Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 07:25:53 -0400
Reply-To: Kenneth Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Kenneth Wilford <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: canvas or acrylic poptop tent
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I have installed both kinds so I guess I can speak on this issue.
First of all, all pop top canvases come from the same supplier. So no
matter who you buy it from (me, BD, or Go Westy) you are getting the
same quality tent. Second, order your tent way in advance of when you
need it! These tents are made to order. The first one I installed was
the acrylic and it took about two months to show up. I ordered it for
an '83 Westy, but when we went to install it, the dimensions were wrong
and we wound up short in the back. My father fabricated some blocks of
wood which we attached to the squared off corners of the rear of the
pop top and this allowed the canvas to fit (if I didn't tell you we did
this you would never know). The acrylic canvas was very stiff and very
hard to work with as far as installation goes. It basically made me
decide to never install this kind of tent again (it is a real pain!).
The canvas tent I bought for my own '85. It actually only took a few
weeks to show up. I installed it without any fitment problems and it
wasn't that bad (no matter what doing this installation is almost like
passing a kidney stone so I can't say that it was fun, just not as big
of a pain as the acrylic).
I think the concept people have when they think of acrylic ( warning
>>my opinion, not fact<< (see also "warning coffee is hot",
and "caution scissors are sharp" warning labels) is that here is a
modern fabric they are putting on that will hold up in the sun better
than the standard canvas. And you can see this Sunbrella material used
on awnings, etc. It holds up really well. However how much sun time
does your pop top canvas actually see? Be honest now! I think mine
was up long enough for me to install it this year and that was about
it. So I don't think sun damage should be a factor unless you are
living in the van and have the top popped for weeks and weeks on end.
The second concept that people think about is rot. You know when you
bought your westy the canvas had that black stain on the side and it
was mold that ate a hole in the canvas. This acrylic material is
supposed to be good at resisting mold. However if your pop top seals
are in good condition you should not have water coming in. And if you
had a morning where your pop top got wet at night in a rain storm or
from the dew, you should leave it up until it dries and then put it
down (says so in the manual and also you are on a vacation trip for
Pete's sake, let the thing dry!).
The third form of failure for the canvas is simply not putting it down
properly and cutting the canvas in the hinges. Please affix a warning
label to one of your hinges to remind you not to rip the canvas (or
just use your brain, a quaint notion I know). The acrylic may resist
being cut a little more than the canvas (I don't know I have not done
any field testing nor do I know the thread count, etc of the canvas.
I've got my team of scientists on it right now :-). It is thicker so
perhaps it would not be cut as easily I don't know, but this is a
factor that I think that either of these materials would be prone to.
You just have to be careful.
So now you know what I know. If you take care of your tent, either one
should last you 20 years. If you neglect it and abuse it, then you are
just setting yourself up to become the accursed PO of the next guy who
buys your van and has to replace the canvas.
Thanks,
Ken Wilford
John 3:16
http://www.vanagain.com
Phone: 856-327-4936
Fax: 856-327-2242
----- Original Message -----
From: Joachim Preiss <jp0815@EARTHLINK.NET>
Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2002 10:54 pm
Subject: canvas or acrylic poptop tent
> I need a new poptop tent. Now do I go with canvas or acrylic. My
> regulartent (the one I set up on the ground) is acrylic, and
> hardly anybody would
> use a canvas tent nowadays. Are the canvas poptop tents for
> enthusiastscommitted to keep their westy in original shape, but
> practical people go
> with acrylic? Are acrylic poptops worth the extra money? Anybody with
> good/bad experiences with the aftermarket poptop tents from the
> bus depot,
> go westy, etc? How do they fit?
>
> (I am surprised I didn't find this topic in the archives)
> Joachim
>
> '85 Westfalia
>
