Does your Costco carport look like this?

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:14 pm

Is this the same thing?

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... =200312313

The main reason I'm asking is because I'm wondering if the "6-oz. polyethylene cover" is thick enough to not rip apart in the wind (if properly secured, that is).

Also, anyone know the correspondence (if there is any) between tarp material measured in "ounces" and tarp material measured in "mils"?

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:54 pm

I see those things get trashed regularly at the Farmer's Market here, plus that white stuff does not provide much shade, unless you double it up or festoon it with camo netting or something. Seems like it might take a lot of lashings to get it playa worthy. (Of course if that's the type of relationship you want, party on!) On Ebay there is a company that sells joiners for EMT conduit to create a carport that is much sturdier. I'd go with at least 1 in. diameter. You supply the EMT conduit, they supply a silver lined tarp with grommets, the joints, the bungie balls for attachment.

"ozs." referes to how much the fabric wieghs per square yard. "mil" tells how many millimeters thick it is.

samdu · Post by **samdu** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:56 pm

this is exactly what we got, ours came from sam's club. we used it in '04, and it was so nice we went and bought a 2nd one for this year. it's strong enough that, even with the winds last year and the winds at dark skies this year, it came through just fine. DO use every single ball bungie that comes with it to fasten everything down securely. you should be fine.

MissNev · Post by **MissNev** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 4:14 pm

That's what we have used for our Bar for the past 4 years, but we actually have 2 that we put together. They have held up wonderfully in the wind. Yes, use all the ball bungies, and it provides wonderful shade without cooking us inside. Rebar the feet down.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 5:11 pm

Hm. Differing opinions.

Bly, I'll check the prices on ebay but there's also a website for that: http://www.creativeshelters.com/ I'm considering that route, too (I even found some salvage 1" EMT for about half of the Home Depot price) mainly because I know for sure I can get the silver sun blocker tarp and because I can use two 10' tarps for the sides that I can raise and lower (in other words, way more flexibility). I thought that if I did get the canopy shown above that if it didn't block enough light that I could always throw a silver sunblocker over it (about $30 at creative shelters).

So for those of you who have one, can the long sides be raised? I'd be using this for the public part of my camp and want to have a long side facing the street. Doesn't look like it...

hunter S · Post by **hunter S** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:03 am

Dallas, save yourself the shoping! Sam' club has a great well biult product all inclusive $199 with vinal windows. you can roll up the sides or leave them off. steel tubing is 2" and the only draw back is they wiegh about 200lbs in the box. vinal covers are heavy duty and we've never had problems with UV penitration to a fault. I do hang a few bolts of colorful fabric inside for color & we've found by using a spray bottle of h2o to wet the fabric it brings temp down a few points also gives a little humidity. draw back is plya dust & moist fabric= muddy decor by the end of the week.

samdu · Post by **samdu** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:10 am

we had all the sides (long sides and the end pieces) up and down last year at different times, and this year at dark skies. buy some extra ball bungies, roll the sides up, and bungie them to the top horizontal support. you can let them down when you wish, just make sure to secure them when they're down, especially at the vertical supports, or they'll flap in the wind and the noise will drive you crazy.

sputnik · Post by **sputnik** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:14 am

We used two very similar carports at ubercarney last year (and I think the year before). They did just fine. Rebar the legs down and make sure the bungies are on right.

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:54 am

See
http://www.civex.com/carShelter.jpg
The end flap is still in place in this photo. We never took it off (we couldn't have if we'd wanted to, as we can't reach the top where it fits into the peak of the roof). We have one side flap which we put on the southerly easterly side in the morning and on the northerly westerly side in the afternoon. The south side has that end flap. In the evenings, we remove all the bungies that hold it to the legs, lift the flap up to the cross pieces that hold the roof down, and attach the flap to those pieces. We use all the bungies, as a strong wind would catch the flap and balloon it out. We remove the side flap entirely and put it in the truck.

We use only the two flaps for two reasons. We want to see as much as possible of who and what's going on around us. Burning Man has too much going on (in our humble opinion) for us to be cloistered in our shade). Second, having only 2 sides, we pick up whatever breeze there is without having the air in the shade get as overheated as it does in the tent where it can't circulate.

Everybody's mileage varies; we speak with no authority whatsoever; do what works for you.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:59 am

samdu wrote:we had all the sides (long sides and the end pieces) up and down last year at different times, and this year at dark skies. buy some extra ball bungies, roll the sides up, and bungie them to the top horizontal support. you can let them down when you wish, just make sure to secure them when they're down, especially at the vertical supports, or they'll flap in the wind and the noise will drive you crazy.

Great information. It looked like the side walls included the part that overlapped the front so I didn't think you could roll up the sides. But these images show that the side walls are just side walls (and the overlapping part I saw was on the front wall):

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/ ... =200312313

I'm going to go up to NT right now and check this out. The funny thing is that if you buy the canopy separately from the enclosure kit, it's $30 cheaper. Go figure.

Thanks!

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:00 pm

I would also suggest that the flatter the canopy, the less exposure to the wind, and that is a good thing. You might also consider cement stakes instead of rebar. The pointy end in the stakes doesn't break the playa as much, which provides greater holding power.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 2:44 pm

Bought it today for $89.99 plus tax. Bought the enclosure kit for $49.99 (which NT ships directly to me for free if it's not in stock like it should have been). Got four 15' ratchet ties to use as guy lines for $8.99.

They had one already setup to look at. I'd been wondering how I was going to transport what I assumed were going to be 10' sections but none of the sections are that long. Seems just a little bit loose but I'm sure it will be more stable when guyed. Didn't someone here mention adding bolt holes and using bolts for added stability? I have a drill press so that would be pretty easy to do if recommended. Should I put anything on the points where the pieces come together (to reduce noise from metal rubbing on metal)? I'll definitely be testing it ASAP.

Regarding the angle, yes, I wish it had a flatter peak but designing my own low-peak canopy was starting to concern me because I was worried that not all the parts would work together as they should and that I'd have to send parts back and get new parts and start over and I don't have the time for that. Other concerns included worrying about the conduit rusting, the trouble of moving 10' conduit sections across the country, and being able to find a place to store all that conduit. This unit isn't EXACTLY what I wanted but the price was right.

Edit: More unsolicited edification: The one they have in the store has only 3 legs on each side, not four as pictured. Not sure if that's better (easier transport, fewer joints to worry about) or worse.

samdu · Post by **samdu** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:25 pm

ours have the 4 legs on each side, so i can't really speak to yours. however, we had absolutely no noise from metal rubbing. and there's a really cheap place to buy SUPER heavy duty duty tent stakes, pm me if you want it. i'm afraid to post a link here because of the "no commerce" rules.

brothzilla

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:27 pm

tips may not be commerce. Espeically since this seems to have arisen naturally in the course of a conversation.... But I can understand your not wanting to wander into a greyarea minefield.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:37 pm

samdu wrote:ours have the 4 legs on each side, so i can't really speak to yours. however, we had absolutely no noise from metal rubbing. and there's a really cheap place to buy SUPER heavy duty duty tent stakes, pm me if you want it. i'm afraid to post a link here because of the "no commerce" rules.

brothzilla

Yeah, I was just reading the carport advice thread just now and after looking at S3's pictures realized that what I've bought is not as good as something I could get from Costco. So just now I did what I should have done already and called Costco here and found out they do have them in stock. STUPID STUPID STUPID. Anyhoo, if anyone does end-up buying one like I got, it looks pretty useable. I might end-up returning the one I got, though, and get the Costco one though because it looks like the legs are thicker and the tarp is thicker (that means quieter in wind and more durable overall).

MissNev · Post by **MissNev** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:42 pm

Dallas, ours are the Costco ones.

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:44 pm

blyslv wrote: "mil" tells how many millimeters thick it is.

-correction-
Actually with plastics, films etc...
... "mil" is an obscure abbreviation for:
1 thousandth of an inch "military standard"...
...so if something says 4mil, that means 4 thousandths of an inch...military standard...
...or .004 on your calipers.

...your trash bags that say ".9mil" are just under 1 thousandth thick....
...or .0009 inches

As you can see, the metric system still has no foothold in the western reaches of the free world. It`s more interesting this way I guess.

Don`t ask how I know this.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:50 pm

EvilDustBooger wrote: As you can see, the metric system still has no foothold in the western reaches of the free world. It`s more interesting this way I guess.

Don`t ask how I know this.

I'm betting extensive experience in a parallel universe. Probably entered through a vortex in his kitchen cupboard.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 6:51 pm

MissNev wrote:Dallas, ours are the Costco ones.

Right. I should have looked at S3's pics againt to realize I wasn't getting a carport of the same quality. Sorry about going back and forth and laying out all my carport decisionmaking -- hoping that someone else might benefit from my mistakes (and successes). Costco tomorrow. Whee.

samdu · Post by **samdu** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 9:04 am

theCryptofishist wrote:tips may not be commerce. Espeically since this seems to have arisen naturally in the course of a conversation.... But I can understand your not wanting to wander into a greyarea minefield.

i bought 18 of these last year, and they worked great on the playa. i bought a bunch more this year, since we'll have 2 carports, and we use them the stake our tent down. they're about 14" long, and seem to weigh about a a pound a piece. you can pound them damn near all the way into the ground, and pop them out with a crowbar. put them in at an angle, and NOTHING is going anywhere.

beware- they're heavy, so shipping can be a real bite in the ass, but they're well worth it.

brothzilla

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/prod ... 0A3W2J41M4

safetythird · Post by **safetythird** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 9:56 am

Dallas: Mine is a Costco unit. Purchased at Costco but there's no Kirkland or other branding on it anywhere. As far as the rest .. Bro .. relax and take a breath. Don't over think it. Choose which one you want to try and run with it. Take it to the hilt. No need to second guess now .. run, Forest, run! You'll soon find out if it was a good choice or not. I happened to find the Costco shelter cheaper and easier than piecing together or building another type of structure. But I'm a lazy ass, always looking for the maximum reward for the minimum of effort. I'm a cheap ass too.

samdu: Those are great stakes. I had a welder friend take a few pieces of rebar and weld rings to them. This first gen set looks a little weak with only one weld point attaching the ring to rebar. I've made some design changes and will be taking notes of other playa worthy stakes (like yours) in hopes of coming up with an uber stake. When it comes down to it, your stakes are probably the most important piece of many structures.

S3

samdu · Post by **samdu** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:13 am

samdu: Those are great stakes. I had a welder friend take a few pieces of rebar and weld rings to them. This first gen set looks a little weak with only one weld point attaching the ring to rebar. I've made some design changes and will be taking notes of other playa worthy stakes (like yours) in hopes of coming up with an uber stake. When it comes down to it, your stakes are probably the most important piece of many structures.

S3[/quote]

they are great! we used them at dark skies this year, when we loaned both our shade structures to the event. i don't remember how i found them, but everyone who's seen them has asked where to get them. the picture isn't that great, it makes them look very skinny, but they're actually about 1 1/2" wide, through the cross sections, and very heavy. i'm not a wimp, but when we put 18 of them in a box, it's too heavy for me to lift easily.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 10:22 am

I am looking for ueber-steaks. Medium rare.

HughMungus · Post by **HughMungus** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:06 am

safetythird wrote:Choose which one you want to try and run with it.

I hear ya. No worries. This is why I bought local instead of online, though (thank god). I know everything will work itself out. :D

samdu · Post by **samdu** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:38 am

theCryptofishist wrote:I am looking for ueber-steaks. Medium rare.

and i like mine extremely rare!! people who say "i want it still mooing" don't have a thing on me. if it's still mooing, it's WARM!!!! i want mine RAW and COLD!!! i usually tell the waitress "show it a match and bring it to me."

damn, now i'm hungry, and i'm still at work.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:44 am

samdu wrote:
theCryptofishist wrote:I am looking for ueber-steaks. Medium rare.
and i like mine extremely rare!! people who say "i want it still mooing" don't have a thing on me. if it's still mooing, it's WARM!!!! i want mine RAW and COLD!!! i usually tell the waitress "show it a match and bring it to me."

damn, now i'm hungry, and i'm still at work.

If you have $500 and a really heavy truck, you can arrange to run into a cow on the way to the event, cut off the flank, pay the farmer and enjoy!

But some would consider you a barbarian...

samdu · Post by **samdu** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 2:32 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:

But some would consider you a barbarian...

and i sound my barbaric BELCH over the roofs of the world!!

Sean_til_Dawn · Post by **Sean_til_Dawn** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 4:08 pm

I have used a Costco carport since 2000. It still stands strong.

The only problem is dropping the poles on a hard surface. It can put the ends out-of-round and make them hard to seat and/or disassemble.

I have never used the side canopy pieces. I use camo nets for that. More airflow.

The carport has been lifted 10 feet in the air by wind and slammed into multiple pieces upon landing. It was undamaged. The roof has seen A LOT of wind. The corners have some buttons and they have ripped, but otherwise, the roof is still tight.

I have never used the pins. Just gravity and some good tie-down methods.

Good luck.

Sean_til_Dawn · Post by **Sean_til_Dawn** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 4:16 pm

Oh yeah. Stakes.

Concrete forming stakes. Round ponted metal bars. Holes up the top quarter for nails.

These are great. Put a small nail through a hole and tie away. Pour some water on the base to pull it out with visegrips. Just twist it out.

Only use real rebar safety caps. No tennis balls or a fucking 2 liter bottle.

safetythird · Post by **safetythird** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 8:17 pm

No nasty pointies to worry about here.

S3

Does your Costco carport look like this?

Does your Costco carport look like this?

yup!

thanks, crypto!!

sorry, walt whitman