Great Shade Structure Source!

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:41 am

"If it sounds too good ... ."

I'd suggest another look at Capn Smashy's photo he posted on Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:52 am. Do you see a lot of shade under there? While I never saw the shade structure (nor the cheaper version Sharky found) on the playa, it looks to me like not a lot of shade for most of the day and that you have to keep moving your chairs around as the day goes by.

Whatever works for Mozy Bonz, though. I have vitiligo, a skin condition that prevents me from tanning and guarantees a sunburn, so my needs are very different from most Burners.

Post by **mdmf007** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:45 am

I have always wanted to build a shade structure and camp out of cardboard. Burn it all when I am done. It would be like building forts when your a kid again.

makoona · Post by **makoona** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:11 am

[quote="phil"]"If it sounds too good ... ."

I'd suggest another look at Capn Smashy's photo he posted on Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:52 am. Do you see a lot of shade under there? [/quote]

We were camped next to mozy's star shade and actually, there was usually plenty of shade under there to go around. If you look at the photo with the the people powered vehicle parked in front of it, you can see there's more shade and that's representative of what it was like most of the time. You can spot one of their campmates comfortably reclining in the shade, he seems happy, though oddly rigid. :-)

btw, I have an old Moss tent that I love , and was thinking of getting one of those parawings. How'd it do in the wind?

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:22 am

phil wrote:"If it sounds too good ... ."

I'd suggest another look at Capn Smashy's photo he posted on Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:52 am. Do you see a lot of shade under there? While I never saw the shade structure (nor the cheaper version Sharky found) on the playa, it looks to me like not a lot of shade for most of the day and that you have to keep moving your chairs around as the day goes by.

Whatever works for Mozy Bonz, though. I have vitiligo, a skin condition that prevents me from tanning and guarantees a sunburn, so my needs are very different from most Burners.

Well Phil the pic that cap took is very deceptive. As I remember it was taken very early in the day just as the sun was coming up. Also the shade is not put all the way down on the ground. I have the stakes up about 2 feet out of the ground as a temp location.
Check out the shade in the picture with the contraption in it.
As I look more at sharkys tent it has screen in the archways. I would guess it also has a floor and doors that close like a regular tent.

One thing I found at burning man is that there is a lot of shade out there. And lots of people Willing to share it.

makoona! HEHEHEHEHEHE

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:54 am

mdmf007 wrote:I have always wanted to build a shade structure and camp out of cardboard. Burn it all when I am done. It would be like building forts when your a kid again.

You know I think some one did this. I seem to remember a dome made out of cardboard panels no frame. the structure was strong enough to stand on. I don't think it was at BM.

I want a small dome for those killer white-outs. (you meet some of the greatest people in a dome under white-out conditions)

oldsoul · Post by **oldsoul** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:13 pm

[quote="phil"]"If it sounds too good ... ."

I'd suggest another look at Capn Smashy's photo he posted on Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:52 am. Do you see a lot of shade under there? While I never saw the shade structure (nor the cheaper version Sharky found) on the playa, it looks to me like not a lot of shade for most of the day and that you have to keep moving your chairs around as the day goes by.[/quote]

I did have these same thoughts. The cheaper version appears to have some dark mesh panels that can zip down, possibly providing some shade? Maybe the original poster can comment on this since he has one in hand. As long as it can withstand playa winds I may be able to modify it to maximize shade.

We tend to be out and about folks during the day, and must liberally apply sunscreen to keep from burns (I've never had a sunburn of any degree at Burning Man, though several of my past campmates have had some nasty experiences) and usually just return to camp for meals and water refills. As long as this structure holds up and provides a little bit of coverage I think it will suit our needs adequately.

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:18 pm

how do you do that short url again? Fuck sorry..http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... 9%26sa%3DN

Monkeyc's cardboard dome howto
First off, if time is no object, and you want to build a kick-ass cardboard dome with a design that's been stress-tested at multiple Burning Mans, then stop right here and head over to Jon Smith's extensive how-to instructions at monkeyc.org. Jon has built multiple domes for multiple trips to Black Rock City, and if you follow his instructions, I don't doubt that your dome could withstand wind, sand and dust storms, crayons, even the occasional sprinkler hit, with no problem.

http://www.monkeyc.org/dome/index.html

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:06 pm

Not pasting the whole url from the google image search helps.

http://daddytypes.com/2007/04/25/welcom ... uction.php

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:12 pm

capjbadger wrote:Not pasting the whole url from the google image search helps.
http://daddytypes.com/2007/04/25/welcom ... uction.php

Thanks

Sharky · Post by **Sharky** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:25 pm

The smaller North Star Tent has a very heavy, 3 piece center pole with a flat metal plate welded on the bottom. There is a hole for a stake in each corner (I may enlarge them to take a longer and heavier stake). There are mesh panels that zip open and these should provide a bit of difused sade-light........ we'll see how they hold up on the Playa (they may end up getting amputated after the first wind storm). I have also considered using the mesh panels as patterns and sewing some solid panels to replace them.... maybe next year. I do want to stress that I'm feeling quite hopeful after checking out how well this thing is sewn together, how heavy the fabric is, and how solid the center post is.....
The instructions basically say to have someone hold the center post up with the tent draping down and have one or more people pull out the corners until they're tight and then stake them down. I may add some tensioners by the stakes to help firm things up though.
Things are starting to dry out here in the Pacific Northwest, a tiny bit, so hopefully I'll have a chance to get this thing set up and play with it some.
Until then it's all just speculation.............

Sharky · Post by **Sharky** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:29 pm

"As I look more at sharkys tent it has screen in the archways. I would guess it also has a floor and doors that close like a regular tent."

Just thought I'd add that there is no floor............. so actually it's more of a shade structure than tent.

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:13 pm

> was thinking of getting one of those parawings. How'd it do in the wind?

Well, that's a story. The short version is that one of the poles broke. The wind was from a direction that put downward force on one of the wings staked to the ground, and the weight of the wind broke a pole. Heavier duty poles would have stood up, but the poles that came with this wing weren't up to the rigors of Burning Man.

We had a couple of problems - the parawing we had was too small for the two of us - no standing headroom and not big enough for us and our gear to huddle in the shade. It was also translucent - it let IR through and didn't provide 'true' shade. We only used it that year.

As I may have mentioned before, I have vitiligo (areas of my skin with no melanin and which don't tan), so my needs from shade are more extreme than most others'. I also want complete blockage of IR from the sun so that I stay cooler in general than if I were in the sun. Your mileage will vary - others will prefer a smaller, lighter shade.

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:16 pm

Sounds like you need to worry less about IR (heat) and more about UV (tanning/skin cancer) with your skin type.

Badger

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:43 pm

capjbadger wrote:Sounds like you need to worry less about IR (heat) and more about UV (tanning/skin cancer) with your skin type.

Yes, UV causes burns, but I also worry about getting too hot - which was a problem in the translucent parawing. I can cover my vitiligo with clothes, but I want my shade to block IR. Sorry I wasn't clear that the concern with infrared wasn't related to the vitiligo.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:42 pm

While looking for some seats for a project I came across this.... Sorry for the super long link...

Costco type shade covers but a little larger.. super price..

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... lassNum=59

StevenGoodman · Post by **StevenGoodman** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:07 am

There were also the Pods of Podville? Made with cardboard and tape? Very sturdy, lasted many years? Hum, sounds like a perfect for 2009. I am busy this year.

Seats are easy, playatech! http://www.playatech.com/index.php?dept ... ove%20Seat

Martini Steve

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 7:41 am

MozyBonz wrote:Well Phil the pic that cap took is very deceptive. As I remember it was taken very early in the day just as the sun was coming up. Also the shade is not put all the way down on the ground. I have the stakes up about 2 feet out of the ground as a temp location.

Yep, early in the day pic.

We did have to do a little shade tracking, but not enough as to be a real bother. We had lots of good, quality shade when it really mattered in the heat of the day.

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 11:17 am

roamer over here.

it has worked very well for me.
Its rated for 30mph but I have had it in much higher.

Other structures next to it help tremendously in the wind.

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 12:44 pm

I have been looking at this to add as a white-out chill space.

no floor

Mountain Hardwear: Stronghold 4.5 Meter Dome Tent - The Stronghold is our most impervious, double-walled, expedition base camp shelter for day-to-day use in the Antarctic or Himalayas. Strongholds dome shape minimizes wind load over its surface area and three zippered doors, large roof vent and five perimeter vents help circulate air. Perimeter floor-band creates waterproof seats when snow benches are carved. Bar-tacked stress points and nylon pack cloth reinforcements add durability to the structure supported by super strong Yunan Scandium Expedition PF poles.

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:17 pm

> Stronghold 4.5 Meter Dome Tent

I looked at that, too, as Louise's and my Burning Man tent, but it was too much for our budget and too big for our space in our group.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 5:32 pm

Mozy, Phil, How much for that baby???... sweet.......

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:16 pm

Three Grand.

ibdave · Post by **ibdave** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:24 pm

phil wrote:Three Grand.

OUCH

roamer · Post by **roamer** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 8:52 pm

yeah, damn sexy but bloody expensive. One for the Himalayas I think. Now that would be an interesting - can you imagine the content of the Nepalese Regional Burn Survival Guide?

bdeywoo · Post by **bdeywoo** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:42 am

Being emersed in the cold climate most of the year i've thought many time how great a "winter" burn would be. Snow forts built, plowed streets OHHH the possibilities.

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:47 am

I still like it.
The star tent cost more. and I use my BM gear for more than just BM.

I was looking At a different one for $5000.

I was just costing some domes because I have something in mind....Being bullet proof and ez of setup is very important.

In the hardest wind in 07 when everyone was holding down their shades I was dancing in the streets never once worried about my structure.

I kinda like that feeling

"winter" burn i like it.

Dark Star · Post by **Dark Star** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 11:22 am

I'm looking to get new structures this year. I like the tension tent design but it looks like the sweet spot for shade isn't very large and tracks with the sun. Has any one ever put grommets into the side of one of these and added additional material to fill in the open arch.

Currently I'm using a square 20x20 structure for my kitchen and fill in the southern side with camo net. If I moved to the tension tent design it would nice to also fill in that open side to provide better shade. Would the material and overall design withstand adding grommets and a little weight to one side?

The cost for the tent is $149 but how much did shipping cost? My current structure required that I bought the top rail separately. (12 foot steel poles don't UPS well)

MozyBonz · Post by **MozyBonz** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 8:13 am

I would never put any holes in the star tent due to this is a tension tent meaning the pole tightens the tent against the stakes no ropes nothing but the tent. So holes = less tent strength. I do put other structures up in the arch ways. I put tents like in the beach camping photo. And like in this sat photo on the bar I put the end of a 10x20 carport and a 10x10 ez-up in the arch ways. I have plans to expand on this a little.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... iwloc=addr

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:53 pm

Yeah, you could always pound in steel fenceposts and stretch shade cloth in between. I usually do something like that for a shade and/or wind break. Or improvise --

1999, blue lamp district I think.

magicmarty · Post by **magicmarty** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:57 am

Just bought a Northpole dome tent at Costco for $100. It is 12' x 15' and includes a 5' x 12' shade structure out front. The shade structure is a part of the fly that makes the 12' x 15' footprint. The tent itself is 10' x 12'. It is called a two room tent because it has a curtain that can be rigged to divide the space into two sections. It is about 78' high so you cand stand up comfortably inside. Looks pretty sturdy so let's hope so. I plan to bring a spare tent, just in case.

These are available at the Costco in Novato, CA

Not as pretty or innovative as some of the others that have been posted above, but it looks like it will do the job. Hope this is of help :lol:

Great Shade Structure Source!

Speculation........