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SSWesty Samba Member
Joined: August 20, 2008 Posts: 732 Location: Bellevue
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 10:51 pm Post subject: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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I am thinking about getting a Bus Depot rear hatch shelter https://www.busdepot.com/AHG to use as a shower tent on the back hatch. Has anyone had good luck with these shelters? I was thinking I'd go with a gray one to help hide the dirt that will probably get on the lower skirt area. However the gray looks like it could get warm in the sun, anyone get baked out of a gray one and wished they went with the lighter color option? |
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jordauto Samba Member
Joined: August 12, 2011 Posts: 218 Location: Sorrento,BC
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 11:24 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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I have that exact tent and it works well. Mine is a few years old now but is holding up well. The grey is not as dark as it looks in their ad picture. I use it as a shower room, and have never found it too hot. But also usually shower in the evening . At first I used a Zodi propane shower, but now have one that uses engine heat to heat the water through a water to water heat exchanger.
This pic is from Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian) last year, the temperature was just above freezing and we had a nice hot shower.
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Timwhy Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2009 Posts: 4002 Location: Maine
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candyman Samba Trout Slayer
Joined: December 20, 2003 Posts: 2694 Location: Missoula MT
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 6:43 am Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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We have one and use as a shower shelter. Works great, goes up un seconds. You even lower (carefully) the rear hatch with it attached. We have had it since 2014 and no issues with it at all. Packs down relatively small, especially since it has no poles. |
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1312
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:55 am Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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I designed this for my own family of 5, for two initial reasons - as a changing room (I have all girls), and as a protected storage room for our stuff so we could actually use the whole interior of the Westy as living space without tripping over bags, cases of water, etc.. From there it expanded to other functions. I added a screen door so we could get air flow through the camper while it was attached, a hole at the top for a shower hose to go through, etc. We use ours constantly; it goes up when we get to the campsite and stays up day and night.
Since it has no poles (relying on the tailgate for rigidity) it is very inexpensive ($69) and takes up virtually no space when packed.
Links:
http://www.busdepot.com/ahg Gray
http://www.busdepot.com/ahb Tan
http://www.busdepot.com/ahe Eurovan version (+$20)
Side note, the one pictured in Gray is actually the original prototype, which I still use, and that's my Westy at a music festival in upstate NY. You can tell it's pre-production because the screen door is on the outside and the solid door behind it on the inside. In production we reversed that, as seen in the Tan pics which were sent in by customers. The 'side tent' in the gray pic is our Add-A-Room, which butts right up against the rear hatch shelter if you use both so they work very well together. _________________ - Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com |
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DanHoug Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016 Posts: 4777 Location: Bemidji, MN
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:28 am Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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it's a sweet addition for the price. when the bugs are insane, we keep the zippered hatch screen in place as they can enter from under the bus but either way it increases the usable room nicely and adds an airy feeling. makes a nice Throne Room too. _________________ -dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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vanagonjr Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2010 Posts: 3431 Location: Dartmouth, Mass.
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 10:10 am Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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I had this idea years ago and was trying to get a local seamstress to make them for me. Then Ron comes along and at $69, ruined my entire business model and whole Costa Rica retirement plans, in which each and every day was going to end with a gin & tonic while I watched the sunset.
Therefore, I am still working and yet I don't have a rear hatch shelter. Perhaps I should buy one, after all they are quite reasonable @ $69.00 _________________ John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798 |
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mikemtnbike Samba Member
Joined: March 26, 2015 Posts: 2795 Location: North Carolina
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SSWesty Samba Member
Joined: August 20, 2008 Posts: 732 Location: Bellevue
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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SOLD. Thanks for the feedback, pictures and video, time for me to place an order |
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E1 Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013 Posts: 6543 Location: Westfalia, Earth
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 2:38 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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vanagonjr wrote: |
I had this idea years ago and was trying to get a local seamstress to make them for me. Then Ron comes along and at $69, ruined my entire business model and whole Costa Rica retirement plans, in which each and every day was going to end with a gin & tonic while I watched the sunset. |
-- Ask Ron for a 1/69th cut
-- Drink one drink for every 69 times you want one
-- Costa Rica still possible
_________________ ‘84 Westy, 2.1L with Digijet, 5.43 R+P, GT Gears
"Adding power makes you faster on the straights.
Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere."
— Colin Chapman |
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1312
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:48 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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DanHoug wrote: |
it's a sweet addition for the price. when the bugs are insane, we keep the zippered hatch screen in place as they can enter from under the bus but either way it increases the usable room nicely and adds an airy feeling. makes a nice Throne Room too. |
What's funny is that they could enter from under the bus but rarely seem to. When I first started using it I would put up the rear hatch screen too, but noticed after a while that even when we forgot there were very few if any bugs inside the camper. (No more than normal from periodically opening the slider.) I guess they don't tend to fly at almost ground level and then do a 180 to get under the camper and into the van. In any event we rarely bother putting the rear hatch screen in place anymore if the rear hatch shelter is set up. (We do, however, make sure to snug it closely against the sides of the van. The side walls are elasticized so with proper placement of the stakes at the bottom and cinching it tight as the top you can get a pretty good seal against the van body,) _________________ - Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com
Last edited by Busdepot on Fri Jun 28, 2019 9:06 pm; edited 6 times in total |
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1312
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 8:56 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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Quote: |
I had this idea years ago and was trying to get a local seamstress to make them for me. Then Ron comes along and at $69, ruined my entire business model and whole Costa Rica retirement plans, in which each and every day was going to end with a gin & tonic while I watched the sunset. Therefore, I am still working and yet I don't have a rear hatch shelter. Perhaps I should buy one, after all they are quite reasonable @ $69.00 |
I feel your pain. I wish I had a dollar for every time I said to my wife, "You see, there is it, the stupid little thing I told you ten years ago that someone aughtta invent, and Mr. Wonderful just gave that guy $100,000 for it." Sorry I was "that guy" for you. If it's any consolation, no one's offering me $100,000 for it. Or $10,000. Okay, maybe $5,000, but it's a living. I'll toast to you when I have my next gin and tonic. Great minds think alike. _________________ - Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com |
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photogdave Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2004 Posts: 3052 Location: Vancouver Island, B.C.
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2019 11:15 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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Been using mine as a shower tent for a few years now. Worked great on our Baja trip!
We have a Zodi 12V shower and fill a juice jug with cold water and mix it with a kettle full of hot water heated up on the stove. Perfect for exactly two showers.
_________________ 89 Syncro GL Westfalia 2.1 WBX/WBXaustSS
My Westy Movies:
photogdave On Vimeo
photogdave On YouTube
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery! |
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Abscate Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014 Posts: 22648 Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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Posted: Sat Jun 29, 2019 2:48 am Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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You won’t need this ca,ping in Munich. We are a very uptight nation.
We just shower on the private side of our T4 a time campground, as we did with 6 girls for 20 years off/on.
On the cape , we swim, use salt water shampoo for hair, and sponge bath on boat _________________ .ssS! |
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Timwhy Samba Member
Joined: January 01, 2009 Posts: 4002 Location: Maine
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Ciruelos Samba Member
Joined: February 01, 2019 Posts: 9 Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 2:18 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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Purchased a beige shelter Friday for a weekend trip. It creates a comfortably sized space. The elastic sides ensure a good fit around the van body even in breezy conditions. The tent-style double-zipper screen promotes airflow. My family especially appreciated how the fabric quality makes for a private nook for changing.
The one improvement suggestion I'd make to Bus Depot is to expand the width of the carry bag by ~10% - the current size makes packing a tight fit. I did get the packed bag to squeeze into the rear van closet along with my other bug screens, so that's a win
Overall I highly recommend this shelter - a great space-maker at a good price point. _________________ 1985 Westfalia, 1.9L WBX |
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SSWesty Samba Member
Joined: August 20, 2008 Posts: 732 Location: Bellevue
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Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2019 7:19 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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Finally had a chance to test fit my bus depot hatch shelter. I like it, good fit and quality for the job it needs to perform. One issue I have is getting it fastened with rear bumper swingouts. It seems to work okay with the swings outside the tent or inside. When the swingouts are out people will see your feet when you shower. The rear tray swingout appears to make a handy shower shelf when inside the tent:-)
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vanagonjr Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2010 Posts: 3431 Location: Dartmouth, Mass.
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Posted: Tue Oct 22, 2019 5:24 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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Busdepot wrote: |
Quote: |
I had this idea years ago and was trying to get a local seamstress to make them for me. Then Ron comes along and at $69, ruined my entire business model and whole Costa Rica retirement plans, in which each and every day was going to end with a gin & tonic while I watched the sunset. Therefore, I am still working and yet I don't have a rear hatch shelter. Perhaps I should buy one, after all they are quite reasonable @ $69.00 |
I feel your pain. I wish I had a dollar for every time I said to my wife, "You see, there is it, the stupid little thing I told you ten years ago that someone aughtta invent, and Mr. Wonderful just gave that guy $100,000 for it." Sorry I was "that guy" for you. If it's any consolation, no one's offering me $100,000 for it. Or $10,000. Okay, maybe $5,000, but it's a living. I'll toast to you when I have my next gin and tonic. Great minds think alike. |
Well I finally broke down and ordered one (and $350 of other "stuff"). I envision sitting at camp and when someone mentions the rear tent, while sipping my G&T, I can tell them about the entire failed Costa Rica retirement plan.
Timwhy wrote: |
If you use it as a shower room. You may consider making a waterproof curtain for the back, so you don't get your stuff soaked.
] |
Indeed! I good idea I may take the cheap route and just close pin some left over clear vinyl from the greenhouse to the hatch screen - after all, I'm not a banker! _________________ John - 86 Wolfsburg Westfalia "Weekender"
Flint reversed 1.8T W/Passat 5-Speed
LiMBO (late model bus club) www.limbobus.org
LiMBO is on Facebook too! https://www.facebook.com/groups/
FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798 |
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sakow86 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2010 Posts: 22 Location: Halifax, NS
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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Is the fabric long enough to reach the ground on a lifted Syncro? Say about 3" higher than stock ? _________________ -------------------------
1990 Syncro 1.9 TDI (alh)
http://tomrowsell.com |
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SSWesty Samba Member
Joined: August 20, 2008 Posts: 732 Location: Bellevue
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Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2020 9:03 pm Post subject: Re: Bus Depot Rear Hatch Shelter |
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Not 100% sure, I have a lifted 2WD and the side walls make it to the ground. My drivers side rear wheel arch is 29 5/8" from the ground. |
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