Is 18inch Hook Rebar acceptable?

[Sillytwin]

This is my first year at Burning Man and am EXCITED! I practiced building our canvas tent in my backyard this past weekend.

I was wondering if 18 inch HOOK rebar is ok to secure the tent? I have read that 24 or 36 inches is recommended, but was wondering if 18 inches is ok?

Thank you! :D

[theCryptofishist]

You'll almost certainly be fine. There are gusts of wind that get pretty fast and strong, but few that are that strong.

But I'm not hte person (or couch) to give building advice.

[sputnik]

I'll just say that I had great success with 12" aluminum V stakes. They're easily found in army surplus stores. They are also as cheap as rebar and much easier to pound in.

[Mojojita]

I think most of us don't "hook" the rebar any more because it makes it very hard to pound in. 18in should be just fine. Bring bottles, tennis balls, or something to put over the exposed rebar (I prefer pool noodles) in order to avoid shin injuries.

[Zhust]

I think most of us don't "hook" the rebar any more because it makes it very hard to pound in.

That's because you have to kink it like a check-mark, not bend it like a candy-cane. I did some experiments with making a bending tool but found that rebar would snap before it bent tight enough. I don't have a beefy enough torch handy to soften it enough to bend properly. I started using round steel stock that I had lying around.

[Token]

For securing a tent, rebar is overkill.

Go to your friendly big box hardware megastore and get 12" galvanized nails. They are ~ two for a buck and are easily driven and removed with a common claw hammer.

For bigger structures concrete stake form steel rods are a great choice and come in multi-foot lengths.

And finally, if you invest an afternoon into learning how to tie real knots, all this bending stuff becomes academic.

[Sillytwin]

Oh wow - thanks everyone! I was about purchase rebar & candy-cane it all!

So I have this round tent - the Soulpad 3000-hybrid - it has a total of 10 guy wires. If I did use the 12" galvanized nails - how would that work? I tie knots to the nails and then hammer down? They came with metal stakes (kinda like V stakes) - 10-12 inches in length

http://soulpad.com/sanctuary/components ... d2fda4.jpg

Any suggestions for shade structure? I was thinking carport?

[Token]

Look at the picture. The line in front loops back and there is a tenssioning gizmo on the end. You drive the nail at a small (30ish degree) angle and just loop the line and use the tenssioner.

As for shade, search. There are countless threads on the subject.

BTW, the metal V stakes should be fine as well. Get the nails as insurance since they are so cheap.

[teardropper]

Well, this ain't a cheap solution, but I'm having rebar stakes made. #4, which is 1/2", rebar is about $6/20' piece. You can cut it yourself or have it cut, usually for about $.50/cut. Then I take it to a local steel fabricator who will bend it, heating it with a torch, into pretty close to right angle bends. These are easy to pound in, and can be removed with vice grips with a twisting and pulling motion. Don't know how big a structure this will keep down, but I'm going with 16" for my North Pole Party Shade. I suppose bigger things might take fatter or longer stakes. Our small tents have stayed down with 12" stakes. I like the right angle bends because you can pound them all the way in, so you don't have to put anything on them, like tennis balls. I also used 12" nail stakes like you get at camping supply stores. They have little clips on top to hold your rope and you can pound those all the way in, too. If you make rebar stakes, remember that if you want 12" into the playa you have to add the 1 1/2 angle top, so they are 13 1/2 before you bend them.

[mudpuppy000]

Yeah, I tried bending candy canes by myself and it really sucked trying to drive them in . This year I bought some pre-bent ones that look a little easier.

http://www.deerbusters.com/dee-8032.html

[dragonpilot]

This is year #6 for me. Year #1 I secured my Coleman 11 X 12 tent with 6 24" rebar. I came back after after a couple of hours right after a big blow to find every piece of rebar intact, but the tent was shredded. So it ain't always what you secure it with, but how you protect it from the wind...like behind an RV or truck or several parked cars, etc.

Of course bigger structures need the heavier rebar simply because the tension on the guys is so much greater...but a camping tent...the 10" nails do just fine. You can also get 10" tent nails http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___23017 at most camping supply stores......the end caps have holes for securing lines as well as a hook. They pound flush to the ground so no tripping injuries. They come cheaper at other stores than the ones illustrated here.

[Eric]

Sillytwin- one other thing to think about. The guy lines from your tent go way out- you're going to want to make sure you have some sort of lights on them at night so that no-one (including yourself) goes stumbling over them & takes your tent down as well. Figure it will happen & plan accordingly, don't think it won't & not be ready for it.

[Bob]

This is my first year at Burning Man and am EXCITED! I practiced building our canvas tent in my backyard this past weekend. I was wondering if 18 inch HOOK rebar is ok to secure the tent? I have read that 24 or 36 inches is recommended, but was wondering if 18 inches is ok?

Sure.

[bm_cricket]

This is my first year at Burning Man and am EXCITED! I practiced building our canvas tent in my backyard this past weekend. I was wondering if 18 inch HOOK rebar is ok to secure the tent? I have read that 24 or 36 inches is recommended, but was wondering if 18 inches is ok?

Sure.

Be sure to bring appropriate tools for hammering it into the ground. A smallish sledge hammer should do. But not the kind of hammer you use on nails.

BTW, as for bending the stuff, I just place it over a bench vice and bend it twice. I end up with a big staple that's 16" on each end with about a hand width in between. It's pretty good.. not perfect but nobody can hurt themselves on it and it's pretty sturdy. I just staple my 16 ft dome to the ground and it doesn't move an inch.

[Snow]

There will be no wind this year

[Fire_Moose]

no dust either

[mudpuppy000]

supposed to snow, bring your skis

[justfred]

18" rebar for a tent is excessive.

I suggest military tent stakes, available from your local surplus store. 12" spade (v-profile) stakes should work great, and be a lot easier to pound in and to remove.

A small sledge is a must.

[skibear]

A small 3 pound one, called an "Engineers Hammer", will work fine.

former engineer here!

[some seeing eye]

Good for you at doing research.

Rebar is a great material with a lot of surface area and pull out strength. I've used it for monkey hut structures. It's cheap, available at home despot, where they have non-OSHA rebar caps which you need to secure to 3/8 and 1/2 diameters because they will pop and blow off.

For tents, I would strongly recommend hot galvanized roofing nails from the local home despot. They are 12", easily drivable, removable, cheap, and don't ankle wound. You can easily drive them to the ground then claw lever them out. Suggest a #5 hammer for driving and a large claw hammer or wide enough jaw crowbar and bracing block to remove.

There are many more around the home uses later for 12" nails than candy cane rebar, in my experience.

[trystanthegypsy]

I use candy-cane rebar on my dome (they ends go right over the bottom poles and work really well) and 12" nails on my tent. What do you people use for carports?

[trystanthegypsy]

also, I thought this thread was about hookers at first glance....

[dragonpilot]

There's going to be hookers at Burning Man? Hooray!

(But wait...doesn't this mean they're going to have to gift their wares? And if they're giving IT away, doesn't that mean they're not hookers...which means there are not going to be any hookers at Burning Man..*sob*).

[bm_cricket]

There's going to be hookers at Burning Man? Hooray!

(But wait...doesn't this mean they're going to have to gift their wares? And if they're giving IT away, doesn't that mean they're not hookers...which means there are not going to be any hookers at Burning Man..*sob*).

He's broken.. You broke his poor mind... It's okay dragonpilot. It's good to share. Even if there's no hookers I'm sure everything will be just fine.

[capjbadger]

There's going to be hookers at Burning Man? Hooray!

(But wait...doesn't this mean they're going to have to gift their wares? And if they're giving IT away, doesn't that mean they're not hookers...which means there are not going to be any hookers at Burning Man..*sob*).

They're still hookers if they barter.
Schwag for shag?

-Badger

[trystanthegypsy]

There's going to be hookers at Burning Man? Hooray!

(But wait...doesn't this mean they're going to have to gift their wares? And if they're giving IT away, doesn't that mean they're not hookers...which means there are not going to be any hookers at Burning Man..*sob*).

I'll be your hooker.

for booze.

lots and lots of booze.

oh wait- then it'll be date rape.

NO HOOKERS AT BURNING MAN :'(

ETA: what? where's my crying smiley? oh there it is.

[capjbadger]

I use candy-cane rebar on my dome (they ends go right over the bottom poles and work really well) and 12" nails on my tent. What do you people use for carports?

I do the same thing for my dome. It's never moved an inch. The only trick is not missing and denting the hell out of your struts.
(so far so good... *knock wood* )

-Badger

[capjbadger]

There's going to be hookers at Burning Man? Hooray!

(But wait...doesn't this mean they're going to have to gift their wares? And if they're giving IT away, doesn't that mean they're not hookers...which means there are not going to be any hookers at Burning Man..*sob*).

I'll be your hooker.

for booze.

lots and lots of booze.

oh wait- then it'll be date rape.

NO HOOKERS AT BURNING MAN :'(

Can't rape the willing?

-Badger

[trystanthegypsy]

I use candy-cane rebar on my dome (they ends go right over the bottom poles and work really well) and 12" nails on my tent. What do you people use for carports?

I do the same thing for my dome. It's never moved an inch. The only trick is not missing and denting the hell out of your struts.
(so far so good... *knock wood* )

-Badger

some assholes climbed all over my (small! 16') dome last year and bent it all to hell. (it didn't have a cover on it at the time.) They just bent right back and I didn't care

[capjbadger]

I use candy-cane rebar on my dome (they ends go right over the bottom poles and work really well) and 12" nails on my tent. What do you people use for carports?

I do the same thing for my dome. It's never moved an inch. The only trick is not missing and denting the hell out of your struts.
(so far so good... *knock wood* )

-Badger

some assholes climbed all over my (small! 16') dome last year and bent it all to hell. (it didn't have a cover on it at the time.) They just bent right back and I didn't care

I make sure mine is covered so people don't try that. The 3/4 emt wouldn't hold up to that unless they stayed on the junctions.

-Badger