[Homuncio]

So we're diving into making a yard haunt/maze this year. We have our plan mostly laid out and getting ready to start buying materials but we're stuck a little on what we want to make our walls out of. If our panels are 4ft wide we'll have between 50-60 of them. I don't want to break the bank making them and need to consider storage options afterwards. But I also don't want to make something that I end up having to replace every year. What have you made your walls out of and why did you go that route?

Black plastic over PVC seems common and cheap, but I'm concerned about sturdiness.
Wood frames with yard fabric is one that intrigues me.
Wood frames with wood panels seems the most sturdy but also probably cost prohibitive for me and storage would be difficult.

 

[Ugly Joe]

If you're concerned with storage, wood panels are probably going to annoy you after the haunting season, as they can only break down and pack together so much - there are limits due to physics.

Plastic is an inexpensive option, but far less sturdy - the PVC type of frames do break down well, however.

Wood pallets are a rather cheap option, and have the added benefit of inherent strength in their design, along with being of a size that bolts together well for making mazes (2 high is plenty tall).
Check Craigslist for free stuff, and you'll probably find loads of ads giving away free pallets - probably enough to meet your needs by Halloween if you start now. The best thing about Craigslist? If you find you cannot store them after Halloween, just put up an ad on Craigslist, and someone will likely come and take them away for you.

 

[Scatterbrains]

To me, it's all about Halloween eve. You don't want to have to worry about things getting blown down by the wind or collapsing from rain. If all your solutions meet that criteria, then I say go with the cheapest and easiest to store.

 

[devilsfan]

We use 4x8 wall panels. I can tell you right now that 40-50 of them is going to take up a ridiculous amount of space (we have 120). BUT - they are absolutely awesome, you can cover them with whatever you want (we use fabric, lauan and foam sheets, depending on the room), and they can be arranged differently year after year with L brackets. It might be worth renting a storage unit for.

 

[MamaGrizzly]

This year we are trying our luck with two wedding party tents. About a hundred each on EBAY. 10x30 each. We'll see if they hold up. If they do, then it's by far the cheapest buildings to haunt.