Quick Portable Shelter

[Epicuro Kishore]

AsI pulled away from home on a Tuesday morning, pulling my tiny trailer and all packed up for a two-week stay at Rathbun Lake in SE Iowa, I was fully aware that the weather forecast was for four straight days of rain. I was excited about the trip, though, and felt that the weather would help me secure a good first come, first served campsite at Buck Creek Campground, one of three Army Corps campgrounds on the lake. (There is also a state park campground.)

I was able to find my spot and set up camp prior to the rain hitting--including our Clam Quick Set 140 x 140 inch shelter. Then the rains came and never really left for the first four days of my fourteen-night "staycation" here at Buck Creek Campground. I knew it was going to rain because of the forecast, so you might ask, "Why endure the rain? Why not show up later?" The answer is twofold: 1) I felt I'd have a better choice of first come, first served sites on a Tuesday rather than a Friday, and 2) I needed some rest, so why not in my tiny camper beside the lake? I was right on both counts because I secured a great site and got some good rest.

My four rainy days of camping turned out well for me in part not just because of my easy-going manner but also because of the Clam Quick Set shelter that I used--with the wind/rain covers for the windows. I think that if I had been forced to do all my camp chores in the rain, the mist, or just in the wet between the rain spells, I would have had much less fun. Prior to this rainy stay at camp, my wife and I had primarily used the Clam for sun and bug protection. We're glad to know that with the wind panels, the shelter also works in the rain. This is not unplanned by the manufacturer, though. If you look in the photos, you can see that the shields attach with a flap folding over the top of the shield in order to keep the rain run-off on the outside of the shelter.

I finally agreed, humbled and humiliated, but expressed one request: "What happened here today in the campground stays in the campground." I'm breaking our pact for the good of other campers. The Clam Quick Set is easy to put up and take down--if you follow the instructions. And the best way to learn is to watch the company's instruction video. It's clear and straightforward. With all those push-outs, though, don't think you'll just wing it and can always just back out of the process and start over. That would be like playing the game Pick Up Sticks and at some point of disagreement saying, "Well, let's just put them all back the way they were when we started."

The wind/rain screens are also useful for privacy and sun protection. I've been showering in the Clam, on the downhill side, and I close up the shelter to ensure my privacy. I also keep up a couple of the screens on the sunny side to shade the ice chest, trying to keep the ice last as long as possible.

Mainly, though, the Clam provided me with an extra room during the constant rain, allowing me to cook without being rained on, and providing me an extra room to get out of the tiny trailer and sit in a comfortable chair. Even with all the rain, the shelter didn't leak, or at least so little that the tables and the canvas chair never were dripped on. Towards the end of the four days, the shelter did get wet inside, just a faint sheen of moisture, but I believe this was because the humidity was 100%. I could still sit on the canvas chair, and the bit of moisture on the metal tables wasn't a deal breaker--compared to the rain outside.

Our Clam Quick Set 140 x 140 is pretty big, but when bundled up in its case, it fits easily into the back of our Pathfinder with the seats dropped. I bought stronger metal tent spikes for securing the shelter, but that's pretty standard for all such purchases. With my wife working in the shelter as her office space, I'd have to empty out half of the equipment, but on this two-week stay, my wife is only camping with me on weekends, eliminating the need for the Clam to also be our mobile office.

In September 2022, the City of Columbia City Council announced and launched the Rapid Shelter Columbia (RSC) Campus. RSC encompasses the 50 Pallet shelters and the former Inclement Weather Center (IWC), now known as the Rapid Shelter Overflow.

Participants can stay in the program for up to 90 days while working on those imminent needs to address individualized challenges, which caused homelessness. Participants work on their Individual Service Plans (ISPs) with their case manager who is centering on stabilizing participants in crisis and identifying suitable housing opportunities. The goal is to obtain housing that also provides wrap-around services to aid participants in their success.

Participants do not have to stay on-site at all times. However, since participants will be working intensely on addressing their imminent needs, most of the work happens on-site with a provider. For outside appointments to address services that cannot happen on-site, staff will coordinate transportation. Staff will also provide transportation for shopping and other leisure outings.

Available in multiple sizes, Quick Halt / TAC shelter can be complexed or booted to a vehicle to give a command element additional space. The shelter includes a fabric floor, interior liner with wire harness, ECU ports and power cable passthrough.

Concerns: shelters are, by nature, hangouts. The soil around them gets muddy. Mud is bad for livestock feet, besides being unpleasant for everyone to walk in, and unsightly. Adding bedding to shelter areas to dry them out is costly and a lot of work.

The first Wedge-Loc widget I bought was the all-purpose angle bracket. The pamphlet suggests you can use this for a roof. But, I found that these are very flexible, intended to be bent to the desired angle just with your hand. So, not strong enough to hold up a shed roof. I think wind forces would bend and mangle them. So I set those aside for some other project.

Here is a side view of the finished roof. I put corrugated roofing on top of the plywood, which now leads me to realize I can probably skip they plywood and just screw roofing into the 24 cross-pieces.

The concept for Rapid Shelter Columbia is the first transitional housing project of its kind to be launched in the southeast. The new temporary housing units will be built at 191 Calhoun Street. This is the site of the former Inclement Weather Center, which will now be identified as Rapid Shelter Columbia. The site will include approximately 50 Pallet sleeping cabins, which will be a part of a new construction plan. The congregate sleeping quarters which already exist on the property will continue to be utilized for overflow purposes during inclement weather nights.

The 50 individuals, who will be identified and designated to utilize the individual cabins, will also receive a full array of wrap around services from local professionals who will concentrate on assisting these persons with case management, life skills and arrangements for permanent housing. Local subject matter experts and homeless services providers will play a vital role in helping to screen and identify the individuals who will be housed in the Rapid Shelter Columbia cabins. The ultimate goal is to utilize the cabins for temporary transitional housing and then repeat the cycle for additional persons who are chronically unsheltered.

In addition to the construction operations, City officials will also be working over the next few months to solidify partnerships with local agencies for service provision purposes, as well as, seeking to hire three full-time staff members to oversee the daily management and operations of Rapid Shelter Columbia.

Once completed, Rapid Shelter Columbia will include 24 hour security, on-site case management services, on-site food services and it will provide a safe, stable and more sanitary environment for displaced/unhoused persons who may need assistance with getting their lives back in order.

Carolina Covers quick shelter is a modular covered shelter that can quickly be assembled and provide a large area of shade. The shelter is multipurpose and can be used for a farm shelter, garden shade, outdoor events, flea markets, camping, pet kennel shade, and more. This can be used for temporary shelter and is not designed to be a permanent shelter.

The canopy frame is constructed from 1-1/3 inch tubular metal that is joined by a series of 3-way and 4-way metal fittings. The frame has four legs that are capped off with plastic footpads. The shade is provided by a heavy-duty polypropylene tarp that is UV resistant. The tarp is connected to the frame by easy-to-use ball bungees. The frame is painted white.

Light and compact sized shelter with a simple and extremely quick set up. It is designed for one bedchair and at the same time offers enough space for luggage, a table, baits and other accessories. The walls are reinforced with strong but flexible fiberglass rods, which ensure the stability of the shelter. In extreme situations, this can be further increased with anchor cords and thus ensure resistance even to very strong winds. The delivery includes a hanging organizer for small accessories that you can easily attach to the wall. After packing into the carry bag, you will also appreciate the minimum transport dimensions of this shelter.

I like the trench idea to seal in the tarp. I was more aiming for showing how to do it quick and clean for an emergency shelter, vs how to make it more comfortable and semi-permanent. I mentioned using smaller twigs and branches along the perimeter of the tarp to essentially damn the snow , holding it so it'll stay on top of the slippery tarp material. That's how I've always done it in the past to seal the edges.

After searching long and hard to find a way to build a safe, sturdy horse run-in shed, I finally landed on something I could do myself without breaking the bank. This simple tutorial shows you how to build an affordable, free-standing horse shelter using common materials. No special tools or skills necessary, and you can build it yourself in a day!

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