Basic MONKEY HUT Tutorial?

[SugarK]

Hello Dusties!!

Total Virgin planning to attend 2019!

I am trying to keep things as simple, efficient and affordable as possible. I have my priorities straight lol - I just want a comfortable place to sleep in the hot hours of the early to late morning and want to make sure my structures are SECURE! I had thought of building a hexayurt but for my first year I think it might be too much to bother with getting the materials and finding time to build it (I work an awful lot lol), trying to transport it, cost, etc...

Sooo..From my research it seems a good Monkey Hut over a decent tent with a figjam cooler is a good way to go. My questions are:

1) I have found LOTS of info on MH's but is there a simple straightforward tutorial or resource you can share on building one and setting it up? I want the simplest but obviously most efficient and secure design. I am coming solo and may need to set it up by myself, is this possible? Im a fit and active and pretty darn handy 47 year old female, but Im 5 foot 2 110 lbs soooo...lol. Any feedback on an approx. budget for supplies to make a basic monkey hut to cover a small tent (its about 5 foot tall x 6 ft diam)?

2) I already have a super basic 3 person dome tent. Its a Coleman and I love it, had it for years and its well made and sturdy. Will this suffice for the playa as long as its under a monkey hut and staked down well? and with a figjam bucket cooler I imagine since its so small it will keep nice and cool?

3) any other good tips for setting up and/or designing my camp for maximum comfort and efficiency?

Thanks in advance for any resources or advice you can share

SugarK (Kate)

[Token]

Kate,

Let me help you with your quest by teaching you a bit on Eplaya search.

Use the Google search engine to find stuff here on Eplaya.

On the Google search page use the “site:” command to tell Google where to search;

Site:eplaya.burningman.org “monkey hut”

That will return vast discussions on the subject.

Read, read, read, then read some more.

Once you get the basics, then come back with specific questions for things that need a bit of help.

Asking for general tips and such ... not gonna get much love in these parts. The whole radical self reliance thing on doing your research up-front.

Good luck.

[SugarK]

thanks Token I appreciate the reply

I have searched and read alot of threads on very specific/particular "facets" of monkey huts but I find the sheer volume of all them and am finding they focus on the minute details (instead of just - WHAT exactly is a monkey hut and how is it built - like, teach me like the total newbie I am y'know?? haha ) ...a bit overwhelming and confusing tbh...just thought someone might be able to offer up a good general tutorial that I can START from, since I'm someone who has never built a structure anything like this before or ANY structure for that matter haha . I'm also all about self reliance from a time-management standpoint . As a single parent who works 50-60 hour workweeks and having only limited time to plan and build my burn, I'm really trying to manage my prep time leading up the burn as efficiently as possible too!!

I do appreciate your thoughtful response and what i do see as a gentle (low snark lol) reminder about self reliance though, thanks again

SugarK (Kate)

[Just_Joe]

Check here-
http://www.chromatest.net/Lovemonkey/

[Token]

Chromatest, a former denizen of these parts was largely responsible for advocating the monkey hut concept in these parts, long ago.

His original site remains a solid how-to for building one.

http://www.chromatest.net/Lovemonkey/

[Token]

Ha! Joe is The Man!

[some seeing eye]

It sounds like you are well on your way planning early!

To narrow down your choices, some variables will come into play:
1. What type of vehicle are you traveling in, what is the roof rack like, and via what major highway inbound - that influences the length of the ribs and which home stores are on the way.
2. What tools do you have, plan to purchase, and are comfortable using - that influences the rebar and sledge hammer vs lag screws decision
3. Are you camping in a tightly packed camp, or in an open area where there is plenty of room for guy lines, but stronger winds? Using your vehicle as an anchor can come into play here too.


The beauty of these structures is that they are inexpensive, use materials you may use around the home later, and are strong and wind resistant for the weight and bulk of materials. There are many designs and almost all of them work.

[SugarK]

AWEsome! Thank you Joe and Token, this is EXACTly what I need as a good newbie introduction .

some seeing eye : thanks for bringing up these VERY good points for me to consider! I hadn't even gotten far along enough to where I'm thinking transport, about which route Im taking and so forth . But yeah thank you - solid advice as obviously your points will factor in I'm off and running...!

[Just_Joe]

Ha! Joe is The Man!

*One* of the Men, if only because I beat you to the punch by four minutes

Bob Stahl and Chromatest should be in the Survival Guide.
Read this for some more "olden days" wisdom, SugarK.
https://sites.google.com/site/potatotrap/bluetarp

[SugarK]

THANK you JOE what a great link!!

[Lightspeed]

I had a GREAT experience building and using SilverGirl70's Modified Monkey Hut design. It's a little larger than your basic setup (as she designed it to fit over her large Kodiak tent), but it was very easy to build and set up.