Kathy Mccormick on sat 22 feb 97
Someone asked recently about experiences with these tents. I bought one
almost two years ago. I would agree that it is probably a bottom of the line
product, but it fit my needs perfectly. Because I am not totally committed
to doing outdoor shows forever, I wanted to invest as little as I could get
away with in a tent. I have used this now for 1 1/2 seasons of outdoor shows
and can't really complain given how cheap they are. I tried to set up it
(stupdily) in a whale of a windstorm in Charlevoix the first year and ended
up with some slightly bent poles as a result. I also have one corner of the
top where it ripped along the seam, also as a result of a windstorm, but I'm
pretty sure I can patch that, just haven't tried yet.
You learn a lot of tricks along the way to make your tent more stable/weather
safe. A few I've picked up are listed below. Maybe some of you others could
add to this?
1. If you use a screen display system such as Armstrong for the walls of the
tent, tie
the screens to the tent structure. Will help hold the tent down in
windstorms.
2. Use those red-handled spring clip things (you can get them at any dollar
or
hardware store) on the corners of the canopy top. The tops of the EZ-Up
tents like
mine are only held on by Velcro, so this helps keep the top on in
windstorms.
3. If you are allowed to use stakes, use those dog tie-out stakes that have
the
corkscrew at the end. You can use these to tie down the very center of
the tent,
or they can be used on the sides with the ropes forming an X to give
better
stability.
4. Be sure there's a way for the wind to exit your booth. If you close
everything
off except for the front, you've created a giant sail.
5. If it rains, use a long stick or something to push up on the canopy top
to drain
the water off periodically. I learned this the hard way at the end of a
show when
I let the side of my tent down and found out I had a ton of water up
there that
drained into my neighbor's space... forutnately nothing was ruined.
6. If you can't use stakes, or even if you can, use some corner weights
tied to the
top of the corner poles. I used PCV pipe fitted with caps at each end
and filled
with cement.
7. Most of all, pray for no wind! Rain is not fun but doesn't do as much
damage.
Happy tenting,
Kathy in Michigan
Where those summer breezes off Lake Michigan can be a challenge
| |
|
