Advice on Tents

Cake · Post by **Cake** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:18 am

I'm a third time attendee this year but first time using a tent (went in a cargo van first two years). I realize my tent won't be completely dust free, but I don't want to inhale dust while I'm sleeping and I'd like to keep the dust from pouring in through the gaps in the tent structure when the wind howls.

If anyone has any suggestions on specific tents or on methods to keep down the dust when the wind blows, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:25 pm

Try to avoid purchasing any model of tent that has large screen/mesh panels, unless they have nylon windows that zip closed over them.

You want to particularly pay attention to the roof of the tent--lots of them have screen tops which are covered by the rainfly in normal use. But I find that LOTS of dust can work its way up between the tent and rainfly.

You might also want to consider either bringing lots of fresh pillow cases, or remembering to stick your pillow inside your sleeping bag/under your blankets when not in use. If you lay your head down on a dusty pillow case, you'll definitely feel like you inhale dust while sleeping on it.

MrMullen · Post by **MrMullen** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:41 pm

Forget about avoiding the dust. I have a cheapo Walmart tent that has vents on the top and I still don't have dust problems no matter the conditions. Plus, when I use it in the real outdoors, I keep cool with vents.

Dust avoidence at Burningman is a hopeless task.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:04 pm

One of the best things is to simply use a vehicle or something else as a wind break so you aren't being hit directly by the wind. I don't recall ever getting that much dust in through tent vents, and I've used a few different ones. The dust has pretty much all been dragged in with my clothes an blew in when I forgot to close the door for the day.

Other than getting a tent with flaps that go over the vents as mentioned, just get whatever is the right size/cost for your needs and close it up nice and tight unless you're in it and need a breeze.

Post by **trilobyte** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:59 pm

Get a cheap plastic painter's tarp from Home Depot (9x12 tarp is under $2). Put that over your bed and bedding when you get up, then pull it off and tuck it someplace when you're ready to go to sleep. Your bed, pillows, and bedding will be dust-free (at least until you get in 'em haha).

falk · Post by **falk** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:17 pm

I spent one night in one of those horrible vented tents -- never again. Dustiest. Tent. Ever.

Is there any way of telling before you buy them if they have vented roofs?

Tiara · Post by **Tiara** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:19 pm

falk wrote:Is there any way of telling before you buy them if they have vented roofs?

Ask if there is a model set up somewhere in the store. If not, ask the sales person if you can take it out of the box to see.

You might also be able to do an internet search on a particular model to get more details than what's printed on the box.

falk · Post by **falk** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:09 pm

I like it when they have models, but I'm never sure if they're accurate models or not. I guess if the model has vents, you can pretty much count on the real thing having them.

Checking on the internet is an excellent idea.

I guess the best solution is to find out what the store's return policy is.

nani punani · Post by **nani punani** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:58 am

The temp inside my tent gets to around 4 billion degrees when the sun comes out! I heard someone talking about a reflective material that can be spread over your tent and does an excellent job keeping the light/heat out. Any idea what it is?

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:36 am

Reflectex. Think bubble wrap with silver mylar stuck to both sides. A sheet of sliver mylar would work too (survival blankets), but just to warn you, they are very light weight and may tear in the wind, plus they are really noisy when moving in the wind.

I'd just go with a simple silver tarp as a large a-frame shade structure over your tent.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:56 am

MrMullen wrote:Forget about avoiding the dust....

Dust avoidence at Burningman is a hopeless task.

Yupper.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:59 am

Re survival blankets, yes they tear in the wind, make tons o' MOOP, and blind the neighbors when the sun is on them.

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 10:19 am

AntiM wrote:Re survival blankets, yes they tear in the wind, make tons o' MOOP, and blind the neighbors when the sun is on them.

Do you of a way to re-enforce them? I was thinking about glueing them to the vinyl cover I'm building for my dome. I wonder is other people could maybe glue them to fabric to keep it from tearing?

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 1:09 pm

I'm not sure, the ones I'm familiar with have layers which shred in sections. Maybe glue would work?

Tastes Like Burning · Post by **Tastes Like Burning** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:02 am

Regarding survival blankets & sun reflection:
"All-Weather Space Blankets" work well to help keep your tent cooler in the sun. They're thicker than cheap foil survival blankets, they have tie-down holes, and they reflect light much better than a silver tarp. As long as they're thoroughly tied down to your tent, you shouldn't have problems with noise or tearing in the wind.

As for keeping the dust out... good luck.
Placing a rug under your tent vestibule, and inside your tent, may help, somewhat.
Oh, and whenever you leave your camp, make sure that you zip up any doors or mesh vents on your tent... Otherwise, you may come home to find your sleeping space plastered with playa from that dust storm that hits while you're gone.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 6:41 pm

If you have the room, bring enough wood shipping palettes to make a kind of deck under your tent. It'll raise it up out of the dust. Might also help with air circulation, too.

If you have the budget for it and a roofrack to carry the poles, you might want to invest in a smaller tipi. They're tougher and IMO, look cooler. More expensive of course (around $600 last I looked) but would likely last longer.

patnmarilyn · Post by **patnmarilyn** » Wed Jul 26, 2006 6:09 pm

Ok.........here is the answer to the question. What tent does not have the vents in the top, that let all the dust in? Well, 99% of all tents these days have those vents (with no zippers to close the vents). BUT, there are 2 that don't have the top vents !! They are both made by Eureka, the first is 'The Headquarters Tent', and the 2nd is the 'Titan Tent'. These 2 tents have very large wall sized zippered windows, but no upper vents.
The Headquarters tent costs about $250 ( EBAY) -- $275-300 (cheaper resellers) up to $350 from regular tent sellers. The Titan costs $100 more. The are both 7' tall, and the Headquarters is about 9' by 12'. it is a great tent. We got ours on EBay for about 250, not sure if you can still find it under $300. To learn more about these tents, just Google Eureka Headquarters tent. Hope this helps................

MrMullen · Post by **MrMullen** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:30 am

patnmarilyn wrote:Ok.........here is the answer to the question. What tent does not have the vents in the top, that let all the dust in? Well, 99% of all tents these days have those vents (with no zippers to close the vents). BUT, there are 2 that don't have the top vents !! They are both made by Eureka, the first is 'The Headquarters Tent', and the 2nd is the 'Titan Tent'. These 2 tents have very large wall sized zippered windows, but no upper vents.
The Headquarters tent costs about $250 ( EBAY) -- $275-300 (cheaper resellers) up to $350 from regular tent sellers. The Titan costs $100 more. The are both 7' tall, and the Headquarters is about 9' by 12'. it is a great tent. We got ours on EBay for about 250, not sure if you can still find it under $300. To learn more about these tents, just Google Eureka Headquarters tent. Hope this helps................

Ahhh...just goto to Walmart and get a cheap tent. I have stayed at BRC twice with a cheap tent from Walmart and they work just fine. They have vents in the top but fighting dust at Burningman is a hopeless task. Just keep your stuff in sealed tubs and you are all set. Even in a wind storm the dust really does not get into your tent. Save $60 and get a cheapo tent for $40.

Lorgasm · Post by **Lorgasm** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 9:48 am

If you see a price on a tarp that's just too good to be true...it is...be afraid....run like hell...

patnmarilyn · Post by **patnmarilyn** » Thu Jul 27, 2006 4:01 pm

We can't speak with as much experience as the above posts, since we have only been to BM 6 times. However, i concure with the post, a cheap tent works fine if you can't afford the expensive ones. Here is what we did with the cheap tent 2 years ago, (nice thing about the cheap tent is that you don't have to worry about hurting the tent material from using tape)........... Simply cut a piece of plastic the size of the those open mesh vents in the roof, and then tape the plastic to the tent below the bottom of the vent holes. Believe it or not, it works great ! You may need to retape it in 2 or 3 days, but it worked for us.

We used packing tape. Then we put the rainfly over it to keep the plastic and tape from getting wind beaten. Don't think that you can't beat the dust in a tent, we have often been mostly dust free in our tent. And the worst, is waking up in the morning following a dust storm blowing the dust through those open vent holes all night, and realizing how much of the stuff is covering your face, and everything else you have in the tent in the morning. Rainflys DON'T keep the dust out in a good BM dust storm! But cover, (and seal as best you can), those vents, and you will be surprised at how much nicer it is >>>>>>>>>(you definitely can't keep it all out, but it is nice to keep it down as much as possible. )

Sharky · Post by **Sharky** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:59 pm

Our first year we took two tents, one was a quite nice tent with lots of ventilation and mesh, the second was an old canvas tent with canvas sewn over all of the windows (to use as a storage tent). The first night the wind blew like hell and we woke up with the inside of the tent the same color as the playa, including us! We moved out that morning and into the beater canvas tent! No ventilation is just fine so long as you get up when the sun rises, if not you roast. If you bring along a bed sheet or piece of canvas to use as a bed cover during the day, you'll keep quite a bit of the playa out of your bed.

We've been using a little 10 foot travel trailer for the last two years...... if you can swing it, that's the way to go. I pulled a trailer anyway, so this way I can haul my stuff and have a self contained sleeping and storage area that stays pretty much dust free. If you watch the ads, you can find the older trailers from the 60's and 70's pretty darn cheap...... a little creative tlc and remodelng and you've got yourself a cush Playa palace!

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Sat Jul 29, 2006 9:10 pm

For six years I've used a cheap Coleman (17' x 9') "Weathermaster 3 room tent" under two layers of camo on top and on the sides the sun beats in (especially that nasty morning sun.)

http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemanc ... ryid=11020

The special thing about this tent is that ALL windows can be closed and there is no freakin' net on top. During the worst white outs of the past six years, it actually has been bearable inside. (For all tentgoers with sticky zippers from playa dust: take one of those pressurized spritz bottles and wash your zippers once in a while...works great.) Another great thing about this tent is that every window can act as a door...very nice if a campmate wants to enter/exit with privacy.

I believe you can find these for $164 most anywhere, retail is $199, and there are two on ebay selling on July 30, bidding up to $40 so far with 13 bidders. Search "weathermaster" and look for the 17' ones...

One would think this to be a "family" tent and be a wimp in wind, but not true...I've been amazed at how its held up. Use candy caned rebar, as you're more likely to hurt your foot here than anywhere else.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 10:51 pm

Has anyone brought one of those tents that clips on to the back of a pickup bed or around the rear hatch of an SUV? I've got an 05 X-Terra Offroad Edition with the optional tent that straps on around the rear hatch. I'm wondering how well it will hold up...or should I forget about using it and haul my cargo box trailer out there again?

(I'd kinda like to not bring the trailer so I can go 4 wheeling over Mosquito Pass in Colorado on my way out there)

Advice on Tents

Advice on Tents

shade cover for tent?

The Answer !!

Re: The Answer !!

more tent info