A few questions for flippac owners

hikerpaul

New member
Questions for flippac owners?


I recently bought a used flippac to put on a 4x4 tacoma with a 6 foot bed.

I have a few questions for flippac owners.

How does the flippac tent fare in rain without a cover.

Has anyone tried using spraying or painting a waterproof coating for the tent --what did you use with what results? Would you recommend this.

Has anyone tried using a car or van cover to cover the tent in the rain.

What did you use, and how did you set it up, and how well does it work.

Has anyone used any type of protective coating on the flippac roof to protect it against sun.

If so what kind.

Has anyone bought a car or van cover to protect the flippac roof from the sun. . If so what kind will fit.

Can you use the same cover to cover the tent in the rain.



For information. My set up consists of the flippac with three 2 foot wide 3/4 inch plywood planks across the top of the truck bed. This to provide an adjustable floor/bed when with about 15 inches of storage space underneith, with all my supplies stored in 20 gallon rectangular plastic containers from Target. I keep food and heavy items in the containers in the truck bed under the plywood, and keep lighter stuff like clotehes and sleeping bags on the plywood floor in duffles. I used an extendable pole with a hook I epoxied on the top to retrieve the containers from the most innermost part of the truck bed, and to retrieve the duffles if I need to when the tent is not set up.

Because the floor is in three separate 2 foot wide pieces they can be stacked on top of each other if this is needed or useful.

This is a very simple set up, with no internal kitchen or freezer or microwave etc. Just a vehicle you can flip up the top and sleep in on the road or anywhere.

Very successful so far with limited use as the Tacoma 4x4 is a reasonably capable vehicle to get to isolated beautiful secluded spots on 4x4 dirt roads.and once I set up a folding table, and chairs, stove etc etc at the site outside the truck. I can create a comfortable campsite using the flippac simply to sleep in.

Very basic setup but very simple to set up and take down.

Don't know how well this would work in rain, as I don't know how well the flip pac tent will work in rain. Hence many of my questions above.

Paul from LA
 

DaveInDenver

Middle Income Semi-Redneck
hikerpaul said:
Has anyone tried using spraying or painting a waterproof coating for the tent --what did you use with what results? Would you recommend this.
Won't be much help specifically with the Flip Pac, but I can offer that I've used a McNett product called Tent Sure to fix the urethane coating on WilderNest fabric. So if the Flip Pac fabric is similar (urethane coated nylon), then this would work. I thought the material was waterproof already, though.

TentSureBlue.jpg


If the fabric is not a coated or impregnated material, then it would take a lot of the stuff to actually coat, since it comes in 2 ounce bottles, which is enough to cover I'd guess about 10 to 15 sq-ft. I use a 2" wide foam brush to paint it on and it works much better if the fabric is flat on the ground.
 

VikingVince

Explorer
You will definitely need a rain cover. I speak from experience! :)

Flippac will sell you their storm cover for around $300, I believe. www.flippac.com
I made my own and it works great...no leaks in heavy rain but I do get a little condensation. Sorry no pics of it. I bought a huge blue poly tarp and cut it so it extends about 8-10 inches below the sides of the tent with tarp grips about every two feet with a length of 3/8" rope attached. I then attached Calgrips about every two feet around my truck into the sheet metal. www.roperatchet.com

Bummer...I just went to the website and I don't see the Calgrip product available anymore. Perhaps if you contact them, they still have some. It's a great little device with a cam in it...just string the rope through it and it holds tight.
So I guess you'd have to rig up some other means of holding the tarp in place.

I used tent seam sealer on all my seams and sprayed the entire fabric surface with silicon...but you still need a rain cover. My truck/flippac sits outside year around exposed to sun,snow,rain...my flippac was 10 years old when I bought it and I've had it for about 5 years. The fiberglass still looks practically like new, so I wouldn't worry about a sun cover.

I see you're in LA...welcome to ExPo...click on the link below for my flippac pics.

Edit: Suntinez, on this forum, has the factory storm cover for her flippac...ironically, she just called. She has not yet used it in the rain. But before she bought it she talked to a guy in Alaska who had used his in the rain. He said it works great and also helps keep heat in.
 
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Bella PSD

Explorer
I would also recommend the rain cover from Flip Pac. I have had it on in some moderate rain for a few hours and there is no way any rain was going to get into the camper. I also think it will keep in the heat during cold weather...will try this out this winter.

Louie
 

hikerpaul

New member
Thanks for the advice- a few more questions

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Based on your input, I'm going to seal the seams, and the fabric and use some kind of raincover.

If I can I'd prefer to make my own raincover. I only paid $900 for the flippac and would rather not shell out $300 for a raincover if I can avoid it.

Vince, do you know what size tarp you bought, and how you cut it? How do you get it over the tent to cover the tent, and when do you use it?

Any suggestion for an alternative to Calgrips.

What is the external shelter I see in your pictures.

Has anyone had success using a car cover or van cover as a raincover for the tent.



Paul
 
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VikingVince

Explorer
You could attach a few rope cleats around the perimeter of your truck
KEHDWR626CAT.jpg

http://www.cargogear.com/OneItemInfo.aspx?partnum=KEHDWR5626

This is what the Cal/Grips looks like. (top of the pic is what I have)
001-CaliforniaNorth-CalGrip1.jpg


Did you contact the company that makes the rope ratchet to see it they still have the cal/grips?

I don't recall the dimensions of the tarp...but it was big...you can just cut it with a regular scissors. Open your flippac and measure from front to back, over the top...then measure side to side, over the top...then add 8-10" all the way around and you'll have the size tarp you need. Since I have a rack on top, I first attach the front of the tarp to the rack and then open the flippac. You could probably attach the tarp to the bed supports and then open up...or you could "fanangle" it over the top once it's open. When do I use it? Only when it looks like rain! :)

The shelter in my pics is a PahaQue 12'x12' screen room. I only set it up when I'm in one spot for a number of days. www.pahaque.com

I've never heard of anyone using a car/van cover...good idea...but I think it would be difficult to find the right dimensions. Maybe not though...one for an extended body van might just work (trim/cut where necessary)
 
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hikerpaul

New member
rope ratchet says they no longer have calgrips

I sent an e mail to them, and they said they no longer had them.
 

haven

Expedition Leader
Hikerpaul,

Your rig sounds like a very cost-effective solution. Please post photos!

A coated single wall tent condenses moisture on the inside, and tends to wick water through where you lean up against it. I think the same would be true of a coated fabric for the Flip-Pac. The rain canopy would be a better solution.

I can only imagine the fun you'll have trying to deploy such a big rain fly in a breeze. Definitely a two person job!

Chip Haven
 

suntinez

Explorer
hikerpaul -

Looks like you got some answers, let us know what you figure out. Vince was right, I haven't used mine in the rain yet - can't find any rain!! But have put it on a couple times - can't imagine any rain would get thru. To put it on you tie the little string loops onto the stabilizer bars, then flip as usual. Then bungee (or rope, whatever) the other corners on. I put some pics up here.

Diane at flippac suggested a boat cover before I bought mine. It's a pretty big area to cover.

Oh and welcome to the forum ... as haven said - please post pics!! Always curious to see how others have built out their interior.
 

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