Hexayurt?!

[Myechtatel]

Has anyone seen or heard of the ingenious shelters?
Hexayurt Project - incredibly cheap shelter for those in need
It's a yurt type structure made from insulation and heavy duty tape. They've been gaining popularity at Burning Man and in disaster relief because of their cheap price, easy set up, transportability and weather protection. A standard 8' hexayurt only costs 100-200 dollars to make! this provides a shelter that is weather proof and provides room for at least 4 people to sleep comfortably.

 

[Myechtatel]

bump>

 

[dprogram]

This is a great design and I will keep it in mind when I'm going camping for an extended period. With a few 2x4's for structural rigidity this has the potential to last years. Wow!

 

[Spooner]

they are super efficient.

 

[Deleted member 20]

I have built them & attended workshops on hexayurts at BM. I am not terribly impressed with them on the playa unless they are equipped with an internal air conditioner with vent or a swamp cooler. So that being said your temporary shelter that costs a few hundred dollars & you gotta buy yurt tape that is expensive to reuse the structure again; now buy a small enough portable generator, AC, fuel & a flooring material (usually plastic sheeting with rugs), heavy duty stakes & a rope halo to tie it down.

I think its a lot of work. The sheets & triangles need to be transported & the cost is ok but the work that is put in didn't equal my $30 tent that has survived 2 burns so far. I just throw the tent in the car & set it up in 5 minutes ( I don't even wash the alkalide dust off it when I get back home to Mass. With a hexayurt you need to store it somewhere & transport it. The sides do erode from driving long distances so I would tape all sides with the mylar/aluminum foil tape to protect it for the longterm. Without the cooling system it still heats up quite a bit inside regardless that the structure is covered in heat reflecting mylar & made of insulation. Th eidea is that it also keeps out light so people can party all night & sleep in the comfort of a cool light free shelter. If I am gonna spend that kind of money & effort I am not gonna use it solo at a week long event, like BM. I think 4 people goin in on a yurt in their camp is a great idea since the labor can be spread out, assembly will be a breeze with a few sets of hands & the costs will be defrayed by others. The problem is personal space & privacy at an event like BM where most want to let there freak flag fly & potentially behave diferent from friends back home.

For me who doesn't drive its not practical on a solo level but think they are still ok. For use in a region that gets snow then a yurt design with a steep roof angle is best & obviously some simulation type barrier from the ground & a heater instead of an AC. there are lots of designs out there.

 

[MirrorLamp]

What are the advantages of one of these over your average tent?

 

[Deleted member 20]

I think the advantage is in prolonged camping situations. If I was staying somewhere for a few weeks or months this would be a great, inexpensive shelter. If I am crashing for a weekend & if hiking/walking in to a wilderness site or someplace that only affords a small footprint. If you have a vehicle say with a roofrack & are driving It could work in plenty of situations. Even a small sedan/wagon/minivan could transport with some tie downs & loaded by 1 person (2 is better) They take up a decent footprint but not much more than a family sized tent & depending on how proficient you get with assembly they can erect in just as much time. I think that they would make great temporary dwellings if building a traditional material longterm cabin/house/micro dwelling in like a homestead situation. They arent quite a micro dwelling as to being able to withstand prolonged varying weather & seasons but a good temporary shelter till you build one.

I am surprised that they haven't caught on in Slab city yet or elsewhere people live for a few months at a time. Hell it would be cool to rent like a KOA campground site & build a home for 1-6 months in expensive rental markets. Utilize the 110 volt power for home style lighting, kitchen appliances & electronics (TV, wifi, cable etc). There are plenty of websites & techy type nerds who are really into the geometric possibilities of hexayurts with free plans & tips for would be builders.

http://www.domerama.com/types-of-domes/hexayurts/hexayurt-construction/

My pros
1> reusable
2> can stand up inside
3> offers lots of privacy from outdoor noise/light (unless others are camping inside)
4> fairly inexpensive for a multi season shelter
5> they reflect lots of heat from the sun & or remain cooled or heated depending on if equipped with heat/ac
6> portable

My Cons
<1 bulky & require a vehicle to transport but portable
<2 require multiple people to assemble (most time is done in pre assembly cutting & taping a sto make setup easier at site)
<3 large flat footprint needed
<4 To be perfect other creature comforts are needed (floor coverings, generator/access to electricity for ac/swamp cooler if in extremely hot/cold locations)
<5 little ventilation
<6 susceptible to damage from wind or snow
< 7 not mobile once erected (like a camper/RV/bus) & hard to blend in as anything other than a shelter

 

[MirrorLamp]

I see what you're saying. I should've specified that I'm judging their utility in a travel situation, not something more permanent (it looks really useful in that situation). I haven't started my travels yet (soon!), So I can't speak from personal experience, but it seems to me that you couldn't carry one of these on foot, and if you have a vehicle, I would think you'd be more comfortable in the vehicle anyway.

 

[Deleted member 20]

I see what you're saying. I should've specified that I'm judging their utility in a travel situation, not something more permanent (it looks really useful in that situation). I haven't started my travels yet (soon!), So I can't speak from personal experience, but it seems to me that you couldn't carry one of these on foot, and if you have a vehicle, I would think you'd be more comfortable in the vehicle anyway.

Nope. The sheets are 4'X8' & they end up being like 2 feet thick once stacked together so no you cant carry them on foot.
I hate sleeping in cars personally so this would be good for multiple weeks+. If you are doing a roadtrip in a car than I would crash at cheap motels, couchsurf or just sleep out under the stars with a sleeping bag. I wouldn't want the hastle of a yurt plus the aerodynamics & fuel economy goes down because of the large rectangular block that will be mounted on the roof. I think that there is already plenty of rubber tramp type info here & elsewhere but figured id throw my two cents in on sleeping in a regular passenger car. It almost always sux vans/minivans/suvs/rvs & busses can all be quite comfortable though.