Putting on the vanorak

[calikev]

This is my attempt to show you how to put on and take of a vanorak
Please don't laugh

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssMMYHiCbX0[/youtube]

 

[KernowLad]

Very helpful!

Just aware that you know what you're doing but it still took 12 minutes (to put it on and off)

Still undecided as to what to do - I think we'll try ours with any cover and see what our requirements are.

A bit too much choice in covers!

 

[Hubert]

Thanks Calikev, everybody says how easy they are to put up but it's good to see it "live".
Was going to buy a vanorak or similar, now not so sure. I've not bothered with one for the last three years and can't say whether I should really buy one. I cringe to think what a small piece of grit on the roof would do to the paintwork whilst dragging the cover over and pulling in to position. Has anybody noticed scratches to the roof from using ?
I suppose the upside is it provides entertainment for fellow site users. I once watched a chap in France spend three hours !! :roll: trying to set up his satelite dish. Somebody should have told him that the tall trees were blocking the signal.

Hubert

 

[KernowLad]

Hubert - I'm with you on the paint damage concerns!

Interesting that you've managed without one for so long. Is your roof still okay?

 

[calikev]

What i would say is the inside of the cover is fleece
Lined and very soft. we have kids that sleep in the roof.if it was just the two of us I'm not sure if I would bother.
But really makes it warmer.last year we had to close the roof down with a wet canvas. Not nice had to park all day
With the roof up just to dry it out. That's the main reason I bought one.

 

[Chris]

Well done for doing this. I am in two minds as well now. I presume that you can't have the awning out when the vanorak is on as they way it attaches on driver side? I have roof bars which I can't be asked to keep removing everytime I want to put a vanorak on. I have seen the "ear" type but not fully sold on it still.

Just some ideas that I have come up with since watching this video now as alternatives.
1. Could a different type of ISOTOP be made so it remains inside the van but not made of gore-tex to keep cost from a eye watering £500.
2. The silver screens are good as they don't cover the top, especially if you have a roof rack. Also are they bulky?. How about they go inside. No messing around outside with wet covers and if flat might be able to be stored in the roof sections
Good discussion guys and well done again on the video.

 

[KernowLad]

Chris - we also have roof bars. Good point!!

 

[BerndRos]

Pucer roof wrap is the way to go. Takes me about 3mins to put on and less to take off. Water rolls off it so no concerns there. Fold up and put in the breathable storage bag and if any moisture left on it place the bag in the sun or somewhere warm and it will dry in the bag.

I wonder if people tend to go for the Vanorak or similar because they look the part and are pleasing to the eye, which the Pucer is definitely not ?.

 

[Martin]

I have roof bars also so I use the Pucer for the roof canvas, it does not take up too much room ( about same size as the taylormade screen cover) and is very easy to put on. We have used it in heavy rain up in the Alps and performed very well, however if the rain is blowing horizontal and can sometimes find its way in.

 

[BerndRos]

Martin, do you feed the Pucer between the canvas and the roof struts, I do as if not it tends to flap around.

 

[Chris]

What are your views on installing silver screens in side the roof?

 

[Martin]

Martin, do you feed the Pucer between the canvas and the roof struts, I do as if not it tends to flap around.

Yes Bernd we do, its a really nice fit and like you say takes a few mins to put on, rain has only got in once and that is when it was very heavy rain and windy, it ended up just being a small puddle under front canvas window , the but it has never done it since.

 

[BerndRos]

Chris, can't see the point really as if raining the canvas would still get wet. On the other hand if you did then laid flat the roof would go down with the screens on the mattress.

 

[BerndRos]

Martin, has yours got a few ' nicks ' on it from the struts ? I got a roll of thin silver tape and have used it to cover one or two nicks....

 

[Martin]

Martin, has yours got a few ' nicks ' on it from the struts ? I got a roll of thin silver tape and have used it to cover one or two nicks....

Not as far as I am aware but I can see how it can happen, I just tried to look for his Ebay Page but it is no longer there, I assume he still sells them?

 

[KernowLad]

He replied to an email of mine last week so still seems to sell them!

It's a tricky one as all seem to have "issues"

AFAIK the ISOTop is VERY expensive, not that warm and internal (I think?!) so doesn't keep the cotton dry?
The Vanorak means no roof bars and no awning and might scrape the paint?
The Pucer means no windows (one of my favourite experiences EVER in a camper was waking up to a sunrise over Glastonbury Tor - I was looking through the roof windows of my parents T25 camper)
The Khyam looks pretty fiddly to fit and again might pick up grit?

Definitely going to try ours out and see if we can come up with something. We do have very warm sleeping bags! :lol:

 

[Californiaman]

I don't have any paint concerns - the paint is very good. The windows in the vanorak are ace. I guess it wouldn't be hard to retrofit the Pucer with windows (and I expect that Darren would put them in if asked) I guess an almost ideal solution would be a Pucer style with windows made out of the same material as the silverscreens window covers.

We leave the awning side clips loose on the vanorak unless it is really windy in which case we catch the ends of the clips (that would normally go into the Chanel) under the awning flap (which we would normally leave closed when windy anyway!)

 

[Martin]

Matt, As with all the covers you will only need them in bad weather ie: Very Cold or Very Wet, majority of the time you won't use anything at all, thats why I chose the Pucer as for one it stores easily when not in use and two if it is bad weather you probably won't be able to see the view anyway so no real loss in not having windows.

 

[barry]

We use a vanorak when the weather's bad and are pleased with what it does.
There have been some times away last year up the west coast of scotland when it has been absolutely essential.
It's a bugger to get up in *really* windy weather though.

We even use the same plastic stool as Calikev!
It's a nightmare and a definite ticket to A&E

 

[BerndRos]

Spot on Martin, exactly as I use the Pucer. Probably less than 10% of the time.

 

[Anonymous]

Gentleman all this money you are wasting , i make use with a tarpaulin from Wilkinsons. £4.99

 

[Hubert]

Hubert - I'm with you on the paint damage concerns!

Interesting that you've managed without one for so long. Is your roof still okay?

I've had to put down the roof down with the canvas wet on a few occasions and even had to leave it for a day or so. It still looks as good as new, it is quite hard wearing.

The canvas drys quickly and even after a night of heavy rain, I find that the canvas has beads of water around the base, I just quickly wipe the beads off, if it isn't raining, it will dry by the time you've packed up/had your breakfast. If you have to put it down wet you MUST remember to dry and air it. We once overnighted by the Grossklocklner in Austria only to be awakened by the most terrible thunderstorm. In the morning it was still torrenting it down and very windy, I would have got absolutely drenched trying to take a vanorak down before setting off, it was bad enough getting the mains cable in. All we did was lower the roof whilst watching to make sure that the canvas was folding internally and not getting trapped in the roof struts and then set off. On route to the next site we stopped for lunch, raised the roof as it wasn't raining and let it dry - lunch over, roof dry.We've done this a few times.
Which reminds me, be wary of leaving the van with the vent windows fully open, we once returned to a very wet kitchen unit after a storm blew the rain through the vents whilst we were out.

My other concern is the bulkiness of such accessories. We managed for quite some time using the VW supplied screens (which I personally think are excellent) in the summer with some internal insulated screens for spring/autumn. The internal insulated screens roll up and store in a cylindrical sack about 10" diameter which fits nicley in the back of the van, against the unit, utilising the space for long loads under the rear seat. After reading how great the external screens were I thought I must get some. Now I know almost everybody will disagree with me BUT I find them a PITA especially if you want to set off in the rain, taking them down and trying to get them folded into a mangeable size for storage just killed it for me. I fully appreciate they are the best for really cold conditions (although the heat escapes through the canvas) and prevent windscreen condensation but they're not for me. I would sooner carry my small electric fan heater to keep warm.
I prefer to be more mobile, setting off on impulse and save storage space for the cheap booze on the return journeys from the continent .

I am not advocating that others do likewise, it's just the way we prefer to travel

Hubert

 

[Calibo]

Re: Putting on the Roof Cover

More Vanorak tales.....

We have used our Vanorak about 30ish times and can really recommend it, we sleep up top and have been nice and snug with it in place even with heavy frost or torrential rain.We tend to fit it using 2 people if possible and when we have fitted it into the n/s awning rail and passed it over the roof we then elevate the roof to about 12 inches.We then place it over the front corners and then onto the back corners ensuring the Vanorak corner profiles are fully in place over the elevating roof corners, we then finish elevating the roof completely.We secure the Vanorak by attaching the 2 front straps to the o/s awning rail, we are unable to attach straps 3 4 and 5 to the awning rail because the awning mounting brackets do not allow access to the awning rail so we attach them to the velcro which comes supplied (I stuck these to the area of the roof between the awning rail and the roof bellows and they are hidden by the roof when lowered) strap 6 attaches to rear awning rail, I have not as yet needed to use the additional straps provided over the back door.I have read posts about attaching straps 3,4 and 5 to the profile on the back of the awning but our awning has a rubber seal there to stop rain between the awning and vehicle so I have not tried that method yet.

Phew.... this all sounds very time consuming but actually only takes us about 5 mins once we had got the hang of it.

 

[KernowLad]

Re: Putting on the Roof Cover

Very useful info everyone and Hubert, I have a feeling we are quite similar in how we do things! A really interesting post there.

Well the roof is still up and it's definitely slightly damp inside - the inside of the van is bone dry, just the canvas has a little moisture - but it has been raining non stop for about 48 hours!

I'll towel dry it with a MF cloth (I have loads!) on the inside and give the heater a blast when it's drier - might be Wednesday if the forecast is correct.

I think we'll use it a few times and see how we get on - we're quite "hardcore" with our camping. Our tent is a very heavy duty Vango Equinox 450 - not very big but it will stand up to almost anything. That's generally how we "operate" and are pretty tolerant of bad conditions - I surf all year, me and my wife cycle and run in any conditions but of course we can't really expect a 1 and a 3 year old to be quite as "full on" - so want comfort where practical.

We shall see! Been useful to "test" it without finding out the hard way.

 

[MickyBlue]

Re: Putting on the Roof Cover

Quick question.

Has anyone ever waterproofed the canvas bellows with Fabsil or Nikwax type proofing??