preparing an Eagle for Burning Man

[Richard Burton]

Will be taking my Eagle pop up to Burning Man.Have been before but not in a pop up camper. One can expect very (50+mph)winds at times, lots of heat,very fine dust, and one must carry in every drop of water.
Do you think the top needs to be braced for a wind storm, and if so how?
Plan to rig a big shade cloth over the whole truck and camper, and of course not mount it to the raised part.
Any experience with shade cloth vs a tarp or old parachute?
What about taping off the furnace from the outside to prevent dust into it?
Need to order a fan missing from the Fantastic fan vent.suggestions?(I will have a small garden tractor type battery and about 45 watts of solar panel) Any other suggestions? Thanks

 

[DirtyDog]

Many of us have been in some pretty severe weather without any problems with the roof or soft sides. I don't think you need to worry about that. Simimike has been known to drive down the freeway with his camper top raised and not even he could break it. However you definitely do not want to leave your awning out in a wind storm.

 

[Ted]

I agree with DD. You will have a lot of wind noise with 50 mph winds against the canvas, but structurally you will be okay. Search threads by Kodachrome. He wrapped the canvas section of his camper in reflectix for BM. Never got above 80 degrees inside the camper. That is the way to go.

 

[Darryla]

You might want to park into the wind. Meaning the camper door is opposite the direction of the wind.

 

[TGK]

I was at BM last year with my Grandby Shell and the year before with our '71 Airstream. I highly endorse closing off any vents you will not be using, such as the furnace, with blue paint masking tape. In '09 I actually had dust blowing down the range exhaust vent on the Airstream and pushing the flap open over the stove top as it deposited a layer of alkaline talc on the range and counter. I quickly sealed that vent off with masking tape. In 2010, we had the FWC. If the dust wasn't blowing we opened all the upper windows. Anytime it got above 15mph, the dust lifted off the playa. We'd close the vents up at that point. We buttoned it up every time we left just in case there was a strong blow when we were away. We found the FWC cooled down much quicker than the Airstream and preferred it for the BM experience vs the trailer. We parked the truck with it's snout facing into the prevailing wind, which generally comes from the SW. While we saw a few pretty good blows both years, we didn't have any problems with excessive winds. However, the potential is always there and I was prepared to drop the top if it really whipped up. A friend told me of hunkering down during an 8 hour dust storm with winds gusting to 75mph one year. That was extreme and likely doesn't occur that often. The FWC was also easier to clean than the trailer. I spent a long time at a do it yourself car wash when I got back home blasting the dust off the camper and the truck. I also changed the trucks air filter afterwards and had the engine steam cleaned. The playa dust is alkaline and when it gets damp has a corrosive effect on steel. We vacuumed out the interior and then wiped it down with a damp cloth. All in all, we had a great time both years. However, we are not going this year and probably won't make a habit of it. It was 180 degrees from the way we usually we spend the time around Labor Day. Most often we are out in the mountains or high desert somewhere with friends rather than camping with 50,000 people. Having said that, it was unlike anything I've ever participated in and I'll never say we wouldn't do it again.

Have Fun