What temporary shelters are good for baja?

Marriot.

Quote:

Originally posted by DENNIS Marriot.

this one is ALWAYS my favorite

you want cheap and wind-proof? try a military surplus tent. here is a 17x17 you can pick up for $450 in los angeles:



these tents weigh a bit, but have walls that can be opened up when the wind dies (if the wind dies )

you can get this 18x18 for $800

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666 Quote: Originally posted by standingwave I am looking for a large tent/enclosure for my next Baja trip. Something along the lines of a swap meet tent or a pole and fabric car shelter. Dimensions around 12' by 16'. I am interested in peoples' experiences with these temporary shelters in Baja. Which ones stand up to the winds? to the sun? What have you used that works well? you want cheap and wind-proof? try a military surplus tent. here is a 17x17 you can pick up for $450 in los angeles: these tents weigh a bit, but have walls that can be opened up when the wind dies (if the wind dies )

looks familiar!

Netting

I once designed and built a shelter for an outside kitchen/dining area for a restaurant. it was 12' x 16', open on one side, and because it set on the beach in the Federal zone it had to be easy to disassemble and take down. It consisted of eleven 4x'8' panels, each reinforced with 2x3 x 8' at 24" on center + top and bottom (4 pieces per panel total). The center 2x3 on each panel was attached to a steel studded fence post (see picture) that was first driven into the ground about 12" (depending on how deep the sand was) on 4' centers.



For a 12' x 16' enclosure that is open on one end a total of 11 panels are required for the walls and 6 more are required for the flat roof for a total of 17. When these a stacked in your truck bed for transportation the stack will be 4'x8' x 26" high.

The material needed for all 17 panes is as follows:
(17) 4'x8' x 3/8" plywood
(68) 2x3 x 8'
(11) steel studded fence post
About 1 pound 1" long drywall screws

Total cost should be less than $500

edit: forgot picture

[Edited on 9-9-2013 by durrelllrobert]

The tarp is a custom made with this stuff.
http://www.shelterritetarps.com/
It's 14oz in a wine color. The seams are heat melted together and is super strong. I didn't go with a standard size because I wanted it to be as big as I could and have it fit in the back of the truck. The truck bed was 87.5" long so 87" was the size. I wanted all poles the same length, so the tarp had to be custom made. Form following function. Really happy with the whole thing 20+ years later.
The silver is cooler to be under.
If you ever see it up stop by. We'll have a cold one

[Edited on 9-9-2013 by MMc]

You'll know when you see it! There will be surf and good times for all.
"Coordinates" you guys are killing me, let me get out my map

I have been using a 10x10 low-pitch roof swap meet structure for years; it can also be converted to a 10x20 for larger groups as in the attached picture with 3 additional fittings.

We wrap the sides with shade cloth to help cut out some, but not all of the wind, otherwise it would get too hot, plus cut down on the sun coming in the sides. Because of the bungees that hold on the top there is less chance for it to take off in a strong wind; plus it vents heat better than an "Easy-Up". I just this year had to order some new bungees as a few of the 8 year old ones were losing their stretch.

Definitely go with a top that is silver on top and white below. In this 2009 photo the one on the left was white on top and bottom, and a thinner mil, and there was a considerable heat difference between the two with the left side being hotter. Both are currently silver topped, and the same heavy mil thickness.

This is not really suitable for rain protection as we found out on Aug 25 of this year at midnight when the leading edge of Ivo hit us. Rain blows in the front, drips in the middles and edges....not fun with 5 people trying to sleep and worrying about packing up for home in the rain in a few hours....

BTW it takes around 2 hours start to finish to set up with 3 people, and the same to take down. So this is more for camping in an area where you will be for several days.

I believe mine uses the 1 3/8" pipe. Most kits do not come with the poles, you have to go to Home Depot for those.
For the 10x10 you'll need 9 10-foot sections, of which you'll be cutting off ~4' for the leg poles, depending on how tall you want it.
For the 10x20 you'll need 15 10-foot sections, of which you'll be cutting off ~4' for 6 leg poles.
Although not cheap, and heavy, go with steel, not PVC

Also, if you want a 10x16, you can simply use 8-foot poles for the roof beam and sides rather than the 10 footers. They also make joiners to hook up two sections, if you don’t have the room to haul 10 or 8 foot lengths of pipe.

I got my kit off eBay, but don't recall the seller. I got the "Heavy-duty" kit that included the fittings, bungees, and the tarp. The "medium-duty" had smaller diameter eye-bolts to attach the poles to the fittings, a less mil-thickness on the tarp, and steel eyelet on the trap rather than brass. The "light-duty" one down-grades to 1 inch or maybe 3/4 inch pipe (definitely not suitable for Baja ). I also got the foot pads that you can pile rocks on or use long spikes to nail into the ground for added wind safety.



[Edited on 9-9-2013 by Taco de Baja]

Quote:

Originally posted by Taco de Baja [Edited on 9-9-2013 by Taco de Baja]

No trailers or tents at that point this year. Completely deserted. That place seems to have different people in different conditions every time we pass by. Several years ago as we were heading home a guy came running out of his tent to flag us down. He wanted to sell us almejas. He was initially bummed when we declined. But perked up when we gave him a bunch of leftover food we could not bring back and did not really need: fruits, veggies, chips, crackers, salami, and a half bottle of Cuervo. Man he was happy to see that!

Only people we really saw this trip were some guys from Punta Blanca who stopped by on our first night to see if we had some sodas and cervezas they could have for their road trip into town [saw them again on our way out when we stopped at the La Virgen shrine near the paved road to pay our respects, get some of the mud off, and discover I had a leaky tire. If we had not stopped, I may not have noticed and possibly blown it out on the highway Thanks La Virgen! . They offered to help, in the Baja tradition, but I about had it plugged and declined.], and another couple of guys who drove all the way from Blanca the day it rained to see if we had some lighters (on our last day). We of course gave them several lighters and most of our leftover sodas and beer.

There are some fishermen living on the point to the south, but we had no contact with them.

There were two Osprey nests this year.

Ill try to work up a photo trip report sometime soon....with key landmarks redacted, of course

Quote:

Originally posted by Taco de Baja I have been using a 10x10 low-pitch roof swap meet structure for years; it can also be converted to a 10x20 for larger groups as in the attached picture with 3 additional fittings. We wrap the sides with shade cloth to help cut out some, but not all of the wind, otherwise it would get too hot, plus cut down on the sun coming in the sides. Because of the bungees that hold on the top there is less chance for it to take off in a strong wind; plus it vents heat better than an "Easy-Up". I just this year had to order some new bungees as a few of the 8 year old ones were losing their stretch. Definitely go with a top that is silver on top and white below. In this 2009 photo the one on the left was white on top and bottom, and a thinner mil, and there was a considerable heat difference between the two with the left side being hotter. Both are currently silver topped, and the same heavy mil thickness. This is not really suitable for rain protection as we found out on Aug 25 of this year at midnight when the leading edge of Ivo hit us. Rain blows in the front, drips in the middles and edges....not fun with 5 people trying to sleep and worrying about packing up for home in the rain in a few hours.... BTW it takes around 2 hours start to finish to set up with 3 people, and the same to take down. So this is more for camping in an area where you will be for several days. I believe mine uses the 1 3/8" pipe. Most kits do not come with the poles, you have to go to Home Depot for those. For the 10x10 you'll need 9 10-foot sections, of which you'll be cutting off ~4' for the leg poles, depending on how tall you want it. For the 10x20 you'll need 15 10-foot sections, of which you'll be cutting off ~4' for 6 leg poles. Although not cheap, and heavy, go with steel, not PVC Also, if you want a 10x16, you can simply use 8-foot poles for the roof beam and sides rather than the 10 footers. They also make joiners to hook up two sections, if you don’t have the room to haul 10 or 8 foot lengths of pipe. I got my kit off eBay, but don't recall the seller. I got the "Heavy-duty" kit that included the fittings, bungees, and the tarp. The "medium-duty" had smaller diameter eye-bolts to attach the poles to the fittings, a less mil-thickness on the tarp, and steel eyelet on the trap rather than brass. The "light-duty" one down-grades to 1 inch or maybe 3/4 inch pipe (definitely not suitable for Baja ). I also got the foot pads that you can pile rocks on or use long spikes to nail into the ground for added wind safety. [Edited on 9-9-2013 by Taco de Baja]

I wouldn't string a hammock. It's not really that strong, or designed for that. Maybe with the super-heavy duty kits that use 1-5/8" or 1-7/8" chain link fence posts instead of 1-3/8" tubing...but that's adding a lot of weight. Some kits also add a horizontal beam below the roof peak (the 10 foot wide sections in the photo) which should help add some structural support in the corners....All we hang from the structure are beach towels, wet-suits, bathing suits, lanterns, bags of fruit, potatoes, and the like. So we did not need the extra support.

The kids, being kids, will occasionally swing around on the vertical poles like monkeys, but an immediate "STOP THAT IT'S NOT SAFE!" puts a stop to it. So far no damage from the monkeys .

If you want a hammock, I'd recommend using stand alone poles with guy wires (Which, of course, can be dangerous especially at night after a few beers )