Looking For A Good Tent

[ryanw79]

I'm trying to find a great tent for Burning Man. Does anybody have any good recommendations?

[Teo del Fuego]

big enough to stand up in while changing costumes but not so big it takes a ton of conduit to make a shade structure for it. Maybe more important is how you stake it down. Use rebar, at least 2 footers. I used a two person REI tent my first year, and a 10-person Coleman the other years. Both held up fine.

Have a great time!

[accordionMan]

There are several things to factor into your tent purchase. First... are you throwing it into a car and driving it to the playa?

Or are you flying in.

Driving gives you a lot more flexibility because you don't have a major weight issue to deal with and you can go with a bigger tent.

I agree with Teo that a tent big enough to stand up in is the way to go.

I fly in and have a Wenzel Aspen Trail tent. The specs say that it that fits 5... but the reality is that it fits 2 people comfortably.

It's easy to set up and is pretty lightweight. Last year it stood up to those crazy dust storms we had.

What I like about this tent is that it has a screened in porch area (that I modified with reflective tarps to turn it into a shade area). I keep my cooler and food in that area and my bags in the back.

I use 18" tent stakes with 5, 2 foot metal stakes thrown in for good measure.

[BitterDan]

Whatever you do, do not buy an Outdoor Adventures tent for BM. I made that mistake last year and by Sunday my tent was barely standing (and thats after about a half a roll of duct tape to hold it up). This year I am going with something MUCH more robust but I am driving all the way in so the weight/size isn't really an issue for me. I forgot the name and I wouldn't want to link to a corporate store here anyway but what I am looking at is a backyard tool shed that is made of 2" conduit and has a 100% UV cover. It runs around $350 but it seems to be strong enough to withstand anything the playa could throw at it.

Ok I just looked up the one I am going to get and it made by Jewett Cameron. I won't link it here but you should be able to use that to find one. They may be a little pricey but IMO it's worth it for the stability. Of course, if you have a lot of time on your hands you can make a dome for about the same price.

[theCryptofishist]

*laughs at eplayans*

I don't need to stand up in a tent.

[ryanw79]

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I am flying this year, and renting an SUV. So I'm definitely thinking light and compact, perhaps a backpacking tent. However, I saw one that attaches to the back of an SUV, that's high enough to stand in. It's not very expensive either.
Thanks for the feedback though. I heard from someone offline too. They mentioned the playa dust is impossible to clean off after, so I shouldn't spend a lot on it or expect to use it other places. She also said the dust smells after?!
Any thoughts about sleeping in the SUV?
What about camo netting?

[BitterDan]

Yes the dust does smell. While you can reuse some of your equipment that survives, it will smell like playa forever. It's not a bad smell and you get used to it.

If you are going to sleep in your SUV then you had better make damn sure that you have a shelter for it. You will cook like biscuits in the oven without a shade for the SUV.

What about camo netting?

[Mr. Opportunity]

What about camo netting?

Great idea BitterDan

[phil]

Hi, Ryan,

Louise and I have used several tents over the years at Burning Man, and we've washed them in the tub afterwards, getting rid of pretty much all the dust and the smell. If you take a backpackers tent, you'll have no problems cleaning it. (If you wash it in the tub, use cold water - I used hot water once, and it made the colors run. I put in a cup of Lysol (not bleach) as a non-foamy cleaner at the recommendation of one tent-maker.)

Your SUV will be trashed, though. There's no way to keep the dust out. I'm mildly surprised you have been able to rent a vehicle for Burning Man. I used to have a GMC Suburban, and I've slept in it over the years when camping in mild weather. It will get hot during the day, but I'm not sleeping then, so no problem.

There are too many tents to choose from to give specific recommendations. My thoughts are to get a tent that has a full fly and that lets you zip coverings over all netting - if you can't close off the netting, you'll have as much dust inside the tent as outside. Smaller tents (2 or 3 person) should survive fine, but bring a couple of those little tubes you run over your tent pole to fix broken poles (and some duct tape) just in case.

If you camp other than at Burning Man, I'd recommend getting a very good tent. It's a good investment that will give you years of use with some care and maintenance. If you don't want to invest in a good tent, bring some ripstop tape, tent-pole menders, zipper lube, and such, just in case you need it.

There are things for Burning Man that it's not worth buying good stuff for and things where you absolutely need the best you can get. You get to decide which is which, though. :->

Good luck and have fun.

[ryanw79]

Thanks for that Phil. I would like to get something to use throughout the year. I've got my eye on the Omega 3 from Sierra Designs. It seem versatile enough for BM and I read that it's easy to clean. I'm glad to hear there is a way to clean the playa dust off a tent.

I definitely wouldn't sleep in an SUV in the day, at least not with the doors closed.

I am thinking about an additional shade structure. I was thinking about getting a cheap canopy I saw and surrounding it with camouflage netting. I saw some people using that last year and it just seems like such a good idea. It's leafy pieces of fabric sewn to netting. It would provide good shade without getting caught in the wind.
Has anybody out there used camo netting before, or known someone who has?

[accordionMan]

As far as the dust and the RV... you might consider getting some plastic drop cloths and some fabric to throw over the plastic so you're comfortable.

Bring a lot of duct tape to hold everything down.

Also aluminum foil to cover the dash board and some other areas. Otherwise you might get hit with an extra charge for bringing the RV back in poor condition.

Believe me, no matter how "clean" you are, the dust will get into and onto everything.

[ryanw79]

I'm not renting an RV, I'm renting an SUV

[accordionMan]

Oh... even easier.

I rent a mini van.... and do everything I indicated, except for the fabric.

The first few years i was getting hit for between $75 and $125 cleaning fee. Now BEFORE I get onto the playa I line the mini van with the drop cloths... before I return it I bring it to a car wash and haven't gotten hit with a fee.

[BitterDan]

Has anybody out there used camo netting before, or known someone who has?

Vapour had a hammock shelter that was entirely made of camo netting. Had no problems with it whatsoever.