California Ocean 6.1 Bellows Wet???

[Dodge1311]

Hi,

Now i am using my amazing van i have a question that i should really know the answer to. As with most of the country we are expecting it to be wet for the foreseeable. I have had the roof up on my drive, do i know need to leave it up indefinitely until it drys? The weatherman says its not going to stop raining till next Thursday at least, will it cause a problem if i close the roof?

 

[flying banana]

it's fine to close a wet roof. But it will wick through onto your upper mattress and stain it, so unless it's covered i'd remove the mattress and shut it. once the rain stops put the roof back up to dry. they dry very quickly so you only need a small weather window.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Fitting an internal ISOTOP will stop the bed from getting wet.

 

[WelshGas]

Fitting an internal ISOTOP will stop the bed from getting wet.

True. What stops the Isotope getting wet?

 

[Ch1pbutty]

True. What stops the Isotope getting wet?

It’s waterproof on the side that faces the roof canvas, the exposed internal side is breathable so will let moisture out of the van. The fabric is similar (if not the same) as Goretex, hence the price.

Then just put the roof up on the next dry day when you get home to air it all.

 

[flying banana]

The isotop does sod all. You still have to dry the roof out when you can

 

[subthree]

What stops the Isotope getting wet?

Not sure I want to sleep inside an isotope.

 

[WelshGas]

Not sure I want to sleep inside an isotope.

Nor do I. I’ll just use the bellows with a waterproof mattress cover.

 

[Cali Phillip]

We have an external roof topper for if its going to be wet or don't put the roof up.
We get 3 times the rainfall here in Fort William than Morpeth, used to live near there so drying is much harder here !

 

[Eber123]

Hello,

My thoughts was that the tent material of the roof is designed for sun, wind (within reason) and rain. I haven't seen it, but I was reading that the tent material of the roof from the 6.1 has been even improved to the 6.0.

If we are out and about I don't mind if the roof gets wet. If we have to move on I put it down and of we go, even if the roof won't be open again for 2x or 3x days. But latest at the 3rd day I try to find a way to open it up again to get it tired properly. So far there is not problems with the tent material (no stains, mould or other issues).

I believe dirt from trees and bushes stuck to the rubber sealing of the roof and edges is on a long run more worrying. Because of this I try to ensure that I clean this every two month (takes a while), but never during a long holiday (long time ago...).

Happy California,
Eberhard

 

[SimonB]

@Dodge1311 If you can find a small window of dry weather, put the roof up and the top bed, put the night heater on and it soon dries out the bellows.

I use a CaliCozy from the club shop a lot of the time. It wraps around the outside of the bellows and insulates the van on colder evenings plus, being waterproof, it keeps the bellows dry. It has a clear window at the front to line up with the window in the bellows and two opening side vents that line up with the small side windows in the bellows. Available in a range of colours, we chose deep red as it adds a bit of colour to the van. You can also get a CaliTopper that goes over the whole roof and again keeps the bellows dry.
Hope this helps.
Simon