Sun Shades

[terryg]

Since we seem to go thru easyups every couple of years due to wind damage, I have decided to start on building a stronger solution to the need for sun protection. Shades using conduit and welded fittings seem to be the most durable. Any design tips from those of you that have already done this? This site seems like a good source for the basic building blocks.

https://www.ysbw.com/

 

[o1d_dude]

The best thing you can do is invest in some sort ot tie down arrrangement. Stakes, sandbags, whatever.

Two years ago I watched a conduit shelter tumble the length of an athletic field. The topper was when a large granstand was picked up by a dust devil and csme to rest in the top of a eucalyptus tree. We never did find the orange plastic crowd control fence we'd spent hours putting up.

If you have an EZ Up just stake it down and hope for the best.

 

[El Cheapo]

Try Shelter Systems https://www.shelsys.com/You buy the fittings and tarp from them and buy the pipe at yer local hardware store. I had one off my race trailer that was 30x20. Due to its size it was a three man job to get it attached to the trailer but once It was up, it was awesome.

 

[tfish]

In the past 6 years that I've had my "sun shade" I've only had to take it down 3 or 4 times. I do most of my flying out at Black Rock and it can get a 'bit' windy at times there. My shade is not an easy up. I'm not sure what make it is. It has lots of individual poles and the top is a mesh fabric. I think the mesh lets most of the wind fo through it instead of it acting like a kite. I've had my own "real" easy up land up side down on my own vehicle. Lots of guys have the EMT conduit and bungeed on tops. When my current shade gives up, I'm gonna switch to one of them. I was looking around at some of the on-line sites that sell the parts and I saw atleast one place that had the 'mesh' tops. That's what I'll go with next time. And yes, staking them down is the start of keeping it in your camp.

Tony

 

[troj]

BTW, the canopies with the aluminized undercoat provide "better" shade than those that do not.

Several years ago, at the local air show, we had an EZ-Up with a white top setup directly next to a Quik-Shade with a dark green top. The Quik-Shade had an aluminized coating on the bottom, and the EZ-Up did not.

Logic would make you think the white one would be cooler, as it would reflect more of the light/UV away. But it didn't. It was noticably cooler under the green top than the white one.

That aluminized coating blocks UV, which is what makes you feel "hot".

-Kevin

 

[o1d_dude]

Same thing goes for umbrellas.

The Tommy Bahama beach umbrella at Costco for $35 comes with a heavily aluminized underside. I bring it to launches instead of one of my two EZ Ups. It's much easier to set up and also much more compact. I suppose I could just drive end of the umbrella into the ground but I usually just lash it with bungee cords to the spare tire mount on my Bronco. Sometimes I bring a cheapy umbrella stand instead.

Did I forget to mention that rocket season runs from October to May in NorCal?