Upgrading my tent

Growroom Design
#1

Have had my tent for about a year now and it’s pretty legit, considering the reviews. It’s the ipower 4’x8’ off Amazon.

There was a lot of little things people found issue with. The zipper tends to stick after a while, and there’s probably a few pinholes fresh out of the box.
My complaint is with the aluminum support structure. They’re plenty strong enough to hold some LEDs, but I still kind of worry. I’ve seen too many of aluminum broom handles fold up. lol.

So what kind of tent do you all like, if you were to buy a new one today?
Anyone ever replace the aluminum bones?

3 Likes
#2

I’m shocked by the aluminum tubing. It costs significantly more and isn’t as strong…
Anyway, I have a Secret Jardin 4x4x8 and love it, 3 years old and opened almost every day. The zipper is perfect, OK, I occasionally ‘wax’ the teeth with a candle.
My only recommendation is paint the pipe sections before assembly. The electro-zinc plating is really thin.

Cheers
G

3 Likes
#3

The trick is not to hang anything heavy in the centre of the crossbars. Make sure your attachments are nearer the ends. I have a room and just screw hooks into the ceiling so don’t run into that problem but a small homemade tent that’s 54" across holds up my old 8-tube T12 fluoro bank and it weighs about 45lbs. If that was hung from the centre it would probably bend the metal crossbar I’m using.

Try rubbing a bar of soap along the teeth of that sticky zipper. Just a dry bar. Works on jean zippers and something my mom taught me. I use Ivory.

:peace:

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#4

I like the setup I have now, one is an agromax 2x4 and the other is a coolgrows 2.5 x 2.5x both 5 ft tall, my tents also have pinholes and the zippers that stick. If you don’t have a flower tent and a veg tent then I’d do that first.

I wouldn’t worry about stuff falling down, if it hasn’t for a year it probably won’t.

If I were to upgrade the setup I have now it’d be a dedicated space like a garage, warehouse or basement; you could DIY it with steel bars and canvas or modified cabinet but if you’re that worried about pinholes just put the tent in a dark room. I have my flower tent in a closet so even though there are some holes its still dark in there. A few pinholes won’t hurt the veg tent

3 Likes
#5

Although they are expensive you get what you pay for. I use two Gorilla 4’x4’ tents and they are great. very strong and the zippers are reliable. If anything they feel a little tight to start off with but after a while they wear in and perform well. I have been using mine for 24 months now and they are as good as the day i bought them and I go into each tent at least 3 times a day. Opening the zippers each time. I also watched a bunch of reviews/comparisons and any that did leak tests on the floor trays the Gorilla was the only one that actually held the water and didnt leak.

5 Likes
#6

If you’re feeling cheap, 30-40$ yields a panda-film wrapped, pvc & emt(conduit) 2x3x5… :sweat_smile: but it’s more like an emergency plant shelter than a proper tent. :wink: :derelict_house:

:evergreen_tree:

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#7

I use the AgroMax. Cheap, but not flimsy either. Inexpensive enough to if I had to replace it I wouldn’t be upset. Comparable in quality to the Secret Jardin line, maybe a little better since the nylon is thicker.

I bet the gorillas are nice but that price point…I love overbuilt but I can’t imagine a scenario where I would need to be able to support 300lbs from the ceiling.

3 Likes
#8

I would agree that the Gorilla’s are probably overkill for most peoples requirements. One of the main reasons I like them is because of the overkill. With my paralysis I often use the tent poles to lift myself up from the ground and often hang off the roof bars while I work to take load off my legs. Very handy for me but not required by most.

5 Likes
#9

I stand corrected and humbled, there is apparently a useful scenario for extra heavy duty grow tents haha.

That’s badass though, still growing even if it isn’t easy.

2 Likes
#10

Hahaha, I might be fine with a cheap tent too as I do not weigh 300lbs like the equipment you mentioned above. :laughing:

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#11

I’d be more impressed if you were 300 lbs, hanging by one arm spider monkey style while you defoliate and water.

1 Like
#12

hahahah would be a sight to be seen for sure. :slight_smile:

1 Like