Mesh on my tent

[Savannah]

Wow--it's really cool to see the relatively small difference between good candy canes and poor candy canes. I don't even use it at this time but I love knowing the difference. Thank you!

[MacGlenver]

Hammering in a shitload of 15" rebar into the ground sucks. They don't go in very easily, especially when you candy cane them before hammering them in. Then I found these suckers. 15" snow stakes that hammer into the playa with ease. Plus they come out just as easily, just twist and pull....
http://www.snowpeak.com/shelters/stakes ... r-104.html

Wow, those look pretty good. A bit pricey, but might be worth the cost for the reduced effort...

Uncle Jimmy:
Any thought about going for the 12" #30 ($5.50) stakes from the same site to save money? I've got a 10x14' Kodiak, and will have it on playa for the first time this year. I definitely dont want to do rebar since its so rough and the kodiak's stake loops are fabric rather than metal like the Springbar. I guess we're only talking about a $20 difference if i buy 10 of them. Speaking of... do you use those stakes for the whole thing, or just use 4-8 of them for key structural support, and use the stock stakes for the other ~8-12 stake loops?

Sorry if this is a little off topic, but I didnt start it!

[FIGJAM]

Put these through the fabric loops and run your stakes, rebar, or lags through them.

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/mater ... ink-10-ctn

[BadKittenOnARampage]

Hammering in a shitload of 15" rebar into the ground sucks. They don't go in very easily, especially when you candy cane them before hammering them in. Then I found these suckers. 15" snow stakes that hammer into the playa with ease. Plus they come out just as easily, just twist and pull....
http://www.snowpeak.com/shelters/stakes ... r-104.html

Wow, those look pretty good. A bit pricey, but might be worth the cost for the reduced effort...

Those DO look cool, though indeed a bit spendy . . . you can alternatively try my solution - using a drill with a masonry bit to pre-drill starter holes for the rebar makes a HUGE difference in insertion/removal!

[gyre]

http://www.snowpeak.com/solid-stake-30-r-103.html
This one is cheaper.
Incredible specs, but the military versions of these are good enough for what we do.
Probably a deal for what they are.

If you ever use one of these for removal, you'll be sold on the design.
One stake is all you need to remove them easily.

[gyre]

I found the 24" french surplus stakes for ten each, in case anyone needs something that big.

Cross section is an X shape.

Discovered that some military tents block infra red, not for heat purposes, but it would work for sun.
Wondering if they have tarps like that?

[MacGlenver]

Put these through the fabric loops and run your stakes, rebar, or lags through them.

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/mater ... ink-10-ctn

The quick links are a great suggestion, but a bit pricey. I'm looking into getting home depot chain and chopping it into individual links, which will be far cheaper. I couldnt find individual chain links for sale anywhere. I'll double loop some paracord through the link, tie it onto my tent loop and i'll be sitting pretty. I tested some 3/8" lag screws at Home Depot with some of their stock chain ($1.19/foot) and it fits through perfectly and the head sits flat against the chain for a perfect hold. I ordered 40 of those 14" lag screws and am SO looking forward to screwing those bitches into the ground rather than pounding fucking rebar! And my tent loops will be safe from the screw's threads!! Thanks for the great idea.

w00t!

[gyre]

I've seen round rings for sale before.

Chain links pretty much have to be cut off.

[geospyder]

Tents with mesh. My wife took material from another tent, cut the pieces to match the mesh on my Burning Man tent. She then sewed the pieces over the mesh - dust problem solved! BUT the first year I used it that way it rained! All the needle holes, invisible to the naked eye, became water spouts! Don't forget your rain cover unless you like an indoor pool

[gyre]

Did you use seam sealer?

[geospyder]

Did you use seam sealer?

Didn't even give it a thought at the time. The rain cover has worked great the last couple years. Just need to tie wrap it to the PVC exoskeleton to it doesn't fly away

[gyre]

My backpacking tents all had breathable dacron above the bathtub on the tent.
Water resistant, but not waterproof.
The full fly was for water.

Don't know if that was an issue for your tent or not.

Pvc exoskeleton?

[geospyder]

I run 1/2 schedule 40 PVC along side the tent poles. They are connected at the top with a our way connector. The tent itself is staked to the ground with Playa Staples. The PVC is also staked to the ground with Playa Staples. The tent poles and the PVC are tie wrapped together. Heavy winds will flex the tent but not lift it nor break the skinny tent poles. Not the best picture but you can get the idea.

[geospyder]

our way = four way

[fgcastle]

[quote="geospyder"] The PVC is also staked to the ground with Playa Staples. The tent poles and the PVC are tie wrapped together.

How do you attach your PVC reinforcement to your Playa Staples?

[dragonpilot]

I run 1/2 schedule 40 PVC along side the tent poles. They are connected at the top with a our way connector. The tent itself is staked to the ground with Playa Staples. The PVC is also staked to the ground with Playa Staples. The tent poles and the PVC are tie wrapped together. Heavy winds will flex the tent but not lift it nor break the skinny tent poles. Not the best picture but you can get the idea.

THAT is a great idea! Altho my tent has never blown away, it's certainly been flattened like a pancake... I'm lucky that the OEM poles haven't snapped.

[gyre]

I used curved gray pvc over rebar, crisscrossed over the tent.

Brought and suggested by Herlarry.

Worked well on a small dome and spaced out the shade material.
That tent had no actual stiffness to the poles.

[geospyder]

The PVC is also staked to the ground with Playa Staples. The tent poles and the PVC are tie wrapped together.

How do you attach your PVC reinforcement to your Playa Staples?

I have a T glued to the end of the PVC and put the Playa Staple through the T.

[fgcastle]

Thanks Geospyder! My tent is very similar to yours. Although it will be under a shade structure, I was worried about my flimsy, aging poles. Great idea. I think I can make it work!

[fgcastle]

This has been a very helpful thread for me. Thanks to everyone for the clamps idea and to DoctorIKnow for the specific clamps, Figjam for the quick connects, and to Geospyder for the superstructure to reinforce flimsy tent poles. Naively, I feel like a secure Burgin.

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[gyre]

Alternatively, you can buy the fittings for pipe and conduit separately and make a custom frame to go over a cabin tent, etc.
This is what I did for spacing shade, just a big U over the center, duct taped in places to the tent poles.
It did help brace the tent too.

Shelsys and holliday sell the fittings, among others.
AsK for odd sizes.
They may have them.

[C.f.M.]

This has been a very helpful thread for me. Thanks to everyone for the clamps idea and to DoctorIKnow for the specific clamps, Figjam for the quick connects, and to Geospyder for the superstructure to reinforce flimsy tent poles. Naively, I feel like a secure Burgin.

image.jpg

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See, the way it just hangs in the front, makes me think the dust will bow all up in it.

I have a tent with a lot of mesh I need to cover. I don't really have space or money to buy a bunch of clamps, so the idea of safety pinning it - and I'm borrowing it, otherwise I'd sew the crap out of it - onto the mesh is appealing. But what's this about cotton sheets not keeping dust out?

I was thinking white sheets would help keep it cool, safetypinning to the mesh. Won't be completely sealed, I know, but every bit helps, non? Maybe reinforce some of the looser looking edges with tape?

My stuff isn't a big problem, it's tucked away. I slept in this tent last year, and they didn't do anything about the mesh. I noticed I was more congested/throat sore when I woke up, than I'd ever been (in canvas tents). So I'm trying to keep the breathing area less dusty.