Shade pop up ??

[TristanX]

Last year (2006) was my first year at BM. I went in an RV because I wasn't sure what to expect. This year my budget is smaller so I'm tenting.

Last year I thought about bringing a pop up canopy (similar to http://www.elitedeals.com/10x10spshcab.html) ... but was told not to bother

This year because I will be tenting, I'd like as much sun protection as possible.

At BM last year.. lots of people had these canopies. I didnt think to look at them too closely though (bummer). Did they have super duper strong
poles? The poles I've seen in stores look rather whimpy.

Anyone setup one of these canopies at BM before? Any advice ?

Thanks

[Bob]

Yeah, looks wimpy. Try browsing the Q&A topic area.

[MikeVDS]

Most of those EZ-up type things are too wimpy for strong winds. I've many of them become completely mangled at BM. You might be able to make one work if you tie it down really well. I'd recommend something stronger unless you're willing to accept no shade and a lost structure, because there is a good chance that could happen.

[Dork]

Definitely don't bother. Most of those are wimpy, and a 10x10 top doesn't provide nearly as much shade as you think, especially when you're trying to shade a fixed object like a tent. You need protection on the sides. Some 10x10 popups are more duable, but they're more expensive and still provide limited shade.

For about the same price you can get a 10x20 Costco carport with sides. The only downsides are their unattractiveness and the fact that they take up a lot of space in your vehicle. You could also build a tensegrity shade, monkey hut, etc. Some people have done well with canvas tents draped in camo net or aluminet. Hunt around here and on google for ideas.

[Rusted Iron]

We used four E-Z up shade canopies, for the first time, last year. They worked very well, with some minor adjustments.

We set them up in an L-shape and fastened them down with heavy duty guy-wires and spikes. The cloth was fastened at every corner and mid-span with zip ties. Extra cloth was fastened to two sides, cutting down on the wind that came up from under the canopy.

Another thing that may have helped, is that our trucks were used as a wind break on two sides.

There's a range of quality and strength of the products, I've noticed.

[dragonfly Jafe]

you may have some luck if you start with an EZ up 10x10, using rebar where the poles meet the Playa (tape or tie poles to rebar). This prevents the whole thing from lifting up in a high wind, or shifting sideways. Next attach two ropes to each EZ up pole at the top (where the canopy is) and secure each one at appx. 45 degrees to rebar that is appx. 10 feet from the pole. Now buy 4 snow camo nets (appx. 15'x15') and attach each one to one side of your canopy, extending them downward along the 2 ropes securing each side until they meet the Playa - stake the ground edge several times and tie the netting to the side ropes all the way down.

Now you have a cross-shaped shade structure with 4 bays for tents (put tents up under snow camo). Add a 10'x10' carpet in the center (which is always in shade now) and you will be comfy in all but the worst winds. The snow camo at an angle helps the wind up-and-over your structure, and gives shade at all times of the day.

[gyre]

Problem with the complex ones is they are hard to fix if they get tweaked.
The ones that assemble with joints and pipe can always have new parts.

[DragginLady]

Last year was our first Burn and we took one of those shade canopies. It worked really well. We staked it down with strong rope and re-bar stakes. Then we made some sides for it with a small parachute which covered three sides and used a bed sheet on the other wall. These flapped in the wind a bit and helped keep it a bit cooler in there. The trick is to stake it down really well. Those rebar stakes are the best.

[skibear]

Welcome to ePlaya Draggin Lady.

For a laugh:
This year( 2nd BM) I'm working on a self- designed shade shade
structure. The top will be a 20 X 8 ft grey tarp wrapped over a frame
of 3 or 4 3/4" PVC pipes to curve half round -looking like a Quonset
Hut open on the sides- with slightly flattened roof..

I'll face one open side into the wind (WNW) and drop a tarp off the
top (and sides) at a 45 deg angle ( or 30 deg) down to the ground.
My sleeping area and stuff will be under this tarp. Since this faces
the wind I'll run 5 or 6 nylon ropes tied at the top poles and to 1/2
rebar stakes at the bottom.

This will block the sun and maybe the wind. Not sure what to do with the open leeward front side. It's open. Does the wind ever shift direction in storms?? If so we have a giant windcatcher. Expect I'll have to strongly guy wire the front to 24" rebar stakes. Run a string of Littlebrite-lite Leds on the ft edge for blinkies. Probably have 4 vertical poles in the Quonset part for bracing. Maybe overkill but it's guaranteed not to fly away in storms and the parts are cheap.

Since I'm flying in, most of the assembly gets done in Reno or on the playa. Tarp from Harbor Freight and bulky parts from Lowes't/Home Despot. Lots of rebar including some for other stuff. Small stuff -ball bungies, tie wraps etc and a big portable 12V drill san's battery with car cord from home.

The slopeing 45 deg tarp is a complex curved affair with different
arcs at the top and bottom and needs to be airtight. It's like a large
soup can at a 45 degree angle and sunk into the ground- trimmed off
where it hits the ground and trimmed differently where it intersects
the half-round main shell. Plan to cut and grommet this tarp at home
since I'm sure it will have assembly problems.

Will make a posterboard mockup first to fine tune the design. It can
get downsized slightly.

Is anyone ROTFL at this point ?

[Bob]

...Not sure what to do with the open leeward front side. It's open. Does the wind ever shift direction in storms??...

Daily, actually. The prevailing wind blows roughly from the SW (6:00) in the afternoon and there's usually a cold slight breeze from the E-NE very early in the morning. Storms are mainly from the W-SW but can switch around.

[Dork]

One open end shouldn't be too bad as long as you've staked it down well.

Haven't used harbor freight tarps, but cheap tarps in general shred pretty easily. I'd swing for Lowes or Costco tarps if you can, at least for the free hanging one. Also be sure to keep in mind that the actual dimensions of the tarp are less than what they say on the package.

[skibear]

Thanks for recent ideas. Now I recall SW may be correct. In 05 I was
camped at 8:00 & Ego but the street grid did not face north but more
toward NW. One set of neigbors from BC tried to raise a tent in the
Monday storm. Bad idea -it shreaded. I told other neighbors who kindly
adopted them for the week.

May reconsider how strong grey tarps (like H. Freight) are. Im holding
the bottom of the sloping structure up with nylon ropes. I could place
2 or 3 nylon ropes on top to make sure it doesn't flap up.

[robotland]

Problem with the complex ones is they are hard to fix if they get tweaked.
.

Not only is this true, it's....VERRRY TRUE. Today I had the sad duty of performing a post mortem on the remains of my very first EZ-Up, which after many years of faithful service I had consigned to experimental winter structure duty. we've had a pretty schizo season in these here parts, and the snow and wind have taken their toll- I was forced to wrench the entire frame, in the OPEN position, out of dense woods and then hack the corpse apart with a Sawzall because of MINOR tweaks to the joints. There is absolutely NOTHING that can be done to save an EZ- Up after one of the corner tubes bends that crucial few degrees enough to prohibit the slide from sliding, and it was a pain in the ass for me AT HOME, IN MY DRIVEWAY. On the playa.....Bad, Bad News.
Staked, braced and guyed they're FINE. But when the wind blows, Ol' EZ will rock...And Down Will Come Baby, if you don't rig it right. Cradle and All.

[Hoolie]

Last year (2006) was my first year at BM. I went in an RV because I wasn't sure what to expect. This year my budget is smaller so I'm tenting.

Last year I thought about bringing a pop up canopy (similar to http://www.elitedeals.com/10x10spshcab.html) ... but was told not to bother

This year because I will be tenting, I'd like as much sun protection as possible.

At BM last year.. lots of people had these canopies. I didnt think to look at them too closely though (bummer). Did they have super duper strong
poles? The poles I've seen in stores look rather whimpy.

Anyone setup one of these canopies at BM before? Any advice ?

Thanks

I've seen some of these structures withstand the winds, and others I've seen completely destroyed. I think it all depends on the strength of the structure and how well it is secured/reinforced. It's difficult to evaluate something without seeing it in person, but this one you linked to may work. A steel frame that weighs 40+ pounds should be strong enough if you use it right. As others have said, you'll want to secure it to the ground with rebar at the legs and some guylines at the corners. Also, if the telescoping legs seem flimsy at all, you can slip a PVC pipe over them so they won't buckle. But steel legs should be ok on their own. Again, it's something you need to evaluate in person. Also, you'll want at least two walls since a roof alone doesn't provide much shade. I'd use some type of shade net. This lets the wind filter through so it doesn't put so much stress on the frame. Of course, you'll want to factor in the cost of these extra materials, figure out the total price, and see if you can get something better for the same amount.

[Reddclover]

We use min 4 10'x10's (2 cheapies and 2 pop-ups.) We bind them together at each connection with Zip ties, and use Truss rods (from guitar mfg) for our stakes. ( NO Rebar hassles!!) Then we cover the entire structure with Swedish Snow Camoflage nets. We have withstood the strongest wind storms over the past 5 years! And have Never had a mishap or blowover. The canopies bound together stay strong, while the Camo not only holds everything down but also offers a 10degree cooler refuge for all us overheated burners!
Throughout the years, we have added other "rooms" to our structure, and we found that as long as the main 4 canopies are properly bound together, you can add as many as you like!

[patnmarilyn]

Ok...... we doubt anything is really playa proof. Mostly, it is just a matter of using common sense and a lot of good staking and roping structures down. Something that many people don't want to do. So......... if you are not rich, and are on a budget, here is our suggestion for the folks that can't afford expensive shade structures. Go out and buy, on sale, 2 to 4 of the Quick Shades or EasyUp shade structures. Usually the 10' x 10' are $50 to $70. Then make sure you use rebar or 'threaded rod' to drive stakes down into the 'holes' at the bottom of the shade legs. ( we use threaded rod (with a nut and bolt on top) because most rebar may not fit into the holes in the shade structure legs). Then make sure you searched on line for a product called Heavy Duty Stakes for the 'EasyUp' shade structures. They cost about $20 for 4. You pound those into the ground next to each shade structure leg, and secure with the metal hook thing on to each leg. That will keep the structures secure in most winds, but not incase of winds like last year on Wednesday....... or four years (or so) ago when the winds blasted at 50 mph for hours. In those instances, you need, in addtion to all the above, to ROPE down the shade structure at the four corners with good rope and rebar. Our structures held just fine in those instances, when others were having big problems. It just takes the threaded rod, extra heavy duty stakes, and then roping it all down if the winds start to howl. Hope this helps for the folks that need shade, but are on a budget.