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This year will not only be my 1st Bonnaroo , but also my 1st time camping in extremely hot conditions. I have read some posts about the importance of shade tents/tarps and I was looking for any advice on this matter.
A shade tent is definately a good idea for roo, not only cause of the sun, but in case it rains again. People have all different kinds, I'd say if you don't go camping or require one very often you could go with a cheaper one and be good.
Walmart has lots of them in the camping section... ranging from $14 up to $100... just STAY AWAY from the cheapest, $14 one they have there. It's basically just a tarp that you hook on to polls, I bought that one last year in Manchester last minute and it was not only a pain in the ass to set up, but a slight breeze blew it down no matter how much we tried to secure it. I just went there a couple weeks ago (yeah I know Walmart is the devil but I'm a broke college student with loans out my ears so I only go there when I need camping stuff cheaper) and found an Ozark Trail one that looked sturdier, measures 11x8 and the price was like $30. This suprised me because when I saw it online (its not on the site anymore for some reason) it was listed at $50, and then when I got to the register it rang up at only $17!!!! So I'm thrilled. With this one the polls go inside the material and all connect together, and it's green with white legs, in case you want to take a look at that one.
Target also has a bunch of different kinds, a green greatland one that I've heard mixed reviews about, for about $30, up to more expensive, fancier Coleman and Eddie Bauer ones.
I wouldn't suggest buying one on ebay because whenever I've looked at them the shipping is so expensive it's not worth it.
And of course if you want a better one you can check outdoorsy-type stores but I'm too cheap for that. I hear E-Z ups are the best, but they cost over $100.
Oh, and an extra tarp is always a good idea for extra shelter or bad rain, you might be able to tie it from your canopy to your tent or car, or something like that. And getting extra ropes and stakes while you're there is a good idea in case you have to secure it more.
Extra tarps and bungie cords will help you a bunch with the sun. Even a single tarp tucked in to the top of the doors on your car and staked to the ground will provide some shade with good airflow.
Post by Prelude Jive on May 23, 2006 21:06:48 GMT -5
UPDATE:
I bought a 10.5' x 10.05' screened tent.... It seems like it will be just fine. Thanks for your suggestions you guys, I guess I thought shade tents costed a little more. I got mine for $40.
10.5' x 10.5' won't be too big, right? I mean, I've seen people with huge ass shade tents, much larger than 10.5', man.
i'm going solo and i don't want to be that guy who takes up way more than his fair share of real estate. i went to walmart and couldn't find the one tara was talking about. and there's no meijer's around here. anyone have specific suggestions for moderately sized shade tents? comments about these?
Rob, I saw some good deals on eBay, but the prices vary and shipping does too. I like the Campmor one you picked out, but it seems a little pricey. If you are going to use it for more than Roo, it might be a good one to invest in, though.
i bought about a 50 dollar screen house from walmart thinkin thatd be alright since it was expensive for wally world, and i left it up for 2 days to test the rain, 2 poles snapped in half. not to mention, one of the poles didnt fit together, i had to file it down to get it right. and i camp a lot, and it wasnt a rookie mistake. so i went the extra step and got the eureka sunshade 6 side. it was about 115 with shipping? but, it set up easy, lasted well, and so much more water/wind proof. hope that helps...
I have an EZ-Up that I bought about 4 years ago. If you camp or go to festivals on a regular basis, it is really worth the investment of about 100.00. They are very sturdy, and can be angled to help block out the sun on very hot days. Extremly easy to set up and take down, mine still looks like new.
sports authority has been having sales every week on the quik shade brand canopies. last week they had 10 x 10's on sale for $69.99 and you got 4 free camp chairs too! they are a very small step down in quality from the ez-up brand, but they will last longer than most of the ones at wal-mart/target/k-mart. i've also seen other brands of canpoies that are similar to the ones mentioned above in auto store ads like pep boys. they seem to have pretty good deals too.
thanks for the suggestions, guys. i was at sports authority last week and a couple ladies came in right before me and bought out those 10x10 canopies. i think they had about 5-6 of them. i was about 10 minutes too late.
We were at Big Lots last night and they had some cheaper ones for $20. It's basically the same as the one we have. It collapses down pretty small and takes two people about 10 minutes to setup. Each pole breaks down to 3 parts that you have to assemble, then the top pulls up over it. You can see a picture at the url below. We've had it for years and never had any problems with it.
We went to a different Academy yesterday and picked up 3 more of the fans. They're only $7 each and are pretty strong for running all night on 2 D batteries. I highly recommend picking some up. The Coleman tent fans seem smaller and harder to rig up than these were and they run about $15 each most places. The website for the fans is o2-cool.com and they list distributors on there.
We also picked up two of their handheld misting fans for like $3 each. They take a single AA battery and will definitely be with us in our backpacks.
To bring this back on topic, I'll be working on a setup soon to un-velcro the 6 tent fans (i love it from the tent and fasten them to the shade tent (or porch to me) so we can have some air circulation while hanging out.
We'll be in VIP, but that big giant camp grill will be squeezed into the car as well. If anyone in VIP needs a place to cook, come on by. We just got a french press and will be making coffee in the mornings (probably along with bloody marys).
stopped by big lots and picked up that $20 canopy today. i'll set it up this weekend, but it looks like it will serve its purpose. thanks for the tip, babel.
awesome. another tip... if you get tent fans and need D batteries, go back to Big Lots. They have 4 packs for $.88 That's compared to Costco that sells them in 16 packs for like $13.
thanks, man. i think i may look for those fans tomorrow.
i just opened the canopy up to see if everything was there. the box says there's supposed to be a carrying bag included, but it wasn't in there. did yours (i realize it's not the same exact one) come with a bag? wondering if i got an incomplete package or they decided to falsely advertise the contents.
Honestly, ours has a carry bag, but we only use it for the poles and leave the top seperate. It's kinda a pain to fold it up to where it fits in the bag. However, a carrying bag for the poles would be really nice. Ours is the same tarp like material that the top is made from. It might be worth it to take it back and see if another one has it.
The fans were at Academy, but the company also says that Ace Hardware and Sports Authority carry them. We've been to 2 Academy stores in Dallas and both had them for $7.
i returned the one i got to big lots and found a slightly different one for the same price. it's 10.5x10.5 instead of 11x8 and it's white which i think will be better for the heat. and it has a 'carrying bag' for poles. i don't know why, but i thought it would be more substantial. at least have a handle, but oh well.
my sports authority didn't have those fans. i'll check some other stores tomorrow.
this week's sports authority sale is 30% off canopies, if anyone is still looking for one.
Thanks for the tip on the big lots shade tent babel! I got me one and set up it to check it out. It looks like it'll stay down/hold together well enough.
from the tent and fasten them to the shade tent (or porch to me) so we can have some air circulation while hanging out.
