[Regger]

Answer... 2 years!!!!

Well, I guess it would last longer if it was between houses or under trees that would protect it from the sun and wind, But for me, Its in the complete open...

Basically, I put this thing up two years ago almost to the day, at my place in the Chilliwack Prairies. Since I've never lived in the Chilliwack Prairies before, I didnt know what kind of wind we got. (lived in Abbotsford before, surrounded by buildings and high trees, so I was protected from the winds)
Thinking I was doing good, I used about 12" stakes on every post into the ground. Well February of last year we had a helluva storm with a week of rain before hand. This loosened up the soil that my stakes were in, and with about 100km/h winds, the stakes couldn't hold. The wind picked up the shelter and flipped it into my neighbors house. Completely missing the 5' tall fence right beside the shelter, and my quad trailer in front. Definetly not a good way to meet your neighbors at 2am. (Sorry no pics, was too busy trying to save my neighbors house from more damage.) But would have made a great scene from Twister!!!

So the shelter being 4 months old, was already a little worse for wear

So when I finally got it back into my own yard. I placed 8x8 beams under the posts and staked those into the ground with 3' rebar every 5', and then used 8" stakes into the beams to hold the posts. And then tied all the corners of the frame into the 8x8 beams as well.. This thing was not going anywhere...

Well it lasted last winter with only a few rips and tears here and there. But I knew this summer it wasn't going to last much longer. I only need it to last this winter, as I plan on building a shop in its place next summer...

Well with last weekends windstorm... The structure stayed put, but the tarps didnt!!!!

The Wind blew the back tarp in

Then with the wind inside the shelter, it blew the top side out

The ropes criss-crossing the back were from me trying to save it from last years storms

Yeah, I would say its not protecting much anymore..

And this is the pile of ripped and torn bungee cords I found around the yard...

So based on my expert testing, this things will only last 2 years when having no protection from the wind or sun.

Also, all the tarps are completely UV damaged as well, which is probably why the holes are so big. I can pretty much poke a hole in any part of the tarp with just my finger. Its like ripping dried up seaweed!!! Most of the bungees have either ripped or completely strecthed out, and some are UV damaged as well and rip with the slightest touch.

So if investing in one of these, the longevity depends on its location. If completely protected I'm sure it will last longer. If in the complete open, 2 years..

So now I've completely covered these tarps with another tarp that I'm sure would make an even better sail when the wind comes... And this tarp is now completely roped and tied to the 8x8 beams, and ever little seam and edge has been duct-taped..

I only need one more year... Wish me luck!!!!

Ryan

 

[norm]

I think mine lasted 3 years - squeezed another 2 years out of it by putting a big canvas tarp over the roof. KMS recently had replacement fitted tarps, full set for <$100, so I went that route. The new ones are silver, maybe they'll hold up to UV a little better.

I've gotten my money's worth out of it many times over. A garage would sure be nice though...

 

[justcuz]

sorry to hear about your shelter...

just want to thank you for saving me a few hundered dollars by not buying one


where I was going to place it would also be out in the open, letting all the

elements get at it


time for Plan B and maybe something a little more permanent

 

[canucksafari]

Neighbour had the same one. He was away for the long weekend. I found his shelter which had been behind an 8' fence in his back yard had taken flight over the fence. Worst part was one leg nailed the c pillar and window on his car he had parked in front of the gate. Bloody expensive shelter. He has another one on the other side of the house. Neither were secured to the ground. The one on the other side didn't even rip. But it wasn't from Costco.

 

[Regger]

I think mine lasted 3 years - squeezed another 2 years out of it by putting a big canvas tarp over the roof. KMS recently had replacement fitted tarps, full set for <$100, so I went that route. The new ones are silver, maybe they'll hold up to UV a little better.

I've gotten my money's worth out of it many times over. A garage would sure be nice though...

I guess I missed that sale at KMS, but then again, I wasn't really looking until this weekend. I ended putting a 20x28 white tarp I got from Cambodian Tire for $30 over everything to try and limp it along for another year. Yes the garage will be nice, but will cost a 100times more than this shelter... But I wont have to worry about it blowing away!!!

Neighbour had the same one. He was away for the long weekend. I found his shelter which had been behind an 8' fence in his back yard had taken flight over the fence. Worst part was one leg nailed the c pillar and window on his car he had parked in front of the gate. Bloody expensive shelter.

When mine blew into my neighbors house, it cost me $400 in damage to the siding, gutters, and window screens. I was lucky it didnt hit the two big windows as well!!! If it had blown the other way, it would have blown into a big field and not damage anything, but with the creek just beside it, I'm sure I would have been fishing for it and would have had to buy a new one anyway..

sorry to hear about your shelter...
just want to thank you for saving me a few hundered dollars by not buying one
where I was going to place it would also be out in the open, letting all the
elements get at it
time for Plan B and maybe something a little more permanent

For something like this, there really isn't too much out there that I've found that is more permanent for the same amount of money... You can find various structures like this that are made a little bit better and stronger which will last a bit longer in the open. But then again, these are considered temporary shelters I believe.. Your next best bet, is a wood framed structure. I had something like that at the last place and it held up for 4years, but then again it was protected from the elements pretty good. But it wasn't pretty. Since this is in the open, it needs to look half decent so the neighbors dont complain
I've actually been thinking of adding some plywood to the back and roof of my shelter for added longevity and strength. It would make it stronger to the wind, as well as more rigid to prevent bending under the winds. But then, the money spent on that could be better spent paying off the loan I will need to build the garage in the back, which is my ultimate goal...
I guess its what ever suits each person. I'm suing mine for storage of various items that dont need to be inside my garage, but also, I really dont want them out in the open. So having them get a little wet and wind blown is not a big deal. But if I had a nice vehicle under there or something like that, I wouldn't even bother with something like this.

Ryan

 

[tacodriver]

Hey Ryan,

If you ever come up through Quesnel, I have the tarps from the exact shelter in storage you coud have for cheap...

My story...I had my shelter staked down and tied to my tent trailer as an extra precaution...I was very excided to go camping last may long and pulled the trailer out with one rope attached:******* Tweaked the poles, but the tarp is like new.

 

[Regger]

Hey Ryan,

If you ever come up through Quesnel, I have the tarps from the exact shelter in storage you coud have for cheap...

My story...I had my shelter staked down and tied to my tent trailer as an extra precaution...I was very excided to go camping last may long and pulled the trailer out with one rope attached:******* Tweaked the poles, but the tarp is like new.

Thanks for the Offer Taco, but I dont see me coming up there anytime soon, or soon enough to get use out of the tarps. I'm hoping by next summer to start the digging and foundation of the garage, to be finished before winter....

But if that fails, I'm going to try for QCC and might see you there!!

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[Moose good]

So, the moral of the story is:

The shelter that you buy to protect something from the elements, should really be protected from the elements.

Sorry, I'm not making fun of anyone. Just loving the irony !

 

[canucksafari]

So, the moral of the story is:

The shelter that you buy to protect something from the elements, should really be protected from the elements.

Sorry, I'm not making fun of anyone. Just loving the irony !

No, just have it bolted down to a heavy foundation/anchors.:*******

 

[smac]

I've seen one of these pick up and blow 300 feet across a field in a wind storm, bent a few polls . we had 8 people holding onto ours so it didn't blow away....

 

[Moose good]

No, just have it bolted down to a heavy foundation/anchors.:*******

To protect it from the elements ?
oke:

 

[Regger]

So, the moral of the story is:

The shelter that you buy to protect something from the elements, should really be protected from the elements.

Sorry, I'm not making fun of anyone. Just loving the irony !

Yeah, come to think of that, it is pretty ironic, but then again, you get what you payed for!!!.. For a couple hundred bucks, its probably done most of its job. But then 10's of thousands of bucks to build a garage in the back to do the same thing!!!

No, just have it bolted down to a heavy foundation/anchors.

Mine is bolted to 8x8's and those are rebarred 3' into the ground. The structure didnt move, but the tarps ripped pretty good in the wind!!!

I've seen one of these pick up and blow 300 feet across a field in a wind storm, bent a few polls . we had 8 people holding onto ours so it didn't blow away....

When mine picked up up in the wind, it blew into the neighbors house 50' away. So his $300k house saved my $300 shelter from blowing across the country. But had it blown the other way... I have a good couple hundred hectares behind me with a creek down the middle.. by the time it finished its cartwheeling.. I doubt there would have been anything left!!!...

I only wish I had gotten video of this thing blowing into the neighbors house!!! I'm sure I could have made some money on AMerica's funniest home videos and Youtube for sure!!

Ryan

 

[jackbird13]

just thought I would let you know that I sell all the re-placement tarps for those. our name is costless tarps. Thanks

 

[waltman]

There is a place in Langley / Cloverdale that sells enclosures of different sizes. I recall seeing an ad and the prices seemed pretty reasonable. I was thinking of investing in one for my project car so that I can work on it at my leisure without tying up the garage.

 

[85Ranger]

they dont do well with snow either:laugh, it collapsed with my buddys land cruiser under it, had to cut it apart with a grinder and costco still exchanged it:finger_1:

 

[jeeper]

They are what they are a tarped structure ! They arent a permanent solution to anything but for what you pay they are very reasonable !


last one I got was under 200 plus taxes!


So 200 for a cover for something ! 10 x 20


Thats cheap ! If its tied down you will still have a frame left after 2 -3 - or 4 years to drape a tarp over !


Id like to see someone build something as durable and as cheap ! But we know that wont happen ! So quit whinnin about you cheap ass tarp failing after two years and be thankful it lasted that long !


Bruce

 

[Fly_boy_bc]

It's really very simple to make these units last a lot longer.

1...The whole structure should be mounted on beams, think "foundation" 4x4 at LEAST, 6x6 is better. The beams should be stabilized by stakes driven beside them to prevent the structure from shifting in the wind.
2...Seal all gaps. If the wind get's "inside" the tent will pop like a balloon.
3...STAKES...Lots and lots of STAKES. LONG stakes driven DEEP at 45 degrees.
4...All panels between posts can be reenforced with cables or rope or even plywood. Don't forget the roof too for snow load issues.
5...TIGHT cables joining corners stiffen the structure nicely.
6...REMOVE ALL SNOW, ALL OF THE TIME...AS FREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE DURING SNOWFALLS. Don't let the snow pile up against the sides either! That will cause your tent to become a lean-to. (not good)
7...This is the one people don't think of. SHADE the unit with tarps BEFORE it becomes UV damaged. Tarps are cheap while your envelope is not. Let the TARP absorb all that damaging UV and get replaced every 3-6 years while leaving a nearly perfect envelope! Most people wait until the envelope is UV damaged before doing this simple thing.
My unit (26x14 Costco with skylight) is installed right next to my house and is shaded from the wind and sun on two sides (back and 1/2 of the right side) by the house and the rest either has a tarp directly on the surface of the envelope or shaded from above by another tarp. I remove the tarps in the fall after the UV index is reasonable and the wind is more likely to be an issue and put them back up in the spring when UV protection is most important. I expect this unit to last 20 years or more with this treatment. My structure has a raised floor, plywood interior walls and roof, fluorescent lighting and is heated and ventilated.

When the envelope finally packs it in I will simply replace it with tarps. Not a lot of work, cheap, simple and no worse looking than any blank windowless envelope.