Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List

[JustsomeKentuck]

[baltik]

Does anyone have experience with the new Sunbrella tent from GoWesty? I am in line for Ateliers which I know are excellent. but want to understand what I'm giving up to go with the goWesty tent


https://www.gowesty.com/product/tents/24808/gowesty-pop-top-tent-late-camper-

[Busdepot]

I'll be frank. The acrylic tent sold by us, Van Cafe, and a few others is U.S. made by a company that's been making them for decades. Same with the OEM German cotton tent, also decades. Even our much less expensive house brand knockoff of the German tent is approaching a decade of proven reliability. By comparison, the GoWesty acrylic (sunbrella) tent is made in India by a company that has never made an acrylic tent before, and is fairly new to making poptop tents in general. Maybe it's a great product, maybe not, but it will be years before anyone knows how they hold up over time. This is not a job you want to do twice. If acrylic is the way you want to go (and I would advocate for cotton in most cases), why would you choose to be the guinea pig for a brand new unproven product, when there isn't even a cost advantage in doing so?
_________________
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[kamzcab86]

[E1]

The wait time is unfortunate. We are dying for an Atelier, we have over 1,000 days on a Sunbrella awning and the material has unmatchable longevity.

In the end, the existing tents seem very good for one who only camps a few weeks a year. Why someone hasn't taken this craft to Atelier's level is curious, with them you have fifty color choices or more, the alternatives offer maybe three (tan, gray, darker gray).

I'd pay $100 more straight off just to have color choices, and more for Sunbrella or similar. Dreaming -- (since we're discussing a tent) -- softer Sunbrella would be the Bomb.
_________________
‘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

[fxr]

We bought the GW acrylic tent four years ago. It fitted fine. It works just fine. No complaints at all - in fact better than that, full marks from these users.
_________________
Jim Crowther
1984 1.9l EJ22 Westy Wolfsburg Edition
Vespa GTS 300

[shagginwagon83]

This is what I went with. I'm thinking it was sunbrella? Anyhow, fitment was great.

https://www.gowesty.com/product/tents/4269/pop-top-3-window-tent-oem-material-and-make-?v=

_________________
Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[Busdepot]

[Busdepot]

[E1]

Your tent looks great, Brandon. 👍🏼
_________________
‘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

[kamzcab86]

[Busdepot]

My mistake, I have edited my reply to indicate that GoWesty is now selling TWO acrylic tents, one being the US made one we all sell, and another bring an Indian made one that does not yet have a track record.
_________________
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[baltik]

Thanks for all the feedback. I have installed your standard tent Ron, and thought it was a great product for the money. I do want to go with sunbrella for this tent and am trying to decide between GoWesty and Ateliers. the Go westy is actually a decent amount cheaper once paypal fees and shipping costs are factored. To me, just because a tent is made in India - does not make it inferior. However, I would love some real world feedback given there is a long legacy of mismatched tent sizes from all vendors with a new production run...

[E1]

As a consumer, for me it's not about quality as it is about whose economy we wish to strengthen.

It's a shame that no American builder could replicate anything like our rigs. Just imagine if they had...
_________________
‘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

[tobloyd]

I saw this for making insulation panels, but has anybody uploaded a pattern for people who want to sew their own tent from scratch?

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=463901

[Busdepot]

[baltik]

Ho Ron, does that mean that your acrylic tent is made from sunbrella fabric? Seems like this isn’t an apples to apples comparison otherwise

[Busdepot]

Sunbrella is sometimes used generically like Xerox or Kleenex, but it is actually a trademark for a particular brand of Solution Dyed Acrylic Fabric. There are two major players in that market (and a few off-brands). U.S. based Glen Raven makes the Sunbrella brand and Austria based Sattler makes the Outdura brand. Both use a similar manufacturing process and are considered to be comparable quality. The US poptop tent supplier that supplies us, Van Cafe, etc. generally uses the Outdura brand, although they have used both. So the short answer is yes, other than brand name it is a comparable material. This is not to be confused with other "synthetic" fabrics, which encompass a much broader category that includes everything from polyester to nylon and can be much lower quality than Sunbrella and Outdura.
_________________
- Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com

[Vnyd Dog]

[Franklinstower]

Any 2020 updates to this list or are all the tents reviewed still basically the same?

I am specifically looking into fit and durability for the two main Non-OEM cotton/canvas tents offered by Gowesty and Bus Depot.

From what I have read These are the differences:

Bus Depot - ($240) tent is slightly thinner than OEM, needs to be stretched really tight for proper installation, stated as indistinguishable between OEM - 3 windows with removable screens. US made.
GoWesty - ($250) Tent has added UV and Water Resistant coating (whats that mean? they sprayed it once with 303?) 3 window with privacy screens and tie backs, removable front screen. Indian made?

I haven't heard much about the latest gowesty cotton tent. Any reports?

Thanks,
Paul
_________________
'89 Westy - EJ25/22 Frank 4.44 5mt
'75 Miami Blue Sunroof FI Standard Bug