• I’m often asked what I do for a living. “I rent tents” I reply, “specifically clear span tents”. This is usually followed by a blank look and silence or for the slightly more curious, I’m asked “what is a clear span tent”? A “Clear Span” is defined as “a type of building, tent or warehouse that consists of vertical support columns around the outer perimeter of the structure with clear spaces between all support columns”. What does that really mean when describing a clear span tent? Clear span tents are designed with aluminum roof rafters which are connected with aluminum or steel purlins. This is very similar to how a permanent steel building is built, except with a clear span tent the materials are high grade, lightweight aluminum and steel alloys, for added strength. There are no interior or exterior support columns anywhere in the tent. The space inside is completely clear span with nothing to obstruct people or equipment.
• Odds are that you have been inside or at least seen a clear span tent at some point. They are a staple at almost every professional sporting event as well as corporate meetings, product displays, weddings, temporary warehouses, etc.
• One of the first questions that potential clients ask is, what are the benefits of a clear span tent over a pole tent or a pipe frame tent. I guess you could say I’m biased toward clear spans, for reasons that I list below. Clear span tents, also known as fabric structures or just structures, are designed to have the best characteristics of permanent structures yet they are manufactured to be lightweight, portable, easily installed and meet all U.S. and European building and fire codes. Clear span tents don’t require site preparation, unlike permanent buildings, and they do not require footings or foundations.
• One of my favorite benefits of clear span structures is that they can be installed in as little as one day, depending on the size, and are generally stored on semi-trailers so that they are ready at a moment’s notice. Twenty to thirty thousand square feet can be stored on a single American Pavilion trailer (we have dozens) and can be transported anywhere in North America and the Caribbean. An experienced crew can install upwards of 20,000 square feet of clear span tents per day. A single American Pavilion crew can cover an entire football field in less than two days.
• There are very few companies that have the skilled crews, large inventories and the logistical ability to provide every size clear span tent on the market, anywhere and anytime a client desires. In fact, there are fewer than half a dozen companies in the entire United States that are able to provide engineered clear span tents in any size, anywhere in the country. I did not wake up one morning and decide to rent a clear span tent. I started with one tent, then over the past 25 years I grew my inventory, worked on perfecting installation techniques, purchased dozens of semi-trucks and manufactured millions of square feet of tent fabrics. Needless to say, it’s an extremely capital intensive business that requires a specific skill set involving logistics among other skills.
• American Pavilion was the first company in the country to rent and sell clear span tents. We began in 1902 making custom manufactured canvas products, then evolved to renting circus style canvas tents and now we are the leader in clear span tents; from the smallest to the largest on the market. Our Losberger and Hocker clear span tents are of the highest quality, using only the best aluminum and steel alloys along with some of the strongest coated vinyl fabrics available. These clear span tents can be installed for as little as a few days or as long as ten years, all with very little maintenance.
• Clear span tents are perfect for corporate meeting and product displays, American Pavilion have done hundreds over the years. Clear spans are also perfect for temporary warehousing, commercial storage, social and sporting events, event tent rentals, oil and gas industry rentals, lunch tents, break tents and meeting tents on jobsites, just to name a few of their many uses.
• Clear span tents can also be installed with heavy duty flooring, lighting, personnel doors, heavy equipment roll-up doors, air-conditioning and heat, electrical distribution, power (generators and shore power) fire suppression equipment, etc. If it is available in a permanent steel building, it is available in a clear span tent. Please view our website www.americanpavilion.com or place a call to (1.800.424.9699) so that we may help you with your rental needs including clear span tents. “Excellence since 1902”.
