Spectacular Pop Top Canvas Leak

[Paul Karas]

If I know it's going to rain a lot I use this:
View attachment 67037
Only downside: not that nice in heavy wind as it flaps a lot.
But you can stow it away wet, and get your dry roof down.
Put it back on when it's dry and sunny, and it dries in a few hours.

Thank you - I guess I’m just trying to minimise the amount of extra stuff I have to carry in the van filling up the small minimalistic space. If everything works as intended then I shouldn‘t need to carry ”belts and braces”. And at the cost of a Cali, everything should work as intended. There’s a saying in mountaineering circles that the french only take the stuff they know they’ll need and the brits take everything they think they might need - which maybe explains the weight of a typical DofE rucksack . One key element is only to buy/take stuff that works in many situations. I’m not planning on letting VW off the hook on this one - the tent us a basic and it should work in all but the most extreme conditions. A wet night in Scotland is not extreme!

 

[TripleBee]

Thank you - I guess I’m just trying to minimise the amount of extra stuff I have to carry in the van filling up the small minimalistic space. If everything works as intended then I shouldn‘t need to carry ”belts and braces”. And at the cost of a Cali, everything should work as intended. There’s a saying in mountaineering circles that the french only take the stuff they know they’ll need and the brits take everything they think they might need - which maybe explains the weight of a typical DofE rucksack . One key element is only to buy/take stuff that works in many situations. I’m not planning on letting VW off the hook on this one - the tent us a basic and it should work in all but the most extreme conditions. A wet night in Scotland is not extreme!

I understand your thinking, but still, it's only 1 layer of fabric.
If it's colder or a certainity of having rain/damp from the outside, I put on this topper, and have a warmer, dry inner tent to fold up. The weight is nothing, it just takes a bit of space. I am still glad I have it, although I don't (have to) us it that much.

 

[Keith Smith]

Our external topper fits in the seat in the tailgate so takes up no room in the van. I’ve fancied getting an internal topper because putting the external one on in the rain can be a pain but this has put me off.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Thank you everyone. I’m an experienced camper in tents whilst mountaineering in Scotland and the alps — and I’ve never had such a problem (except when I was int he scouts 50 years ago and their canvas tents were ancient then!) - even my 35 year old Saunders space packer is still watertight. So it beggars belief that a heavyweight and expensive VW tent that doesn’t even have to be breathable isn’t watertight under some relatively benign conditions.
i was going to go down the isotope route for warmth in the depths of winter but I’m now concerned that leakage from the canvas could be caught in the gap leading to mould and rot or worse - so won’t even try that until the tent is fixed. I’ll let you all know how I get in with VW when I get home in a few weeks.
thanks again everyone.
p

We have never had a leak with the ISOTOP, but would be very easy to check for mould etc - you just un-velcro the bottom edge when runs the length of the van, and reattach after you have checked. The Isoptop is a similar breathable material to gore-tex so does not tend to trap moisture; Still best to air the roof on the next dry day when you get home if its packed away when damp to avoid mildew/mould.

From the photos, it looks like the OP's roof has not been fitted correctly by VW, so should replaced / refitted.

 

[Amarillo]

Thank you - I guess I’m just trying to minimise the amount of extra stuff I have to carry in the van filling up the small minimalistic space. If everything works as intended then I shouldn‘t need to carry ”belts and braces”. And at the cost of a Cali, everything should work as intended. There’s a saying in mountaineering circles that the french only take the stuff they know they’ll need and the brits take everything they think they might need - which maybe explains the weight of a typical DofE rucksack . One key element is only to buy/take stuff that works in many situations. I’m not planning on letting VW off the hook on this one - the tent us a basic and it should work in all but the most extreme conditions. A wet night in Scotland is not extreme!

To us an external topper is an essential unless we are pretty certain it will be dry throughout our period camping. Once practiced, putting on a roofless roof topper takes only a few minutes for one person (the roofless version is probably easier than a roofed version as it can be wrapped around rather than pulled over).

 

[marchugo]

In ten years with our old-fashioned cotton pop-up tent in our T5 we never had any significant raindrops inside. Only from condense inside. We often stood in horrible showers, like on the Western Scotland coast, with gale force nine and horizontal rains.

We have had two new popups installed, due to blistering of the aluminum roof, and the advise of our dealer was: spray a new popup at home with a hose, ideally with water that contains much calcium. The calcium will nestle between the fabric, and when rain comes, the fabric "closes" itself. Not sure if the new artificial fabric from the T6-series behaves the same.

An inside liner doesn't appear a solution to me: it just obscures the incoming water drops from your view. An outside topper cripples the airy camping feeling, in my opinion.

Regards from Amsterdam,

Marc.

 

[Lightning]

I woke up to this. Everything is wet. The wind and rain was strong all night on that side. I think it’s a design feature.

 

[soulstyledevon]

If your stuck on a trip with bad weather. Get down to the local hardware store and buy some bubble foil. Wrap around the outside and tie together with string.
Your now water and wind proof...

 

[Brian’s Dad]

I woke up to this. Everything is wet. The wind and rain was strong all night on that side. I think it’s a design feature.
View attachment 67357

We've had a similar event this weekend, just under 2 yrs we've had our Cali, never had it bad until this weekend. I'll ask VW what they think but I've ordered a Purcer wrap for extra protection.

 

[TripleBee]

I woke up to this. Everything is wet. The wind and rain was strong all night on that side. I think it’s a design feature.
View attachment 67357

So who else is thinking that this is a design fault?

If you want something watertight at all circumstances, get rid of the fabric and cut a plastic bag in the shape of the tent. Good luck with breathing through that. But your dead body will be dry in the morning after a thunderstorm.

It is still a single layer fabric that needs to be safe for breathing.
That is why I bought an external topper. This stops the rain from getting to the fabric, and eventually inside.
If the water would get through the double layered external topper, it would just drip down outside the van. At worst there would be just some drops on the California tent.
There is not a single design fault in this setup.
It all comes down to weight, ease of use (folding multiple layers and thicker material would even be worse than it is now, even with a bungee cord), height of the van, ...
All that goes wrong in the California easily gets called design fault or not fit for purpose here on this forum sometimes, but most of those design faults or not fit for purposes have yet to occur on mine after 11 years.

 

[Lightning]

So who else is thinking that this is a design fault?

If you want something watertight at all circumstances, get rid of the fabric and cut a plastic bag in the shape of the tent. Good luck with breathing through that. But your dead body will be dry in the morning after a thunderstorm.

It is still a single layer fabric that needs to be safe for breathing.
That is why I bought an external topper. This stops the rain from getting to the fabric, and eventually inside.
If the water would get through the double layered external topper, it would just drip down outside the van. At worst there would be just some drops on the California tent.
There is not a single design fault in this setup.
It all comes down to weight, ease of use (folding multiple layers and thicker material would even be worse than it is now, even with a bungee cord), height of the van, ...
All that goes wrong in the California easily gets called design fault or not fit for purpose here on this forum sometimes, but most of those design faults or not fit for purposes have yet to occur on mine after 11 years.

I called it a design feature....

 

[TripleBee]

I called it a design feature....

I misread that indeed. Excuse me.

But I have read alot of 'design faults' already.

 

[Lightning]

I misread that indeed. Excuse me.

But I have read alot of 'design faults' already.

The leaking sliding windows are a design fault. The leaking canvas is a design feature.

 

[Hotel California]

Remember when it's wet on the outside (heavy rain) it's also much more damp air inside and you close up everything you get condens and water on both sides of the fabric.
Heating and ventilation can help here.

 

[Lightning]

Remember when it's wet on the outside (heavy rain) it's also much more damp air inside and you close up everything you get condens and water on both sides of the fabric.
Heating and ventilation can help here.

This is true but when I lifted the bed up, three saucepans full of water ran slowly down the from the end of the bed into the boot area. I have water marks on the underside of both bed ends, the mattress upstairs and downstairs, and the roof lining. All my windows are steamed up for all the wrong reasons. It’s a sing show.

 

[briwy]

We have the original Comfortz Cosi. Now about seven yesrs old and never had any dampness inside. The canvas gets wet through which is what happens to canvas rather than synthetic. The Cosi inside the canvas really works well. Not sure if they still make them though. We used a topper previously but now dont have the faff of putting it on/off and the extra space it takes up.
As an aside our old Bongo had a nylon type material which never leaked or got soaked through.

 

[Jenny H]

Thank you - I guess I’m just trying to minimise the amount of extra stuff I have to carry in the van filling up the small minimalistic space. If everything works as intended then I shouldn‘t need to carry ”belts and braces”. And at the cost of a Cali, everything should work as intended. There’s a saying in mountaineering circles that the french only take the stuff they know they’ll need and the brits take everything they think they might need - which maybe explains the weight of a typical DofE rucksack . One key element is only to buy/take stuff that works in many situations. I’m not planning on letting VW off the hook on this one - the tent us a basic and it should work in all but the most extreme conditions. A wet night in Scotland is not extreme!

Never heard that saying but that certainly rings so true!! & the DofE rucksack!!
Sorry youve had this issue - makes me feel nervous now

 

[Lightning]

Thank you - I guess I’m just trying to minimise the amount of extra stuff I have to carry in the van filling up the small minimalistic space. If everything works as intended then I shouldn‘t need to carry ”belts and braces”. And at the cost of a Cali, everything should work as intended. There’s a saying in mountaineering circles that the french only take the stuff they know they’ll need and the brits take everything they think they might need - which maybe explains the weight of a typical DofE rucksack . One key element is only to buy/take stuff that works in many situations. I’m not planning on letting VW off the hook on this one - the tent us a basic and it should work in all but the most extreme conditions. A wet night in Scotland is not extreme!

Personally I would be wary of asking VW to replace it, as any replacement is likely to be the same, and there is a significant chance of them making something else worse during the work.

 

[Brian’s Dad]

Personally I would be wary of asking VW to replace it, as any replacement is likely to be the same, and there is a significant chance of them making something else worse during the work.

Did you speak to VW about this or just view it as part of Cali life?

 

[Lightning]

Did you speak to VW about this or just view it as part of Cali life?

No, I concluded it was not a fault. It’s the first time it’s leaked significantly in 2 years of full time use. I think if I had parked with the back end facing the wind it would not have been as bad. It’s a single layer tent and all tents like this leak in my experience.

 

[Brian’s Dad]

No, I concluded it was not a fault. It’s the first time it’s leaked significantly in 2 years of full time use. I think if I had parked with the back end facing the wind it would not have been as bad. It’s a single layer tent and all tents like this leak in my experience.

We had a similar issue. Just not as dramatic as you on the same weekend. I’m loathed to let VW butcher our Cali. I might put some nikwax style proofer on in the future if it becomes an issue. We’ve also bought a roof cover so probably unlikely to have an issue again.

 

[Lightning]

We had a similar issue. Just not as dramatic as you on the same weekend. I’m loathed to let VW butcher our Cali. I might put some nikwax style proofer on in the future if it becomes an issue. We’ve also bought a roof cover so probably unlikely to have an issue again.

I think a roof cover in very heavy rain is the answer. I don’t think VW garages have any expertise in the habitation side of these vans, so I think it’s best to avoid getting them to do anything complicated or invasive if possible.

 

[Karlos]

No, I concluded it was not a fault. It’s the first time it’s leaked significantly in 2 years of full time use. I think if I had parked with the back end facing the wind it would not have been as bad. It’s a single layer tent and all tents like this leak in my experience.

Hi lightning, we have a 20 year old Conway folding camper which is single layer canvas. it has never leaked and we have been in some horrendous storms over the years. I think staying water tight is partly down to the quality of the canvas and the canvas on a Cali appears much lighter in weight.

On a different note are you still over here or are you off to somewhere warmer

 

[Lightning]

Hi lightning, we have a 20 year old Conway folding camper which is single layer canvas. it has never leaked and we have been in some horrendous storms over the years. I think staying water tight is partly down to the quality of the canvas and the canvas on a Cali appears much lighter in weight.

On a different note are you still over here or are you off to somewhere warmer

I have heard that they are now a synthetic material, must be a cost saving, it’s so thin it transparent at night if you have the light on inside.

I’m still here for now, I want to go to Morocco but they won’t let people in yet. It’s a little hard to decide where to go as the rules for different countries keep changing all the time...

 

[kp64zl]

Same issue - leaking front section in heavy rain with wind

please could someone point me towards purcer website can’t seem to find it perhaps mispelt

thanks