Sunbrella as a Roof Top Tent Cover

[tantoco]

I have an Eezi Awn 1600 T-top roof top tent and the cover is disintegrating in the AZ sun, time for replacement. I've done a lot of research and ask a lot of questions, here's what I've concluded:
1) An Eezi Awn RTT cover only lasts 2 years in AZ
2) No other brand less expensive RTT cover fits on the Eezi Awn 1600 T-top
3) A replacement cover costs approx. $265

Not wanting to shell out $265 every couple years I would like to explore other options. That is how I stumbled across Sunbrella, it is used for boat covers and other outdoor applications in AZ and lasts much more than 2 years. I found a local place that will replicate my current cover using Sunbrella for about the same price as a new replacement cover, the difference being one made of Sunbrella will last many more years. Sunbrella is much thinner than the Eezi Awn cover so I'm concerned that is might get torn easier than the Eezi Awn cover would, but to get a cover that would last longer I would sacrifice being careful when driving under trees and other obstacles that could tear it.

I'm reaching out to you all to request help in providing other pros and cons to having a cover made of Sunbrella.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[tarditi]

My FIL has a sunbrella automated awning at his house and we've used spare material (after a repair following a hurricane) to make the following:

Re-upholstered seats on his golf cart - (Ocala, Fla)
Re-upholstered patio furniture cushions (Raleigh, NC)
Sandbox cover (Raleigh, NC)

Granted, Raleigh and Ocala aren't as hot & dry as AZ, but we get plenty warm, and they also get lots of humidity cycles - the fabric has lasted quite well with minimal fading and exposure to the elements 24x7 for the patio cushions and sandbox cover.

Just sayin.

 

[tantoco]

I keep hearing similar stories, thanks so much for your feedback

 

[JHa6av8r]

My wife had an awning company in Cabo and only used Sunbrella fabric.

 

[tantoco]

Cabo has the sun and salt, probably worse than AZ. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[concretejungle]

It's great material for outdoor applications. If you have a good source and someone who can create the cover for you I think it would be great.

 

[tantoco]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to go for it, will let you all know how it goes. One more question, should I go with awning or marine grade Sunbrella? Thanks again.

 

[MDM54]

Sunbrella would work good for your project but it does not conform to CPAI 84 standard for camping tent flammability.
It is very flammable, ignites easily, burns readily, and produces a very nasty smoke.


Some fabrics that do conform to CPAI-84 are:
Fyrguard - Woven Cotton Ounce Duck
Sunforger - Woven Cotton
Tex-Tex - Polyester
Calliope - Woven Polyester / Resin Coated

Unfortunately none of these fabrics perform anywhere near as well as Sunbrella does.
The light weight woven nylon polyurethane coated backpacking tent fly fabric is also CPAI-84 compliant.

All these fabrics are distributed by Trivantage (owned by Sunbrella / Glen Raven ) and available through your local canvas shop.

 

[MDM54]

The Sunbrella you are looking at is described as "Sunbrella Awning/Marine Solids"
Sunbrella upholstery or sling fabric would not work for you.
Any product made of awning/marine Sunbrella and exposed to UV light will outlast the polyester thread used to stitch it together.

 

[tantoco]

MDM54, thanks so much for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated. I did a little research on the flammability issue and it looks like Sunbrella came out with a line called Firesist to address the flammability concern while still providing excellent UV resistance. Any thoughts on Sunbrella Firesist and another more durable thread? Thanks

 

[MDM54]

Firesist in it's original incarnation would be perfect for your fly. It was made fire retardant by inserting one mod acrylic molecule into the acrylic polymer. However it has been reconfigured a couple times and now is not even available although there is some mention of Firesist in the Sunbrella literaure. I will check into this and post the results.

There are more durable threads available, but a UV treated, bonded polyester will last many years under constant outdoor exposure.

More durable threads are made of acrylic or polytetrafluoroethylene (aka PTFE, GoreTex Tenara)
Acrylic thread is criticized for it's much lower (than polyester) tensile strength. What is usually not considered is that the tensile strength of the acrylic stays relatively stable over time whereas the polyester tensile strength will drop off quite a bit over time.
GoreTex thread will outlast any fabric it is stitched to and is guaranteed to do so as well as remain colorfast. The guarantee includes replacement thread and the labor to restitch. Not many products, industrial or consumer with that kind of guarantee.
Gore wire insulation was used on the first spacecrafts left on the surface of the moon. When they were examined latter, the wire had disintegrated but the insulation was still intact!
However Tenara thread is very very slippery and thus does a poor job of maintaining a loop when pushed down through fabric by a sewing machine needle resulting in skipped stitches. My Tenara experience is with the first generation version and the current thread is described as "improved". Looks like they bulked it up a bit and changed/added plies.
The cost of Tenara thread is quite a bit more expensive than polyester, so much so that it needs to be factored into the price of anything it is used on.
I feel that the price your were quoted for the replacement fly was way more than reasonable.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

MDM54, thanks so much for your feedback, it is greatly appreciated. I did a little research on the flammability issue and it looks like Sunbrella came out with a line called Firesist to address the flammability concern while still providing excellent UV resistance. Any thoughts on Sunbrella Firesist and another more durable thread? Thanks

Mine and other CampTeqs are made using Sunbrella Firesist and it has held up great over the years. I have seen no degrading of the fabric over the years of use and Im in AZ.

Spoiler alert - My blankys, flannel sheets, and pillows is not fire resistant should I be concerned?

 

[Mike S]

The covers hat we sell are made from Hypalon (that is also used in inflatable boats). They hold up pretty well.

Much of the wear on RTT travel covers is due to friction and movement of the fabric caused by air passing over the tent in motion. It helps to re-enforce the inner corners and other wear points and build in some compression straps.

I used Sunbrella for awnings on my Caribbean beach house and it was toast within two years. Perhaps the marine grade is somehow more durable and colorfast than the awning material.

Good luck.

 

[MDM54]

Firesist Again

I posted a reply but not sure it went through.
Here is a portion of that post and will fill in the details if they don't show up latter.

Firesist is still in production and has several fire resistant ratings including CPAI-84 which applies to camping tents.
It is no longer called Sunbrella Firesist.
It is no longer made of acrylic.

It is now called Firesist.
It is now made from solution dyed polyester.
The top side has a water repellent and soil/stain release finish.
The bottom side has a urethane/acrylic coating.
I assume that the bottom coating makes the fabric impermeable (non breathable) and waterproof.
Waiting to hear back from Glen Raven on the bottom coating and will post what I learn.
Can't figure how to attach a PDF file to this post, but can private message a PDF file of the Firesist technical data, warranty and color swatches.

 

[concretejungle]

Like said above, you want the marine grade.