TheSamba.com :: View topic - New Weekender tent fabric being developed.

Mon Feb 25, 2019 5:00 pm

The acrylic is a better fabric but some of the past quality issues were from using different fabrics and the same pattern. In the past I recommended the cotton because it fit better. So to tighten up the quality control we decided to pick a single fabric.

Right now grey, yellow, green and blue are the choices. I’m working to get some more choices. But that may take a little bit.

Thoughts on a Harlequin version?

Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:18 am

Here is the sample card of available colors.

The circled ones are the current color offerings.

The have my thoughts on some additional colors.

Anyone have thoughts here?

Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:29 am

Seaglass may be nice with white vans.

Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:33 am

Also, thoughts on a VW Harlequin special edition ?

Tue Feb 26, 2019 8:42 am

Xtremjeepn wrote: Also, thoughts on a VW Harlequin special edition ?

That would be great! You could further complicate this by offering four different color arrangements to echo the original Golf version. :o

You know that posting the whole color selection card will cause most of us to want one of the choices you’re not offering as standard.

Tue Feb 26, 2019 12:57 pm

@Xtremjeepn Great job running with this one! The new top looks great. :)

I think your initial color choices are good ones. I could also envision some sort of tan (perhaps the "Linen" or "Khaki"), particularly on the tan interior vans. On the other end of the spectrum, that Cardinal Red looks kind of fun, too. :wink:

What are limiting factors on offering semi-custom colors (i.e. selected from this swatch pallet, but not normally stocked as ready-to-ship)? If it's not on the material acquisition side at the factory, perhaps that could be an option at extra cost, and you could off the full spectrum? I know well the challenges of getting certain kinds of vendors to "bend" to begin with (part of what's impressive about you finally getting their attention and direct effort), so that may not be reasonable, but it could be cool to offer the full spectrum. Perhaps at slightly higher cost and longer lead time?

Anyway... just thinking out loud on that. Mostly I'm just chiming in to cheer on your work on this (great job!), and also let you know you re-taught me something on the Harlequin mention -- I'd completely forgotten those! Had to look it up; forgot the name altogether. What a kick. Could be fun to have something crazy like that, yes. Ditto for repeat-pattern prints (checkerboard, fleurs-de-lis, etc.). I can't imagine either would get TOO many takers, but if one wanted to stand out from the crowd... Life is too short to drive boring cars, right? :wink:

Are you planning on doing this w/the EVC tent, too? I don't know what's available for those, as I don't own an EVC (yet...), but I've noticed that some obviously-new replacements there sure look poorly fitted.

Tue Feb 26, 2019 5:08 pm

that cardinal red is pretty bad ass

Tue Feb 26, 2019 7:51 pm

P.S. FWIW, I think this was a super-cool move on your part:

Xtremjeepn wrote: Here is the sample card of available colors.

The circled ones are the current color offerings.

The have my thoughts on some additional colors.

Anyone have thoughts here?

Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:12 pm

If I were able to choose a colour , I’d like either the pesto green or Harlequin with clover green as the dominant colour.

What’s the up charge Cole? (Insert Fry shut up and take my money meme)

Thu Feb 28, 2019 4:38 pm

The new tent should be $500. 100% Acrylic.

Fri Apr 12, 2019 11:41 am

Now available

Just updated the website a few days ago.

https://shop.cavevan.com/collections/eurovan/produ...-weekender

Fri Apr 12, 2019 6:41 pm

I wish I had waited, but at least I have had a 3 window canvas from cavevan for a couple of years. I'm not sure I want to replace the canvas again.

Maybe you can convince them to continue development and build some really cool tops like they have in Europe.

Mon Apr 15, 2019 7:00 am

We have considered a couple of options like this.

Mon Mar 21, 2022 4:10 am

I just ordered a burgundy acrylic tent from CaveVan. I'll be following this video for the install:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1LNHUdxe-8

Any other tips, or alternative videos, etc., you want to share? Thanks!

Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:53 pm

Looking for some installation tips from those that have replaced their weekender tents.
My cavevan tent arrived without instructions.
After reviewing my original tent and checking a few online vids, overall removal and attachment seem fairly straightforward. Summarizing my understanding below but would appreciate some tips for getting a snug, wrinkle-free finished product.
https://youtu.be/x1LNHUdxe-8
https://youtu.be/lCVqjmPJLYs

Removal: Easy part
- Pop the top, remove rubber bead from lower channel and release bottom of tent.
- Remove screws that retain upper channel and top of tent.
- Pull tent off the top of van

Installation: Hard part -- I see a lot of semi-wrinkly tents online :-(
- temporarily install upper front and front corner channels.
- Align front tent corners with each upper front channel corner. Install corner screws. Install rest of screws in upper front channel.
- Repeat process for rear tent upper channel section.
- Work along each side from rear to front, screwing top upper channel sections through tent fabric.
- Use strap to slightly lower top from fully open position. Stretch lower section of tent around lower channel and check alignment of corners. Install rubber strip into channel (from front center to rear?).

There are paracords on the cavevan tent for the upper and lower rim of the tent. Seems like these can be used to tighten the tent into the lower channel before inserting rubber trim but am not certain. Unclear how to properly use the upper paracord. Again, appreciate tips, do's, and don'ts from fellow travelers!

Sat Mar 15, 2025 4:54 pm

Removed the OEM weekender tent as described above. It was remarkably easy and took me less than 45 mins.

Chatted with Cole about installation tips. He shared the following
- an older video he made https://youtu.be/Wkh70xvZxk4
- he starts at the top front middle bracket
- pull to each top front corner and then to each side and then rear
- don't have to put screws thru paracord but ok if you do.
- after top is secured to brackets, pull lower section over aluminum channel
- push rubber seal into channel starting from rear and going around perimeter
- rubber molding has a top and middle rib that can be pressed in, bottom rib must be tapped in.

The top is designed to fit right to minimize wrinkles. Paracords are there to retain the top in the upper and lower channels. They cannot realistically be drawn tighter and should simply be trimmed after top is affixed.

There is apparently no one-way to order when and where you attach the tent to the upper brackets nor for the rubber molding but that's how he does it. Other instructional vids follow a different order

Sun Mar 16, 2025 10:44 pm

Don’t buy the Forest Green in wet climates….

( sarcasm alert, because I don’t want to mess up someone’s business)

Wed Apr 30, 2025 6:29 pm

UPDATE: Tent is installed. I generally followed the approach summarized in the prior two threads I posted. I'm satisfied with the tent but there are some wrinkles which seem to be mostly associated with the screened areas and I understand this is more common with acrylic tops. Not horrible but I was hoping for ZERO wrinkles. I may attempt to gently iron and steam those areas to reduce or eliminate them. Will report back on that. In summary:

Easiest part is removing the old tent. Label all of the aluminum mounting channels (front, back, pass side, driver's side, etc). Also label the front and rear of each side channel to ensure their screw holes align with original screw holes in the fiberglass top!

When installing the new tent, mark the center of the front and back of the tent.
Put a screw through the center hole of the aluminum channel for the front and through the paracord on the center of the front of the tent.
Tighten the screw.
Pull one of the front corners of the tent to the corner of the front aluminum channel and screw the aluminum channel to the top but not fully tight.
Do the same on the other front corner.
Carefully tuck the paracord of the tent between each corner and the center under the loose aluminum channel and attach screws loosely.
When all the screws on the channel are inserted and the parcord across the front channel is verified in position, tighten all the screws.
Follow the same approach on the rear aluminum bracket that affixes the tent to the fiberglass top.
After tent is mounted to front and back channels, mount the side aluminum channels following a similar approach of attaching screws to the channel loosely, verifying the paracord is in the channel, and then tightening them all.
When the top of the tent is attached to the aluminum channels, pull the lower tent onto the aluminum channel.
Use the ends of the paracord to tighten it so the tent/paracord is firmly in the channel.
Press the rubber molding into the channel. Start in the back/center and go around it.
Corners are the most challenging because there is more fabric to cram into the mounting channels on both top and bottom. Patience is required...

Here are some pics of the process...

Weekender with old tent removed.

Starting front channel. Screw through channel and through center of front tent

Passenger side corner started. Stretched to the corner and applying screws

Front bracket passenger side corner finished. After this, do driver's side.

Rear bracket passenger side finished. Note the tent/paracord extending out of the corner portion of channel. The sides of the tent are not yet attached. Do that after all the corners on the front and back channels are secure.

Passenger side bracket installed.

Bottom of tent inserted into channel (roof must be held in position lower than normal to introduce slack into tent)

Rubber molding inserted into lower channel. I used a metal trim tool for this

Finished product.

Thu May 01, 2025 9:26 pm

That looks great! I bet you're happy to have that done. Not that it's overly complicated, but it is tedious especially the rear where working space gets kind of tight. I really wish Cavevan had the acrylic replacements fine tuned when I ordered my canvas. At the time I went with the cotton canvas with half moon side windows. The triangle side windows look much better, plus the color options. I would love to have a yellow tent.

Reading through your instructions it makes a lot of sense. Wish I had those when I did mine.

Wed Jun 18, 2025 8:59 am

wildenbeast wrote: I'm sure I've told Cole this before, but I'll reiterate it here for discussion...
I feel it would be a huge benefit to modify the top in a way that allows it to pop up higher. This would make the space more similar to a Vanagon top where you can sit upright in the top and read a book while viewing nature from your private abode.

My biggest complaint moving from a Vanagon to a Eurovan was that I could not sit upright in the upper berth with the top popped.

This was posted years ago but ... I'm new here. The idea of being able to sit upright in the upper berth seems like a reasonable question. Does anyone happen to know which dimensions are different between the Weekender and Vanagon? Is the poptop longer in the Vanagon? Does it just incline to a steeper angle? Or is it some of both?

I guess worst case I could try to find someone with a Vanagon and get them side-by-side to compare measurements, but if someone has already done this and has the answers...