Aluminet
Shade
System

Yes — we buy directly from the importer in California. You're getting the real deal, not a knockoff.

We only sell to Burners and seek to cover our costs. Any small profit goes to support our Mutant Vehicle, the Bioluminescent Slug.

Yes, any size is possible. We can also help with design recommendations based on your camp layout.

This design has lasted through five burns without issues. The lag bolt anchor system and reinforced corners are specifically designed for Black Rock City conditions.

Mainly Ace Hardware. We provide a full parts listing with direct links to everything you need.

Our standard design uses 4 panels of 20' × 20' (6m × 6m), giving 40' × 40' total — that's 1,600 sq ft (~150 m²) of coverage.

Two people can do it comfortably, three is smooth, four is fast. Drill your lag bolts first, then raise the poles one at a time around the perimeter.

We scrape a shallow 6″-wide × 1″-deep recess, drill the bolt so the eye sits just below grade, then backfill lightly. The strap connects flush at ground level — no surface loops, no slack, nothing to trip over. It's cleaner and safer than any exposed anchor.

A hammer drill is non-negotiable — you need rotary impact to get through the playa hardpan. Bring masonry bits plus spares (the alkaline dust eats them), and a flat blade or scraper for digging the bolt recesses. Everything else — PVC, straps, flanges — comes from Ace Hardware.

Yes. We put grommets every 2′ along every edge, so attaching side panels, wind walls, or extensions is straightforward. Just clip or tie to the existing grommets.

Standard 10′ 3″ PVC pole plus a 3′ PVC extension joiner = 13′ total height at the center. This creates the catenary drape that sheds wind and looks iconic from across the playa.

6–8 weeks from order to delivery. Order early — we get slammed as the burn approaches.

Absolutely. The 4-panel 40′ × 40′ is our sweet spot — it's the most popular and easiest to manage. Larger configurations are available and just require more poles and a bigger crew for setup. Get in touch and we'll design it for your camp.

We recommend 6′ from the base of each pole. This gives a 59° strap angle from horizontal — the sweet spot between outward pull (resisting wind) and downward hold. Closer than 4′ and the angle becomes too steep, most of the tension goes straight down and you lose lateral resistance. At 6′ the structure holds meaningfully better in high wind.

A vinyl-coated S-hook drops down through the bore opening in the PVC flange cap. The curved top of the hook catches on the inner rim of the flange — the top edge of the 3″ pole tube itself. The hook hangs inside the pipe, the strap attaches to the hook inside the bore and exits at an angle to the ground bracket. All strap tension goes directly into the pipe wall. Aluminet panels use separate carabiners clipped to the outer rim of the flange — a completely different load path.

Scraping a shallow recess and setting the bolt head 1″ below grade means the strap runs flush from the bracket eye straight up to the pole cap — no webbing loops sitting on the playa surface to flap in the wind or trip people at night.

9 poles total: 4 corners, 4 mid-edge, 1 center (13′ — a standard 10′ 3″ PVC with a 3′ extension joiner). Each of the 8 perimeter poles gets 2 bracket anchors, for 16 anchors total. Each bracket uses a 16″ lag bolt driven into the playa hardpan.