What camping accessories do you really love?

[innerSpaceman]

It has a mind of its own .... oh, sorry, still on about tent wires.

[Morrigoon]

I was wondering what the base of the center pole looks like myself. According to your description, it's just a pole.

Okay, so if the spokes go several inches into the hub, is it difficult to put together inside the staked tent? Or do you just plan on needing to restake the outside tighter after the hub and spoke system is put together?

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Prudence

Provide me with the ground space and I'll set it up for you. It has withstood some substantial storms.

Are you saying NO outside guy wires, or just guy wires very close the tent?

If it is the latter, I understand. If the former, I would have to see this. I've seen many a pavilion fall victim to strong winds.

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

I was wondering what the base of the center pole looks like myself. According to your description, it's just a pole.

Okay, so if the spokes go several inches into the hub, is it difficult to put together inside the staked tent? Or do you just plan on needing to restake the outside tighter after the hub and spoke system is put together?

The red and blue circus tent shown earlier is two rounds with a breezeway between them. The rounds use the center pole and spokes setup.

How each round is put up is the top canopy is spread out on the ground. The (18'!) center hole is poked through it's grommet at what will be the top. The outside ropes are attached very loosely to their stakes. Using three people, the pole/canopy is lifted into position, placing the bottom of the pole in position and the ropes are then tightened enough to hold the pole basically vertical with a slight spread to the canopy.

Next, the spokes are inserted into a wheel on the center pole and into pockets designed for them in the canopy. On the 18' diameter canopy, the poles are spaced about every 1.5'-2' (I don't remember the exact spacing). At this point, you have a round tent with no walls.

Next, the walls are hung to the canopy. In the case of this tent, there are two sections of wall for the entire round (with doors at each meeting point). This step is probably the hardest because the canvas is very heavy and you are attaching it (via snap rings) at about 7' off the ground. It is best to have two people doing it: one lifting the canvas wall and one attaching the rings.

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

I was wondering what the base of the center pole looks like myself. According to your description, it's just a pole.

Okay, so if the spokes go several inches into the hub, is it difficult to put together inside the staked tent? Or do you just plan on needing to restake the outside tighter after the hub and spoke system is put together?

oh yeah - the center pole is just a pole. I alwaye meant to make a platform for it to rest on, but never did.

It's not too difficult to put in the spokes at all. Generally the outside needs to be restaked a least a little. The precise configuration of the ground stakes varies depending on the terrain. If you're on a slope at all, you have to adjust the walls so that they're pulled tight.

Kevy: the tension in the walls generally helps keep the pavillion up. It's been through a very windy September event near Ellensburg, WA, which is probably the wind capital of Washington. It's also survived such events as May Drown.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Prudence

Kevy: the tension in the walls generally helps keep the pavillion up. It's been through a very windy September event near Ellensburg, WA, which is probably the wind capital of Washington. It's also survived such events as May Drown.

A question (inspired by Morri's comments about the linked pavilion she wants to build): are the sides sloped or straight? I was thinking purely about straight walls (which is what our encampment has almost exclusively).

[Prudence]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

A question (inspired by Morri's comments about the linked pavilion she wants to build): are the sides sloped or straight? I was thinking purely about straight walls (which is what our encampment has almost exclusively).

They're sloped, but not excessively so. I mean, the hub is far above my head, so it's a gradual slope.

[Disneyphile]

I've wanted to make one for awhile. However, I will probably never find the time.

[Morrigoon]

Kevy, look at the link again, where it gets down to describing the making of the tent. The one I showed uses the walls AS guy wires, if you will. It also has the walls attached to the roof with a rain flap sewed in at the joining seam. So you stake the bottom of the walls to the ground, then pop up the roof with the pole. That's why I was wondering about tension and being able to get the stakes into the hub, because you have these pesky wall things that might get in the way.

[Kevy Baby]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

Kevy, look at the link again, where it gets down to describing the making of the tent. The one I showed uses the walls AS guy wires, if you will. It also has the walls attached to the roof with a rain flap sewed in at the joining seam. So you stake the bottom of the walls to the ground, then pop up the roof with the pole. That's why I was wondering about tension and being able to get the stakes into the hub, because you have these pesky wall things that might get in the way.

Fine, MAKE me go look at the link.

But I only skimmed the article and didn't see what you are specifically referring to. But I imagine that putting up the linked pavilion would follow a similar assembly process, with the possible exception of attaching the walls first (since they are used in lieu of guy wires). Essentially, you would have a droopy pavilion until you put in the spokes.

[innerSpaceman]

Better a droopy pavilion than a droopy guy wire.