Brandrup Iso-Top MK V arrived not as advertised

[notepaths]

Hi everyone! I hope you've had a good bank holiday weekend! I've spent my Monday afternoon fitting a mark V iso-top from Brandrup. I've finished installation, but it's a poor fit, it's not as advertised, and it's left me with a lot of questions.

Firstly, the contents / method of fixing are nothing like the product shown on the club shop OR that shown in the really helpful installation video on the club YouTube channel. Is it normal for the design to be changed so soon (the club video is 18 months old), or have I been sent old stock, or the wrong item? I've summarised the main differences at the end of the post.

Secondly, there's a massive gap on the sides towards the front, right above the vents (first and second photo). The vent is nearly exposed, and the main reason we brought the iso-top was to stop the drafts from those two vents. I've seen enough mentions of drafts being isolated both on the forum and on the product page ("protects effectively from cooling by wind infiltration", "Cold air cannot penetrate into the berth") to think this was a reasonable expectation. Shouldn't there be no gap at the top of the iso-top? How else are we supposed to protect against cold temperatures as advertised?

Finally, the whole liner isn't big enough to fit inside the circumference of the pop-top. With everything zipped up and fastened to the velcro tabs and tapes, the whole front sits away from the front canvas by more than inch, and is there's a significant gap between the roof and the top of the iso-top, particularly towards the front (see the amount of daylight shown in the second photo). Again is this normal? The club video shows something that fits pretty snugly.

Overall, I feel I've wasted my money. £529.99 spent for something which doesn't look like it'll do the job, and is definitely not as advertised. I'm testing it out on the driveway tonight, so will be able to confirm how much air is actually coming in.

I'd be grateful if for any thoughts or guidance; has the product changed dramatically in the last year, or is something missing from the contents of the package?

Main differences between our iso-top and that advertised:

• The upper side fixings are velcro on the iso-top fabric to velcro strips that fit between the front and the hoops for the child-safety net (third photo). The front strips aren't even long enough and so keep coming undone (fourth photo).
• There's no zip up window on the front panel, only zips down each side to enable that front panel to be fully detached (fifth photo). The club shop advertises three windows, we only have two.
• There are no velcro tabs in the back corners, instead the corners are elasticated (which I've assumed fit around the edge of the inner roof panel). These elasticated corners are not even mentioned in the instructions)

 

[andyinluton]

Firstly exactly which model did you order & what does it say on the packet?

You suggest you’ve ordered a V but are looking at the instructions and videos for a IV - they are fitted slightly differently.

I actually think what you have got is a VI as as far as I remember the V didn’t have the full zip out front.

You also need to check that you have the one for a manual roof. The electric roof raises to a different height.

The fit at the top front should give an air gap of about 3 inches but it should be a snug up to the roof liner all the way round.

If you unhook the liner from the Velcro , you should be able to tighten up the Velcro straps between the eyes on the roof. Those straps need to be taught. Then refit the liner starting with the top Velcro first.

I’ve fitted 3 different liners over the years & they do tend to need tweaking to get them right.

 

[notepaths]

Firstly exactly which model did you order & what does it say on the packet?

You suggest you’ve ordered a V but are looking at the instructions and videos for a IV - they are fitted slightly differently.

I actually think what you have got is a VI as as far as I remember the V didn’t have the full zip out front.

You also need to check that you have the one for a manual roof. The electric roof raises to a different height.

Hi Andy, thanks for your quick reply.

I ordered the mk V and that's what the packaging says I've received (photos attached for reference). I confirm the packaging and instructions says it's for the manual roof.

The fit at the top front should give an air gap of about 3 inches but it should be a snug up to the roof liner all the way round.

Just to clarify, are you saying that the gap between the front bellows and the iso-top should be about 3 inches? If so, wow, that hasn't been clear from anything I've read so far, and that would certainly explain why the sides feel about two inches too short.

If you unhook the liner from the Velcro , you should be able to tighten up the Velcro straps between the eyes on the roof. Those straps need to be taught. Then refit the liner starting with the top Velcro first.

Yeah, I kind of figured it would need a bit of tweaking and adjusting. There's no way I'm going to be able to tighten the whole thing by the two or so inches I would need, but if, like you say above the whole front panel needs to be further back, that might make a difference.

Thanks for your help, it's really appreciated.

 

[andyinluton]

This is a shot of ours with the front zipped out and the optional fly screen fitted, shows how close to the front it fits.

 

[notepaths]

This is a shot of ours with the front zipped out and the optional fly screen fitted, shows how close to the front it fits.View attachment 79466

Thanks, Andy.