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Date:         Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:54:42 -0900
Reply-To:     Troy <colorworks@GCI.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Troy <colorworks@GCI.NET>
Subject:      Go Westy ArcHaus Side Tent
Comments: To: pkote@YAHOO.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=Windows-1252

Hi Peter:

I do a little bit of canvas sewing on the side, mostly to amuse myself whenever I can't find something commercially made that suits the bill. With that said, I know a little bit about fabrics, and have also looked at various offerings of side tents.

I think there's no question that the most durable side tent on the market is the one that bus Depot offers. It also weighs in at 70 pounds, so it's a beast. Reimo makes some excellent tents that can be ordered by Euro camper. They are expensive, but are very popular in Europe. The BD side tent I believe is from the same company.

I can tell you that 185 denier fabric is fairly lightweight stuff. I think it's okay for the sides of tents to keep the weight down, but it's not the most durable fabric out there. I think this is one of the reasons that go westy says that their tent is not waterproof or designed for inclement weather.

In many ways I think you would just be better off with a EZ up, and I know a lot of list members use them. Another option would be a genuine Westfalia tent, very similar to the bus Depot offering. If you do a search on the samba for side tents I think there's one for sale.

Personally, I modified a Dometic cabana awning, but not something I recommend unless you do your own sewing. Dometic sells something called an R-dome that is designed for teardrop trailers. I modified one with a second arch to fit the vanagon. It's unfortunate Dometic doesn't make something like this available for the Vanagon as it's the best of both worlds. Heavyweight top, lightweight sides, screen room, roll up sides, about 8' x 10' in dimension. Here's what it looks like on a pop-up trailer at least. http://picasaweb.google.com/103401395926284414016/CabanaAwning?authkey=Gv1sRgCI6n0MSwrYqXAg&feat=directlink&gsessionid=zg2mPx3oXskhRgKz4_yt-Q#5365799548653473554

Sorry no pics on the vanagon, but it fits well after the mods. You'll have to wait till spring if you want to see some pictures;) It's about 27 below here in alaska, and don't think I'll be setting up the side tent!

Lastly, there's a number of regular awnings out there that you can attach walls too. Check out http://www.campinglab.com/awningacc.html for example of this.

I guess it's nice to see that Go Westy is at least offering something, but doesn't look very robust or large.

Troy


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