I have been showing at a few shows in the Toledo area in the last could years. I am in a show this weekend and the weather for Saturday shows thunderstorms with the possibility of severe whether. I have a tent with sides, but I wondered how people prepare for severe weather. I certainly do not want to lose everything.
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One of the more important things is to have some sort of weather app on your cell phone. I got hit by nasty weather this past weekend and was able to identify a lull coming in the pouring rain long enough to get my work in the van. Everything else was taken down in the pouring rain and I got completely soaked but the work got in dry. Luckily there was very little wind.
For wind preparation I ordered an additional set of the "vee" connectors for sta-bars and put them on my front legs in place of the single connectors. If I have enough time before I abandon the tent in serious weather I add a sta-bar across the front of the tent as well before going for shelter.
The android version is cloudy sky, powered by dark sky and it's free
Robert Wallis > Alison ThomasJune 3, 2013 at 10:23am
The weather was pretty crappy this weekend in the north of Chicago where I did the Deerfield Arts Festival. The potter next to me had an app called "Dark Skies" that was amazing. It tells almost to the minute when something is going to hit and has alerts to sound an alarm. It said rain would hit right at 5:00 with light rain for about 10 minutes followed by a heavier rain. We started buttoning up about 20 minutes before the 5:00 shutdown, and started walking to the van right at 5. We got about 100 yards from the tent and drops started hitting. We got to the van, got in, and the rains started. Damn good timing ;-) I plan to find the app today and get it on my phone.
Robert Wallis > Robert WallisJune 3, 2013 at 11:40am
Oops, that should be "Dark sky", $3.99 from the Apple App Store.
You must find a way to prevent your walls from becoming a sail in the wind. That's where the trouble is.
If you are on grass, get dog stakes! Put one on each corner and anchor your canopy down. If the weather is going to be severe, and you have a pop up, get your display down and lower the canopy to it's bottom so it's only about 4 feet tall, and seek shelter. You won't have any customers anyway.
Another way to prevent a canopy from going bye bye is to put a ceiling in it. A 10x10 white tarp bungeed to the scissors. I've had one for almost 15 years, and it works! The wind doesn't get up inside the top. This weekend will be my first without one as it just plain wore out.
One way to keep the walls from flapping and tugging at the zippers is using a lot of bungee cords. At night I wrapped the complete tent with 48 inch bungees. During the day I ran them from the front corners, around 3 sides, and back to the other front corner. I put them about 2 ft. off the ground and it helped a lot. You could try another wrap about 4 ft up to help even more.
The ceiling tarp helps greatly, too. In addition to helping prevent "lift-off" I think it helps keep the tent square. Not sure about that, but I know I've been through some heavy winds!
Lou Ann, if you use the "search" here there are lots of posts about handling bad weather that can be very helpful. I had intended to attend Maple & Main on Saturday, now it looks like maybe Sunday ... I look forward to meeting you and Scott.
1) Have a sturdy tent. The light weight EZ-Ups and their clones will turn into broken pretzels easily. The heavier duty EZ and clones need Sta-Bars from Flourish to keep them from twisting and collapsing. The Trimlines and similar are even better.
2) Secure your top and sides tightly. Don't allow pockets to form. Search the forums and articles here on how to best weatherize your tent.
3) Use at least 50 pounds on each corner of the tent and keep the weights low for a better center of gravity. If they are anchored to the feet that is fine. If they hang from the corner, don't let them drag the ground and secure them so they won't sway.
4) If the weather is really scary, get out of the booth abd find shelter in a building or your vehicle. What ever your art work is, it's not so valuable as to risk life and limb.
Replies
One of the more important things is to have some sort of weather app on your cell phone. I got hit by nasty weather this past weekend and was able to identify a lull coming in the pouring rain long enough to get my work in the van. Everything else was taken down in the pouring rain and I got completely soaked but the work got in dry. Luckily there was very little wind.
For wind preparation I ordered an additional set of the "vee" connectors for sta-bars and put them on my front legs in place of the single connectors. If I have enough time before I abandon the tent in serious weather I add a sta-bar across the front of the tent as well before going for shelter.
You must find a way to prevent your walls from becoming a sail in the wind. That's where the trouble is.
If you are on grass, get dog stakes! Put one on each corner and anchor your canopy down. If the weather is going to be severe, and you have a pop up, get your display down and lower the canopy to it's bottom so it's only about 4 feet tall, and seek shelter. You won't have any customers anyway.
Another way to prevent a canopy from going bye bye is to put a ceiling in it. A 10x10 white tarp bungeed to the scissors. I've had one for almost 15 years, and it works! The wind doesn't get up inside the top. This weekend will be my first without one as it just plain wore out.
Do you keep the "ceiling" tarp in at all times or just in windy conditions?
One way to keep the walls from flapping and tugging at the zippers is using a lot of bungee cords. At night I wrapped the complete tent with 48 inch bungees. During the day I ran them from the front corners, around 3 sides, and back to the other front corner. I put them about 2 ft. off the ground and it helped a lot. You could try another wrap about 4 ft up to help even more.
The ceiling tarp helps greatly, too. In addition to helping prevent "lift-off" I think it helps keep the tent square. Not sure about that, but I know I've been through some heavy winds!
Okay - 50~ish pounds of weight - check
Sta-bar - check
Need to get zip ties to keep the tent walls down...
Here is some great advice from Nels Johnson on how to handle a storm: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-survive-when-a...
Lou Ann, if you use the "search" here there are lots of posts about handling bad weather that can be very helpful. I had intended to attend Maple & Main on Saturday, now it looks like maybe Sunday ... I look forward to meeting you and Scott.
1) Have a sturdy tent. The light weight EZ-Ups and their clones will turn into broken pretzels easily. The heavier duty EZ and clones need Sta-Bars from Flourish to keep them from twisting and collapsing. The Trimlines and similar are even better.
2) Secure your top and sides tightly. Don't allow pockets to form. Search the forums and articles here on how to best weatherize your tent.
3) Use at least 50 pounds on each corner of the tent and keep the weights low for a better center of gravity. If they are anchored to the feet that is fine. If they hang from the corner, don't let them drag the ground and secure them so they won't sway.
4) If the weather is really scary, get out of the booth abd find shelter in a building or your vehicle. What ever your art work is, it's not so valuable as to risk life and limb.
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