New Weekender tent fabric being developed.

[Xtremjeepn]

I know I haven’t posted in quite awhile so hang with me here on this one.

Notice the two guys and the tent in the background?

It was a little over 6 years ago that I built the first Eurovan poptop conversion. I’m sure some of you remember the thread here. If not, I’ve heard it’s a fun read


To do the conversion I ordered a tent from one of the normal suppliers. It was an epically frustrating product to install. So I tracked down the actual manufacture and offered some suggestions that were mostly ignored.

The 60yo manufacture simply didn’t want to listen to an individual and eventually tiny company like mine.

As CaveVan grew and we started doing lots more custom vans we became a distributor of these tents, and they reluctantly agreed to make a few modifications to the tents for our customers to make them better to install. We have had our ups and downs with the fitment of these tents over the years and every time I’ve tried to get them to listen.

We even moved on to developing our own in house tent but haven’t had the time to bring it to market.

The original manufacture came to an epiphany about CaveVan recently......Those two gentlemenin the background flew out to spend 3 days here and in my shop learning about EuroVans and how to make these tops FAR better.

That’s about 45 years of experience in top making behind me installing an existing product themselves to learn all the quirks personally. I’ve arranged to have one of my custom built vans delivered to their facility next so they can spend a few more weeks perfecting it. Hoping to see a cooler and better tent soon!


....and one lucky customer got a late karma Xmas gift yesterday as he was surprised with a brand new tent installed for free. Figured it was better to do it on his van that needed a tent than on a CaveVan owned van that didn’t. 😂
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http://www.cavevan.com

[Joshwa]

Awesome
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93 Weekender TDI conversion (AHU)
93 MV TDI conversion (1Z)
Weekender rear cot
Late model cabin air filter on 93
Euro spec bumper install on 93

[rcowan]

Great news!!!!

[bikes!]

My procrastination has finally paid off! THIS will be the year I replace the tent. I swear it...

[IdeaNerd]

Nice to see you posting here again!

This sounds like excellent news. I too have this upgrade on my "long list" for the two vans we have, so will be watching for updates on this front.

One aesthetic request -- and maybe it's just me? -- any chance of getting the lower line of the side windows to run parallel to the roof? Even if it means curving the upper side-window zipper downward some toward the back, I'd prefer that to the random lower line of the current side windows that doesn't really line up with anything.

Again, might just be me (I'm kind of weird about this stuff), but since you've got all that talent working on this anyway, I thought I'd put in my two cents as a potential future customer.

(P.S. If you end up needing a never-installed-a-tent-before DIY test guinea pig, feel free to reach out... <g>)

[Xtremjeepn]

The shape and line of the window was on the top of the list to fix. So look for a larger and differently shaped window.

There were some interesting “ah ha” moments with these guys. Especially when they got to see and experience things I’ve been telling them for years.

There was also an interesting moment when they had to modify a top and I reached in my toolbox to pull out the needle and thread I’ve been using to hand modify their tops for years.

I’m hoping this all leads to a much improved experience for everyone.
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http://www.cavevan.com

[IdeaNerd]

Sounds great, on all counts.

Apparently not just me, then... Glad to hear.

May it go well and smoothly!

[E_Swift]

This is great news, considering with the last top I purchased, I ended up modifying the lift/support bar frame to compensate for the short canvas. What's the ETA/price point?

[murso74]

Are they going to have an overhang for the front window like the more modern vans?

[wildenbeast]

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.
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- Bill, '93 Eurovan Syncro Weekender (2.5 manual ACU)

[Zeitgeist 13]

It would be really nice if the top went straight up front and back, just like the old Country Homes and ASI tops.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH
'01 Weekender --> full camper
NEAT, no ICE.

[Xtremjeepn]

The tent isn’t the limiting factor in the roof height.

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http://www.cavevan.com

[Abscate]

You just need to re-engineer the struts and bring it to market at $9.99 so that people can ask for free shipping.
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🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🍊 🍊 🍊

[Zeitgeist 13]

For $9.99, I expect new struts and hinges...and cookies, too.

Also, I want the tent to be made from Elise für
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH
'01 Weekender --> full camper
NEAT, no ICE.

[greenlaker]

Ooh, great news! My current/original tent has some small holes from the original owner getting it stuck in the latch. I patched it up with sail tape, but replacing the tent is on the to-do list, albeit not near the top.

Looking forward to seeing what you have available in the future.

Thanks for the update!
(a guy who installed one of your tents on a previous EV)
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'15 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Crew 144 hi roof
'10 Toyota Prius iii
'01 Honda S2000
'92 Mercedes-Benz 400E

[IdeaNerd]

[IdeaNerd]

@Xtremjeepn Given the title of this post and the fact that you've long sold both cotton and acrylic tents, what's your take on the differences between the two fabrics? Advantages / disadvantages of one over the other? (Feel free to throw Sunbrella in the comparison too, if different -- I've seen that mentioned out there as well).

[bikes!]

Hi Cole - is this project far enough into development that you can give us an ETA for the new tents? Or maybe set up a wait list for the first pre-orders.

[Xtremjeepn]

The new Weekender tent is ready to go.

From here on out they will only come in acrylic.

I need to update our site and then they can be ordered.

Sneak peak.

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http://www.cavevan.com

[bikes!]

Thanks! That looks great. Why did you choose to go with only acrylic fabric? Are there more colour options than the gray/beige shown on the red van?