JonStarbuck.co.uk

My challenge for 2008 Burning Man festival; to provide a shade structure for about 15 people that would not blow down, or otherwise fail, in the viciously strong winds that you get on the playa while shading us all from the savage sun.

We used it again in 2009, bit overcrowded with 25 people sheltering under it, but otherwise it was very successful.

To start with I’ll show you why you need to bother to do it properly and not just use a cheap gazebo… here are two photos of our 2008 neighbour’s shade structure, taken about one minute apart :

Now you see it…

…now you don’t!

God only knows what happened to it or who it hit on the way.

To make one that won’t blow away you will need:

(all measurements in imperial/English, sorry about this, I may be British but we are in the USA and that is what they use here…)

• 21 foot by 21 foot bit of 70% Alumanet - about $200.
• 60 or more special grommets for the Alumanet - about $1 each.
• a 100 foot length of cheap 3/8 inch rope (to help reinforce the seam/edge of the Alumanet) - $20.
• a 100 foot length of good quality rope (we used a length of retired climbing rope) - $free.
• 4 x 7-foot bits of 2×4 (to make the four corner uprights) - about $5 each.
• 4 x eye-bolts (one for each corner) - about $2 each.
• 1 x 9 or 10-foot bit of 2×4 with a big heavy thing at its base (your batteries, maybe?) to make a central pole.
• 8 x ratchets (to make the whole thing very tight) - $5 each?
• 8 x 2-foot lengths of 1/2-inch re-bar (for pegging it down) - $2 each?
• 100-foot or so of thin 1/8-inch rope / thick string / cord - £10?
• a big-ish hammer, a 10-pounder should do.
• Lots of little bits of para-cord or similar.

Corner detail

The finished structure.

Inside the structure.

The entire structure is put up and tensioned without the Alumanet in place; each corner is placed about 21 feet apart, two three-foot rebar pegs per corner about 4 feet from the corner-post at 90-degrees from each other, a ratchet strap on each… once erected tighten so the rope makes a square of rope about 25 feet by 25 feet strung between the 7-foot uprights. This needs 2 people or more, practice before you leave home.

Only once this is up, stable and solid, the Alumanet is added, gently, corners first, using the little bits of  para-cord to attach it. It will droop a lot in the centre, don’t worry about this.

After that the 9-foot centre pole is placed in the centre… with a big heavy weight at the bottom…. and something big and soft on the top so it does not wear a hole in the Alumanet during the week.

Add, maybe, a corner-to-corner cross of some string to suspend your lights or whatever from.

This shade shaded 15 or so of us from the sun in 2008 (and 25 in 2009) and withstood the 2008 sand storms without even flinching…

It is coming to the Burn in 2010, don’t see any reason why it won’t be awesome again. Come find it / us in the AEZ (Alternative Energy Zone); we are Camp Starstruck.

If you follow this design then I’d love to know. If you can help improve this description then please do. Send me photos of your structure or links and I’ll add them.While this was all my idea I’m sure it was not original, if you know more then please let me know. Contact me here.

And one last thing, if this page has been useful to you then, if you like, show your appreciation by buying me a beer.