So, can I pick y'all's minds about tent weights?
Being new (and thus dumb), I bought these cute little tent weights at Dicks last year...little circle things that go over the legs. I bought two sets (for a total of 40lbs), thinking I was so smart - 40lbs AND they're inconspicuous!
Yeah, you know what's coming next. My tent came perilously close to blowing away in Rochester last year. I learned the hard way, 40lbs isn't nearly enough weight.
I've poked around here quite a bit and I've seen a lot of good ideas...the cement/bucket weights with the threaded hole to "stake" the tent legs into appealed to me, as did the idea of PVC weights. The few outdoor shows I did last year, I saw a tent anchored to a couple drums of water which seemed...unattractive. I also saw some people with weights hanging off the top of their canopy legs; however, I'm a klutz and I'm pretty sure I'd knock myself out with one of those.
So I'm curious what the preferred way to weight a tent is? And how much weight is enough? Is there a such thing as enough/too much weight?
Thanks y'all!
- Manda
Replies
The absolute best weights are Happy Feet. I think that's what they are called. I saw someone survive a 50 mph wind and rain storm and that booth did not move. It didn't even sway. Connie knows the particulars since they donated a set at last years fund raiser. I'd be interested in Jim Eaton's new item, especially if they are inexpensive. A lot of times people hang the weights incorrectly. If you hang them without touching the ground or attached to the posts, they can swing like a pendulum. Always have them on the ground or attached to your frame.
If the weights touch the ground it reduces the downward force on the legs. The tent isn't going to lift up more than a few inches that way, but the problem is that the tent can scoot sideways because there is less force on the legs. The sideways movement is what causes legs to buckle. Leave the weight hanging a few inches off the ground, and as you said, secure them to the frame so they don't swing. A couple of ball bungee cords per weight does the trick nicely.
we use the half sized concrete blocks with a hole drilled at the center and another one drilled at the side for close shows. Using a masonary drill the same size as the hole at the foot of the tent and a bolt with wing nut to secure the tent to the block. This works well on grass or pavement and is cheap :)
Another set of weights I use, and these depend on the show and how much space I have in the van, are four concrete blocks with a 2"x8"x16" board that has been glued with lots of Liquid Nails to the tops. These are the blocks that don't have the recessed web on the ends, one end is smooth and the other end has a small channel down the end. I get mine at Lowe's.
These are much heavier than the traditional "cinder blocks". I paint them white so they aren't quite so conspicuous. I set the tent on top of them and use short lag bolts with an electric drill/screwdriver to anchor the legs to the wooden top. That's about 160 to 180 lbs total. If the wind can pick those up, you want to be somewhere else and your top priority is not the tent and art work if you get my drift.
This does raise the tent almost 10 inches. Sometimes I use two 10 foot 2x8 boards on the sides on top of the weights to support the Propanels, and a short board in the back for the rear panels. This is particularly useful when setting up on uneven ground. This gives just about a foot rise in height for the tent, which makes the bottom of the Propanels more useful for hanging work. BTW, the ten foot boards would fit in my Chrysler (Dodge and Plymouth) extended minivans by sliding them down the middle up to the floor vents in the front. I believe all the Chrysler/Dodge minivans are the longer ones now.
I used to use the water bottles (8 gallons minimum) and they worked great but they are unattractive. I now use Eaton canopy weights which I love but they are pricey. They are less expensive than Happi Feet though. The PVC weights seem to work well also as long as you position them low. I've seen people attach them to sta bars and they look nice. I use 30 lbs of weight (2 canopy weights) on each leg as an absolute minimum. Most of the time I go with 45 lbs on each leg and if I think it is going to be windy I have enough for 75 lbs on each leg. For a show like Va Beach I put 75 lbs on each leg plus pull out the old water bottles and put them on the front and strap to the back railing.
If I can locate 8 of the EZ-Up sand bags, I may go for that this year instead of rebuilding my concrete weights which are beat to hell and back.
Hold off on this purchase, Robert. A very cool product is about to hit the market, designed by Jim Eaton, who made those very cool stackable weights a few years ago. Jim has left the art fair biz (he is a sculptor) and is taking his industrial design experience to a company who hired him as an adviser to invent some great weights at a great price and they are going to be showcased here very soon. You'll like them better than concrete weights, PVC, etc.
When should we expect to see this?!
Heh, the best weights I ever saw were a set made up of old cowboy boots. They had a threaded rod running down the middle inside and were filled with concrete. They supported the tent legs and were bolted to the foot pads at the top of the boot. I wish I had taken a photo of those. Very clever and eye catching.
That sounds very cool!
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