So I have had my flip-pac mounted on my 2005 Nissan Frontier crew cab Nismo for over a year. I have used and loved the flip-pac in a variety of climates.
This weekend I was on the Mojave Road in some serious rain that pounded my pac the WHOLE night.
I know that the FRP fly is designed for moderate rain and the design in and of itself is not a four season set up. I am hoping someone has some experience adding to the water proof properties of the FRP rain fly. Any spray or brush on coatings to make it truly water proof?
My experience went like this: Set up camp and flip-pac with the rain fly attached. In the past it has weathered snow, sleet, and light rain with out problems, it started to rain pretty hard at about 10pm, got inside my bag plenty warm, not a drop of rain, about two in the morning rain still coming, a bit of condensation no biggie, few hours later drips on the face, carpeted "shelf" inside flip pac near hinge area now soaked, standing water, hour later, hips feeling cold, realized fiberglass "bed pan" area filling with water and now soaking through mattress and sleeping bags, wife NOT happy, water now running underneath shell carpeting (guessing) and dripping from shell where meets truck bed, dogs NOT happy.
As the rain continued well into the morning I tried to trace the problem. It seems that as the FRP tarp becomes soaked, the water then soaks the flip-pac material, which condenses on the metal support hoops, then water runs down the metal tubing into the "bed pan" and onto the shelf area. The water also gathers around the "bed pan" area where the lip of the fiberglass meets the channel the material slides into, eventually seeping into the mattress eventually soaking all of your bedding and making you wonder why the "F" you spent 3K on a tent wishing you had bought a Four Wheel Camper.
All kidding aside the FRP fly is in NO WAY WATERPROOF. Now that I am home and my rig is all dry I am trying to figure out a way to seal up the fly.
Clear water proofing weakness with metal hoops running into bed pan area. Also anyone have experience changing out mattress with a closed cell foam to avoid it acting like an expensive sponge? Considering a bag or liner of some type.
As a note I secure the fly with tightly and securely overlapping the entire flip-pac to keep wind/ water intrusion.
Help!
This weekend I was on the Mojave Road in some serious rain that pounded my pac the WHOLE night.
I know that the FRP fly is designed for moderate rain and the design in and of itself is not a four season set up. I am hoping someone has some experience adding to the water proof properties of the FRP rain fly. Any spray or brush on coatings to make it truly water proof?
My experience went like this: Set up camp and flip-pac with the rain fly attached. In the past it has weathered snow, sleet, and light rain with out problems, it started to rain pretty hard at about 10pm, got inside my bag plenty warm, not a drop of rain, about two in the morning rain still coming, a bit of condensation no biggie, few hours later drips on the face, carpeted "shelf" inside flip pac near hinge area now soaked, standing water, hour later, hips feeling cold, realized fiberglass "bed pan" area filling with water and now soaking through mattress and sleeping bags, wife NOT happy, water now running underneath shell carpeting (guessing) and dripping from shell where meets truck bed, dogs NOT happy.
As the rain continued well into the morning I tried to trace the problem. It seems that as the FRP tarp becomes soaked, the water then soaks the flip-pac material, which condenses on the metal support hoops, then water runs down the metal tubing into the "bed pan" and onto the shelf area. The water also gathers around the "bed pan" area where the lip of the fiberglass meets the channel the material slides into, eventually seeping into the mattress eventually soaking all of your bedding and making you wonder why the "F" you spent 3K on a tent wishing you had bought a Four Wheel Camper.
All kidding aside the FRP fly is in NO WAY WATERPROOF. Now that I am home and my rig is all dry I am trying to figure out a way to seal up the fly.
Clear water proofing weakness with metal hoops running into bed pan area. Also anyone have experience changing out mattress with a closed cell foam to avoid it acting like an expensive sponge? Considering a bag or liner of some type.
As a note I secure the fly with tightly and securely overlapping the entire flip-pac to keep wind/ water intrusion.
Help!
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