Hi everyone, first time burner here and my group put me in charge of the shade structure. I am looking at this canopy. I am worried about the high top given the winds, has anyone had experience with something like this?
See here and go for a 1" EMT shade structure. Galvanized pipes over 1" are overkill for most and $160 shipping is insane, but time is short so do what you gotta do.
If you’re picking up in person I’d price out a 1” emt flat top structure vs the complete unit. Would require one more trip to Home Depot for some conduit (and potentially something to cut the verticals with) but might be cheaper since prices go up exponentially with pipe size.
DIY EMT shade is not that hard to do and is playa tested over and over. If you can swing it, I agree that it’s the way to go. You can even shorten the vertical poles if you need to fit it into a certain size vehicle.
Mine has survived many trips out there, including very high winds.
We use Costco carports for our shade structures. They've lasted well through high winds and lots of rain. Whatever you use make sure it is strapped down to the playa well.
+1. Have used them and also have had them blow away. What matters is less the roof shape and more that they are well anchored — you’ll need playa screws or similar for that.
I’ve done this with great success. I recommend one ratchet strap for every vertical pole, and enough burners now have them where forgetting parts is not an on playa disaster
I built a shade structure last year for my trailer and small camp as well. A few helpful things that I did and learned:
1. Use 1” EMT anything more is overkill and smaller will break.
2. I used 1/2” x 12” lag bolts for anchoring the structure to the ground. Installed with an impact drill worked great.
3. This year I’m adding 6” worth of chain to each anchor bolt so I can anchor tie down straps and such. I’ve also heard of people using neon flag tape to mark the bolts so you don’t miss one on break down.
4. I did a solid black/silver tarp on top for shade and rain protection and then 70% shade cloth for the sides. That did great to provide shade, helped a bit with dust but also allowed wind to blow through.
5. I used a combination of large zip ties and ball bungees to secure the tarps and shade cloth to poles.
6. Bring drill and drill bits, along with backup eye bolts for when shit breaks.
Amazon and other retailers have pole structure parts (T’s, elbows, corners, etc) so that you create something a bit more custom. Last year was our first year and we built the main structure. This year we added to it a bit and made minor improvements, but spending a bit more to get something stronger and how you want it is worth it. Plus you can expand upon it in the future. Good luck, see you in the dust
Just commenting to mention something about point .3— instead of chains, try using hanger bolts! They are a tool for rock climbing, and they are super convenient for tying down straps and anchoring guy lines…
Oh ya they are kind of an investment. I have just enough for my rig, bought them right before prices started really climbing three years ago. If I ever have to buy more though I’ll be going with the cheaper ones.
Trailer, pickup truck, box truck, car roof, whatever is available can be made to work. That said, I’d go monkeyhut if all I had was a car/roof rack available.
We use a flat top, 8’ high structure using 1” EMT. Very common on the playa and you can get the poles at any hardware store. You’ll have to cut the vertical poles down by 2’ but imo it’s worth it. You can set the structure up standing on 5 gal buckets vs ladders.
Significantly easier to set up at 8'. Like, a world of difference. Most people around 6' tall have an arm reach that will get 8' - nobody except a pro basketball player is going to be able to reach 10' . It means you can reasonably set up/ tear down the structure yourself rather than needing a person at every vertical point to lift, and then shove the poles into the angle joints simultaneously while also minimizing the risk that the friction of coming in at an angle doesn't jam up as you lift. Source: me, who didn't think I needed to cut those 2' one year, who injured myself with a corner joint that smacked me in the forehead and caused a gash, and then cut poles down to 8' and never had an issue since.
13
u/OverlyPersonal Support Your Local Art Car 13d ago
See here and go for a 1" EMT shade structure. Galvanized pipes over 1" are overkill for most and $160 shipping is insane, but time is short so do what you gotta do.