Ways to attach the canvas of a pop-up camper to the frame

[jwiereng]

Shade thanks for the reply. Could you post a drawing or photo of the drain channels you mentioned.

 

[czerr]

Shade thanks for the reply. Could you post a drawing or photo of the drain channels you mentioned.

Yes, I'm curious about how that works too. I've been looking at those campers. I really like the design. Especially the extruded aluminum rails they use.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

The pros use sail track and hook & loop.

 

[shade]

Shade thanks for the reply. Could you post a drawing or photo of the drain channels you mentioned.

Sorry I missed this. GFC uses a custom extrusion, so I don't think it'll do you much good. Basically, they use snaps to attach the tent fabric to a flange on the frame, and there are 3/16" drain holes along the perimeter of the lower frame to allow drainage. You can see the frame and tent from different angles in this video.

The pros use sail track and hook & loop.

I mentioned that before, and I think it's worth consideration. I know rooftop tents use it to attach the tent body to the folding base, and it works well.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Morning!

Thanks a lot for all the replies. VanIsle_Greg is the picture I posted kind of what you are talking about? That's how I planned on doing it. Does anyone see any issues in doing it this way? I was either going to rivet it or install rivnuts and just bolt the flat bar on. So I can easily replace the canvas if need be. Do you think there will be an issue when closing the roof and pinching the canvas together? Too much wear and tear?

Thanks!

Hello Czerr,
Sorry for the LONG delay in responding. I didn't see your post and havent logged in for some time. In my case I am doing my roof / canvas like this... borrowed your pic and modified it slightly.



My roof overhangs the sides and the edge of the roof is about 3/4" thick. This gives me the ability to attach the canvas sides via 1" flat dressed aluminum 8' long strips (Home Depot special) and screws to capture the fabric. This is the same for the roof. This will hopefully allow for the interior to be 100% water tight when open and closed with nowhere for water to get in. My only concern is when closed the fabric will be squeezed between the roof aluminum strip and the fabric folded inside.

I am hoping that it will not cause any damage to the fabric. All fasteners will be countersunk screws or rivets (probably screws) and the fabric will be multi layered. I may have him sew a cord into the bottom of the fabric at the side to keep it from pulling out from under the aluminum. TBD.

 

[shade]

My only concern is when closed the fabric will be squeezed between the roof aluminum strip and the fabric folded inside.

Try running a loop of shock cord around the fabric before folding it up.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

Try running a loop of shock cord around the fabric before folding it up.

Good call. Also looking to sew some loops into the inside to put some shock cord inside between the sides (as most RTT's do) to help pull it all in when closing it up.

 

[shade]

Good call. Also looking to sew some loops into the inside to put some shock cord inside between the sides (as most RTT's do) to help pull it all in when closing it up.

I know Tepui used to have those, but they stopped a few years ago. Iirc, they said that the cords didn't help much, and the anchor points introduced stress on the fabric. That could be true, or they could've seen the elimination as a cost saving measure. Either way, your design is different, so it may not apply.

 

[jwiereng]

I watched a few alu cab videos and now think I understand how they attach fabric.

My drawing has red fabric. Blue is a bulb seal. It appears that the bulb seal closes on a flat segment. There is still space and fabric is not pinched.

 

[sfol]

I am designing my own pop top camper.
Any advice on how to fix the canvas? Srews, rivets, glue etc
I am going to go with a design like the last post by jwiereng made from 3mm aluminium

 

[97heavyweight]

Here's a shameless plug of my build. https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/i-decided-to-build-my-own-pop-top-camper.224851/ If you check it out the way i installed my canvas is similar to how FWC and ATC do theirs. I have a sketch somewhere in the thread that better shows how it is assembled. Good luck with the build.

 

[jwiereng]

Here's a shameless plug of my build. https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/i-decided-to-build-my-own-pop-top-camper.224851/ If you check it out the way i installed my canvas is similar to how FWC and ATC do theirs. I have a sketch somewhere in the thread that better shows how it is assembled. Good luck with the build.

Do you employ a seal? to prevent water ingress whilst closed?

 

[97heavyweight]

Do you employ a seal? to prevent water ingress whilst closed?

I use a drip edge that prevents any water intrusion while closed.

 

[jwiereng]

I use a drip edge that prevents any water intrusion while closed.

Do you have leakage do to driving rain? Perhaps you're driving 100 km/h into the km/h wind lashing with rain?

Any dust ingress?

 

[97heavyweight]

no and no. I will say though that if a corner of the drip edge gets sandwiched between the roof and body then I will get water intrusion. My drip edge is also nothing fancy, it is 3" wide black gorilla tape and it has been going strong for two years. I just repair it as necessary.