If last year was your first year, take heed!

BoyScoutGirl · Post by **BoyScoutGirl** » Sun May 27, 2012 1:33 pm

American Medical Association wrote:...an increasingly common cause of both severe and penetrating eye injuries...

Bungees are absolutely ruthless, I tell you!

Convenient, though.

zifra · Post by **zifra** » Sun May 27, 2012 2:56 pm

Personally I use the 10' x 20' carport tents, usually 2' and good quality ratchet ties to rebar. Use 3' rebar, and pound down to leave about 16" above ground. Be certain to cover rebar tips to prevent accidental injury late at night. I use a porous wall fabric, usually a thermal type blanket so the wind resistance is lessened, but the dust is kept down.. Be sure you attach all parts of the structure to each other. Ue the cotter pins, or as we do, use gaffers tape on all joints. Use the bungie connectors to hold on the cover.

Do not try to use cheap ratchet ties, they will stretch and tear. But good quality ones, tightened a few times over the first day or so, will give you a structure that will not move, no matter what. We use a ratchet tie for each vertical post, even the inside ones. The hard part is investing in them the first year. But good quality ones will last a very long time!

Any wind that lifts a structure tied down like this will also move cars...so I think your safe!

See you in the city!

Zifra

CornMan · Post by **CornMan** » Sun May 27, 2012 3:02 pm

What is this thermal blanketing you mentioned? I've bought only the cheapest ratcheting tie downs from Harbor Freight (orange ones).

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun May 27, 2012 3:09 pm

Yeah, wouldn't hurt to mention a brand and trade name, the mods aren't going to slap your weenie over it.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun May 27, 2012 4:22 pm

Buy usa made straps only.

Heavy style is $14-20.

TinkerMom · Post by **TinkerMom** » Sun May 27, 2012 6:51 pm

gyre wrote:Buy usa made straps only.

Heavy style is $14-20.

Ya, I totally misread that.........

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sun May 27, 2012 6:57 pm

Twenty dollars should buy you enough rope to over-engineer a lot of things.

Rice · Post by **Rice** » Mon May 28, 2012 4:58 pm

TinkerMom wrote:
gyre wrote:Buy usa made straps only.

Heavy style is $14-20.
Ya, I totally misread that.........

as in "USA Bra Straps"??

Thats what my brain saw first & 2nd reads...

TinkerMom · Post by **TinkerMom** » Mon May 28, 2012 5:51 pm

stretch80 wrote:
TinkerMom wrote:
gyre wrote:Buy usa made straps only.

Heavy style is $14-20.
Ya, I totally misread that.........
as in "USA Bra Straps"??

Thats what my brain saw first & 2nd reads...

No, it was strap-ons.

catinthefunnyhat · Post by **catinthefunnyhat** » Mon May 28, 2012 9:46 pm

TinkerMom wrote: No, it was strap-ons.

[sing-song voice]someone wants to be a shirtcocker...[/sing-song voice]

Go For It, Lucky420!

mamasharon · Post by **mamasharon** » Tue May 29, 2012 2:26 pm

On the top of my rebar I put pieces of those kids' floating "noodles". That way the piece of rebar was padded. They can be purchased at any dollar store and one will cut into several sections. Hey, you professional (or at least experienced) BM builders. What is the most successful method for a center upright of a large shade tent? I thought of our basketball hoop, but the weight is prohibitive. What works?

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Tue May 29, 2012 2:41 pm

Define "tent", ie height, breadth, material, configuration etc.

Dis)'(rack · Post by **Dis)'(rack** » Tue May 29, 2012 2:45 pm

mamasharon wrote:On the top of my rebar I put pieces of those kids' floating "noodles". That way the piece of rebar was padded.

Or you can buy the plastic rebar impalement caps that OSHA makes construction sites use when vertical rebar is present. Cheap and effective.

I personally candy cane my rebar and drive it all the way down so the top of the cane is flush w/ the playa surface. That way there is no impalement hazard and also the ratchet stap/tie down can be hooked vertically to limit trip hazards.

Jackass · Post by **Jackass** » Tue May 29, 2012 4:46 pm

Dis)'(rack wrote:
mamasharon wrote:On the top of my rebar I put pieces of those kids' floating "noodles". That way the piece of rebar was padded.

Or you can buy the plastic rebar impalement caps that OSHA makes construction sites use when vertical rebar is present. Cheap and effective.

I personally candy cane my rebar and drive it all the way down so the top of the cane is flush w/ the playa surface. That way there is no impalement hazard and also the ratchet stap/tie down can be hooked vertically to limit trip hazards.

If a person were to fall on rebar with said noodle on it, there would be blood. Rebar would cut through that stuff like butter, you would be better off wrapping the rebar with a-lot-o duct tape or better the above mentioned osha caps. Noodles probably would protect you from grazing wounds, but not a fall. Last year woke up to some newbies next to us that had no idea what they were doing with that stuff, their whole camp was set up with meat-hooks around everything. After chatting with these guys for a while I had to go ahead a school them a bit. Hey, I didn't want their blood on my hands..

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Tue May 29, 2012 4:47 pm

catinthefunnyhat wrote:Good idea... kind of like a lighthouse. And Centre Camp is probably a good place to head to if you're lost and/or in need of help, generally.
What colour of light best cuts through a dust storm. Is it amber, as with fog, or something else?

Blue airport lights. They are what was found to be most efficacious for lighting the porta-potties in open-playa.
DPW thinks about this a lot.

The Hustler · Post by **The Hustler** » Tue May 29, 2012 7:45 pm

I'm always prepared everywhere I go, I'm the idiot with the packable rain jacket in the summer in a drought, and the full travel cup of coffee.

The rest is details.

The Hustler · Post by **The Hustler** » Tue May 29, 2012 11:51 pm

tamarakay wrote:So guys still need lines to get head? Good to know, I've been married so long these things could have changed.

That's what I'm doing wrong.

Noted.

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Thu May 31, 2012 3:08 pm

[quote="mamasharon"]On the top of my rebar I put pieces of those kids' floating "noodles". That way the piece of rebar was padded. They can be purchased at any dollar store and one will cut into several sections.[/quote]

Noodles...great idea! I just borrowed two from the local seniors water aerobics class at the local YMCA pool...

dragonpilot · Post by **dragonpilot** » Thu May 31, 2012 3:09 pm

Why didn't my "quote work? My BBCode is disabled...

SnowBlind · Post by **SnowBlind** » Thu May 31, 2012 11:29 pm

dragonpilot wrote:Why didn't my "quote work? My BBCode is disabled...

BBCode needs to be enabled. It's slightly confusing since the box says 'disable BBCode' and you need to uncheck it. Double negative.

If you had that right then I don't know, your code looks OK. I copied and pasted it into mine and it shows up right.

Foxfur · Post by **Foxfur** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 8:57 am

Baddawg (PWR-TC adjunct masterbuilder for TC) used noodles for exposed vertical rebar surface and tennis ball tops. Racquet balls will work as will dog toys ( a great place to use up those chewed up dog toys or ones from Goodwill / thrift shops). Jelly dongs will work but may result in "squatters". They actually improve protection from injuries but get noisy every once in a while.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:39 am

Or they acquire really horrible injuries that we'd rather not think about. The kind of injuries that result in colostomy bags. Preferable to the alternative (Death by Sepsis--too bad Agatha Christie never wrote that!), but not all flowers and sunshine.

The Hustler · Post by **The Hustler** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:22 pm

theCryptofishist wrote:Or they acquire really horrible injuries that we'd rather not think about. The kind of injuries that result in colostomy bags. Preferable to the alternative (Death by Sepsis--too bad Agatha Christie never wrote that!), but not all flowers and sunshine.

Oh dear.

I used solar pathway lights and grouped the rebar for my shade and tent together as best as I could.

When I was packing the camp at the end, the rebar was exposed briefly. I warned my neighbors about them so no one would impale themselves or something. It didn't seem necessary, but how lame would that be to go the whole week with no problems only to puncture oneself the last day?

I'm considering land mines this time.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 12:28 pm

Just avoid the jellydongs and you;ll be fine. Uncle FoxFur sez so.

Mojojita · Post by **Mojojita** » Fri Jun 01, 2012 1:01 pm

In our camp Jellydongs are not for rebar, they're for potato cannons...... you should see that sucker fly!!!!!

zifra · Post by **zifra** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 5:31 pm

Zeke Chaparral wrote:What is this thermal blanketing you mentioned? I've bought only the cheapest ratcheting tie downs from Harbor Freight (orange ones).

We used Harbor Freight orange ratchet ties one year, 2010, and every one if them failed. The nylon frayed anywhere it touched anything else, including their own connectors. In addition the ratchting mechanism failed under any kind of side to side vibration. At most I would use these for non-load bearing tie downs.

You have to pay attention to the load bearing capacity of the ties. A ratchet tie that read 800 lbs may have a working strength half that or less. The 10,000 model I use has a working load strength a third that. The harbor Freight orange ones have a working load capacity of only 400 lbs. The winds get much harder than that if they get under your roof and try to turn it into a sail.

For the money I recommend the following. They are cheaper and stronger than harbor freight's version. And believe me nothing the playa can throw at us wil cause these to fail.

Home depot has these for $14, they have a 3333 lb working strength.

Keeper 27 ft. x 2 in. x 10,000 lbs. Heavy-Duty Ratchet Tie-Down
Model # 04622 Internet # 100173647 Store SKU # 641846
$13.96 /EA-Each

thermal blankets are made with a loose weave that has holes in it like crochet. When placed under another blanket the air pockets in the blanket weave form a thermal barrier to the cold. Search the web for cotton thermal blakets to see them. Scour your local thrift stores to find them cheap. Any cotten woven blanket that lets light through will work. I attach them to my shade structure and each other with with zip ties they let through light and the breeze while cutting down the dust dramatically.

Zifra

Post by **Savannah** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 8:07 pm

Wow! I knew Harbor Freight had a reputation for "you get what you pay for" (and so there's not a lot I could ever convince myself to buy there) but even then, that's astonishing.

Thanks for the tip.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:59 am

We have used cheap nylon lace curtains as dust catchers. Find them in the thrift shops.

The Hustler · Post by **The Hustler** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:27 pm

Good idea with the thermal blankets.

I was thinking of finding cheap bedsheets or something similar.

Last year I made a "wall" with an extra tarp to keep the sun out and keep my camp a little cooler. If it's actually windy this year, that may be too much stress on the frame of my shade. However the shade doesn't have completely vertical walls, so maybe the wind will blow over it or around it. The damn thing held up to a coastal gale (blowing sand, wind-driven rain. EVERYTHING ferrous and uncoated rusted overnight)

The Hustler · Post by **The Hustler** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 11:30 pm

zifra wrote:I ran into a lovely gentleman last year who was there to lay the groundwork for his large group to come this year. I asked him what he thought so far...he was quiet for a moment and then said "you people really overbuild!". Of course after we laughed for several minutes we explained to him the amazing weather he was experiencing was in no way normal.

Do not be fooled by last year. The playa can be a mean hostess! Plan for high winds, dust storms and even rain. Maybe if we plan for the worst, we will get another banner year like 2011.

See you in the city!

Zifra

I don't believe in overbuilding. It's being prepared.

If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!

Re: If last year was your first year, take heed!