I’ve got a great connection in Northern Utah that I’m going to chat with about making these. They have a shop that does tons of overlanding gear just like this, low to mid volume, made in the US.
@Rancho have you prototyped anything for this? Looks like your hooks could work. The solution I’ve come up with is using the GFC tee nuts with 10-32 studded snaps. Then you can use male to female snaps in the blankets through some webbing to reinforce the edges. Best part is you could use the snaps to hang other things (lights?) whether or not the blankets are in.
I sewed a technical puffy jacket as a final project one semester in school, so I’m very familiar with how challenging these tech fabrics are to sew with insulation when you don’t have the right machines. It would probably be cheaper for an outfit with the right machinery to do this. Not to say it can’t be done, but it takes a ton of patience to sew a thin, sheer fabric with insulation between.
Anyway, I’m chatting with my contact this week to see if they could do something like this.
I like those!!
here you go man, they are super easy and probably a lot cheaper than the aluminum. I already shipped these to a GFC owner from Ohio to test out. If you want a few for testing and checking I am more than willing to set you up with some for free. If you like it we can definitely work something out that can both save money for you and get you supplied if you go into production mode.
We can definitely work something out however you want. Basically it has a pilot hole so teh buttons screw into the material which I print 100% infill so it’s solid and the thread can grab nicely.
FYI Part of my gig is to help support other makers and builders of all sorts, not just what we’re doing with the campers and such. Mutual benefit is the goal.
More Rumpl blankets and reflectix. You’re going to lose the side panels, but half the problem is the actual truck beds. I use the accessory points and some custom clips to hang them. NRS strap over the back door with carabiners holding the blankets up. Seal every. last. hole. with duct tape. I put a subfloor of 1.5" foam and 3/16" HDPE sheet on the floor to keep my feet warmer. Quilt on the floor. You’ll want to run your heater output tube across the floor and have the inlet placed on the opposite corner floor if possible. If your insulation is good enough, the heat will rise into your camper and you will be very happy.
So I gave it a first attempt tonight and ran some insulation inside the truckbed ahead of the -30 to -40 below temps hitting fairbanks over the next 10 days. Heading out camping tomorrow with the folks from Alaska Overland to do some testing and figured I’d better do some prep for the trip.
The before:
Outdoor felt carpet ontopnofnthe reflective insulation and then I ran as much of it along the panels and front wall as I could without disassembling the heater. I’ll redo the driver side over the summer if this makes an improvement.
I’m calling success! -24 overnight and the truck bed stayed above freezing and the tent stayed above 50 degrees. There is froze buildup all along the aluminum track inside the tent but that’s par for the course for winters up here.
