Behind your tent?

I've been in several shows where we had some extra room around the 10'x10' area, and some people have been very clever about erecting awnings or "back room" areas.  This is especially handy for rainy or extremely hot days!  Unfortunately I haven't really paid attention to how they made these areas, and I'd love some suggestions.  I have a Flourish Trimline tent, and know I could just buy the 5' awning, but I'm not sure I really need that or want it.  One lady made sort of a lean-to arrangement behind her tent where she stayed nice and dry while i was squeezed into the back of my tent space.  Does anyone have any clever ideas?  Thanks in advance!

 

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  • Well, I solved my own problem easily at Talbot.  I unzipped the front of my tent and clipped it to the back of my tent and then bungeed it to a wrought iron fence behind my booth.  The result was a lovely shaded room when my friends and family all sat while I was making $$ out front.  Now I just have to apply to shows with handy wrought iron fences strategically placed just where I want them!  ;D
  • You have some good ideas. Does anyone know if there is an awning that will work with a King Canopy 10'X10'?  I hope to put a "room and the back" and add an awning for customers in case of rain or hot sun.

    Thanks

  • I have a similar setup.   You can buy a 10'x10' white tarp with grommet holes along all 4 sides for about $25 on-line.  I afix mine to the back of my tent in several spots with bungees and then stake the bottom in.  Folded in half or ful-sized, it is a nice little storage leanto at the back of my tent with very little effort.
  • Thanks, everyone, for your thoughtful replies!   We'll look them over carefully and figure out something. 

    As to the "back room..."  I spoke to the Flourish people, and they no longer carry it.  It was never able to be completely water tight, and people were getting their stored work water damaged, so they quit selling it. 

  • We have the trimline, have 3 awnings plus an extra awning bar set, drape our back wall over the awning bars, use bungies to snug back, can collect water as it's not as tight as an awning. The back wall makes a pretty good back room. When we need further protection, I attach our old EZ-UP sides to the awning bar for total coverage. Extra clamps help and bungies run from the awning bar to the tent bar help provide extra support. In tight quarters in the back, I have 2 - 2' side awning bars that at least give us a bit of back room. In our case, pro panels hide the back room. Now if I just had room for a cot.
  • I have a Lite Dome with a 10x10 back awning.  I make a lean-to with a telescoping pole with a point on each outer end that goes into a 10' horizontal pole.  The tarp rolls out from the top and by rolling it as far as space permits behind my booth, I make a sheltered back area that goes from about 2' to 10'deep x 10' wide.  On the bottom of my rear booth legs, I have a PVC connector that is a 2-3" wide tube with a 120 degree 2-3" tube coming out of the vertical (check out Home Depot, Lowes, etc.).  The straight part slides onto the booth leg, the 120 degree angled tube is what you slide the bottom of the telescoping pole into.

    If you don't have a back awning, you can use your rear wall rain fly.

    If you don't have a 10' horizontal pole, get 3/4"conduit pipe (called EMT in the trade), drill a hole cross ways near each end:  that is the hole into which you slide the pointed tip of your telescoping pole (tent poles, usually available at camping stores, such as REI, Bass, etc.).  If you can't fit a 10' pole into your vehicle, cut it in half and use a connector to join the pieces together (ask for help at Home Depot, etc.).

    Roll the bottom of the tarp around the horizontal pole and hold it in place with a couple of clamps.

    If it is windy (mine holds up to about 20-25 mph), anchor the pointed end and pole end with a cinch strap to something heavy, such as a dog anchor in grass or a tool box or booth weight on pavement.

    The advantage of this system is that it doesn't sag, even in heavy rain; won't blow around in light winds and uses very few extra parts to pack into your vehicle.  And you don't have to be an expert mechanic to make it (or bribe someone with cookies to make one for you!).

    I know this sounds complicated, but everyone who has seen this system on my tent sees the simplicity of the construction.  I'd attach a photo, but I'm on the road for the next two weeks and can't download images.

    If you're at Deerfield this coming weekend or Old Town Art Fair (Booth #9) next weekend, come on by and take a look.  Maybe you have a digital camera with you and you can take a couple of pix of my system. 

  • They probably got the back room when they acquired the Craft Hut company but saw little demand for it.

    Larry Berman
    http://BermanGraphics.com
    412-401-8100
  • Seems to me that Luke or one of the other guys at Flourish told me that they had a back room of sorts. I never saw it though, and it's definitely not in production. I'd agree that it's a whole lotta work to set up the extra space unless you REALLY need it. Awnings are quick, they shed rain well, and are definitely worth the small investment. Easier to rig than painters poles and a back wall.
  • If I'm not mistaken, Flourish didn't make a back room, Craft Hut did. They sold a six foot awning and then added the sides that were necessary to enclose it. They also offered a complete six foot Craft Hut for the State Street spaces in the Michigan Guild Ann Arbor show. Besides the six foot Craft Hut, they offered a conversion kit to adapt a 10x10 Craft Hut into a 10x6 space. Besides the State Street spaces, the six foot booth was also used on Main Street in the 17 foot spaces. For years, I created my own back room using the six foot awning behind my 10x10 Craft Hut in a 17 foot space on Main Street.

    If you ask around, you might be able to pick up a 10x6 Craft Hut. They still come up for sale from time to time. But they are just as time consuming to set up as your Flourish tent. Too much work if you ask me. Unless you actually need the space for inventory or to sit comfortably, I'd just get a regular awning and sit under it. More important would be a clear front so your work could still be seen by people that pass by in the rain without having any damage. Make sure to ask them to close umbrellas upon entering your booth.

    Larry Berman
    http://BermanGraphics.com
    412-401-8100
  • Buy a couple of long painters poles at Home Depot or Lowes. Unzip both sides of your back wall all the way to the roof. Extend the poles to about 6', and bungie one to each bottom corner of your back wall and lift the bottom edge of the wall into the air. Brace the bottom end of the pole closer to the back legs of the tent. Run clothesline or ratchet straps from the top of your new awning to tent stakes, parking meters or whatever is handy behind the back of the tent. This is easier to do than to to describe.

    It's hard to keep the center of this "awning" from sagging without a lot of tension on the two braces outward, away from the tent. If it rains, it will not provide good protection, as the sagging area will tend to collect rainwater. This solution is not optimum, but it's cheaper than an awning.

    That said, a 54" Trimline awning, with poles and extenders is only $120. If you have an awning on one or both sides of your tent (corner space) you'll need awning three-ways too. Those run about$ 15 each. And you can then use your back wall to cover storage if it gets a bit wet. Two long painters poles, the good 6' ones, will cost you about $50. 

    Flourish used to make a "back room", but they don't anymore. The closest they come is the 10x15" canopy which is a full 10x15' roof and extra poles so that you can set up deep. To get the gonz magilla, you'll spend an additional $500-600 for the top and extra parts, including two five foot wall extensions. Some shows you can use this, but it's not predictable if and when you'll get a spot like that. Old Craft Huts also have a back room which extends off the awning. Those aren't manufactured anymore, but you might find an old one on the used market.

    I've used the 54" awning with tent walls A-clamped to the awning supports to get the extra 4+ feet of display space in back, but it is NOT weatherproof. I've had to disassemble this during a downpour to protect artwork. That's not fun. Usually I just use the space for storage, for a chair or two, and for my office box.

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