Colored canvas owners opinion needed

[Hotel California]

There are lots of people saying the new canvas on the T6 is lets more light in than the previous on T5 , been discussed in other threads .
Not those opinions i'm looking for , that statement is made in other threads.

On the other hand the new (standaard light grey ) canvas should be better waterproof , so say VW .

What i would like to hear is how do the owners of the COLORED canvas (most of them would be two-tone Cali owners) are feeling about the canvas / fabric .
Those have owned a T5 and now a T6 (colored canvas) have even more experience to compare.
Quality , waterproof , thickness of the fabric / light comming in ,....
Please give some feedback as i am planning to change my canvas in to blue colored one .
Thankx .

 

[westfalia]

I think the new canvas lets more light in.
Are you planning on changing it yourself ?

 

[motacyclist]

Hi Wim we are really pleased with the blue canvas on ours, it keeps the van really dark in the mornings and looks good too.

One drawback, though, is that it can get a little gloomy inside the van.

Having said that, we have an internal topper which lightens the van interior and also prevents light entering, so we would have been ok with the standard canvas.

 

[bvddobb]

we are really pleased with the blue canvas on ours, it keeps the van really dark in the mornings.

That's what we have heard from others as well. Once we need to change the canvas, we will go for the blue. Also looks best on a silver grey Cali, IOHO.

 

[Hotel California]

I think the new canvas lets more light in.
Are you planning on changing it yourself ?

Yes , the standard T6 canvas (light grey ) lets more light in , as said above been said before in other threads.

I'm hoping the blue colored is about thesame as the ones on the T5 (brown/beige) when it comes to light comming thru.

Oh....and no i will not change it myself .

 

[westfalia]

Do you know if the ones from a T6 ocean are the same dimensions
as a T5 and also a T5.1 and have you any idea what the bellows cost.
When i got my mütze from california camping he told me that they changed
the roof height on certain years.

 

[calikev]

The T6 Canvas will fit a T5 from about 2008 onwards earlier ones where the windows are fitted at an angle go up higher at the back so the T6 canvas wont fit
also the beach roof if different to the ocean

 

[MattBW]

If anyone wants to meet me with their T6, I have a light meter and could actually measure the light coming through answering it once and for all

 

[Romke]

I've seen a Cali with the red roof. When the sun shines on it the van looks like it belongs in a red light district.

 

[Gary&Heather]

I've seen a Cali with the red roof. When the sun shines on it the van looks like it belongs in a red light district.

That is so funny not that I know what this means of course.

 

[Hotel California]

Opinions about BLUE canvas owners is what i'm after ... , thats most likely the one i'm going for .

 

[Wobble’s Mum]

We have red bellows and were quite dubious about how it would feel inside the van or whether we would be bathed in this red 'glow'.

The truth? You aren't at all and it's quite dark, so I imagine that the blue would be similar and possibly darker than both grey and red on a summer morning.

 

[motacyclist]

Why are you changing your canvas Wim? If it's not worn you could add an internal topper for extra waterproofing and darkness. Plus you get extra insulation and can take it with you when you change the van .....

 

[jts46]

Can the early roof canvas still be obtained, my roof raises higher than the later model cali?

 

[MattBW]

Opinions about BLUE canvas owners is what i'm after ... , thats most likely the one i'm going for .

I would like a blue one too

 

[Hotel California]

Why are you changing your canvas Wim? If it's not worn you could add an internal topper for extra waterproofing and darkness. Plus you get extra insulation and can take it with you when you change the van .....

I'm in soon for roofcorrosoin repair and planning to ask a new canvas .
It seems they re-use the existing canvas if it's not damaged when taken off , if damaged they put in the light-grey T6 canvas .
But i don't want eigther ....think i go for a new dark bleu canvas like on the two-tone .

 

[Hotel California]

Can the early roof canvas still be obtained, my roof raises higher than the later model cali?

Don't know for sure John , but you could be correct that the early Cali's roof angle is slightly diffent

 

[Trebor]

I'm in soon for roofcorrosoin repair and planning to ask a new canvas .
It seems they re-use the existing canvas if it's not damaged when taken off , if damaged they put in the light-grey T6 canvas .
But i don't want eigther ....think i go for a new dark bleu canvas like on the two-tone .

Hi Wim . I’ve just had a new canvas fitted free of charge after the garage damaged the original .They admitted it straight away and were very helpful . I have to say the new material seems better than the old canvas . It’s a lot thicker and seems to fold easier when the roof goes down . I put a fold in the front when it’s about 2/3 down by standing on step . I’ve got a light grey internal topper so light not issue . I did ask about a colour but they said they were more expensive. Not sure if it’s true . Would recommended the grey . Certainly wouldn’t pay more for colour .

 

[Borris]

The coloured canvas does look very nice and can add an extra special touch to compliment a particular colour scheme, however I'd only have one concern.
Will it fade over time?

The standard grey canvas looks good even on older vans however often the more vivid colours do have a habit of fading and therefore tend to show their age more. The material and colour process on T6 Californias may be different but you only have to look at older camper vans and tents with stronger colours to see what I mean, e.g the red could turn pink over time.

 

[Hotel California]

@Borris , i got sort of brown/beige on my 2012 T5 and thats slightly faded to .
Still in for the blue ...that is if i can get it replaced at a decent price (or free ) when the roof job gets done.