Looking for an outdoor kitchen canopy

I'm looking for something like what is used in the bullock brothers outdoor classroom:



Only my intent is that it might be good for an outdoor kitchen.

What are these things called? How might I go about getting one?

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/used-parachute


I've always thought of getting a used parachute. Don't know how water proof they are, but they are cheap for the size.

Paul, I found these -

http://www.tarpsplus.com/suheducata1.html

Don't know anything about the company, but the prices seem to be good. 30' x 30' for under $400 is not bad from what I've seen.

I've made them from canvas drop cloths by adding grommets, works well and can be customized.

it almost looks like a canvas teepee cover... very cool (:

I think the thing in the video was made just for this use. A regular tarp won't work.

I know it's not the same, but I was thinking of something like this (only larger)-

http://www.trailgallery.com/photos/7959/tj7959_091408_193536_386440.jpg

paul wheaton wrote:
What are these things called? How might I go about getting one?

These are called shade sails. They're pricey, but they do have returned shades that are in their clearance section. Several companies sell these; I didn't check all of them out.

Paul, sometimes these guys have parachutes. They also have a lot of other cool stuff. They are in Denver and some things can be delivered.

http://www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com/store/products/category/product-type/

I think skeeter had one and he called it a "sky lodge"?

Here is something similar that looks neat:



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The picture in the first post is of a army surplus parachute - you can buy a large one for about £40, although they are usually slashed before they are sold to prevent idiots trying to jump with them!

They are not water proof, but if well rigged will deflect all but the worst rain. Having sat under one in a rainstorm we felt a very light drizzle effect inside. The centre hole allows smoke from a cook fire to escape easily, and the circumference has plenty of attachment points for rigging and anchoring it.

Parachute shelter

This was my first attempt at rigging one of my own - the chute was too large for the space available and I didn't do a very good job. The most secure rigging I've seen was using 6' hazel poles every 6' or so around the cicumference. The chute gets lashed directly to them. The pole is then anchored to the ground by a tensions guy line.

The above setup seems to give the most uniform tension through the whole chute.

I've heard that smoke from repeated fires tends to slightly waterproof the lining, but I've never had one up long enough to test that.

Finally, if you have a fire inside the smoke will collect in the canopy and spill out from under the edge of the chute. If you want to breath clear air you need to rig it so that the chute is ABOVE HEAD HEIGHT. The space above will fill with smoke but the space below will be mostly clear. We rigged one too short in winter to try and keep the warmth in; as a result we couldn't stand properly inside.

Mike

(Whole setup cost about £50 plus a few hours cutting poles and sturdy tent pegs from our hazel woods)

Here is an interesting find:



It is from here. It sounds like they do green woodworking workshops there.



That definitely looks like a parachute!

How about this for a quick, canvas roof:



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Maybe, someone at TL has sewing skills. If you purchased square canvas tarps, an octagon shape would be easy to figure out how to make. Canvas is simple to sew, make your own.

Paul Redmond - Making your own is definitely possible, but probably not worth the investment in money and time given how easy parachutes are to get hold of. Many of the pictures in this thread look quite over engineered. All you really need is a central rope in a tall tree to pull the canopy up, then a way of tying it out at the right height.

Michael Cox wrote:Paul Redmond - Making your own is definitely possible, but probably not worth the investment in money and time given how easy parachutes are to get hold of. Many of the pictures in this thread look quite over engineered. All you really need is a central rope in a tall tree to pull the canopy up, then a way of tying it out at the right height.

True, it would take some man hrs. Not sure about the cost comparison. Depending on the type of ovens or fires used to cook with, flying embers might be of concern with both materials.

This ain't the greenest tip in the world but... if you use canvas or parachute material and it becomes leaky, paint several layers of acrylic latex paint on both sides so that it saturates the fibers. Should seal it right up. I once knew a family that lived near Polebridge in a canvas covered geodesic dome that they bought used for super cheap cause the canvas was leaky. A few layers of paint and it hasn't leaked in years.

Common thing for scout troops to have, at least around here where shady camping spots can be rare. Most rig multiple standard rectangular tarps to fit the shape at hand--think kind of like a reciprocal roof in the layout for round. Can be done with trucker's tarps if you want TOUGH. Can be done with used billboard tarps or standard blue tarps if you want CHEAP.

I have been wondering if you could saturate a peice of stretched canvas with cement, for rigidity, water proofing and fire resistance.

Here it is for 760 bucks delivered.

http://www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com/store/products/military-cargo-parachute/

From experience of rigging three different ones now, small is definitely easier and neater to set up. Parachutes are not conical, they billow out into more of a spherical shape. If you try to rig it from a centre rope and pull it out there will be plenty of slack that will hang down, possibly catching leaves and moisture etc... It is very hard to then tension a large chute in such a way as to hang nicely.

Get a smaller one

UK supplier of parachutes
This is the site I bought my two from - reasonable price. 40ft diameter is big.

A 30ft chute makes a comfortable shelter for about 20 kids sitting around a fire.

Did you find something satisfactory on the canopy front?

If you are still looking, I can point you at a number of sources for sunforger canvas canopies, sunshades, etc.

A good sized piece of canvas can be suspended from a few trees, with one side lower than the others so the water runs off, very, very simply.

And it's not much more difficult to make some poles and set it up that way.

Much more functional than a parachute for the purpose. More durable, less prone to turning into a giant sail, much more waterproof.

Still looking.

Jocelyn Campbell wrote:Still looking.

In that case let me suggest a few places you may want to talk with. All of them are experienced with building canvas tents and other structures. I've not had personal dealings with any of them, but have a number of friends and acquaintances who have dealt with one or another. I can say that all come with good recommendations.

Midwest Tents - midwesttent.com Newest on this list, these folks are a very good value, possibly the most bang for your buck on the list.

Panther Primitives - www.pantherprimitives.com very established, been around a long time, reliable and good quality.

Four Seasons Tent Masters - www.fourseasons-tentmasters.com another established maker with good quality.

Tentsmiths - tentsmiths.com Been around for years making good quality tents.

I've probably spent at least a year living under canvas, in two week bites, over the last couple of decades. One of the tents I've spent time under is 25 years old and still in fine condition (I think it's a Tent Masters piece).

All of these companies should be able to give you both a quote for a suitable canvas awning for your needs and good advice on how best to do what you are trying to do. Their product will cost more than a cargo parachute - but you will never find yourself leaping up from a sound sleep to grab the edge of what was the roof over your head - which I have had to do when living under a parachute

The best deals I've seen on a really strong, durable material, is dacron sails from a big sailboat. It's a very workable material and available at a fraction of new cost.

High end boat owners toss money to the wind, for reasons of style or looks, long before the product is worn out.