Today’s cars have a pretty good warranty. And although I’ve never heard of a situation that one or more wheels are commonly known to come off a particular brand of cars, I have heard of situations that, after wheel mounting at a service shop, the lugs had loosened and the wheel wobbled off when the car was moving. I’ve even known of tractor wheels almost coming off as a result of inattentive workmanship, but neither were of a particular brand known for the problem. They were merely random flukes of chance.
My wife enjoys being outdoors on summer mornings to drink her coffee. She would sit in a folding camp chair near the porch until the bugs or sun would drive her inside. Spraying around the house and yard against bugs helped that situation for the most part, and sunshade umbrellas helped against the hot sun until they would break in a gust of wind or ripped somehow--as did the next one, and the one that followed that. Screen porches too were mostly crap. Birds got stuck in them. Something would run into a leg and bend it. Building something substantial seemed the only way to resolve the issue, but I am too much of a procrastinator to get that done.
Now that I’m retired, I recognized that the wife wasn’t enjoying life under the sun as much as I was. I thought that it was high time that she got a real sunshade shelter of some kind that she could retreat to any time of day or night. Her little faded camp chair seemed to be too uncomfortable, so to get things started early this spring, when the snow still covered the ground, we purchased a wooden picnic table like she had always wanted, where she could comfortably sit and read, and then started discussing buying a real good sunshade shelter to cover it in all kinds of post-winter weather.
We bought an inexpensive wooden picnic table from U-Line that we had to assemble. It was shipped on a pallet. We had our seven year old grandson staying with us during Spring Break week that month so I had him help me put it together one comparatively nice pre-spring day, an event that occupied him for its duration, and which he seemed to enjoy. I showed him how to use real tools like wrenches, hammers, screw guns, and the like. He was challenged just enough to keep his attention. He said it was fun.
After researching tents and shelters, within our price range, we purchased a large seven-sided wall tent manufactured by a well-known Minnesota company that also makes well-regarded ice fishing shelters. The shelters are nylon-covered, shock-corded structures that are terrifically easy to erect in seconds in as much as there are no loose parts to pre-assemble. These have no floor, but we planned to cover the ground under it using a turf-like product just to keep it comfortable and the bugs at bay. Each shelter comes in a large over-sized zippered bag, literally ready to spring to life.
Removing it from the bag, and setting the bag aside, you assure the tent’s roof is facing up. Then you merely secure the bottom seam of any wall with one of your feet, and with your hand, grasp the top of the wall. Then with the other hand, you grab a heavy-duty steel eyelet protruding from its middle, and pull the wall toward you where it ‘pops’ outward into a self-standing convex shape. You repeat that, one wall after another, as fast as you want, until all the walls are standing and the roof is collapsed in the center. Slipping under the roof, you simply lift it up in the center--until it pops up over your head. Easy peasy. A wonderful invention. A truly almost-instant shelter. We love it.
However, back to the wheels-falling-off-the-car allegory.
We've
owned a tent like this one for about a month now and despite that, have
no complaints. It's just as any other owner has reviewed it, so it’s no
exception or lemon above all the others. It took me a little longer to
set it up than what the three different sets of instructions indicated,
but once I learned how, it’s a genuine snap.
One set of
instructions was on the outside of the crushed shipping box--which the
delivery driver said was noted-- as I carefully opened it to check for
damages. (There were none.) There were printed instructions shipped with
it that conflicted with the box instructions a little, so it was
fortunate that the on-line video version[s] clarified them even more.
The wife decided the first location wasn’t the best, so an uphill
relocation of floor and structure were added to the initial construction
time of fifteen good minutes--or was it twenty? Practice makes perfect
they say.
Admiring our happy choice of sunshade shelters, we
perused the reviews again hoping to learn more about what others had
experienced who had camped in them or had owned them for a good amount
of time. One of the things that sort of stood out against any of the
others was its inherent problem of the roof collapsing during a downpour
of rain or in the wind. I had to read that again.”... problem of the
roof collapsing during a downpour of rain or in the wind.”
I
quickly read through the ‘Cons’ column of reviews and I swear I didn't
see them before, but almost everyone wrote that their roof collapsed
during heavy rain or a thunderstorm. WHAT????? The roof collapses?? I
quickly emailed the company and they just as quickly emailed me back:
“Of
the thousands of these that we have sold we very few issues with them.
The collapsing roof problem is one of the least common that we hear
of. Collapsing roof is also one of the more frustrating problems and is
why we receive the poor reviews from time to time on these. This
shelter is ... extremely dependent on tension. One of the common causes
of roof collapse is lack of tension. This is caused by improper set
up. More specifically staking the shelter out wider than its
original "natural" footprint, and or anchoring with the external tie outs
too tight and "pulling" out on the walls. Both of these situations will
decrease the tension on the roof and cause it to collapse in the
slightest breeze.
"Other causes would be when the shelter is
left up in substantial downpours where the rain and wind are both
driving. These shelters are not meant to be permanent structures and
should always be taken down when significant wind, storms are
predicted. After all they set up in and come down in less than a
minute. We would be happy to discuss this further if I have missed
anything or you have additional questions.”
If you substitute
‘collapsing roof’ with ‘wheels falling off’ and imagine this being
written by a car manufacturing engineer or VP, it’s just as hilarious.
Or troubling.
Realizing the company wasn’t going to offer
condolences or remedy the situation now or in the future, I went back to
the Review column on-line and read what others did about the problem,
then followed their advice. I couldn’t be happier because so is the
wife. This is the email I wrote the Customer Service rep today:
“I've
owned a Pavilion for about a month now and have no complaints. It's
everything 'positive' and the only one thing negative that any owner has
said about it. I've waterproofed it once and know it's due again. This
time, I'll know it'll take several more cans of Kiwi Camp Dry than I
purchased the first trip to Fleet in Roseau. Experience is a great
teacher.
"Having said that, one of those experiences was the
inevitable roof collapse under winds and heavy rain--which was quickly
resolved by pushing the center hub back up. I understand how the shock
corded/hub in the roof works now, as well as each of the wall panels,
via an email from the company on May 14, 2018.
"The lines from
the center of each panel are staked about four feet out from the wall
all the way around and, the way I see it, are designed to keep strong
winds from pushing the centers inward and collapsing them, but not so
the roof unless a person has a sky hook available. The premise that the
tent isn't meant to be used in other than perfect weather is a misnomer
in my opinion. The idea that you have to take it down every time weather
threatens is rather inconvenient in the real world, especially when it
is chock full of tables, chairs, ice coolers and bags of groceries, for
example. Neither is mentioned in the sales brochure or on-line.
"However,
there is a man and a woman featured in the background of one of the
company's set-up videos, who are shown nearly divorcing as they try to
set up their exterior-framed i.e. 'Coleman' tent. They notice
that the Pavilion across the way is erected effortlessly in thirty seconds. She points that
out. (He grabs a beer from their cooler.)
"The video should've also included a Truth-in-Packaging warning and asterisk depicted in this scene that when a sudden rain shower pelts the roof and a brief wind blows against the walls of the couple's finally-erected tent; the Pavillion tent roof collapses and people inside it yell in surprise.
The
Coleman couple laugh their butts off as they sit on their lawnchairs
under the Coleman's open doorway awning, as everybody 'over there' runs
to their cars.
One of the reviews of the many I've read,
suggested remedying the roof collapse using a telescoping pole, so it
got me thinking. Returning to the Fleet Store and comments of, "What?
Need MORE water repellent??" I purchased a 4'-8' "Mr. LongArm" heavy
duty telescoping brush handle. On one end is a rubber grip and on the
other a threaded end piece that accepts a brush or sponge with a
screw-on head. Tightening the collar on the handle, the extension held
tight against my efforts to collapse it.
Then walking around the
store, I looked for something that would fit around the hub in the
center of the roof--and found an unlikely counterpart to my experimental
roof support>> a screw-on toilet plunger head. The rubber plunger
is big enough to fit loosely around the hub. Our first experiment using
it, taught us that although it was firm against the roof's center hub,
we'd find the pole laying on the floor the next morning. A concrete
block and C-clamp affair worked to prevent the pole from falling over,
but wasn't very handy. The wife hated it though she understood our
dilemma.
A friend suggested I use a heavy cob of oak, for an
additional support that would sit on the wooden picnic table we
have inside the tent, so in the event the roof rises above the
extension pole as the roof flexes, (and it does) the pole doesn't fall
over and allow the roof to collapse. Another friend, bored a 1.375"
diameter hole, 4-inches deep in the oak cob enabling the handle grip to
tightly fit in the hole, and yet be easily removed for take-down.
We've
tested it a few evenings in Minnesota downpours and it's worked
perfectly so far. Give it a try. The oak cob, with the bark left on,
gives the interior a nice woodsy look. We cleaned ours vigorously with a
wire brush, blew it off with compressed air and then varnished it. The
wife loves the Pavilion and uses it daily.”
Hooyah.
PS 2024-2026
We've owned three of these Quik Set Pavillion tents. One going on three years old. One is still new in the box awaiting the results of this grand experiment: life expectancy. So far it has survived almost three years of 24/7 exposure to sun, wind, snow, -- and I'd say rain, but we're in a long term drought up here in NW Minnesota. I removed four rainflys that we recovered, one by one, when the corner loops started pulling apart at the corners because of exposure. It wasn't because the roof ever leaked, just that I couldn't repair the tie-down loops because they were inundated with water repellent; attempts to use Velcro closures or duct tape with adhesive backing onto the rainfly nylon didn't hold.
The roof, held up with the telescoping handle worked very well, supported by a wooden picnic table; you could extend a handle or pole into the ground below the center of the roof if you wanted more floor space; but the roof still needs to flex when the wind blows. The toilet plunger proved not to be as flexible as it needed to be. I would replace them 1-2 times per year; finally finding a flexible bowl that proved out stronger than the plunger.
The biggest problem over time is the roof 'spokes' or rafters. Although I frequently pulled wet snow off the roof, heavy snow will begin to bend them. They are fiberglass and in a year or two start to splinter if you're not checking them. I used 6 foot bamboo (poles) for reinforcement from center hub to where they meet the wall joints and tied them together using zip ties every 6-8 inches. It isn't pretty but it works.
This tent came with the panels that cover the screen windows; some models you have to buy them as accessories.
P.S.S.
There are seven 'walls' to this tent, including the door. I've observed that whereas each wall has an upper horizontal framework the door wall does not. Since we've left ours up all summer -- and then some-- I've added a bamboo pipe, like on the walls, across the top so it doesn't collapse/flex so much during high winds or snow load. We also tie down all the corners from the top; the walls from the center. This is not necessary on just a weekend camping trip; though tie-downs at ground level is suggested. We do use Astroturf as a floor, with a tarp under it against the ground. --WW
 |
Still standing after two years. I was successful strengthening the corners and center edges of the new rainfly with Gorilla brand heavy duty duct tape because its adhesive would stick to the rainfly. Early attempts to do the same thing after treating the rainfly and walls with water repellent wouldn't adhere. Another solution would be to make a rainfly with reinforced tie-down loops that would correspond with hooks built into the tent at the corners and center of walls to use as tie downs as shown here. A canvas rainfly may not allow enough sunlight to brighten the interior. Each of the zip-open large screened window panels have small 18 x 24-inch roll-up window. Here's a good review of the Pavillion versus a wannabe type tent. Price of our tent $400 in 2018. |
I've no doubt you've earned a tent load of points from Jackie , and other than that, Mr. Goldberg, what have you been up to?
ReplyDeleteYou know, 'Woodswalker' does vaguely resemble the Goldberg chappie; I wouldn't have known anything about it if I hadn't tried to track Goldberg down per your inquiry. Still, that televised AI-enhanced action-figure, and this flipflop wearin' guy in his suburban backyard with a galvanized stock tank jacuzzi on his deck don't come off as twins in the remotest sense to me. But you live in DC .... Speaking of which, I'm going to email you somebody ...
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