In Tent Fans

[DerbyDave 18]

In lieu of a shade structure, which I am having a real hard time figuring out how to build, are there any in tent fans that work well and aren't too expensive or is there no such thing as a portable fan that I assume would run on battery or charged with usb and will it actually help so I don't wake up baking inside my tent?

[lucky420]

I’ve used an O2 COOL brand fan before. It uses 8 D batts but works pretty good

[Token]

Despite Lucky’s good fortunes, I’ll opine that a simple fan just converts the tent-oven into a forced-air-convection tent-oven.

i.e. you will cook even faster.

Nap outside tent during daytime. Plenty spots to pass out in the vastness of BM.

[lucky420]

lol stoned

[lucky420]

Oh yeah, I was in a yurt and I had 2 if them

Forgot that part

[BBadger]

You could have one of those expensive Dyson "air multiplier" fans and it would not help you without some sort of shade/airflow.

You could make an evap cooler, but I would rather have the shade than an evap cooler.

[Jackass]

I completely agree that a little bit of shade will go 10x further towards enhancing your experience than any air moving device is capable of...

We already know that the air out there will be moving, at one point or another

[ACfromSAC]

Chiming in encouraging a shade structure... even a small one just to keep the morning sun off of your tent will make a world of difference. Monkey hut it up. A few lengths of PVC, some rebar, shade cloth & bungees. You'll be very happy that you did it. A fan is just going to be pushing hot air around.

[spacetime]

Shade yes. I am trying an endless breeze for in-tent cooling this year.

[Zubeneschamali]

Not in instead, but both. Now you're talking. A shaded tent, with a fan, and a damp top sheet over you, you will sleep an extra 2 hours. I guarantee it.

[spacetime]

Not in instead, but both. Now you're talking. A shaded tent, with a fan, and a damp top sheet over you, you will sleep an extra 2 hours. I guarantee it.

Do you just dunk a sheet in water and wring it out when you wake up in the heat?

[FIGJAM]

I think I would spray it rather than dunking.

And not at all if there is significant dust. Could get nasty.

[spacetime]

will keep the garden sprayer nearby then

[ACfromSAC]

Last year my girlfriend brought small evaporative cooling towels for us to help with the morning heat. She also bought cool touch mats. The combo of the two were surprisingly effective.

[spacetime]

Hmm. Evaporative towels like, for the neck? I see they are like high tech fiber bandannas basically, is that how you see them?

Also, what kind of cooling mats did you get? For a pillow?

[DerbyDave 18]

My problem is I'm going to be by myself and I don't know anything about putting together a shade and from what I've seen of them one person trying to do it isn't going to work out well. Any ideas for a simple one I can make? In 2015 I bought a 10' by 20' reflective tarp but never used it because I had no idea how to.

[lucky420]

I can and have put up a monkey hut all by myself. If you think you need help pulling the shade cloth/tarp over the frame,ask your neighbors. It’s really not much work and most people are happy to help out a bit

You can make a smaller 10ft or even a 5ft one

[Token]

My problem is I'm going to be by myself and I don't know anything about putting together a shade and from what I've seen of them one person trying to do it isn't going to work out well. Any ideas for a simple one I can make? In 2015 I bought a 10' by 20' reflective tarp but never used it because I had no idea how to.

DD18, even though BM attracts all the direct and imaginary descendants of Nikola Tesla, DaVinci et al, not everyone needs to be that guy/gal.

Go here and see this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=277&t=89043

Should be made a sticky IMO for all the BxB shade dilemma folks.

Chat up the user “highwing” and see if you can:

1. Learn a bit, maybe get a materials list of what they used to make that kick-ass shade.

2. Maybe see where highwing is camping and if they would be willing to host a workshop

3. If you really kick it off maybe build a camp of these little gems.

4. Get all the items you can see on that page, get a bunch of 50 and 200 ml bottles of good scotch, small megaphone, go around your block and announce a build party and whiskey tasting. Hot-pants or a tu-tu help.

[DerbyDave 18]

That looks possible. Will the poles stand up in a strong wind storm?

[Ratty]

I did a couple of burns under my friends sail. He would raise and lower the poles on one side as needed. The other side stayed low to the ground and the wind just went right over. It was a fancy triangle of cloth cut and sewn on the bias. It had a bit of stretch.

[BBadger]

I don't know what to tell you man. Why don't you just test it out and see if it works?

There are a lot of shade structure designs people have come up with, many have instructions or list the parts. At some point you're just going to have to sit down, choose one or two, and build them to see if they work.

Set them up in your yard, or if you don't have that kind of space, your local park. I test my shit at the local park because I have no yard at this apartment complex. If it feels flimsy, get some more parts (like rope and stakes and shit), revise the design, and make it work. It'll be a lot easier to work out kinks at the local park, rather than on-playa.

Learn to be handy, because ultimately, you're going to be setting this shit up when you're tired and sleeping under it.

And time is running out.

[DerbyDave 18]

You're right. The one the link took me to looks like something even a do it yourself challenged person like me could manage.

[Savannah]

I’ve used an O2 COOL brand fan before. It uses 8 D batts but works pretty good

Met too! I have two 10" O2 Cool Fans, and I like them a lot. About $20 at Home Depot and Amazon.

One of them is older (6 or 7 years old?) and requires a tiny tiny screwdriver to get into it, so if anyone orders one, I definitely recommend unboxing the fan before traveling, to make sure you have a screwdriver that fits. It's also a good idea because--if it's the older model with small screws--the screws are easy to lose. Better to drop one on the floor in your home than lose a screw in the dust.

O2 Cool fans are not powerful enough to stay in one's tent for hours past the usual time, but if you turn it on and turn it towards you, you may be able to doze until 9am instead of 8am . . . or at least be more comfortable while dressing.

Last year I sat in my shade in front of my fan, spritzing myself with water from a spray bottle. I can't believe I hadn't tried that yet. Very pleasant.

[Kenshiro]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-18-Vo ... /205022215

If you happen to have the Ryobi platform of battery power tools, they have this fan for $40 that gets surprisingly high marks (especially for a budget tool brand) in terms of efficiency, relatively quiet operation, and battery life. Biggest drawback is they are exclusive to Home Depot.

But Ryobi has a lot of Burn-friendly tools that are inexpensive and perfectly suitable for the intermittent abuse of the playa: impact drivers/wrenches, drills, mattress inflators, cordless glue guns (!), and this fan. As an aside their batteries are compatible with this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Arctic-Cove ... /205744083

I happened to buy it because the standard Ryobi fan was out of stock, and frankly I found the misting to be overly aggressive and would leave a lot of water all over my Shiftpod floor.