DIY Canopy Tent Weights

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Junco Studio is embarking on its first year as a vendor at the local Coquitlam & Port Moody Farmers Markets. I have been building display structures for my Art & Upcycled Home Decor items that will go under my new 10×10 canopy tent.

It is mandatory for the all Farmers Markets tents have leg weights attached. Which helps prevent them from blowing away and causing damage or injury. In keeping with the Junco Studio motto of #insteading (a lifestyle where one actively choses to grow, nurture, upcycle and beautify their surroundings with available materials, instead of purchasing new), I set out to make my own canopy tent weights.

After doing some researching, I knew that I wanted them to be easy to carry. They would need a handle of some sort. I also decided that it would work best for me if they were a complete unit, not several lightweight pieces that needed containment during transportation. I preferred something durable, and robust, that could handle rolling around in the back of my truck. Making zippered, canvas bags filled with sand was not something I chose to pursue.

A common denominator that came out of my research was concrete. A concrete weight, with imbedded handle of some sort would be my ideal. I was picturing a long, large eye bolt. The downside of an eyebolt is that its rounded top would probably only have room for a couple of carrying fingers which could be painful. What I needed was a long “bolt” with a handle shape at the top of it.

LIGHTBULB moment! What would work fantastic for my tent weight project was those tether-your-dog-on-lawn-corkscrew-thingys! I found 4 for under $20 (and I bet if I had more time I could have thrifted some for even less money). I was stoked to get started on the project!

The next step of my plan was to find some PCV type plumbing pipe that I could fill with concrete and insert the corkscrew handle into. Lucky for me, I’m in a plumbing company family and found this random piece of new 6″ sewer pipe along the side of our house. It may have been an important piece for something, but my hubby is out of town so hopefully he won’t notice that it’s now 4 feet shorter.

Here’s a bunch of photos of my tent weight project play by play. If you need help with your own attempt to make canopy tent weights, don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.

I purchased 4 dog tethering stakes and used a 6″ PCV pipe.
I worked on the tailgate of my truck which helped to keep the pipe from rolling off of the surface while I cut it. I used a Sharpie to mark four 12″ lengths on 3 sides of the pipe. With the three marks it was easy to wrap the circumference with masking tape to guide my jigsaw cuts.
I started the cut with a handsaw, making a slice large enough to put the jigsaw blade through.
The jigsaw made precise and quick work of the pipe.
Four cylinders for the four corner posts of my 10×10 canopy tent. Three dogs in the background providing moral support.
I cut four circles from an old garbage bag to seal one end of each cylinder.
I used some masking tape to tack the plastic in place the then used a layer of duct tape to reinforce the cylinder base. The piece of duct tape that I wrapped around the edge was pulled very tightly to prevent concrete from oozing out.
I purchased one bag of fast-setting post concrete and mixed it basically to package directions, or a bit looser. Once there was a bit of concrete in the bottom of the cylinders, I set in the corkscrew handles and taped them in place. I also put in 2 handfuls of rocks at this pint to make the concrete go further and to add some more weight.
I mixed one gallon of concrete at a time and poured 1/4 of it into each cylinder. Filling the cylinders with a layer of concrete, then a few handfuls of rocks repeated 3 times. There was no leakage out of the bottom!
.. and this is as far I got with one bag of concrete and few yard rocks. Not quite enough to reach the top of the 12″ long cylinders. I left the concrete to cure at this point. Some water came to the surface and also a bit started to leak out of the bottom but I just let them rest in place.
Twenty-four hours later I removed the bottom plastic and duct tape. Success! There was a nice even bottom and the concrete was solid.
I was contemplating cutting off the excess pipe to make it flush with the concrete top but after weighing them I left it as is. The 24.2 pounds should be sufficient but if I need more weigh, I can add rocks, bricks or even more concrete into the rest of the pipe.

I’m very happy with how this project turned out. The handles make the weighs very easy to carry and I love the 6″ diameter of the pipe because it sits solidly on the ground. I have seen 3″ PCV pipe used as weighs but the are long, narrow and unable to stand securely on their own. Not only will these weighs sit on the foot of the tent leg, but the handles will be used to loop straps up to the top corner of the tent for added security.

Once I get my tent up, I will add a finished photograph of the set up here 🙂