ez-ups re-educations and poll

[Pyrofish]

We get some pretty strong winds down here in Florida, and I find the best thing to do on a rainy breezy day is to bring it lower so you you have to duck to get under it. I have tied it to trees before, but with enough wind, they just twist into a pretzel in spite of your efforts.

Also, it's important that if you leave it up, stay under it. You need to get the rain water out of it before it collapses any members, and it will.

Leave the cover on, just make sure it's dry when you put it away. If it's not and you have to leave, take the cover off.

As for brands, the best I've seen are the King Canopy Tuff Tents. A little more $$, and weight, but you get stronger frame members that can withstand the high winds and water collecting. The upper frame extends into the middle of the tent, which can be a head knocker if it's lower, but makes the entire unit considerably stronger. You also get pull rings instead of buttons for the takedowns. After a year or two those spring buttons get more difficult to push. They also come with walls usually. You can really tell the difference.

All of that said, I have a cheaper one that has no internal bracing. I think it's an EZ-up in fact. I've had it for 4 years now, and as long as you don't leave it up in a storm, it has provided me with invaluable shade on 99F days here working on shows. When I have to buy a new one, I'll probably go to Sam's Club and buy the heartiest King I can put my hands on.

[pete42]

SNIP SNIP SNIP
I bought a new ez-up today from wally world it's my first time using one.
I wonder if it would be easier to leave the top cover attached to the ez up when placing it back in the case rather than removing it so the next time I set it up it would be easier ?
How do you folks tie the thing down in wind storms. POll 1.
poll 2 what is your prefered shade tree.?
kelty. ez-up models
shelter logic motified table canopy.
other canopy styles.
I am still partial to my shelter logic motifed pincic table canopy, and I am working on restoring the wind damaged parts.
I like it because it's a little easer to sit-up than the ez-up, one bad thing it offers less shade.
I am also leaning toward a kelty style shade tripod, I saw one at sportsmans warehouse yesterday in casper, I almost came home with one.
I can see tieing a corner to my hatch when it's open.
It is 15' x 15' and it is on sale for 49 bucks very tempting.
it looks like a cut open spread out dome tent.

poll 2 whats your prefered shade tree?

poll 1 whats the prefered method to strap them down?

lets have some reminders or re-education on ez ups and shade things for the summer.

my opinion of ez-up's is lots of area and shade. couple of draw-backs they are hard to set up and are awkward to move around.
In a gentle afternoon wyoming breeze it could act like a good sail and head to the neighbors

SLowcowboy.

slowcowboy:
I have a 12' foot eze-up with gable ends on two sides.
Make it easy to fit over the door of my last trailer.
It would allow me to open the door during a rain shower.
It came with long "nail" looking spikes that went through the holes in the foot plate on each leg.
Fact is they did not hold well I started using ropes and tent-pegs when I thought they would be needed.
I made 12 inch leg extensions that bolt to the leg-plate and allowed me to place the eze-up over my trailer which helped keep it cool.

I do not leave the top on the eze-up when I place it back into the storage bag I worry about it being "cut" by one of the many folding parts.

so I prefer the eze-up, I use ropes and tent-pegs to tie it down

pete

[Mightydog]

pete,

The UN just called. They have an immediate opening for interpreters.

Mightydog

[GeoDrop]

We purchased a 12x12 Coleman Maxx at Wally World. I thought the 12x12 was a little excessive but the wife wanted it, so we got it. It actually works out very well. It covers all of the teardrop and leaves some room on the sides for a sitting area if it rains. It also has UV protection in it. The first time we tried to put it up, I about threw it in the river but after a couple of times, we've finally figured out how to get it up easily. It goes down even easier and fits nicely in the bag.

Poll 1 - Ours came with large spikes for the four legs plus the tiny little ropes to tie it off. The top does have a 'vent' to let out the air that gets up underneath it, which should help. If I know it is going to be really windy, I'll carry four concrete blocks to set on the feet but haven't had enough wind to see if they help or not.

Poll 2 - Coleman Maxx 12x12 from Wally World.. $129 I think.

Poll 3 - We leave the cover on. The bag that comes with it actually has an expansion zipper that allows this.

[glenpinpat]

we have a 10x10 broadstone that came with one side wall. We never leave the top on as it only takes 2 sec to throw over frame also worried about damaging it. We stake to ground with anchor spikes through base of legs and with the ropes. We will be buying another one but after seeing many models while camping will be going with gander mountains guide series which repels water and comes with 3 side walls and a full bug mesh. Patrick

[doitright]

Wal mart sells coleman and First ups. I did not know they also sell ez-ups. There is a big difference. The real ez-up has a heaver frame than the wal-mart first up. But it may be like drinks I love to go to a friends house they say who wants a coke then they will respond I will take a Dr. Pepper, I will have a Sprite and and so on. It is just funny all sodas are not Coke. It is just hard to give info and advice only to find out you have one thing but say to have another. It is like drinks a Sprite and a Coke do not look or even taste the same.

[Aaron Coffee]

I have seem some get the screw in dog tie outs, screw them in the ground then hook ratchtet straps to them to hold the shelter in wind, I haven't used mine for other than birthday parties etc, where it is only up for a few hours.
I usually leave the cover on mine, hey I'm lazy.

[bdosborn]

We have a flag to go with our ez-up:



it helps us to tell which way the wind is blowing.

Bruce

[CAJUN LADY]

I always leave the top on when putting it back in the case unless it has gotten wet. I use the long tent stakes which look like long, long nails and I use the tent rope to tie it down.

My advise for you is if the wind is strong, which is sounds like it is, don't put it up or you will have another bad experience. No shelter, not a single one, no matter what brand or price is, is indestructible. You have to use common sense - if it's too windy don't use it. And, you will definately want to be under it if it's raining (like the advice given by Pyrofish) because it will hold puddles of water and collaspe.Believe me, I know! You need something to push the puddles out, like a broom stick or painters extension pole. Just make sure it is rounded off so it won't punch a hole in your canopy.

Good luck! I hope this one works out for you.

[Ratkity]

I have a 10x10 uv shade canopy from Coleman.

I tie the front two corners to the front of the TD. I stake down the back two legs AND tie down the corners with the provided rope. I've been in bad wind storms and haven't lost it.. um, yet! LOL. Bottom line: it's well anchored.

I always take off the top and make sure it has no moisture before stuffing it back in the TD storage compartment.

Hugs,
Ratkity

[iplay10us2]

pete,

The UN just called. They have an immediate opening for interpreters.

Mightydog

If this was Facebook, I would really "like" this.

[CAJUN LADY]

When the 5morning arrived new york asian escort the Druids would give new york asian escorts a piece of wood new york escort from their fires to each family，then they would take them home to start new cooking fires.These ,new york escorts fires would keep the homes warm and free from evil

SPAMMER!!!!!!!!! SOMEBODY SQUISH HIM!! HE'S DONE THIS ON EVERY ONE OF HIS POST!!!:thumbdown:

Mike and Madjack got him! Thank you!

[TheresaD]

[pete42]

Slowcowboy

first let me say I enjoy reading your post and I admire how you have done what I haven't that's build a TD seems to me you use and enjoy camping and fishing very much.

I too find the eze-up hard to put up by myself what I do is I just keep walking around it raising each corner a little each time around until it's fully raised.
one of the hardest things is figuring out the proper place to start so it ends up where I want it sitting
I figure out the spot where I want the center to be after it's up, place the eze-up over that spot, then I do my little may-pole dance of raising the eze-up.

pete

[bobhenry]

We are 4 season into our "Used" First up brand straight legged 12 x 12.

It has never retreated from a wind storm. While others pull down their various brands of folding shelters and huddle in their tiny trailers we party on in the wind and the rain under the first up. I have never had to dump ponding water off of the roof and have never experienced a leak in the canopy.

I remove the top each and every time before folding the frame to avoid pinching the material. When erected it is ratchet strapped from the heavy canopy corner frame under the trailer and back to the otherside and hooked to the frame there. I strap the other half of the canopy the same way thru a picnic table if available or cinch them to my tote boxes and coolers if no table is available.



The dark diagonal lines in this pic are the ratchet straps. High winds and torrential rains that evening and we just partied on with the side curtains up.



The red ratchet straps kinda show in this pic running under the table. The other end you can not see well in the pic run under the belly of the tear. This was the fall 2010 gathering and most folks took there's down to avoid something like this.