G’morning blackhearse! We are still playing around with materials. Ripstop for sure on the outside. The inside material is still a little bit of a moving target though. What we know for sure is that 30-40 scfm is where we want to be on both inside and outside materials. I’m not a lover of acronyms… scfm stands for standard cubic feet per minute air permeability. For anyone that wants to do a DIY kit, don’t waste your money on expensive insulation material if you don’t pair it with the right materials.
I get a little bit frustrated by this taking so long. But, we will get it figured out and then never have to look back, wondering if we got it right. Thanks, Scott
I spoke to @WrinkledPants for quite a bit yesterday and I have to say… For those looking for a well thought out commercially available insulation system, he sounds like he has a very exciting product in the works.
curious as to why air movement is that important. the tent fabric stops the wind and water very well. I personally don’t have experience in designing something like this and that wasn’t a thought. how would 30-40 scfm be a goal compared to something in the spectrum of muslin to nylon . please enlighten me
I know we’re nowhere near this point but is there a ballpark estimate of what this would cost? I can see a few hundred dollars for sure but people are going to start to balk when it gets past that price point
We are thinking of offering two products. A three season version and a full-on all winter kit.
Materials used in each of these offerings will dictate a different price.
Once we figure out materials we can then do a time and materials evaluation and nail down a retail price.
I have a quilt from my great great grandma that she sewed 100% by hand. it kind of makes what you are doing like a walk in the park but still very respectable to undertake a project like this WHILE learning how to do it. I tip my hat to you. I can’t wait to see the end product.
for sure! I rode crystal mountain on Monday and it was 2 feet of fresh powder. My legs are still cooked. But I have to figure something out. Between my diesel heater and my tent I was warm-ish but the condensation was so bad because I was fighting the cold weather keeping the doors closed up.
I have been waffling for a long time about attempting a diy version of this. My partner is ridiculously crafty and was willing to help me try and sew something so I took the plunge!
We worked together to put together a pattern that would work. Essentially it is a 3d blanket that my partner lovingly cut and sewed together for me. We installed velcro on the ceiling of the camper and sewed it on to the blanket. The blanket essentially just drapes down the sides and back of the tent. It feels really cozy in there!
I bought these blankets as material for this project. They are very cheap and seem quite waterproof. The waterproofing is a double edged sward. On one hand it needs to be water resistant given that it will be in contact with the tent and it will definitely have some condensation form on the inside of it. On the other you want water vapor to be able to leave the tent. I will definitely need to do a good job venting this camper given the lack of permeability, but at least it is controllable now. The insulation is relatively thin but I think it will be quite helpful in holding in the heat on cold Canadian nights.
Yes, I can close the tent with these in place.
This is far from a perfect solution but it was cheap and relatively straightforward. I will likely upgrade to whatever @WrinkledPants comes up with but I needed something this winter!
I will take some more pictures when I put it back up and share them here.
I used
2x 52x82
1 82x82
The 82x82 made both sides and the narrower blankets made the roof and the back door.
I have a standard size camper, this would not be enough fabric for an XL.
We had very little waste which is great, but it meant that we did need to do some piecing scraps together on the sides. A 102x82 in stead of the 82x82 would require fewer seams.
Here’s my simple but not so cheap version of insulating my tent for this winter. I clipped in two of my Rumpl blankets to the tent along the space between the tent snaps. It created a very nice air gap between the tent and just enough space for still allowing to manage moisture with the windows.
Not cheap is right, but I have had them for other purposes. Yes, they are still full blankets with the rest hanging. I have no intentions of cutting them to fit, but they are proving to have many uses for me!
While not insulation per se, I mentioned that one of my biggest complaints with the GFC is the drafty side doors. I took the leap and finished sewing on some 3/4" Velcro onto the bottom of one side door. No more drafting under the flap. It sure as hell ain’t pretty, but she works. And holy fk, hand sewing through the Velcro backing AND ripstop is a nightmare. Took me probably 4 hours to sew 120" of stitch for those two 30" strips. My hands and fingers are smoked. And that was only one door. I got faster as I went on, but lots of tangles, broken thread and even broke a needle. Also, use sew-on Velcro. I made the mistake of trying and succeeding with stick on Velcro I had laying around, but talk about gummy needle and thread. That was terrible. The sew on was much less of a struggle, but still rough by hand.
For the other two, I’m probably gonna just pull the flaps out, close the top and put the sewing machine on the roof. I was basically done when I figured that out, and the first flap used adhesive velcro. You don’t want that gum on the needle. Still would have to hand sew the bottom tent side though, but at least I’ll save ~4 hours on those two other flaps.
I’ll have to grab some basting tape. That’s a great idea. Trying to hold up a 30" long strip of velcro and sew it onto the side of the tent was…a challenge.
