best...shade structure...ever!

reefhugger · Post by **reefhugger** » Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:16 pm

i cant believe there arent more of these things...

http://www.bweebweebwee.com/tensegrity/

we took one of these bad boys for the first time this year and it was...

strong enough for three hammocks (actually the hammocks make it stronger)

super cool and breezy with a shade cloth sail ($35 on ebay) ...can be cool at all times with more shade cloth for the edges

cheap to build

easy as shit to put up

did not move a mm in the storms, you can leave it and run amuck in the dust while everyone else is cutting lines and holding shit down

beautiful

fit inside my teeny tiny yaris

NOT a source of wind protection, but thats what new friends and center camp are for

best shade structure for the cost...hands down.

geekster · Post by **geekster** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 11:41 pm

People who might need more wind protection might want to look at something like this:

http://www.creativeshelters.com/Canopy- ... refix=KGSC

The gambrel style would probably shed the wind better than a flat-sided structure.

somekind · Post by **somekind** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:55 am

3) idiots trip on ropes.

I usually wonder which idiot tied ropes all over the playa.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:57 am

A standard carport can be modified, one set of long legs, one set of short, guys in an "X" pr running down the back walls. Moves the wind up and over beautifully. No trip hazards, the interior double-camo provides heat relief, the carport walls provide wind shelter. We left the end walls off, but we have them in solid vinyl or snow camo. Options, options. The spreader bars for the ends of the camo were new this year, added a bit more of a rope footprint than we've had in the past. Camp design is always in flux, being fine0tuned.

The tent was a neighbor, they get close in Hushville.

epic · Post by **epic** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 12:21 pm

That first post looks a lot more complicated then an ezy up clone. A 10x10 can be had for $100 on sale and a 8x8 for $70. Takes 4 people a couple of minutes to fully setup, 2 people longer. 8x8 ezy up fits sideways into most cars. Longways if you have a hatchback or pass through trunk.

timburly · Post by **timburly** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:27 pm

Campmates lost two EZ-up's this year, but then they didn't bother to secure anything.........

i'll stick with the 1 inch conduit and welded brackets they slide into. A couple of tarps and some deep rebar takes care of it.

epic · Post by **epic** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 1:51 pm

rebar stakes in feet of easy up in ground and tied off with cord to top of easy up.

Mr.? · Post by **Mr.?** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:32 pm

I also used this (Tensegrity) as a structure for our camp this year. The over head shade was a 15'x15' silver tarp, and using camo netting to shade the sides. The front structure is a carport made of 1"EMT with a silver tarp for the top. The Tension structure was simple to put up and easy to transport. I used scaffolding in 06, and I believe that the combination between the two (Tension for the overhead, and scaffolding for the walls is by far the best option without a dome.

Hint: I purchased two 20' 5/8th inch rebar sticks at the hardware store. I then made cuts to end up with 8 30" stakes, which I then bent the top 6" into a 90 degree bend... "Voila"

Mr.? · Post by **Mr.?** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 3:44 pm

Mr.? · Post by **Mr.?** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 6:45 pm

[img][img]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f187/ ... CT0014.jpg[/img][/img]

Intubater69 · Post by **Intubater69** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:20 pm

timburly wrote:Campmates lost two EZ-up's this year, but then they didn't bother to secure anything.........

i'll stick with the 1 inch conduit and welded brackets they slide into. A couple of tarps and some deep rebar takes care of it.

I used 2 ez-up types this year without any problems

[img]]

secured with rebar, 3/8 and 1/2 x 24" and 1/2 x 48", 3/4 emt, 3/8 and 1/2 guylines, Ford F150.

ilmarinen · Post by **ilmarinen** » Sat Sep 20, 2008 8:49 pm

..which both worked well for us (Kung Fu Sock Monkeys, KFSM). We called them the Silver Pentacle (aluminet) and Black Diamond (shade cloth).

The size and arrangement of them didn't work very well for hammocks (didn't try). One was about 35' square (at pole tips), and the other about 27' round (at pole tips on the 5-pole).

Some photos of our structures (including lots of boring structural details) are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilmarinen/tags/tensegrity/

Think the triangle lay-out probably gives the best multi-hammock arrangement, but we really liked the shape and shade the Diamond gave us. Definitely was the best bang-for-the-buck (cost and effort) over the Pentacle. using the shade cloth in the shape is comes in was a big key to that, and fewer poles was nice.

-B.

best...shade structure...ever!

best...shade structure...ever!

looks complicated

ez-up

rebar going to ezy up

Re: ez-up

We had 5-pole and 4-pole "tensegrity" structures