Car Tent!

[milu]

Was considering a carport a while back, as discussed on here. Anyway I flipped around all over with different ideas. Not sure about my long term plans so was trying to be sensible about expenditure.
Then a discount on these ‘garages’ came along. So took the plunge.
Seems pretty well made. Nicely painted frame etc. I’m lucky having a concrete pad to fix it down too. Does get windy in my location.

I’ve put extra heavy duty nylon down the sides to help stop the slabs from chafing the tarp. It’s not necessary at all but I wanted to hold the skirt down. Done similar on the inside of back panel.
I’ll buy more planters for the visible side to make more pleasant.

[Byker28i]

Thats seems a good size, how much and where did you get it from?

[bobtail4x4]

it says clarke on it, so machine mart,

bought one 2 years back its still in the box as once up its too low to fit the camper in,

[milu]

6x3m
£355 with discount

[scot_aln]

It looks like you have plenty of space to each side but do these move much in the wind like a camping tent does? Always wondered if they might swipe the car inside.

[Byker28i]

scot_aln said:

It looks like you have plenty of space to each side but do these move much in the wind like a camping tent does? Always wondered if they might swipe the car inside.

Got bolts into the base. It's Machine Mart, so says comes with anchor bolts as well
They do a 12foot wide one as well, so nothing could touch the sides...

Edited by Byker28i on Wednesday 2nd July 14:07

[milu]

It’s quite roomy. There will be some flapping I suppose. But the lower rails are for creating tension.
Could always put straps inbetween each upright too. I will probably do that.

[milu]

The anchors supplied are for each corner to screw into the ground. I haven’t used them since I’ve bolted to concrete at each corner and each upright.

[Byker28i]

milu said:

The anchors supplied are for each corner to screw into the ground. I haven t used them since I ve bolted to concrete at each corner and each upright.

Even better

[mwstewart]

Make sure you've got some airflow through the tent. It provides an environment that is much kinder to the car.

[Dog Star]

Be careful with the wind - we had one and it got destroyed by a ridiculous gust of wind and it ended up trashed 30’ up in a tree (which was lucky as that stopped it blowing down the main road!). This was with the poles buried in the ground on one side and bolted to the garage door.

[Dog Star]

bobtail4x4 said:

it says clarke on it, so machine mart,

bought one 2 years back its still in the box as once up its too low to fit the camper in,

Bobtail - would you be interested in selling it if you aren’t using it?

[48k]

I'd be cutting a vent hole in that far end to aid air circulation and prevent mould and sweatting.

[milu]

Dog Star said:

Be careful with the wind - we had one and it got destroyed by a ridiculous gust of wind and it ended up trashed 30 up in a tree (which was lucky as that stopped it blowing down the main road!). This was with the poles buried in the ground on one side and bolted to the garage door.

Duly noted. It is a concern. Not sure what can be done other than what’s already done.
Looking at ventilation too but can’t have too much draught getting in either due to above.

[Dog Star]

The amount of lift generated by these is pretty high.

[OutInTheShed]

If you put that on my drive, you'd get a ;pt pf moisture inside, because the ground is often wet.
Maybe worth checking out and consider a groundsheet or something?

For the price though, it looks pretty good.
I may need something for the winter while a workshop is rebuilt.

[milu]

I’m hoping the concrete will be quite dry. Only time will tell. It wouldn’t bother me if it was permanently open. There are no prying eyes.

But of course you can’t leave open if it’s too windy or maybe gets windy whilst out. So I guess it’ll remain closed.

[DonkeyApple]

As others have mooted, just be very wary of high winds. There's no lateral support without guy ropes and the screws into the pad won't hold down that large area if wind gets in and you need it to allow the air to get in to keep it dry.

Personally, I'd use it as a stop gap while working towards a more robust solution.

[Huzzah]

Dog Star said:

The amount of lift generated by these is pretty high.

Is it better to leave it closed or completely open though? (Maybe rolling up the sides 1/2 way too)

[milu]

So it’s pretty breezy here today.
Door flapping a bit, but only within the available movement.
It’s pretty warm inside. Must have been very warm last Monday!
Can’t roll up the sides‘cos there held by the cross members.
I think letting any decent amount of air in on a windy day is asking for lift off lol
I’m wondering if mesh panels on the sheltered side would release heat and moisture.