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JustsomeKentuck Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2016 Posts: 69 Location: Louisville KY, y'all!
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Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2016 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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kamzcab86 wrote: |
GoWesty-brand 600D polyester:
Cons:
(new product, still under review) |
Has there been any update on the GoWesty version?
Thanks! |
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baltik Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2015 Posts: 440
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1314
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:17 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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kamzcab86 Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008 Posts: 7924 Location: Arizona
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:42 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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baltik wrote: |
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 |
I'm going to presume you'll be giving up quality. The only negative I think I've ever read about Ateliers is the wait time. _________________ ~Kamz
1986 Cabriolet: www.Cabby-Info.com
1990 Vanagon Westfalia: Old Blue's Blog
2016 Golf GTI S
"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance." - 孔子 |
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E1 Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013 Posts: 6571 Location: Westfalia, Earth
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:20 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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fxr Samba Member
Joined: December 07, 2014 Posts: 2325 Location: Bay area CA
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 7:59 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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shagginwagon83 Samba Member
Joined: February 07, 2016 Posts: 3803 Location: VA/TN
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1314
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:49 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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fxr wrote: |
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. |
The GW acrylic tent you bought 4 years ago was the US made one that we still sell today (as do a few other retailers). GW is still selling that one but are also selling another acrylic one outsourced from India (which is the one the other poster asked about). _________________ - Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com
Last edited by Busdepot on Wed Mar 20, 2019 6:26 am; edited 6 times in total |
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1314
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 8:51 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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No, that's the OEM German cotton one. Great canvas, highly recommended! We sell it for a bit less than they do because we get it directly from the German supplier rather than a middleman. _________________ - Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com |
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E1 Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013 Posts: 6571 Location: Westfalia, Earth
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:21 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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kamzcab86 Samba Moderator
Joined: July 26, 2008 Posts: 7924 Location: Arizona
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1314
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 6:21 am Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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baltik Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2015 Posts: 440
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:15 am Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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... |
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E1 Samba Member
Joined: January 21, 2013 Posts: 6571 Location: Westfalia, Earth
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:37 am Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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tobloyd Samba Member
Joined: May 28, 2018 Posts: 184 Location: Fountain Hills, AZ
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1314
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:36 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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baltik wrote: |
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... |
My point was different. It was that the U.S. made acrylic tent has a 25 year track record, for about the same as the new Indian made GW one that has no track record at all. So what is the logic in gambling on an unproven product when a safe bet costs about the same? ($379 vs $399.) _________________ - Ron Salmon
The Bus Depot
www.busdepot.com |
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baltik Samba Member
Joined: April 08, 2015 Posts: 440
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 1:39 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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Ho Ron, does that mean that your acrylic tent is made from sunbrella fabric? Seems like this isnt an apples to apples comparison otherwise |
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Busdepot Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2004 Posts: 1314
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 2:36 pm Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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Vnyd Dog Samba Member
Joined: August 25, 2015 Posts: 384 Location: Napa
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Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:09 am Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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Busdepot wrote: |
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. |
Yo Ron, do you guys still have blue acrylic? It's not shown in the drop-down window, but is shown in your thubmnail images for swatches. These are your US-made acrylics correct?
http://www.busdepot.com/253070704as _________________ '87 Westy 1.8T Conversion, Orignal Owner, European Delivery @ Westfalia factory in Weidenbrueck.
The Story:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=713391&highlight=life |
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Franklinstower Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2006 Posts: 1896 Location: PNW
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:55 am Post subject: Re: Vanagon Tent Options: The Master List |
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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 |
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