Date:         Tue, 4 May 1999 11:16:26 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Subject:      Re: Full-Size SLIDING DOOR SCREENS $79!
Comments: To: kevinm@RED.PRIMEXTECH.COM
In-Reply-To:  <3.0.2.32.19990504075645.007cc470@red.prmx.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> Ron,
> Can the sliding door be closed with the screen in place?
> How many snaps on the sides and how many snaps along
> the top?  How does the bottom seal?
> Can the Westy curtains be closed and opened with the screen in place?
> Thanks from someone with a screen held in place with those
> magnet strips on the outside of the van, I don't like my current
> system and am looking for something better.


There are ten snaps (five per side) that hold it on; nine along the edge of
the sliding door opening and one near the edge of the seat base under the
sofabed if you have a westy.  Tension holds it against the top and bottom
reasonaby well, just like on the rear hatch screen that came with the U.S.
Westfalias. I'm sure that a bug could find a gap if it really tried, but the
rear hatch screen on my Westy has been very effective in keeping them out
and this one works the same way. I guess you could easily add velcro or
magnets if you were so inclined, but I'm not going to bother with anything
like that on the one I'm keeping for myself; it looks like it would be fine
just the way Westfalia designed it, and the snap mounts would be relatively
unnoticable when the screen isn't being used, just as they are around the
rear hatch. The sliding door can be opened and closed with the screen in
place.  It looks to me like the curtain could be as well (looking at my
'89), although I'm not sure what benefit there would be in closing the
curtain when the door was open anyway.  Once you snap it on, you can leave
it on the whole time you're camping, since the zipper allows access in and
out without removing it.

- Ron Salmon
 The Bus Depot
 http://www.busdepot.com