Cheap 10X30 carports

[Homiesinheaven]

check it out fellow burners. just found this 10X30 carport on ebay for $135 with free shipping:

http://tinyurl.com/bmcarport

walls all around and the steel poles seem to be 1 inch in diameter. these usually go for $150-$200+ at Costco and other places. more than 10 available... happy savings!

[oneeyeddick]

1 inch is small for those poles, the connectors and corners are all plastic, this is the same exact crap those 10x10 gazebos are made of that you find at the drug store.
You will have to be careful lashing it down, because the plastic corners can't support a tug very well.
I used to have 4 10x10s made of this junk until thier 2nd year when it actually got windy.
These are by no means the same stuff that Cosco or even kragen/schucks/checker/O' riley has on the shelf.

[Homiesinheaven]

not everyone is a lifer, i figure for that price you can use them for at least 2 years. also if you put one end down clamshell style that will help with wind resistance:



people freak out too much about structures being strong enough to withstand the apocalypse. 1 inch steel poles are fine with enough guy lines strapping it down.

[Elliot]

I'm not saying that product would not suit Homiesinheaven. But myself, I would run, not walk, away from any such structure that uses plactic connectors.

My Lions Club has a bunch of these..

http://www.kingcanopy.com/product/kmk1pcs

...that we use every year at our 4th of July Festival. $200 for 10x20 with roof. Impressively strong at a good price. And they sell parts, including optional side walls.

[Homiesinheaven]

to each his own and if you can afford $200 and up then hey, good for you. this is an option for people on a budget. BM shouldnt be something you spend thousands of dollars on, right? those corner connectors are totally fine, you can wrap duct tape all over it for more sturdiness. people make Monkeyhuts out of plastic PVC that also do fine, no biggie.

btw oneeyeddick, love your new gif.

[oneeyeddick]

thanks !

You can buy what you want, but I wouldn't try the "clamshell " with those plastic corners. It won't take the strange angle and the corners will snap without any help from mother nature.

monkey huts are made from sturdy PVC, and can flex a little in the wind, and once again, those corners are not even close to that quality of plastic.

for just 30-40% more in $$, you will have something that you can reuse for many years -vs- something that will prolly break on the first.

[Captain Goddammit]

You've gotta be kidding... 1" poles and plastic corners? Yeah that OUGHT to be fine. By the time you buy that piece of crap and throw it out when it breaks and have to replace it with something else, you'll have spent MORE money than if you'd kicked in just a LITTLE more on a good one.
That's where some people's math skills fail.
Those Costco units are quite sturdy. I have one that's been standing continuously for ten years without any kind of failure! I'd say that's a lot cheaper than buying poorly constructed shit that ain't gonna hold up, for damn near as much $$ in the first place.

[slvrnmph]

Yeah, it's cheaper now, but if you know you're going to want to use it for even one more year you'll discover it's not so cheap when you end up replacing it every year. I'm happy my camp mates insisted that I pick up one with 2" diameter steel poles. You have to remember these are rigid structures that are going to try and withstand the winds. With the number of structures I've had get torn down by the wind in my own camp and what I've seen happen to other camps. I'd rather invest a little more money in something reliable and that I'm not going to have to attempt to repair partway through the week on the playa. You also have to remember those poles are hollow, so it's not like you have 1" thick pieces of steel.

It's like how you have to tie everything down. My camp made of the mistake of not tying down a dome in 2007. I can't explain why we didn't do this, but it was a stupid rookie mistake and people in the camp should have known better. Here is a picture of that dome after the dust storm that occurred part way through the week.

The wind picked it up and rolled it down the street into someone's car, breaking the windshield. Yeah, so we also got to be the jerks who's camp damaged a neighbor's car. We collected money to pay to repair the car, but still. If we'd tied it down it would have been fine, but do you really think rigid plastic can hold up against wind that can do that?

As oneeyedick said the monkey huts are flexible, which is why they can be built out of pvc. They aren't fighting the wind the way the car ports do.

[AntiM]

We have 2" steel poles, and we've had one of those torque in the wind during set up.

[Captain Goddammit]

I'd like to mention that all these people saying "don't buy garbage" are not rich people with money to burn! We're all budget-limited burners trying to save you from just throwing your $$ away on stuff that ain't no good.

[oneeyeddick]

True that, CD.

I ran an ad on craigslist for JUST the old poles that people have in thier backyard without the covers, and ended up with 3 sets of them for $110 total, and one of them even had all of the sides still in a box.

[Elliot]

I'm a bit ashamed of it, but I might as well admit that I am quite poor. Not living-under-a-railroad-bridge poor, thank Dawg, but definitely living-in-an-old-trailer-house poor. It's all a matter of priorities. I try not to throw my precious few bucks away on short-lived products. And I hate to see other burners make that mistake.

[Sunkix4]

Has anyone actually purchased and used this carport?!?

The item description has this warning:


Please Note: We advise customers to never leave canopy up overnight  or under bad weather conditions. We will not be responsible for such weather damages. It is up to customers decision to determine the correct weather condition.
 
*it just makes me a little nervous!

[Homiesinheaven]

Sunkix4, they all say that. even the 2 inch pole ones say that they are not meant to withstand harsh weather, which they are not unless you strap them down good as slvrnmph mentioned. our kitchen for the past two years has had 1 inch poles and has been totally fine.

you dudes spread too much irrational fear on everyone who posts and rarely have anything supportive to say. i'll have one of these at my camp and you can come on by and have a beer and CHILL out or continue to speculate on how horrible and oh most terrible things are certain to happen.

[Sunkix4]

WHOA!!!! I was just wondering if anyone else had experience with this item! I like to get other opinions before I shell out $135! Especially since its not something I can see in person!

But thanks for the advice anyways!

[oneeyeddick]

you dudes spread too much irrational fear on everyone who posts and rarely have anything supportive to say.

Like i said before , I had 4 gazebos made out of this exact crap, and they all broke in one big tumbleweed when they couldn't take the wind.
It wasn't my lashings that were the problem, it was the cheap plastic that the elbows were made of that gave way.

Telling someone to not waste thier money on buying something that won't work is very supportive, financially speaking, and you are trying to save a buck here, right?

Don't get all irrational on us if you already bought one, but please take a picture and prove us wrong(if you can) at the end of the week, or however long you will be out there.

[Homiesinheaven]

i guess people have different experiences but like i've already said, two years of having one with 1 inch poles and no problemo whatsoever. you want pictures instead of a beer and seeing it for yourself? come on over oh ye of little faith.

[gyre]

Almost transparent cover, a failing of the cosco also.

Even some of the steel joints are too fragile.
There are some joints made for larger pipe.

I wouldn't even use plastic here, with the lowest average wind in the country.

Everything in here is a better deal.
http://www.shelsys.com/
http://www.hollidaycanopies.com/

And you don't have to use conduit with even the smallest fittings.

Everything has to resist or flex with the wind.
Some use both, but it must all do the same thing at once.

[gyre]

Have you set yours up without a windbreak yet?

Are you sure the one on ebay is the same one you have?

[oneeyeddick]

i guess people have different experiences but like i've already said, two years of having one with 1 inch poles and no problemo whatsoever.

That's not what you said, what you said was

not everyone is a lifer, i figure for that price you can use them for at least 2 years. also if you put one end down clamshell style that will help with wind resistance:
people freak out too much about structures being strong enough to withstand the apocalypse. 1 inch steel poles are fine with enough guy lines strapping it down.

and that one in that picture is not the one you are showing people and suggesting they buy for themselves, that one has bigger than 1"poles, and they are brown.
Is that even yours ?

[Homiesinheaven]

what's a windbreak, gyre? i've never set up camp while windy, is that what you mean?

oneeyed, the brown one in the picture is mine but has 2 inch poles, i was showing the clamshell way of setting up a carport in that picture. our kitchen is the one with 1 inch poles that everyone is freaking out about. my first year we also had a 10X10 EZ Popup one that you dont like and it had lasted 3 years before that on the playa (granted, with no other use the rest of the time). why dont you wanna come see for yourself weirdo? do you hate free beer or something?

[gyre]

Anything next to you to stop the wind.

Anyone setting up early or on the outskirts may get direct wind.
Makes a difference.

[Homiesinheaven]

totally, we've always used cars or RVs to block the wind as much as possible. last year we had horrible wind conditions that i think were due to our outer ring location. we had it much better on the esplanade in 2008.

[capjbadger]

i guess people have different experiences but like i've already said, two years of having one with 1 inch poles and no problemo whatsoever. you want pictures instead of a beer and seeing it for yourself? come on over oh ye of little faith.

Steel or plastic junctions? We're not really saying the 1" can't hold up if done right, it's the junctions that are the problem.

-Badger

[oneeyeddick]

exactly, the junctions are the big issue I have with that krap too.

If you wanna try the "clamshell" setup with them, go right ahead and try to prove me wrong, or prove yourself right or however you want to look at it.

I get all the "free" beer I want, it's gonna take a lot more than me just looking at your weak ass shade to intrigue my interest in heading your way.

do you serve pickles in your camp ?

[slvrnmph]

Not only are the corner pieces plastic, but note that it also says easy push in connectors and that you can't see any bolts holding those corners in place. There appear to be some little metal rings that pop through, but personally I wouldn't trust those. You really think that those corners are going to hold when they are simply pushed in place and are setup to be a quick release?

[Homiesinheaven]

nothing wrong with plastic connectors sillies. Monkeyhuts have all sorts of plastic connectors and they work fine with duct tape:

http://www.chromatest.net/Lovemonkey/

that metal ring plus more duct tape wrapped around the outside will provide extra support as well. oneeyed actually yes! we have awesome homemade pickles! it's not about being right or wrong brotha, i'm just trying to be nice to you. why always so confrontational?

[AntiM]

I just spent $255 for replacement pipes/poles for our two heavy-duty carports. A good portion if that was shipping to UT from NC. These are the big two inch poles, the covers,walls, steel knuckles, feet etc, are fine. The carports have been going to the desert for seven years. What killed them was being frozen in place in our trailer for a couple months after a heavy snowstorm after a winter solstice. Rusting inside and powder-coating is flaking. However, going with two lighter carports which would require all new fudging of the set up makes less sense than new poles.

So it depends on what works for the individual and what they see as "worth it".

[slvrnmph]

nothing wrong with plastic connectors sillies. Monkeyhuts have all sorts of plastic connectors and they work fine with duct tape:

http://www.chromatest.net/Lovemonkey/

that metal ring plus more duct tape wrapped around the outside will provide extra support as well. oneeyed actually yes! we have awesome homemade pickles! it's not about being right or wrong brotha, i'm just trying to be nice to you. why always so confrontational?

You keep comparing the RIGID carport to the FLEXIBLE monkeyhut. There is a big difference when you are talking about a rigid structure versus a flexible structure. Duct tape does not hold up well on the playa. If you are going to rely on tape to hold your structure together I would go with something that can hold up to the heat better.

[gyre]

The huts are self reinforcing.
Not comparable.
Yet I hear the tape quality is crucial.


Antim, why not replace with galvanized or aluminum, even stainless?