Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 12:46:12 -0400
Reply-To: Ryan Perry <rjdperry@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Ryan Perry <rjdperry@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: A camping season with the Bus Depot Add-A-Room
In-Reply-To: <2c8801cfe7c6$46a800f0$d3f802d0$@busdepot.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Makes sense thank you, as always, for the thoughtful and absolutely
logical reply. Please don't get me wrong, we love the product but it has
not yet overcome our desire to enjoy the night sky! Believe me, as soon as
we are camping with kids, add a room is on the list!
Thanks
Ryan
Asheville, NC
On Oct 14, 2014 11:48 AM, "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
> Ron, have you ever thought about putting a clear section on top of the
> Rear Hatch
> > tent? We love the idea, concept, construction (have bought them as gift
> for van
> > friends) but we also love sleeping and showering and being able to see
> the sky.
> > I know you can't have the perfect product for everyone but this would
> seal the deal
> > for us.
>
> I could look into it at some future date (we design several years out and
> then do a lot of field testing before the product is commercially
> released), but it would probably be a lot more complicated and expensive
> than you think and perhaps not worth the additional cost. The only reason
> our Rear Hatch Shelter is so affordable is that we managed to come up with
> one pattern that fits both Buses and Vanagons, allowing us to sell a single
> model for all years 1968-91. No single "skylight" location would line up
> to both vehicles' rear hatch windows, necessitating separate Bus and
> Vanagon versions. Without the economies of scale, the price would go up for
> both. Also, adding a "skylight" would introduce some risk of the stitching
> around the skylight leaking during torrential rain. That is why tents
> generally don't have skylights but rather have windows on vertical surfaces
> only. There are workarounds, of course - overlapped fabric, a shade that
> closes over the window, additional stitching, etc. - which we use on our
> side mounted Add-A-Room (whose windowed side walls can all be extended out
> to form awnings). But again cost becomes a factor. The rear hatch version
> is $79, the side version is $399. At $399 I can add features like this and
> make sure they're done right. At $79 not so much, and nobody wants a leaky
> roof. The other solution would be to make the entire roof clear, but a
> large clear plastic roof would be pricier, thicker, and stiffer than nylon.
> One of the nice things about the current version is that it folds up to
> almost nothing so it doesn't take much space in the van. A thicker, stiffer
> roof would reduce that advantage somewhat (exactly by what amount I don't
> know). So while I couldn't rule it out entirely, and don't think the
> obstacles are unsurmountable, it's not a simple modification and couldn't
> happen anytime soon if at all.
>
> Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com
>
>
>
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