Sand sticking to silnylon pyramid shelter

[RyanP]

Hello, I recently took my new (to me) silnylon duomid on a short trip in the desert, and ran into the following problem:

1. I lay out my duomid on the ground to get it all spread out even, with the corners at right angles (making a rectangular shape) as the instructions say to do.

2. The sand on the ground stuck to the entire bottom surface of the duomid

3. When I raised the shelter, the sand was still stuck to the entire bottom surface

4. Every time I would touch a wall of the shelter, or adjust things, or if the wind would blow, etc., sand would fall from the inside surface of the shelter onto me. ICK!

Does anyone have any tips as to how to avoid this? Do you need to bring a huge groundcloth if you plan on camping on sand? I was able to use rocks as anchors easily enough so I didn't mind setting the shelter up in loose sand, but the sand falling from the ceiling was a real pain to deal with.

Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

[regehr]

Ugh I have a silnylon tarp that attracts sand like crazy, have never found a solution.

 

[Ugly]

Don't pitch over sand...

Inconveniences of living wonderfully in the desert.
Groundcloth does help. If you are using something like tyvek, or polypro, or an emergency blanket as I do when it's cold, then you can put that down first where you are going to pitch, and it will keep the upper reaches at worst more or less free of sand. Putting down the groundcover and laying on it can also help you make sure you have a good surface to lay on, since no one has showed me yet how to move the mid just a few feet to the left when I was on more of a slope than I wanted.
You can also put your pack or stuff down right in the middle if you want to not put down a groundcloth and it keeps the middle and thus upper part of the mid off the sand.

Use a bandanna and do a quick swish and shake with your eyes closed, before bringing the rest of your stuff in. That's one bad thing about the silynylon, but happens with other types too, it's just that usually that is on the bottom of the tent and not being raised over your head by a trekking pole.

 

[RyanP]

Not the responses I was hoping for! Sounds like I may just have to learn to live with it. If anyone else has any other solutions or ideas, please chime in! Thanks

 

[b.stark]

My only solution has been to quit using silnylon in the desert. My duomid has never been the same...

 

[Brendan S]

It’s much worse when it’s new. I’ve been using a duomid for several years and I feel like it’s not an issue at all. Once it gets a little broken in and dusty/dirty I bet it improves.

 

[Jackson]

It’s much worse when it’s new. I’ve been using a duomid for several years and I feel like it’s not an issue at all. Once it gets a little broken in and dusty/dirty I bet it improves.

I'll echo that. When mine was pretty new, I took it down Death Hollow on a very windy day and it was covered in sand for my next several trips. That was 3 years ago. Doesn't seem to be an issue at all now.

 

[RyanP]

Thanks Brendan and Jackson; sounds like I'll just deal with it and hope it gets better with time

 

[OwenM]

Gotta give it a good beating and wipe it down, same as with liquid or frozen condensation in the morning-which is just a fact of life in some conditions.
Been using my Tarptent Notch fly, and this week my Solomid XL got its first use since returning from Utah at the beginning of last month. Still has a bit of a Canyonlands orange tinge in the corners, but is mostly clean. A mini PackTowl(that's how they spell it) is what I use for wiping it and the Notch fly down when necessary.