Tent basics // Oshkosh prep

"Nomen Nescio" ] wrote in message
...
From: "Jay Honeck"

There is NOTHING you can "screw into" some parts of the North 40. This
past
year we were parked on top of what amounted to gravel beneath a thin
layer
of topsoil. As a result, I was completely unable to screw in my metal
aircraft tie-downs -- even using a "cheater bar"!

OOPS! I was under the impression that it was a soft soil problem with the
stakes. They probably
don't allow you to dig holes there, but if they do, "pie plate" anchors
might work well. They're
about a 6 - 8 inch disk with a flanged hook that goes through the center
hole and gets buried.
They're actually designed for use in snow, but would hold quite well under
a foot of gravel.
Four at the corners and then normal staking at the sides might be all
that's needed. The "pie
plates" are only a few bucks each.....if you can find them.
Obviously, I've never pitched a tent at Oshkosh. So take this with a grain
of salt.


It is a rock problem. I have twisted off screw in hold downs, like they
were nothing, while they were less than 1/2 of the way in. Digging is next
to impossible without a pick. Slick anchors, like pole barn nails can slide
out. Rebar is great, because of the texture on the sides; they do not let
go.

By the way, if you use rebar, plan on something to grip them, and a long
lever to get them out of the ground. Don't ask me how I know! :-) Vise
grips, and a flat pry bar, and a small piece of lumber to put on the ground
will work.

Not putting extra guys on a tent at OSH, is an invitation for the wind to
make your tent bend over until it is almost flat against the ground, all the
while that the four corners are firmly still in place. It will bend metal
poles, and snap fiberglass poles, if you let them get started blowing out of
shape. Bring extra ropes and extra stakes. You will need them. The wind
can, and will, really howl. That is the one thing you can count on.

Lots of people manage. Listen to those who have been there, done that, and
been successful.
--
Jim in NC

The wet inside bit, is a hard one, but I recomend blow up air mattresses
to
keep above any floor water.

The newer battery-inflated ones are GREAT. We now sleep on a queen-sized,
self-inflating air bed when we go to OSH -- a far cry from the
"rock-in-the-ribs" old days! :-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Do I need a different tent or is proper staking and guying the solution. (and
all the sub questions like what stakes and what angles
to drive them etc. We are not skilled tenters)

Hi Mike

The best tent stakes are 10 inch nails from the hardware store.
They are cheap, they don't bend and you can pound them through prtetty
much anything. Pound them in at a 45 degree angle and they work
extremely well in high winds.

For a reasonably priced tent that stands up to very high winds/storms,
the Coleman Xpedition line takes a lot of beating.
I have owned some very expensive tents but currently I have 2 different
sizes of Xpedition - the small one I keep in the plane as part of my
survival gear - and they are the best value for money I have found.

Also of course situate your tent with the narrow end facing the
prevailing wind. If it doesn't have a narrow end, it probably shouldn't
be out in windy areas.

HTH



--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Almost Instrument
Cessna 172H C-GICE

"tony roberts" wrote

Hi Mike

The best tent stakes are 10 inch nails from the hardware store.
They are cheap, they don't bend and you can pound them through prtetty
much anything.

One question. Have you tried them at Oshkosh?
--
Jim in NC

One question. Have you tried them at Oshkosh?

No - but I did read this prior to responding:

We actually got a couple of them in, eventually, by carrying buckets of
water over to the plane, and pouring them into the parched ground. This
softened the soil enough for the screw-ins to "bite" and stay put, sort
of.)
Other years it's never been as much of a problem, so I think we were just
in a bad spot, compounded by a summer-long drought.

And I have used them on mountains (really too heavy to carry up - won't
do that again), on rock-strewn slopes in Nepal - in high winds, in open
meadows, peat based old growth forest and in snow. I also used them at
the Abbotsford Airshow this year which is very similar to Jays
description of Oshkosh - topsoil over gravel.

For what it takes, it is worth carrying some in addition to whatever
else he has. If we are really planning on camping in high winds, as was
mentioned in the post, then ideally we need several types of stakes.
Once we determine the type of ground that we have to use, we can choose
the most suitable stake. Also of course, a lot depends on the type of
tent - I am specifically recommending this type of stake with an
Xpedition type of tent. The Xpedition is is fact such a good tent (and
ridiculously cheap when compared to its competitors) that I have pitched
it on rock, in wind, without any stakes at all - bacause I couldn't get
them into the ground! On that occasion I lined the sides of the tent
with small rocks and used large rocks to hold the fly.

--

Tony Roberts
PP-ASEL
VFR OTT
Night
Almost Instrument
Cessna 172H C-GICE

tony roberts wrote:

The best tent stakes are 10 inch nails from the hardware store.

If you have to ask for these, they're called "60 penny nails".

George Patterson
Great discoveries are not announced with "Eureka!". What's usually said is
"Hummmmm... That's interesting...."

I havent used the cheap supplied tent stakes that come with your typical
tent in over 15 years.

What I have used are the army surplus variety aluminum tent stakes.
These things are big, thick, and I have NEVER had one of them pull out,
despite being exposed to wind that caused horizontal rain.

The stakes are heavier, and take up a little more space, as does the
necessary claw hammer it takes to pound them in, but I must say that
they can last virtually a lifetime, and will be still firmly anchored in
the ground long after the tent is in tatters.

Dont forget to scotchguard and seam-seal the tent.. Nothing worse than
leaks when you want to be dry.

Dave

Mike Z. wrote:
awright! I admit this is a bit premature but it has been too poopy to fly lately and a fellas' mind gets to wandering.

We have been gearing up to camp the North 40 for a while.

Last year we even upgraded the tent to a nice stand-up Eureka Headquarters.

Shortly after that, I read Jays' tale of woe and saw the pictures after his tent blew down.

Now my new tent is of similar size, http://www.eurekatent.com/head.asp , as Jays' old one.

My wife thinks that a nice motorhome is roughing it. Wet sleeping bags and the tent self destructing would be the last time we spent
on the north 40 which leads (finally) to my question.

Do I need a different tent or is proper staking and guying the solution. (and all the sub questions like what stakes and what angles
to drive them etc. We are not skilled tenters)

Mike Z

"Jeffrey Voight" wrote in message ...
Wet can be 'solved' by ensuring that your tent is set up on a slight
slope and digging a trench around the tent to channel the water around
it rather than under it.

You ever been to Oshkosh? The only place where there is a "slight slope" is
the drainage swales. The guys who camped there got a rather rude awakening
during the first thunderstorm when the stream came through their tent.

We've had a number of tents at Oshkosh and haven't had one pull up stakes
yet. We just use the regular yellow tent stakes (and we've camped in the
North 40, the Vintage area, Sally's Alley, and Scholler). We did have one
tent start to shred the fabric but she was still stuck down to the ground well.

You start digging trenches in the parking area at Oshkosh, you and I going to
have a long sincere talk when my landing mechanism sinks into your trench after
you leave.

The closest slight slope to Oshkosh is in Iowa.


Jim


Jeffrey Voight
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-Wet can be 'solved' by ensuring that your tent is set up on a slight
-slope and digging a trench around the tent to channel the water around
-it rather than under it.



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Jeffrey Voight wrote:

Wet can be 'solved' by ensuring that your tent is set up on a slight
slope and digging a trench around the tent to channel the water around
it rather than under it. On the high slope side, make sure that the
channel is very close to the edge of the tent so that you don't pick up
too much water. The trench on the low side should be continued further
than the tent so that you don't cause the gutters to dump water right in
front of your door. Oh, and make the door side on the down slope so
that you have a 'dry' spot on which to step (extend the trench past
where you want to step).

None of this can be done at Oshkosh.

George Patterson
Great discoveries are not announced with "Eureka!". What's usually said is
"Hummmmm... That's interesting...."