How much sealing is really necessary for a YurtDome?

[SofondaSilicone]

I did a test set up of my new ShelterSystems 20-foot YurtDome with the playa kit (these guys http://www.shelter-systems.com). We noticed that the seams are not sealed but are tight. Has anyone out there had experience with these domes and how well thy keep dust out? I got a floor for it too and the grip clips to attach it. Will huge amounts of dust get in unless I seal all the seams? I'm not that fussy about dust. The owner's manual recommends Scotch Transparent Long Lasting Duct Tape. Has anyone used this tape to seal their dome and does it hold up well?

Any other advice about using these domes on the playa would be great.

Thanks!

[GreyCoyote]

I did a test set up of my new ShelterSystems 20-foot YurtDome with the playa kit (these guys http://www.shelter-systems.com). We noticed that the seams are not sealed but are tight. Has anyone out there had experience with these domes and how well thy keep dust out? I got a floor for it too and the grip clips to attach it. Will huge amounts of dust get in unless I seal all the seams? I'm not that fussy about dust. The owner's manual recommends Scotch Transparent Long Lasting Duct Tape. Has anyone used this tape to seal their dome and does it hold up well?

Any other advice about using these domes on the playa would be great.

Thanks!

Shelter Systems uses a shingled strategy in their cover to keep rain out. For camping in neutral to wet conditions, this works very well and is a good design for those situations. On the playa however, it wont be remotely dust-proof. I had the opportunity to see this first-hand in a friends 30 foot SS dome. When the winds got to about 30 mph, the inside was a swirling mass of dust. The wind got up under the shingling with ease and carried all that micro-fine stuff inside. It also forced it between the floor and walls in the space between the grip clips.

The only way to fix this problem is to completely seal the dome at the shingles with tape, but in the heat of the desert do you really want to do that? You are going to want lots of airflow whenever the dust isn't howling, so the two requirements are somewhat exclusive. I have seen one dome where the owner retrofitted velcro to the shingling and she claimed it worked very well. She also had the aforementioned clear tape, but wasn't planning on needing it. YMMV.

The SS dome was very nice during the non-windy periods. That floor really helped to keep the internal dust down (count on sweeping it daily or more often) and it provided a nice place to hang-out. It was one of the few places I could take my shoes off without worrying about playa foot.

I personally don't think the Shelter Systems domes are the ideal compromise of cost vs performance for Burning Man, (not a fan of the whole PVC thingie) but you have to hand it to them when it comes to assembly time and weight. In the time it takes me to put up a 30 foot conduit-frame dome, you could pitch several of the SS units. And taking them down at the end of the burn is a matter of minutes. Gravity does all the work for you.

Some would suggest this whole sealing discussion is academic anyway. Nobody gets off the playa without looking like Pig Pen (ref: Peanuts) so there may be wisdom in just going with the flow, leaving the shingling open, and sweeping it all out when winds permit.

[SofondaSilicone]

Thanks, GreyCoyote, for your informative reply. Yes, we accept the dust, and we plan to sweep it out as we need to. We keep our clothing and other gear in Rubbermaid plastic tubs, cover our beds with sheets, etc to keep the dust out of where it really needs to be kept out. The first priority of course is shelter from the sun and rain. We will also have a solar-powered evaporative cooler to keep the space cool during the day. I like the idea of velcro, maybe on some of the seams with the remainder sealed with tape, and using a combination of the cooler and ventilation tubes during fair weather to keep it vented.

Here's hoping for fair weather of course, hope for the best but prepare for the worst and all that. See you on the playa, and thanks again.

[peaceoflove]

I have the 18ft, used it the past two years. Last year I sealed all seams shut with clear all weather tape - time consuming but I was expecting the worst after hearing stories of dusty conditions. Honestly couldn't tell much of a difference between that and having no seal the year before...very little dust in the dome, even with occasional dust storms. I am going to leave the seams taped this year too, but mostly because I don't want to go through the trouble to remove the tape . A helpful tip would be to set your dome up beforehand, attach the flooring with the grip clips and then tape the leftover edges of the floor to the inside of the dome wall. No dust will come through, except for when the doors are open. Good call on having the evaporative cooler - I am just finishing my swamp cooler, as those particular domes are like saunas in direct sunlight. Have fun!

[Canoe]

Something to help with casual dust entry with light winds, and to clear the air inside after heavy winds blow dust in, is to use a swamp-cooler, as that air is also dust-filtered by the evaporative filter.
With light winds, the incoming air from the swamp-cooler pushes air already inside the shelter out through fine cracks (and an exhaust hole/vent you provide while running the cooler), thereby blocking light winds from blowing in those cracks and bringing dust with it.
After a strong wind has blown dust into the shelter and it's hanging in the air, the incoming swamp-cooler air will push out the dusty air.

Clearing the air happens much faster than using a fan & filter combo, as it doesn't process the dusty air, it replaces dusty air with dust-free swamp-cooler air.

[SofondaSilicone]

Yes, one of my fellow campers built a solar-powered swamp cooler for the dome, its going to be fun setting that up and seeing how it works. We are hoping that the space within will stay relatively cool during the day. We are camping in the 7:00-7:30 @ E-G area, look for the 20-foot yurt dome with the orange Home Depot bucket-based swamp cooler and the shade cloth suspended between the dome and a silver 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan with a "Draft the Bush Twins" bumper sticker!

[dragonpilot]

There's dust on the playa? Shit!