in the past, they tried to refuse those rentals.
The issue they were having was that trucks went to the playa, and the duct tape and other adhesives were baking onto the truck surface and really making a mess. $25 seems like a fair price to fix the problem, although you could get contact paper much cheaper.

[Eric]

It's really not that big of an issue, even though some people make it out to be.
Get some blue painters tape, modify the letters to say something funny or profound, or have a large paper banner printed and use the blue tape to tape that up over the largest logo's (make sure to seal all the edges tight - the wind will just rip it off if you don't). U-hauls thing is about making people spend more money - I was in hysterics when they showed the guy covering the logo on the trucks grill. Seriously stupid.

[GreyCoyote]

I think cover-up is a nice gesture, but unless you've got some really in-your-face logos, I doubt many really care. Seriously, with all the other millions of distractions in the city, your attention is directed elsewhere. And it's not like we all don't know what's lurking under the block-out: it's still got the uHaul colors. And where do you draw the line? We block-out uHaul and now we've got to cover the Coleman on the tent, and the Ford on the vehicle, and the Stetson on Larry's hat.

Personally, I think the burn is just too short to worry about anything but the most blatant logos, but if you do cover-up, you'll earn a few brownie points!

[caffeineslinger]

I wouldn't worry about small stuff like shoes. But the idea is to cover billboard advertising like on moving vans. I really like the creativity people put in to altering or spoofing the logos and such instead of just covering, but that works too. I don't care if you can see the brand of beer I'm drinking.

[BoyScoutGirl]

Like Eric said, blue painter's tape is the cheap way to go. It comes off easily enough when the burn is over, but sticks well throughout if you put it on before the truck gets too dusty.

I'm one of the many who greatly appreciated the logos being covered. I'm making pillow-case-like covers for our new camp chairs, to hide the rather blatant logos. But I don't go so far as to cover the logos on my shoes.

[Molotov]

And those that say gaffer's tape is the way to go, I found out it isn't. The sun and heat from last year released the adhesive onto my RV and I had to use brake cleaner to get it off. I saw no advantage in using it compared to duct tape. I don't like blue (or green) painter's tape. It can also get stuck a little too well. But I did de-commidifyy my travel trailer this year-I removed the manufacturer's logos which were not attractive-including the spare tire cover-leaving my trailer looking like an unblemished white egg with a bit of reflective trim.

[Meat Hunter]

I used blue painters tape in an attempt to seal the windows on my car last year. After baking on all week, I had a most difficult time getting the tape off and it was not until the first of the year that I was finally able to remove the entire baked on residue that was "heat welded" to the paint on my car.

I have a new little white fiberglass trailer this year with the companies name in red plastic lettering tape stuck on the sides.

My feeling is that I am not advocating, promoting, advertising, selling or endorsing that particular brand of trailer any more that I am advertising the brand of pot that I am using in my kitchen, the shoes that I am wearing and I am not going to risk damaging the fiberglass on the trailer like I almost did to the paint on my car last year.

As grey said, where do you stop?

On second thought, I might use red plastic electrical tape to see if I can add an "ER" to the end of the companies logo.

I will be on the playa for 2-1/2 weeks. Any of you folks had any problems removing the tape and residue of generic plastic electrical tape?

[Elderberry]

The adhesive on duct tape melts in the sun. Speaking based on my personal experience.

[lucky420]

I use blue painters tape and white duct tape to change the words on budget truck. It's fun to sit in the shade on a hot afternoon and ponder the word play

[Meat Hunter]

I just trudged out to the barn in the dead of night and added __ __ __ __ __ E R to the three (3) company logos on my little trailer using red plastic electrical tape.

It is not perfect. It actually looks pretty good. There is still no doubt who the manufacturer is. But, no one can give me any grief for not being in the spirit.

Moving on to the next project......

[Canoe]

I would not want to be removing the adhesive from electrical tape.
There's red Stucco Tape readily available now. The poly based stuff is cheap, readily available, and low-residue (similar to $$$ gaffer's tape). They're claiming a 14-day easy remove with no residue. A Burner used it on the playa last year and says it was great.

[pink]

I've never had an issue removing blue painters tape from my van, even after 2 weeks on playa. After I've driven home with the reflectix still on and it's a year later? Not so good. Do I care? Nope!

[mooserider]

Gaff tape, alas, definitely doesn't work. I tried to use it to temporarily fix some broken trim inside my RV, and the 100+ degrees from storage just melted it loose (and I haven't even taken it to BM yet!). Going to try the painter's tape tomorrow, and hope I got a good enough grade for it to work.

[mooserider]

At least I don't have to worry about decommodificating the RV. By the time I get done putting reflectix all over it, there shouldn't be a label in sight anywhere.

[Token]

A can of Pam or similar cooking spray.

Spray where needed, go walk around the block, chat up some neighbors, get back, logo is gone.

Washes off with mild soap.

[BoyScoutGirl]

Token, I assume your method just builds up a nice, opaque coat of greasy dust?

[Savannah]

Hi All!

I read: viewtopic.php?f=277&t=56127&p=848574&hi ... logo+cover and it seems opinions varied a bit as of a few years ago.

This morning I received an email from a truck/trailer rental company (orange and white) offering a removable white vinyl product for covering up their truck logos for participants going to BM (for $25). Great idea -- helps them avoid truck damage and less advertising on-Playa.

I'm just renting an open trailer. Opinion/consensus from the folks that have been to the playa a few times whether covering a logo on a small trailer is advised (using tape or above mentioned $25 vinyl)? Other suggestions?

Man, they're determined to make that money some kinda way, aren't they? If you won't market for them in addition to buying their product, twenty-five dollars please!

I would probably try the stucco tape as suggested by Canoe (I cannot vouch for it personally, but am intrigued). A cursory google shows that it's cheaper.

[Token]

Token, I assume your method just builds up a nice, opaque coat of greasy dust?

Yes.

Playa Beige is always in fashion.

Point is it wishes off easy and no glue issues.

[Savannah]

Token, I assume your method just builds up a nice, opaque coat of greasy dust?

Yes.

Playa Beige is always in fashion.

Point is it wishes off easy and no glue issues.

So you've really done this? (Admittedly, I was wondering if you were joking). I would find this even more quick and amusing than putting tape on a truck.

I've even brought cans & cans of cooking spray to the playa before, for a grilled cheese thing.

[Token]

Yep, did it on my travel trailer logo a long time ago. It blended in real nice by mid-week.

Then after the cool-aid drinking thing wore off I just said fukitall and focused more on the important tings in life, like Playa shenanigans.

[Savannah]

Awesome . . .