Anyone Ever Built in a Tent in FL? What should I expect

Be careful of the humidity both yours and the air, keep those fans circulating, drink lots of coconut water

 

I own about 20 special event tents and canopies. Over a ten year period I went through about 20 others. There are a good number of benefits and drawbacks to tents.

The poly over fiber material used in professional carnival tents deflects heat very efficiently . Many RV owners have stated that my tents without air conditioning were much cooler than their RVs were with Air Conditioning running full time. The fabric used in these tents is not only fire proof, it is also fire retardant. I've tried to burn samples for the fun of it and all they did was shrivel a bit. Supposedly if you heat it hot enough it will convert to fire suppressing gas and powder.

The downside of professional carnival tent material is that it wears fast under prolonged wind. In public event usage, rental tents only last about 12 weeks if you are lucky. After 12 weeks of average professional management you have to cut your panels and tops down to smaller sizes due to the wear against pole systems.

Many non professional fabric tents are like blast furnaces to work under. They can get hot enough in some cases to melt and drip scalding hot plastics onto occupants. They can tear apart in a single day. In a fire they can be almost as flammable as gasoline.

 

The best thing you can do to any tarp or tent is paint it. I've been using tarps and tents for years in tropical sun and they all will die from UV exposure, but a few coats of house paint or if you really want to get annal about it, the new plastic attacking paints, like Fusion. The paint prevents UV from getting at the tarp or tent material, so it lasts a lot longer. I've got one tarp that has hung over a broken garage door for 6 years now. I'm too damn cheap to replace the 16' wide door, when a painted tarp can do pretty much the same job. The only draw back to painting the tarp is you lose the light that comes through them, which isn't a bad deal really.

 

In ten years of professionally engineered tent fabric usage I never experienced UV damage.My new tents are virtually identical to my old ones for , flexibility , color and brightness.UV engineering is a factor I forgot to mention. In daylight my tents are not dark inside even when fully enclosed.In some cases even the threads are engineered to fill needle holes as they expand with wear. My home made tents don't have that type of thread so I have to add silicone to the inside of stitching to stop leakage.

 

Did you ever dare to read a thread before you post?

This guy is half done already with his boat! He does not need any tent.

 

I assume that many readers are considering tent usage. A poorly engineered tent can be a death trap whereas a well engineered tent can provide many safety and efficiency advantages over a poorly engineered building. People considering tent usage need to be aware of the hazards versus the advantages.

I did read the entire thread. While doing so I was reminded of a friend that lost most of his face to a flammable tent.Some of the junk sold in the consumer market can be fully engulfed in fire within seconds.Once that molten and burning material lands on you, you are powerless against it when it glues to your skin. On the other hand I've had many air conditioned RV owners seek sanctuary in my non air conditioned carnival tents during intense heat. A well engineered tent does have many advantages worthy of consideration.

 

The RVers seeking shelter in your tent weren't the ones who helped you install that air conditioner in your kitchen were they?

I say this because I am living in an RV full time in 98F (36.6) degree heat in the Florida sun. The heat index has been 110F (43.3C) degrees many days so far. I am perfectly comfortable and cool in my RV because I know how to size air conditioners.

No tent is cooler than my RV, which, even in 110 heat index days can become so cold you need to put a blanket over you. (if you set the thermostat on the AC too cold)

By contrast, my tent is 103-106F (41.1C) inside on an average summer day here. My RV is about 70F (21.1C) inside on the same day.

 

In my outdoor special events world RV owners don't have access to auxiliary power. Most of the RV owners carry very small generators. My tents have been comfortable at outdoor temperatures over 100 degrees.They are also relatively warm on cold evenings. Some well equipped RVs will definitely outperform my tents but I am satisfied with my comfort level both on hot and cold summer days. The only times I've wished I had heat was during prolonged periods of endless rain. I've never needed air conditioning at an outdoor special event.

 

FWIW: I use a Honda EU2000i generator to power my RV air conditioner.

I suppose for your climate (Canada), your tents are probably quite comfortable. FL is an entirely different world of heat and humidity, so we're probably comparing apples to oranges anyway.

I think tents hit their best when it is about 60-70 degrees and sunny. Or... 70-80 degrees and cloudy.

 

I am glad it worked out for you. Congratulations on your progress!