Tent weights for Trimline Tent w/ Pro Panels

Hi all,

I've perused a number of discussions on this site with regard to tent weights; super helpful! My question revolves more around my specific setup rather than tent weights in general. I'll be using a Flourish Trimline tent (sta-bars included) with ProPanels. I have it narrowed down to either going with suspended 4" PVC strapped to the legs, or purchasing a set of Flourish vinyl sand/gravel bags to strap to the sta-bars. My concern is that the ProPanels and Trimline tent both measure exactly 10 feet per side…if I use the PVC option, will this encroach on the space I'd need to set up the ProPanels? I could always just attach them to the outsides of the legs, but then I'm concerned about being able to zip up the tent walls. The vinyl sandbags don't look quite as sleek as the PVC weights, in my opinion, but it at least appears as though they wouldn't hinder ProPanels setup or zipping the tent walls together. (Eaton weights would be nice, but I'm already way over budget.) Does anyone have experience with this particular combination? Thanks a bunch!

www.scottrubey.com

I do not use pro-panels. I have the Flourish mesh walls. I used the Flourish weight bags last year. They are well constructed and yes we do straddle them over the lower Sta-Bar so that the weight is not on the ground. Just for information purposes, this method does have one side of the tube very slightly outside of the tent frame. We did not have any problem with zipping up the tent sides overnight and did not encroach on any neihbor. The bags have the advantage of not rolling around in your vehicle like PVC tubes sometimes do. Of course their are solutions for that. I don't know if I used the wrong sand to fill mine or not. They are advertised as 40 LBs per bag, but when we filled them to a level that allowed us to close the top, they weighed in around 35-36 LBs each. We did use plastic bags inside the vinyl tubes as suggested by Flourish. I won't try to sway you either way on your choice. I just wanted to share my experience. Best of luck in your ventures.

Replies

Greg Little March 15, 2016 at 5:17pm

The Flourish sand bags will weigh more if you use wet sand instead of dry.

I use 40 lb dumbells that I fasten to the legs of my tent with 1/4" threaded U-Bolts secured with threaded knobs. I also tapped an Eye Bolt in the end so i can hang them also if desired.

Many different weight sizes are available and the weight amount is right on the button.

The dumbells take up much less space and are easier to transport...with the added benefit of an occasional workout...
- David Woeller > Greg Little March 16, 2016 at 9:09am
  
  Thanks for that Info Greg. I may just re-do my bags :-)
Robert Johnson May 4, 2015 at 8:21am

Scott,

I use 3" PVC weights and connect them to my sta-bars with two zip ties and they do not interfere with my pro-panels. They may protrude outside the tent, but less then an inch. Mine can hang from the sta-bars or hang from the corners and strapped to the tent legs, I sometimes do both depending on wind forecast. I hang 6 of them on the sta-bars (2 each side) which gives me 210 lbs and if 4 on the corners its a total of 350 lbs.
- Amy Cassidy > Robert Johnson March 15, 2016 at 2:32pm
  
  Love this! Thanks!
- Scott Rubey > Robert Johnson May 4, 2015 at 2:51pm
  
  Thanks for the input, all!
David Woeller May 2, 2015 at 9:44am

I do not use pro-panels. I have the Flourish mesh walls. I used the Flourish weight bags last year. They are well constructed and yes we do straddle them over the lower Sta-Bar so that the weight is not on the ground. Just for information purposes, this method does have one side of the tube very slightly outside of the tent frame. We did not have any problem with zipping up the tent sides overnight and did not encroach on any neihbor. The bags have the advantage of not rolling around in your vehicle like PVC tubes sometimes do. Of course their are solutions for that. I don't know if I used the wrong sand to fill mine or not. They are advertised as 40 LBs per bag, but when we filled them to a level that allowed us to close the top, they weighed in around 35-36 LBs each. We did use plastic bags inside the vinyl tubes as suggested by Flourish. I won't try to sway you either way on your choice. I just wanted to share my experience. Best of luck in your ventures.
Connie Mettler May 1, 2015 at 6:43pm

Scott, I am not fully aware of all of these parts and pieces, but obviously you are aware of encroaching on any neighbor's space that weights can take up, and some shows definitely leave only inches for leeway. I'm just wondering what is the difference in price in the sandbags and the Eaton weights, which have been further developed into the sleek weights made by Canopy Weights -- see the ad there on the right hand side of the site ... Jim Eaton designed them specifically as an improvement -- check them out/ and then look at the price differential. What do you think?
- Scott Rubey > Connie Mettler May 1, 2015 at 7:28pm
  
  Thanks for your reply, Connie. The Eaton Weights appear to come in a set of 4, and are 15 lbs each…my research suggests most folks are going with at 30 lbs per leg, so I'd have to buy two sets of the Eaton Weights at $180 per set. That's $360 plus shipping, compared to $90 plus shipping for the Flourish bags. That said, I'm kind of digging the look of the Ingot weights, referenced on the website you suggested. Still a bit pricey for me at the moment (30 lbs per leg would put me back about $180 vs $50 for PVC or $90 for the Flourish bags), but the design does seem to solve my space problem. Your thoughts?

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