Shade tarp/minivan - need some camping help!
Help - I have a minivan with a roof rack that has wide, flat crossbars. I will be at Burning Man this year (YAY!!) and I am trying to rig a shade tarp over the van and my sitting/cooking area. I need something that can attach to the roof rack that will lift the tarp about a foot or more higher than the van roof. I can't find anything that will clamp over the crossbars, and the idea of bungee cording milkcrates on top doesn't sit well with my spouse. Any deal suggestions from other campers out there? Anyone?
by
sand4me
asked 2 years ago
I can't totally visualize what you are trying to do, but what about something like these clamps:
The long length would stick up once you clamped it to the roof rack, you could probably drill a small hole in the end if you needed to tie the tarp to it, plus they would be useful for lots of other things.
edit - here's a 6 piece set that has 2 of the 12 inch clamps plus a few others that might be useful : http://deals.woot.com/deals/details/565e2f2a-408c-4953-a5c7-81582410e5cf/irwin-set150-6-piece-clamp-set
@tygerdave: I don't know if the clamps will go over so well with the wife either.
@sand4me: If it does, I would recommend getting a few of them to avoid droopage of the tarp. You will also need to get poles for the end away from the van. Maybe something with a pointy tip and some rope so you can anchor it into the ground.
I used to go camping a lot, and my dad and I would jury rig contraptions for the tents and over the tables.
@tygerdave: The van is 6' wide, 16' long and about 6' tall. I've been told the wind gusts will sail your tarp away sometimes. The suggestion from one experienced Burner is to lay the tarp out and drive over it with two wheels (the side you will not be using) which will anchor it, then flip it over the van, and out to your poles. I want something on the roof of the van that will raise it off the metal and get some airflow. I thought of the milk crates, but my husband says that is just tacky (this IS Burning Man) so I have been looking for something that I could clamp on top that would lift the tarp. If I could figure out a way to put a large umbrella with a short pole up there, I would do that! The end next to the tarp can't be too sharp or pointy.
@sgoman5674: I'm the wife. I have to be able to erect the shade by myself, and he wanted me to take a big tent instead. Yeah, like I could erect that by myself...
@sand4me: One of the worries you will have to think about is when the wind gusts and picks up the tarp, will the crates a) stay in place and b) damage your van.
How big do you want your Shade area to be? If you want it to be fairly large, you might need to get two and tie them together.
Also my bad about the spouse mix-up. I knew you were the wife, but for some odd reason I reason I forgot. Maybe not so odd as I forget everything.
@sand4me: why not something like this, which you can anchor over the?http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=party+tent&show=dd&lnk=pruser&price1=50&price2=250 it wouldn't look tacky and um looking at pictures from burning man you could decorate too.
@sgoman5674: No worries - the reason I keep thinking about the milk crates (or similar) is because they have lots of holes, they could be bungee corded to the crossbars and even have a pvc pole lengthwise through them and while it might look tacky (not sure anyone will look), it is something that I could do myself. I think they would stay on the crossbars. I also thought about a pvc pipe arrangement kind of like a clothes rack, but that is where I ran into "how do I fasten this securely to the roof rack" question. There aren't any claw-type clamps that I can find to go over the crossbars. I can't just sit a rack up there - it would scratch the roof. I looked at a canoe carrying rack, but that is high dollar and not really what I am looking for.
@hobbit: I already have a tarp, two extension poles, and two very heavy pole stands. I did think about getting an additional tarp, two more poles, and sinking some rebar to attach the poles to - and may still go that way. The canopies do not always get good reviews for wind resistance.
@sand4me: ah I was just thinking if you had it anchored to the top and then to the ground it might do okay. the wind resistence issue is usually because people don't anchor them into the ground properly - as I am sure you know. Things do tend to fly away if they aren't anchored down properly.
@sand4me: What about anchoring them to trees? Are there going to be any around for you to do that to? That was my favorite anchor.
Or are trees going to be targets? I am only basing that question based on the name of the convention/concert.
@sgoman5674: I believe burning man is held in the middle of the desert
@sgoman5674: (giggling) Burning Man is held on a dry desert lakebed called a Playa. There are no trees or vegetation. Visit www.burningman.com to see some sights. There is also an aerial view of it somewhere on there. Almost 50,000 people come together to form a city for a week and then depart, with Leave No Trace as a guiding principle. You bring in everything you need and it all has to go back out with you. An experiment in radical self-reliance. This is my first year. This is also the 25th anniversary year.
@sand4me: Sounds interesting. Is it always held in the summer?
@sand4me: So you'll park your front wheels on the tarp, pull it over the front / top of the van, and then run it out to some polls a few yards behind the van for the canopy?
I don't have a lot of experience, will airflow between the top of the van and the tarp make much difference? Seems like any wind from the front the back will be blocked by the tarp itself. At the same time that's going to give any cross-breeze a lot more surface area to push up on - increasing the chances of the tarp blowing away.
Although I could be visualizing it wrong still.
@tygerdave: No. The drivers side wheels of the van, front and back. This way she'll be able to use the sliding door of the van and still be in the shade.
@tygerdave: sgoman5674 is right, the driver's side wheels over the tarp with access through the passenger side sliding door. However, I am about to consider getting some rebar which is recommended, putting up 4 poles, and not attaching to the van at all.
@sgoman5674: ah I see, still I think airflow there wouldn't matter too much.
@sand4me: That sounds like a good idea. You could always use the van as a backup plan if that didn't work out as well as you hope. Hope you have a blast! :-)
@sgoman5674: The man burns on the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, it opens on the Monday before and closes on the Monday after. Have wanted to go for many years.
@tygerdave: Thanks! I am really looking foward to it, although the 6 day drive may not be so fun. Still, for this first year, that is the way I wanted to do it.
@sand4me: I wish I could go, but there are issues with Saturdays.
@sgoman5674: yes, it requires a suspension of many things.
@tygerdave & @sgoman5674 & @hobbit - after two days of discussion with experienced burners, turns out that @hobbit's suggestion for the canopy is probably best all around. Returning the tarp and one pole, looking for a good canopy - 10x10 I think. There is one over at Wally World that I will go look at.
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