You should be able to procure the materials for around ten dollars (I spent $11.50):
- Four 5 foot sections of PVC. I would recommend 3/4" or 1". These act as vertical support. Buy ten foot sections and cut them in half.
- Duct tape to bind the tops together. I suppose a more robust solution would be better, but duct tape has held up well for me.
- About 25 feet of rope
- 6x8 blue tarp
- Two tent stakes
The setup should be fairly self-explanatory. The PVC acts as a frame, with the legs angled slightly inward. The rope his held taught by the stakes, and runs through the eyelets of the top edge of the tarp.
I run the rope through the corner eyelets twice as shown. This holds the tarp tight against the frame, and keeps it from sliding away towards the middle.
I used a rubber mallet to drive plastic camping stakes into each end. It is sort of hidden in the grass, but I tied the rope to the stake with a half-hitch knot. I then tied the lose end of rope to the eyelet at the bottom of the tarp, which keeps it from floping around in the wind.
Edited by Daniel Beaver, 05 May 2012 - 10:32 PM.
