better fabric-design for flippac????

aventurero

New member
Hi, Has anyone thought/tried to re-design the tent portion of a Flippac with better fabric and address the weakness of the current design? Some of the things that need to be addressed (this is from my experience from many months living my mine) are. The fabric and stitching is of very poor quality, at best. The fabric needs to be weather proof so that you don't have to get up in the middle of the night and put on the fly. (it's a pain to put on anyway) How nice would it be to just go back to sleep when it starts raining. The roof vent need to be changed.(or eliminated) It flaps mightily in the wind and the Velcro tabs are not effective at all. The mosquito netting is of poor quality and won't keep out smaller bugs like sand fleas and the netting needs to be on the inside like a good quality tent w/ zippers to access the closing of the outside flaps. The hinge point of the tent is a problem. The flaps the are supposed to keep water out, but instead, funnels it inside. (mine fell of months ago) The attachment point of the tent to the topper needs to be addressed. It leaks. One idea I had regarding that is a skirt around the entire tent that laps down over the shell. All the stitching needs to be taped! I spent many hours seam sealing my tent. I now own stock in Seam Grip and Nikkwax Tent n Solar.
That's just a few ideas/suggestions I had. It will be interesting to see what other people have to say.
Buen Viaje.
 

billy bee

Adventurer
Interestingly, we have a FlipPac complete apart for repairs to the lid and the tent is sitting in on the loft floor at SLO Sail and Canvas. This might be a good time to consider making some mods.

The primary problem is the fabric itself. Minimally, it would need to be treated with Nikwax, have the seams taped, and design the skirt/flap that might go around the base of tent like flashing.

I don't know about the vent design. Mine stays put. May just need to sew the vent down to the tent and think about venting thought the window flaps...which brings up the screen issue. It is easy enough to sew in new screen material...

The larger question relates to making an entirely new tent rather than modifying the existing one. Maybe Martyn is working on that. I bet he weighs in here. I will say this: from what ive been told, making tents is a very precise and expensive proposition. I bet we can figure out some affordable mods. Lastly, the biggest threat to the longevity of the tent is sun, making the use of a fly a good idea no matter what...

I'll talk to Karl about some mods. Please speak up if you have ideas...

Bill
 

aventurero

New member
yep, I know that it won't be cheap. I have spent A LOT of time in mine in all kinds of weather. (for up to 4/5 months in the last year plus it has been my home. no joke!) The nikkwax treatment works for moderate rain, however, if it really rains hard you will get leakage. (one morning I woke up to and inch of water in foot area of the loft) Even with the seams sealed. If a skirt were to be added around that base I think it would be wise to raise the the bottom of the window openings a few inches to make the skirt angle steeper so that the water will shed nicely. In the current configuration, a shirt may just flatten along the top of the shell and create an area where water could pool up and then leak. The screen being on the outside is a problem. That seams creates and area where water can pool and leak in, again seam sealing does slow it down. As for the roof vent. I noticed that some of the new version have 4 Velcro tabs rather than 2.(mine has 2) Still I don't see the roof vent as being that useful. The times that I have used my fly it made the interior dark and gloomy and there was some condensation making the vent something that is more desirable in hot dry weather. However, the windows are so large that the vent seams sorta unnecessary. Yeah, I know I have a lot to say about this subject and there are folks out there who will and who won't agree or have different ideas. After all, that is how designs improve.
Cheers
 

cwsqbm

Explorer
The current tent on flippacs is what keeps me from buying one. Where I tend to camp would require me to use the rain fly all the time, and that doesn't look like fun.

Have you looked at the Jeep Habitat thread, as the Habitat is a meld of a flippac and jeep top? They've been through a few tent designs.

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Captm

Adventurer
Screens

On the subject of screens, mine are brittle, rips easily and have several 3" rips in them. I asked a local canvas guy that I know how much to replace the screens, he thought it would be about $450 to do. I can check with others as we have several canvas guys in the marina. A new tent top is $650/ $75 for install from FRP. Their suggestion was to get the screen and vecro from HD and make a set to put up as needed. Any thoughts?
Cheers
 
If Nemo/AT ever decide to manufacture a replacement tent for Flippacs similar to the one they make for the JK Habitat I'd be first in line.
 

Dave Bennett

Adventurist
If Nemo/AT ever decide to manufacture a replacement tent for Flippacs similar to the one they make for the JK Habitat I'd be first in line.

+1

I also think this could be a great project for Ursa Minor Vehicles or SLO Sail since AT/Nemo are so busy ;)
 

billy bee

Adventurer
A fabric that I have been investigating is Top Gun...

Good stuff. Too heavy for the tent. We considered it for the fly and it's too heavy for that.

Have not heard from Karl yet. He is probably wondering what I've gotten him into.

Also, I got a PM about what I've learned about the construction of the FP we are working on. I have been taking pix and plan to post up a repair thread...

bb
 

Ursa Minor

Active member
A fabric that I have been investigating is Top Gun a very strong and waterproof fabric available by the yard.

Interesting that you're checking that one out for Autohome, I sampled Top Gun a while ago and thought it was heavy and not ideal for folding tent walls (great for awnings though)

+1

I also think this could be a great project for Ursa Minor Vehicles...

Thanks Dave, but I'll have to pass on this re-tenting project, more fun to design a new truck camper shell to fit the tent and torsion bar system from the JK...:coffee:
 

aventurero

New member
screen...

Spent the last few nights in my flippac. When I closed it up I noticed that one of my screens is starting to rip. Great! I reckon others will follow. I have to say. For the amount of $$ that I (all of us) paid for our flippacs. The quality would be much better than it is. Shame! It is a brilliant ideas for small engine trucks like mine and many other folks. I've had tents last 20 yrs with hard use. Go figure.
Cheers
 

Tbird

Observer
If Nemo/AT ever decide to manufacture a replacement tent for Flippacs similar to the one they make for the JK Habitat I'd be first in line.

At last year's EXPO at Mormon Lake I talked to the A/T guys about replacing my Flippac tent. They indicated, at the time, that the NEMO folks had adapted the JEEP Habitat NEMO tent
to the Flippac platform...and I could get a preplacement NEMO tent from them for my Tacoma Flippac. I've been intending to contact A/T to inquire about price, thinking they were already
available. I was a little concerned about the smaller windows and reduced ventilation of the NEMO vs. the original tent...so I've been debating.

So, are you guys saying the NEMO designed tent is NOT available for the Flippac...only for the Habitat????

Also,
I agree, the top vent flap of the Flippac tent drives me NUTS in wind.
The reason the screens get ripped is the work of shoving the tent into the Flippac upon closing it up. That is gotta be hard on the mesh. I'm as careful as possible, but the previous
owner of my Flippac had already done the damage.
 

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