Camping lab

teotwaki

Excelsior!
That's really a bummer. Fernando was really great to work with. So that's two good vendors down in a "growing market segment" (including Tat at ORTT), who's next?

Update: Fernando was not so great to work with. Ever since I started having issues with the tent zipper he never returned a single phone call despite me leaving him multiple voice mails. All I wanted was to just order new parts and you would think that he would want the money. I sent multiple emails to him with no reply. Ever. Talking to Fernando was a totally random act of him answering only one call by mistake, thinking that I was some other person that he actually wanted to talk to. He never actually called me. What we actually "lost" was not such a great vendor who was probably spiraling out of business, avoiding calls from creditors and customers alike.
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
Hopefully it will work out for you. Let me know how it goes

Juan is a nice guy but it was a no-go. The zipper needs to be 170" long and he could not even order one like that. He offered to install 2 zippers of 85" each but that would leave a gap where they meet and dust would get in.

Back to the drawing board!
 

crismateski

American Adventurist
Juan is a nice guy but it was a no-go. The zipper needs to be 170" long and he could not even order one like that. He offered to install 2 zippers of 85" each but that would leave a gap where they meet and dust would get in.

Back to the drawing board!

Here is a place to get the zipper (I googled long zipper it was the first place to come up) http://www.zippershipper.com/10-brass-extra-long-heavy-duty-separating-tent-sleeping-bag-zipper

a 216" zipper is $31.99 and they will shorten it to any length for 4.99
 

fishEH

Explorer
I'm picking up a used Camping Lab awning tomorrow for $50. Hopefully it's in good shape since they're our of business.
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
I can say with confidence that a Camping Labs "large" (72" by 96") is the same as a Mombasa RTT ADVENTURE II (3 MAN) (RTT9010). The pictures looked the same to me so I ended up contacting a forum sponsor. I ended up buying through Jacque at www.TRDParts4U.com. and he was very responsive and easy to work with.

I went this route because I did not easily find quality zippers that could be bought at 170" lengths as well as find a cheap enough price to have both zipper halves removed and then re-sewn any time soon. I do not have a sewing machine to try it myself. I will keep searching and try to repair the original Camping Labs cover but for now my tent has a Mombasa branded cover. The Mombasa cover is 99%+ identical except for what may be minor production improvements but otherwise it had to have come from the exact same factory in China. After future dusty offroad trips I will have to be careful to blow dust out before and after zipping to see if that helps the longevity.
 

Rattler

Thornton Melon's Kid
I worked with Jacques when I bought my Mombasa from TRDParts4U. I had a bad cover and he sent me a new new one free of charge ASAP. I also just give it a wipedown with a damp terrycloth after I am done and it seems to work much better. Raising my bedrack for it helped a lot too.
 

qwerty

Observer
. . . Juan highly recommended a YKK marine grade UV resistant plastic toothed zipper

. . . I did not easily find quality zippers that could be bought at 170" lengths . . .

Sailrite.com sells YKK continuous plastic toothed zippers by the foot for marine applications. QuestOutfitters.com sells YKK continuous plastic zippers by the yard (as roninjiro suggested in post 23). I've bought replacement zippers from both companies and would recommend them.

http://search.sailrite.com/?refineT...bCategoryName~Zippers^subCategoryName~Zippers

http://search.sailrite.com/category/marine-quality-zippers

http://www.questoutfitters.com/zippers.htm#MAKE YOUR OWN ZIPPERS
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
Sailrite.com sells YKK continuous plastic toothed zippers by the foot for marine applications. QuestOutfitters.com sells YKK continuous plastic zippers by the yard (as roninjiro suggested in post 23). I've bought replacement zippers from both companies and would recommend them.

http://search.sailrite.com/?refineT...bCategoryName~Zippers^subCategoryName~Zippers

http://search.sailrite.com/category/marine-quality-zippers

http://www.questoutfitters.com/zippers.htm#MAKE YOUR OWN ZIPPERS

I am wondering if the original choice of the coil zipper was for both minimizing air and dust getting through as well as getting around the right angled corners?
 

teotwaki

Excelsior!
I used to work for a canvas/upholsterer and he takes care of that stuff for me. I was debating on switching to an industrial-grade velcro maybe an "1-"1.5 wide all the way around instead. I have already swapped-out those horrible d-rings for some cam-buckled straps and made that part a lot easier.

View attachment 170285


Observation: Those look more like a Fastex side-release buckle than a cam lock buckle

Cam Lock
metal-cam-buckle-1-inch-4-30-12.jpg

Fastex style
6452beaa-2119-4cc7-a6bd-d5658288dc4c.jpg
 

Rattler

Thornton Melon's Kid
I got the new straps and buckles from strapworks.com and my old boss sewed them to the length I wanted.

I also had him sew up a few of these with some of the extra strap. I have found a couple different uses for them already! And yes, our kitchen counters are from 1965.
clip.jpg
 

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