Car tents bad or good?

[whoodle]

Hi All,

I am looking into a temp carport for storing inventory(weather resistant except for the boxes) for a year or two. It seems like they run between 300 and 700 bucks. I would like to have an easily opened door, because it will be accessed at least twice a day. Any thoughts? I'm pretty sure many of you must have experienced these.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Nik]

Bought a clearspan 26x24foot 2 car garage shelter. I tried setting it up in November. The instructions were decent and the assembly did not appear complicated. The materials seemed good quality. However, I did not have the site level and could not get the earth anchors screwed in deep enough because of the gravel and rocky soil. I got the metal structure up and the (vinyl) end panels in place right before a heavy rain storm. I never got the main cover in place. Strong wind gusts up to 60 mph came along and quickly tore down my structure. The winds smacked head on into the end panels (12 feet high). They bent over under the force and several of the metal tubes of the port were bent in the process. The earth anchors were not in secure and pulled out of their gravel bed. They were in about 18 inches. Take home points are that the carport needs to be anchored properly or it will not withstand high winds. Also, I should have placed a tall post into the ground around the middle of the end panels and this would have given it significant reinforcement. This was a tip given by the saleman and now I can understand why. I will order replacement parts and try again in the spring. The photo shows my shelter after the storm. I think these strucures are good but proper preparation and anchoring are vital.

 

[Boondox]

Yikes! I bought a 12x20' unit from Costco for $200 last fall to keep one of my 57 Dodge pickups out of the weather. When I saw in the directions that it should be taken down if strong winds or heavy snow was forecast, I thought my money had been wasted. But I set it up between the garage and some trees hoping they would act as windbreaks. The very next day we had 50mph winds and I thought all was lost...but it held up!

There was no way I could use the anchor bolts as the ground was recently added fill that wouldn't hold a toothpick, so I ran a 2x8 PT board under each side, bolted the anchor points to those boards, then piled spare lumber on top of the anchor board. Once the snow began I banked it against the bottom so the wind would not be able to get under and lift the canopy. And periodically I'd punch the canvas from underneath to dislodge the snow on top.

The portable carport is still there, the truck is still dry, and I've definitely gotten my $$$ worth. But I still worry a lot about storms and might move it to a more protected spot after mud season.

Pete

 

[Charlie_in_TX]

If it were me and the documents are important, I wouldn't trust a tent. Build something, rent something or buy something made out of wood or metal.

 

[JeffRey30747]

I think you would be better off buying a used intermodal container. They are steel, fairly secure and you can get them in 20' or 40' lengths. Delivery can be expensive, though.

Jeff

 

[Egon]

Pete:

Best way to protect the truck tent is too build a garage over it.

Egon

 

[Boondox]

Well, the keeper truck (315cid V8 Polyhead) is in the garage, as is the tractor and a LOT of hay for the livestock. Had to make a decision -- should the other truck or the Kubota live under shelter? Clementine won!

 

[fractal]

I second the proposal you look at shipping containers. You can buy them for 1000-2000 for a 20-40 ft unit depending on where you live. They will keep your stuff dry and you can lock em. You can rent them for 50-200/mo depending on where you live.

They may not be right for you, but definately worth a look.

 

[theboman]

They are wonderful however they are fabric, they are a tent, they are a wind catcher, and they are a sail.

Seen them ripped to shreads, tattered and torn. Seen them fly thought storms.

Now if there's a wind break to guard one from the winds this should help make it last longer.

 

[RayH]

theboman,
I had to laugh while I read your post. Did you mean it to sound like a poem? If you read it with a rythm, it sure sounds poetic.
Oh yea, about car shelters. Dont let the snow build up on them. I learned this the hard way.