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Hi there. So last year was my first year and I slept in the back of a minivan, but that didn't work very well for multiple reasons (too hot and I killed the car battery too many times). So this year I'm going in a tent, but I've got a couple questions that I'm hoping a more experienced burner might be able to answer for me.
1. I'm planning on covering the mesh windows with old sheets from the thrift store. I've washed the sheets and I've got gaffer's tape all ready to attach. I'm going to set up the tent and then cut the sheets to size. But my questions is, do I attach the sheets to the inside or to the outside of the tent windows?
2. Do I need to put a tarp down on the playa below my tent? What are the pros and cons to this? And if I do need to do this, how much larger than the tent should the tarp be? I got a little scrap of carpet for just outside the door to help reduce tracking dust inside and another little scrap for comfort inside.
3. I got some Aluminet to put over my tent for shade. It is OK to just attach that down to the same stakes (3-foot rebar) that are holding the tent down or should I put up an EZ-Up (without the fabric) and attach the Aluminet to the EZ-Up poles over the tent?
4. Also, in a big storm, are things likely to blow around inside of my tent? For example, if I set up a little card table to eat at or get ready at inside my tent, should I secure it down so it won't blow around or will it be somewhat protected because it is inside my tent?
And if you have any other tips/tricks/advice for tent camping, I'd really appreciate it. I haven't been tent camping since I was a kid and I'm a little nervous. I plan to set up the whole thing this Saturday to test it out. Thanks for any help you can provide!
1. I'm planning on covering the mesh windows with old sheets from the thrift store. I've washed the sheets and I've got gaffer's tape all ready to attach. I'm going to set up the tent and then cut the sheets to size. But my questions is, do I attach the sheets to the inside or to the outside of the tent windows?
2. Do I need to put a tarp down on the playa below my tent? What are the pros and cons to this? And if I do need to do this, how much larger than the tent should the tarp be? I got a little scrap of carpet for just outside the door to help reduce tracking dust inside and another little scrap for comfort inside.
3. I got some Aluminet to put over my tent for shade. It is OK to just attach that down to the same stakes (3-foot rebar) that are holding the tent down or should I put up an EZ-Up (without the fabric) and attach the Aluminet to the EZ-Up poles over the tent?
4. Also, in a big storm, are things likely to blow around inside of my tent? For example, if I set up a little card table to eat at or get ready at inside my tent, should I secure it down so it won't blow around or will it be somewhat protected because it is inside my tent?
And if you have any other tips/tricks/advice for tent camping, I'd really appreciate it. I haven't been tent camping since I was a kid and I'm a little nervous. I plan to set up the whole thing this Saturday to test it out. Thanks for any help you can provide!
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Thu, August 14, 2008 - 12:52 PM1. cover the outside of the mesh, will help.. but not the cure... (not camping in the dusty desert is the ONLY way to combat dust)
2. placing a tarp under your tent is more for camping in damper area's... preventing moisture from wicking through the floor as well as in case of any leaks in the floor.. won't do much for the desert other than give you one more thing to clean and haul.
3. never used alumninet cant tell you the best use.. though any shade over your tent needs to be above, not touching your tent to allow air flow between the two.
4. Having lived through Hurricane Katrina 1st hand and those wonderful dust stormsd on the playa last year... there are no gaurantee's of what the wind will do... leave nothing breakable where it will fall. during the storms last year the wind push my tent flat to the ground during the extreme gusts....but popped back up after the winds died down.
the best advise is to have an extra large sheet to cover your belongings on top of your bed.. EVERYTIME you leave your tent... if a dust storm pops up while your out... your bed and anything under the cover will be mostly spared. also make sure your tent is big enough to stand in.... makes getting dressed much easier and less closterphobic if you get stuck in your tent during a sand storm. -
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Thu, August 14, 2008 - 1:45 PMWhat she said plus...
Pitch your tent on the side of a large vehicle AWAY from the direction of the town of Gerlach. That direction is roughly the southwest and it is where most destructive winds come from.
A tarp under your tent is good for protecting the bottom of the tent from the frequently rough/cracked/uneven playa surface. Especially useful if you sleep on the floor or walk about in the tent a great deal.
If you use a tarp, try to fold the edges back under the edge of the tent in case it rains to keep a lake from forming under it.
Aluminet up on the WELL TIED DOWN EZ-Up would be best.
Have fun : ).
Sas
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Thu, August 14, 2008 - 2:18 PMactually it's he......
feel again... and linger. (just kidding)
and he said "pitch a tent" Beavis HEE HEE HEE HEE -
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Sun, August 17, 2008 - 1:20 PM"actually it's he...... "
D'oh!!
I have NO idea how that happened.
Sas : )
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Thu, August 14, 2008 - 4:07 PM1. I'm planning on covering the mesh windows with old sheets from the thrift store. I've washed the sheets and I've got gaffer's tape all ready to attach. I'm going to set up the tent and then cut the sheets to size. But my questions is, do I attach the sheets to the inside or to the outside of the tent windows?
I recommend covering both sides of the windows or adding on fabric to on the inside and placing a zipper to zip up the window. I have never used a tarp on the underside, but get either bath mats and place them down on the floor of the tent or get a small carpets. It sounds like you have that figured out, so that works! If the windows are properly covered up things dont really get blown around in the tent, but the tent gets blown around, We had our whole tent fall! only one stake was attach to the tent so I have extra stakes as well as I keep something heavy on each corner of the tent. Like the cooler in the corner, my suit case in another, full water bottles on the other corners. Keep it from blowing away! A card table I would fold down and put it on the floor when not in use. Keep it at a corner of the tent should help secure it and the tent to one place. Do you have mask for you face? I got surgical make and I am getting construction mask, because if the dust comes in your tent it is still hard to breath! Do you know what youll be sleepin on? I find foam works better than blow up beds. The blow ups can leak, then we were kinda on the hard floor. Carpet, sleeping bags, foam seem a lot easier and more confortable, cots work too!
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Thu, August 14, 2008 - 4:15 PMI've already added some advice in the "veterens" thread.
Yes, tarp below your tent. Put lots of stuff in your tent or tack the edges down or it can blow out from under it.
I take the poles out of the rain fly and bungie it down to keep most of the dust out.
Don't forget rebar!!! Tent stakes don't do it.
After you wake up: Take a bed sheet and cover everything inside the tent before you zip it up. When you return to sleep, carefully fold up the sheet and shake it out (away from everybody).
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Fri, August 15, 2008 - 12:18 AMThere's not a whole lot more I can add. Everyone gave such good advice.
On the placement of the Easy-Up. Try to get as much of your tent under there as possible while still having enough room to relax outside during the day. I've never used Aluminet so I don't know how to attach it. That'll be nice to have both the shade structure and Aluminet though. You can never have too much shade in the AM. If part of your tent has to stick out, have it stick out on the West, not the East so in the early morning hours when the sun is rising in the East, you'll get a couple more hours of not-too-hot shut-eye.
1. I've never used gaffer's tape, but one year I had to secure sheets to the roof of my tent with heavy duty safety pins because I left my rain fly at home. I secured them on the outside without a problem. I'd assume you could do either, inside or outside, however I'm not familiar with that tape. So don't quote me. I'd be more concerned with covering the top mesh rather than the side windows. If you keep those closed 95% of the time, you won't get ridiculous amounts of dust in there. The key is looking at your tent and seeing the best way to keep the dust out of the top mesh panel (which I assume yours has). Securing the rain fly on top of the sheets may be a good idea, or just securing it down very tightly w/ bungees like someone else recommended sounds like a very good idea.
4. Things will get a little knocked around in the tent, but not too much if you secure it properly. Depending on how big your tent is, you can place bins or heavy items in the corners to give it extra weight. That also helps if you're in there during a dust storm, the tent won't pancake and whip as much.
You're very prepared, I wouldn't worry. The carpet will be very nice too!
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Sun, August 17, 2008 - 8:16 PMjust use a lot of attachment points for the aluminet. (zipties every foot, or "sew" it onto the carport frame with string). the aluminet can pull and start to unravel.
i don't put a tarp down under my tent, but i do have a small one i use if FRONT of the tent, so i have someplace to stand/sit and take off my shoes outside the tent. i keep my shoes outside, because it cuts way down on how much Playa comes inside. the dust is everywhere, but the sand, small pebbles and dirt can stay outside. i use a painter's drop cloth (canvas, not plastic), but a regular tarp would work just as well. just put one stake down in a corner, and weight the rest of it with a cooler, your gear, etc. -
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Tue, July 21, 2009 - 12:02 PMYou can get these cool little grommets to attach aluminet with. They are cheap and distribute the pressure onto a larger surface area so the aluminet is less likely to rip. I recommend these over using zip-ties.
www.shadeclothstore.com/produc...th.html -
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Wed, July 22, 2009 - 2:21 PM
I agree that you won't need the tarp under the tent.
Things will get covered in playa dust in your tent so I would recommend rolling up your sleeping bag with your pillow inside it.
Close up your suitcase or duffel bag.
I zip up the windows in my tent... it keeps some of the dust out. For many few years I covered my entire tent with a reflective tarp, but everything still got dusty inside and heat couldn't escape out if it.
Now I just construct a shady area in the front of my tent and that has worked the best.
I've done the sleeping in the van/truck thing and tenting... I think tenting is the best.
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Wed, July 22, 2009 - 9:21 PMdust dust everywhere.....no matter what you do! I tent it every year....sewed the sheet to the top of the tent, and duct taped it, worked ok. This year I am trying some velcroe on the side windows. Just know you have to eat sleep and breath playa dust......went camping with the same tent last summer and even after pressure washing my tent my hands and clothes got totally covered with playa dust, what a pleasant surprise that was (could even still smell the playa!) I grinned the whole time!
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Fri, July 24, 2009 - 10:32 AM
no tarp under the tent? but the playa surface is rough....and scratchy sometimes.
i just got a new "playa tent" and will probably use a tarp, cut to my tent's footprint....just to make the floor last longer for future uses.
remember to close your door....ALWAYS , no matter if it's nice and not windy out.
....a gust of wind WILL come as soon as you leave the tent....i can almost guarantee it! -
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Re: Advice for my first year in a tent please!
Sun, August 23, 2009 - 10:32 AMPlace your vehicle on the south west side of your camp to block the preveiling winds. Let the car or truck take the brunt of the wind force....
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