That Quecha Tarp tip...

[Yorkie]

Decathlon market two Tarps. The green one (£20) has a UPF of 30 while the Tarp Fresh (£25) has a higher UPF of 50. Both available online.

I bought the fresh but it's so much bigger than the cassette I am struggling to find how to use it!
I am overlooked where I live and so need to avoid embarrassment and go to a secured location to look like an idiot trying different methods.

 

[Max-Felix]

Great job Bugsy.

For attaching to the sides or modding the tarps these are useful parts: 'ball bungees' and 'plastic eyelets' - search on eBay:

 

[Walrus]

+1 for bungee balls. They work a treat. How robust are the plastic eyelet holes?

 

[Max-Felix]

+1 for bungee balls. They work a treat. How robust are the plastic eyelet holes?

Very - the material is always the weak point but you just need to at least double if not triple fold it before fitting the eyelets. Plastic are better than the older brass type as they spread the load and don't cut into the material like the metal used to.

 

[Walrus]

Thanks. I'll give them a go.

 

[AlanC]

I bought the fresh but it's so much bigger than the cassette I am struggling to find how to use it!
I am overlooked where I live and so need to avoid embarrassment and go to a secured location to look like an idiot trying different methods.

The Tarp is 290cm long where as the VW standard Omnistor awning is just 260cm long. In addition the awning legs are outside the Kador tube.

I bought 3 metres of 6mm single sided Kador strip from Camperlands

https://www.camperlands.co.uk/single-edged-sew-on-kador-strip.html

This fitted the Omnistor awning perfectly. I fold down the extra Tarp length (30cm overall) against the awning legs.

BTW, what is the purpose of the guy rope in the middle of the ridge of the Tarp?

Alan

 

[AlanC]

I bought the fresh but it's so much bigger than the cassette I am struggling to find how to use it!
I am overlooked where I live and so need to avoid embarrassment and go to a secured location to look like an idiot trying different methods.

Someone is better at sewing than me

 

[Max-Felix]

Another handy tarp item:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ASPKYK/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

BTW, what is the purpose of the guy rope in the middle of the ridge of the Tarp?

Alan

When used as a survival/camping tarp it just gives you a lot more options - or helps to give a peak to the ridge and support the middle if not using a ridge line.

Lots of ideas below!

 

[AlanC]

Another handy tarp item:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ASPKYK/?tag=vwcalifornia-21




When used as a survival/camping tarp it just gives you a lot more options - or helps to give a peak to the ridge and support the middle if not using a ridge line.

Lots of ideas below!

You have to have a convenient branch I assume. I like the Blue Bell, Semi Walled Fly and Semi Mushroom Fly!

Alan

 

[cedemt]

We have the factory fitted awing on our '17' Cali beach, we have the decathlon tarp & would like to give this a try, what size kandor strip would be suitable?

Would this work? 7mm x 6mm. Thanks

https://www.khyam.co.uk/accessories...nection-kits-c412/double-kador-7mm-x-6mm-p183

 

[Roger Boeken]

We have the factory fitted awing on our '17' Cali beach, we have the decathlon tarp & would like to give this a try, what size kandor strip would be suitable?

Would this work? 7mm x 6mm. Thanks

https://www.khyam.co.uk/accessories...nection-kits-c412/double-kador-7mm-x-6mm-p183

what have you in mind ? we sewed strip 7mm to the tarp like this one :
https://www.dewitschijndel.nl/dws-caravankoord-7-mm/?sqr=7mm&, we actually made two sun/rain panels out of 1 tarp. The kador strip is suitable for the thule omnistore 1502 awning and canbe used onthe other side of the car in thera

 

[Roger Boeken]

we used :
https://www.dewitschijndel.nl/dws-caravankoord-7-mm/?sqr=7mm&
made 2 panels (250x185 cm) out of 1 decathlon tarp and it fits both rail in vw awning omnistore 1502 and the rail on the roof on the other side of the car so we can create some shadow there too and keep the fridge and watertank out of direct sunlight.
We did not cut the tarp to length of awning (250 cm I believe if you measure the rail ) but the wife folded the tarp on left and right hand side and sewed it together (small band of double layered material there) before adding the kador strip . Sorry no pictures available at the moment..

 

[willwander]

Love this.
Any updates or tips on people’s current setup?
Anyone found an alternative with a better size? The ‘fresh’ looks just a little too big?
Going to have a go at something like this myself.

 

[KGCali]

Great job Bugsy.

For attaching to the sides or modding the tarps these are useful parts: 'ball bungees' and 'plastic eyelets' - search on eBay:

What length cord did you get on the ball bungees from eBay?

 

[sapto]

Love this.
Any updates or tips on people’s current setup?
Anyone found an alternative with a better size? The ‘fresh’ looks just a little too big?
Going to have a go at something like this myself.

We bought the peggypeg crocs to attach to the awning. Didn‘t have the chance to take a pic.

 

[Max-Felix]

What length cord did you get on the ball bungees from eBay?

I usually just buy the balls and a length of the elasticated cord in a suitable diameter - you can then make up whatever suits you best for different applications.

 

[Max-Felix]

I used this seller for handy stuff:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Elastic-...u-choose-size-length-and-colour-/331441070777

Unfortunately they seem to be on holiday but in their ebay shop normally they have lots of hooks, balls and other things that fit on the bungee so you can make up whatever fittings you need.

Similar:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_...(ball,+hook,+end,+stopper)&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1

 

[ioich]

Have to say I read about this somewhere on here a while ago and it works brilliantly. We bought three of the Tarps from Decathlon - £20 each including loads of guy ropes, pegs and two five section poles. They are a great size, good lightweight but strong material and can be used in so many ways.

When thinking of using something flexible but strong for the insert suddenly came up with 3 core round electrical cable of the right diameter - works great! My wife hemmed the tarp over a couple of inches first then we hemmed in the cable length really tight by first using a smaller diameter wooden dowl rod as a guide and then slowly fitting in the cable - feeds in the Cali awning easily.

You can then rig it up as an extension to the ground or flat instead tieing off to trees. A second can be secured with eyelets and elastics to the awning support arms to enclose the space.

View attachment 15535

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This is fantastic. I wasn't convinced about a Cali awning till i saw this hack this is mounted on the original VW awning right?

 

[WelshGas]

Love this.
Any updates or tips on people’s current setup?
Anyone found an alternative with a better size? The ‘fresh’ looks just a little too big?
Going to have a go at something like this myself.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N1RQNIO/?tag=vwcalifornia-21

I use the 2.4 x 2.2m

 

[kave]

We have the one from Decathlon and use it on the front. We now would like two on the sides. Is the smaller a better option? The 150x220?

 

[Elly Swanson]

To be clear on the actual sewing in cable bit - if you try and sew with it in place you cannot get close/tight enough so leave it aside and use a slightly thinner wooden dowel or similar in it's place while you sew, moving this along as you go as a guide. Then the 'tube' created should be a nice tight fit for the cable which can be fed in. We practised on the material instruction/safety leaflet first.

A sewing machine zipper foot should do it if you have one that's only a half foot and the needle's to the side so you can get up close.

 

[Elly Swanson]

On our old Toyota hiace high top was a bit "rough and ready", there was loads of odd bits that I could tie a tarp to. But the Cali is a lot more sophisticated and much "smoother".
Thanks for your OP Max-Felix, it's given me an idea for a solution to covering the back. I'll give it a go and if it works and post.

 

[Elly Swanson]

This does look like an elegant solution.
Sorry for my ignorance, but does the electric cable end of the tarpaulin grip onto the awning cassette?
Also, the material used seems a little see-through. We want to block the sun and have it as quiet as possible in the wind. Would you recommend I use the same material?

My Quechua tarps are 10 years old now and made out of normal tent nylon material. They are still going strong. Quechua stuff is really good quality.

 

[Elly Swanson]

We have the one from Decathlon and use it on the front. We now would like two on the sides. Is the smaller a better option? The 150x220?

Hi Kave. Do you have any pics? How do you attach it and what to?

 

[Max-Felix]

On our old Toyota hiace high top was a bit "rough and ready", there was loads of odd bits that I could tie a tarp to. But the Cali is a lot more sophisticated and much "smoother".
Thanks for your OP Max-Felix, it's given me an idea for a solution to covering the back. I'll give it a go and if it works and post.

No problem!