A TENT? IN THE DESERT? It's questionnaire time!

[Whitewolf7]

Before my family blows away, I thought it wise to get some advice. We've been vanning it for 2yrs, and I just purchased an 8-person instant tent. The beds stay in the van, the tent is for recreating. I will be purchasing the largest steel stakes I can locate. (8-10in. x8 of them)
I need the good, bad, and ugly on attempting a tent in AZ. We are primarily in two areas, Cottonwood-ish now, Flag in summer. I have had success with stakes in Flag. The unknown is middle desert. Thoughts? Inspiration? Horror stories? 
THANKS!

 

[Stephen]

30 MPH winds on Sunday. Can your tent survive that? If so,you’re good.


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[rm.w/aview]

^ Tent design has so much relevance here, some will work flawlessly while others will make a loud racket as they shock load the guy lines.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Out there in the rocky, sandy ground around Quartzite, a fellow camper who may or may not wish to be mentioned, used screw-in anchors driven in with a cordless power drill. 

They worked slick.

 

[highdesertranger]

they make tent stakes longer then 10 inches. 12, 18, 24 and longer. for the guy ropes put bungees in the mix. the bungee will give and spring back. they greatly relieve the stress on the tent fabric in windy conditions. highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

I carry 18" stakes made with rebar and have a ring welded to them. I bought them in Quartzsite at one of the vendors. Can't remember the name, it has been awhile. Darn CRS. As HDR said, using bungee cords makes a world of difference.

 

[bullfrog]

There are a few tents that are built well enough to survive winds but even the ones that are probably should be taken down or dropped flat on the ground in the windest conditions. I have a 10' x 14' Kodiac (spring bar design tent) that has survived high winds but walls and floor move so much I didn't like being in it or having to keep things from being knocked over. I have often thought the old style Native American teepee with heavy hides and large poles would be much better but as with most better tents setup and transport becomes an issue. If you end up with a lot of gear you end up having a trailer to haul it and might as well consider a cargo trailer that can be built out and secured, at least that is where we are now but like you just use the tent as extra out of the weather space.

 

[Whitewolf7]

they make tent stakes longer then 10 inches.  12,  18,  24 and longer.  for the guy ropes put bungees in the mix.  the bungee will give and spring back.  they greatly relieve the stress on the tent fabric in windy conditions. highdesertranger

Super. It seems the tent walls have a lot of give as it is. I never trust aluminum poles though, bungees should help!

 

[Whitewolf7]

^ Tent design has so much relevance here, some will work flawlessly while others will make a loud racket as they shock load the guy lines.

Agree. It was a tough choice...a tall target for Mother Arizona to whoosh away vs. standing room in the tent.

 

[Whitewolf7]

I carry 18" stakes made with rebar and have a ring welded to them.  I bought them in Quartzsite at one of the vendors.  Can't remember the name, it has been awhile.  Darn CRS.  As HDR said, using bungee cords makes a world of difference.

Hmm, rebar!

 

[MrNoodly]

I carry 18" stakes made with rebar and have a ring welded to them.  I bought them in Quartzsite at one of the vendors.  Can't remember the name, it has been awhile. 

K&B Tools on the south side of Kuehn Street, a little west of US-95. They also have huge nails. A trick I learned for dealing with rocky, gravely desert ground is to pre-drill a hole with a long masonry bit a little narrower than your stakes. You don't actually drill through rocks, but the spinning of the drill helps to move rocks out of the way or redirect the hole between rocks. Then use a sledge hammer to drive the rebar stakes into the ground. To get them back out, bang on their sides a little.

 

[B and C]

K&B Tools was the place. Thanks. They also have a great selection of bungee cords. I got some of their heavy duty ones to use with the stakes to hold my awning down.

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

Before my family blows away,

I laughed heartedly at your attached photo.  Thanks for that.

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

When we were in Los Angeles we had a storage shed that we had not secured with flooring, can't think of what you call this right now. Anyway, we can get some fierce winds, not often but we get them. Our shed ended up across a fence and in our neighbor's yard. We were SO lucky it did not hit anything!