DIY rainfly for FP

[gwwing]

Has anyone made their own rainfly for the FP? Seem like I read somewhere that some owners have used a tarp instead of the fly sold by FP. I got my FP last summer and since I live in Reno and most of the time I camp in desert and dry mts. so far no reason for a fly. Now however, I am planning a trip back to my old homestead in Alaska and know for sure some kind of fly will be needed. I have access to "soft" TYVEK and am thinking about building a fly out of that material. It has the "feel" of regular cloth and none of the noise one would get from the regular "hard" TYVEK house wrap. I talked to Martyn at AT and he had some great ideas (Thanks Martyn it was great talking with you and picking your brain.) I am running some water tests.... so far no leak from the fabric in 12 hours.. Also working on attachment methods. Looks like SeamStick, C3 or Orabond double side tape may work. The tape is used on sails and should be flexible and waterproof enough to hold. If the fly gets more strain then a small spinnaker then I guess I should not be out there. Hmm... it does seem that there have been a few times I have camped in that condition. (not fun!) I have tried the TYVEK tape which seems to hold well with shear force but not too sure about UV resistance and how well it will hold up to packing. Double sided outdoor carpet tape seems to do well also, but will have to see how good it is in the wet and the wrinkle test. Waiting for the seam stick type of tape to get here before I get to try that out. The down side of this soft TYVEK is that this is not the UV resistant one. But 17 yards at less then a buck a yard, I can make more then one eh!? I plan on keeping the pattern I use to make this cover just in case. My wife sews so I guess I will have to do it per her directions. The spec sheet on this material shows a test of daily exposure rather then the less then daily use as a fly so not sure how critical the UV factor will be.
Guess after that long ramble the main questions are;

Anyone use a fly/cover other then the one from FP to keep rain off the FP. If so, how did it work?

What was it made of and how hard was it to use?

Could seam sealer and a spraying a waterproofer (Trek7, etc.) on the tent work instead of a fly?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Tim
Reno, NV

 

[Youngunner]

Greetings fellow Northern Nevadan! I can't really answer your question, seems like you have it pretty well figured out anyway! Is there a reason for the lack of interest in the flippac fly? As far as I was aware it works fine? Maybe try looking up sunbrella fabric. Seems like quality material for the project. I went to a place that makes boat covers, anwings, etc in Reno to price a soft top bed cover and I'm sure they could fab it up for you. Kinda pricy tho, you can get it much cheaper online.

What kind of vehicle is this on? I'd like to take a look next time I'm in Reno as I am very interested in buying a flippac for my Tacoma.

 

[springsyeti]

FP Rainfly

I have had my FP for over 6 years and I did not get the rainfly. I could not justisfy the extra $$$ for limited use. I purchased your basic tarp from the hardware store and then guy it out with bungees. When I do not need it as a 'rainfly' I can set it up as a sun shade.

 

[gwwing]

DIY FP rainfly

Hey Younggunner.. I don't get out to your area much unless its a bike ride for a burger at Middlegate. Come to think of it I may have been there too often since they don't even ask when we come in and start grillin' the cheeseburger! Anyway the FP is on a 03 Chevy S-10 extended cab 4x4. The FP replaced my FW camper. When camping with SWMBO and 2 dogs we look like a tent city. When camp solo its just the FP. If I can figure it out I will post a couple pics of a fall trip to a spot we have been kicking around near Fernley. Some old emigrant trails and a few glyph sites and no neighbors.. If you plan on heading into Reno shoot me an email and I will work up a time to show off the FP. As for not getting the FP rainfly my thoughts are kind of like what springsyti wrote. I think I will need some kind of rain protection when I head north for a few weeks but if I can use a tarp or build a fly that works just as well then I can spend the $ on gas, burgers and....

 

[gwwing]

springsyti... I understand the FP fly is designed to be put on when the top is closed and then it is pulled over when it is opened. When you put on your tarp do you do it the same way as the fly? Is it very hard to put on the tarp with one person?
Thanks

 

[abeaudin1971]

Hey - I'll chime in - I have a flippac and a fly

The fly is fairly well fitted - with 6 sewn loops on it at 4 corners and 2 in the middle to secure it.

What I'v done is take a 6' length of cordura webbing and some plastic connectors and made a belt around the front two loops - I wrap them around the support poles (standing on the tailgate) and then deploy the camper - the cordura belt keeps the front on the front and roughly deploys the fly.

I've got some static line on the rest of them with some sailing hardware to cinch the fly down from there.

I'm in a wetter area (eastern canada) so I needed the fly for certain - when I was in california I didn't find out my old wildernest wasn't waterproof until a rainstorm in mexico in winter - well over a year after I bought it

I'll see if I can post up a couple of shots of what I'm speaking about later on this week.

 

[springsyeti]

No I do not close my FP w/ the tarp on. Tarps are a bit bulky and would probably cause some problems when closing it up. Over the years of use I have only had to deploy the tarp a handful of times and really does not take up much space. I have become pretty good at putting the tarp on alone, in all conditions. I use adjustable bungee cords, attach the back or front first and then affix all the other ones and then tension after all are attached. I am a new member and I can not post pics, send me your email and I can send you a pic.. springsyeti@gmail.com

Cheers,
Greg

 

[gwwing]

Thanks abeaudin1971 and springsyeti for the reply. Will be waiting for the pics. The material I had planned to use for the fly failed my destruction test so back to a new search. I did find a nice 190T nylon 12X12 tarp with a 1,000 mm polyurethane waterproof coating for $25 which may work if I use two.

 

[abeaudin1971]

hey,

this is what I used with static line.

4 of these - 2 per side front and back with the cordura 'belt' over the front of the campers just behind the support poles.

 

[ETAV8R]

So has anyone figured out a homemade rainfly? Pictures?

 

[billy bee]

If the fly gets more strain then a small spinnaker then I guess I should not be out there.

I have built kites for boats big and small. We us seamstick just to get the curve right and then we stitch the seam. (On heavier kites we user a joiner that joins the fabris andf sews it at the same time. Very slick.) The seamstick comes apart very easily. It is designed to do just that so you can pull it apart and re-lay the curve until it is perfectly fair. So, don't rely on seamstick alone to hold it together. One line on a home zig-zag machine will do it, however. And them apply some seam sealer.

BTW, the tyvek fabric should work fine. They make car covers out of it. It distorts/stretches easily, however.

HTH,
bb