Had a similar thing happen with ours. Bent them back successfully for the rest of the holiday but was a pain in the arse when it came to sliding back down to put away so in the end we bought another when they were on special.
G'day,
Recently bought one of these:
http://www.oztrail.com.au/product-ra...x3m-by-oztrail
Didn't peg down the front side properly, and when a gust of wind came, over she went. A couple of the bars are now deformed.
Anyone know if these types of bars can be bent back into shape, or is it safe to say she's cactus? Not bent that badly, just enough to not allow them back into their slots. They're heavy duty powder-coated steel.
Thanks heaps for the help.
Cuzza
Had a similar thing happen with ours. Bent them back successfully for the rest of the holiday but was a pain in the arse when it came to sliding back down to put away so in the end we bought another when they were on special.
keep the top if you buy another one. They loose there water resistant ability after time and sag where the water pools.
Hey cuzz,
Congratulations on being the first person in human history to fess up that your camping gear failed because it wasn't setup properly! The poor guys at Oz-trail who do warranty inspections probably have your picture on the wall by now
You can buy spare struts for these but they are around $25 for a pair of struts so if you have a few to replace you might want to consider just replacing the unit and using yours as spare parts.
Or just use a tarp and never worry about it failing
G'day
I bought one of the 4.5x3M ridge ryders from supercheap on sale ($199 down from $399) and love it. Great size. When I had it set up the legs were pinned with pegs and the guy ropes went out to sand pegs.
Took it camping for 9 nights on fraser in January and one of the mornings we had a cell of heavy rain come through and before dawn the water pooled and the bloody thing collapsed. I ended up bracing it for the next 2 nights and then took it back to super cheap under warranty when I returned. They replaced it no questions asked.
Dave
I have seen so many of these collapse! They really aren't strong enough for the job on my opinion, unless you are using thise Duramax ones.
There was actually on of those setup on the beach at wooyung, was still there when I went back three months later... they cost about $800 though!
Tarps all the way for this camper.
We've been through heaps of them for work.........Every storm/gusty wind we lose another couple......not tied down either at all or properly or combination of both and when they are tied properly as Blackened said they just collapse......not sure why they can't handle and extra 200kg of water on top LOL..
Anyway they also do a shadecloth type one that's is heaps more betterer it lets the water through and to some extent the wind.......they seem to last twice as long as the others do anyway.
Dan
Confidence.......the feeling you get before you fully understand the situation.
Thanks for all the advice, fellas.
And yeah, I was guilty of neglecting to nail her down properly. Although, judging by some of the comments, it may have blown anyway.
I guess it's back to using a tarp and tent poles.
Cuzza
Tarps and poles are definitely the way to go imho. 100% modular, almost unbreakable with cheap replacement if you DO manage to break something. Tarps pack into the car better because you can separate all the components.
Gazebos on the other hand are prone to failure, enormously bulky packed up and very small when set up. The only thing they have in their favour is convenience to put up, which, if you compare to a simple tarp setup of the same size, is only a matter of minutes or so (A 3*3m tarp is pretty damn easy to get up).
The one thing I do love about having gazebos in the camp grounds is they act as an early warning system. When the Gazebos start collapsing, it's a timely reminder to check the rope tension on your tarp sometime in the next day or two.
Take a look at their new design
http://www.oztrail.com.au/product-ra...ebo-by-oztrail
Wont help with wind much (some vents to release pressure) but design helps limit water pooling, also it it lighter and packs up smaller ( still doesn't fit in boot).
Thanks
John
G'day
What lighting system are you guys using for the gazebos?
Ideally i'd like LED strip/bars around the frame powered by rechargeable AA's/ Attachable by zip ties or magnetic would be best.
I don't run a solar panel and don't want to be taking a second deep cycle battery and having to charge it in the field., let alone all the other wiring connections.
Thoughts?
Dave
Dave I bought a couple of these lights. They clip onto a tent pole or can be hung on a hook and use 4 AA batteries.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/28-LED-Ba...item3aa03e93a7
The shade centre at Brendale has spare/replacement parts. They also sell lighting systems for marquees as well.
fez
That's interesting. I can't really see what's changed but it would be great if they stopped the water pooling. I'm always stunned by how many gazebos seem to be left up semi-permanently for carports or whatever .... don't they pool water like mine!?!? I rarely take mine camping now because of the risk it will rain when I'm away from camp and the water pooling will collapse the thing.
You can buy canopy savers like this from most decent camping stores or off ebay - http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item...d=111574438322
can you post a pic of which bars are bent because I have an old supercheap copy frame of the oztrail in my shed with some bent bars too that your welcome to strip for parts.
Kids who Hunt and Fish, Don't Deal and Steal.