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Date:         Tue, 8 Jul 2008 13:13:19 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: What's your after market canvas recommendation?
In-Reply-To:  <978B3AE5-FDDC-4B00-9908-3EE846C05822@eoni.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> Got mine through http://www.aabestco.com

Other than our canvas (we use multiple sources, as I'll explain), virtually all poptop canvas sold in the U.S. comes from the same factory, whether you buy it from AA Best, GoWesty, CIP, myself, or whoever. So if you want the common cotton or acrylic canvas that you see advertised , you might as well buy it from whomever has the best price (which, I believe, is us). The U.S. factory offers a cotton and an acrylic ("Sunbrella") poptop canvas. (I cn't comment on the "hemp blend" version - which I believe is actually primarily cotton - as we don't carry it.) The fit is a bit snug by many reports, despite the fact that they based their pattern on original samples (perhaps a Q.C. issue?). The cotton canvas is a course textured material with dark screens, which is quite functional and of good quality, but looks absolutely nothing like the original. The acrylic material looks less rough and closer to stock, and is quite a bit more expensive. The main advantage of acrylic/Sunbrella is that it is resistant to fading with prolonged exposure to sunlight. That's why it is commonly used on boats, where it will be exposed 24/7 and see 12 hours a day of strong sunlight reflected from the water. (That is very strong sunlight. Think of the risk of getting sunburn near the ocean versus elsewhere.) However, fading is much less of an issue with VW campers, which do not live on water and whose poptops are not open 24/7. The negatives of acrylic are cost, breathability, and stiffness (making it harder to fold in when you close the poptop).

We can supply these U.S. made repros, in any color currently made, and at the lowest price. But they are not even remotely our best sellers. That is because, unlike other poptop canvas suppliers, we also import several superior alternatives directly from Europe.

We offer genuine OEM Westfalia canvas, which is in my opinion by far the best you can buy. The look, quality, fit and finish are as good as what came on your van, with one improvement: we have it made with 3 windows rather than one, so you get improved ventilation. For about the same price as the acrylic poptop canvas, this will look far more original, fit well, and should last you another 20-30 years just like the original did. When the time comes to replace my canvas, this is what I will buy without question. It's a big job to replace the poptop canvas, so I would use only the best and be done with it.

We also offer a European sourced repro, for less than the price of the U.S. made cotton repro. While it is not quite up to the quality of the above-noted genuine one (thinner fabric, etc.) it is the best budget-priced canvas out there. For less than the price of the U.S. cotton repro, it looks MUCH closer to stock, fits better, and is at least as good quality. Because of its value-for-dollar, this is our best selling canvas.

Finally, we offer OEM replacement poptop canvas for the ASI/Riviera and Country Homes campers (with "straight-up" poptops), made by the original U.S. manufacturer using the original patterns and materials.

Our poptop seals are also superior to all other aftermarket products, and exclusive to the Bus Depot, for less than others charge for the off-the-shelf generic weatherstrip that they sell as poptop seal. But that's another story.

You can find info on our poptop canvas and seal offerings here:

http://busdepot.com/details/canvas.jsp

- Ron Salmon The Bus Depot, Inc. www.busdepot.com (215) 234-VWVW

_____________________________________________ Toll-Free for Orders by PART # : 1-866-BUS-DEPOT


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