What Attaches Your Travel Cover

[Redcherokee]

Our Outback Sturt also has the press studs.

A trick we learnt from some other Sturt owners at Mungerannie is to spray the press studs on the camper with a bit of Inox (or WD40).  When out on the track do it every week.

Makes the world of difference.

[Landyline]

Shock cord, Velcro and clip things I don't know the name of.

Edit - found the name Stayput fastener

Just like a tonneau cover with sail track at the front and shock cord down the sides.
At the back it has the clips pictured in the quote above.

I find it keeps the dust and water out very well and never comes undone.

If you take it off completely it is a two person job to put it back in the sail track without swear words. So I normally just leave it attached and roll it up onto the toolbox.

[brickiematt]

Ours is zipper and Velcro but the Velcro is only at the front and back I think then down each side there are 3 webbing straps to do up to pull the sides down a bit.  We haven't had any problems with this type of cover except sometimes packing to much under it or not packing it the same way as last time it can be harder to do up.

Same as us, but we find the straps a PITA (well, SWMBO does as thats her job!) With 3 down each side, thats 6 straps that need to be done up, and they use a fiddly double D-ring system.
Thinking of changing them to 3 straps that go all the way across the cover with plastic clip style buckles.

[Bird]

Go see Rob at Ozzie Campers in Baxter..
He's not a fan of zips, but does custom work.. Hes going to replace the flyscreen in one of my doors for me.

You should see the *THING* he is building at the moment.

[Brucer]

I have an Outback Birdsville and it has the same press stud setup. I don't like it much either.

[#jonesy]

I also put these loops on the zip tabs. Makes it much easier and quicker to do. Don't even need to pull Velcro apart when unzipping as the loop does that at the same time.

[Landyline]

What's with those campers that have the tension straps down each side of the cover?

Does it flap around without them?

My camper doesn't have them and if anything the cover sucks down when travelling.

[brickiematt]

I also put these loops on the zip tabs. Makes it much easier and quicker to do. Don't even need to pull Velcro apart when unzipping as the loop does that at the same time.

Good idea. I'm pinching that one
 

[lindamc]

hello
zip and velcros. have to occassionally spray zip with silicon spray.

Sent from my GT-I9100T using Tapatalk 2

[#jonesy]

What's with those campers that have the tension straps down each side of the cover?

Does it flap around without them?

My camper doesn't have them and if anything the cover sucks down when travelling.

Mine actually does the opposite and billows up

Good idea. I'm pinching that one
 

I've started to put them on all the zips in the tent, there are heaps! ( 8 per door including mesh)

[Bird]

What's with those campers that have the tension straps down each side of the cover?

It allows you to expand the cover if required to store more stuff in there, and if you don't need to carry so much, then you shorten the straps to shorten the cover. Same way a tarp works on a truck.

[NewieCamper]

Like many, ours is Velcro front and back, zipper all around and three straps with 2 d-rings on each side. When we got it the zipper wasn't working and the Velcro and straps had been used successfully by them for a while, and us too for a few trips.

I've since fixed the zip and now need to silicon spray it to make it easier to zip/unzip. The tie down straps are getting a bit long in the tooth too so will be replaced soon which will make them easier to use, new strapping has much less friction

[paceman]

Like many, ours is Velcro front and back, zipper all around and three straps with 2 d-rings on each side. When we got it the zipper wasn't working and the Velcro and straps had been used successfully by them for a while, and us too for a few trips.

I've since fixed the zip and now need to silicon spray it to make it easier to zip/unzip. The tie down straps are getting a bit long in the tooth too so will be replaced soon which will make them easier to use, new strapping has much less friction

we are in a similar boat with the tiedowns and the d-rings.  what strapping are you looking at using?

[D4D]

For the people who have webbing straps over the cover, are they 25mm or 50mm?

[brickiematt]

For the people who have webbing straps over the cover, are they 25mm or 50mm?

I put some on mine today, replacing the existing D-ring straps. 50mm straps, 3 of them. Worked out really well, they are heaps easier to use and will make unpacking/packing up a lot quicker. I'll try and get some pics up tomorrow.
 

[Nay-DMAX]

I put some on mine today, replacing the existing D-ring straps. 50mm straps, 3 of them. Worked out really well, they are heaps easier to use and will make unpacking/packing up a lot quicker. I'll try and get some pics up tomorrow.
 

Yours is the same cover as ours so would be interested to see pics.  Our D-ring straps are not too bad one we had to fix ages ago but I still find that the top billows and the straps are a pain really at the end of pack up going around doing them up lol

[Landyline]

It allows you to expand the cover if required to store more stuff in there, and if you don't need to carry so much, then you shorten the straps to shorten the cover. Same way a tarp works on a truck.

We have extra room under ours for a kids mattress and all the extra canvas but that isn't always under there. It doesn't billow under any conditions.  We must be lucky.

[xcvator]

Thanks for all the replies, atm I have a mate that's an upholsterer putting some pleats in the sides of my cover to give it a bit more leeway . If that doesn'''t work I may have to redesign the whole cover with zips, sail track and velcro. This is of course after Brett B installs the new air lift system for raising and lowering the camper 

[brickiematt]

Yours is the same cover as ours so would be interested to see pics.  Our D-ring straps are not too bad one we had to fix ages ago but I still find that the top billows and the straps are a pain really at the end of pack up going around doing them up lol

Yeah Nay, that was the main reason I changed them. They really were a PITA to undo/do up (that's why it was SEMBO's job ). I actually cut off the webbing straps that go over the tent when folded up and attached them to the underside of the bed base. Much better set up I reckon. I took it for a drive and no billowing at all!
 

[Nay-DMAX]

Yeah Nay, that was the main reason I changed them. They really were a PITA to undo/do up (that's why it was SEMBO's job ). I actually cut off the webbing straps that go over the tent when folded up and attached them to the underside of the bed base. Much better set up I reckon. I took it for a drive and no billowing at all!
 

Interesting did you find that you had plenty of length to do them up we put a fair bit under there and find even under the cover often those straps were tight.  We usually do a side each of the D-ring ones haha

[brickiematt]

Interesting did you find that you had plenty of length to do them up we put a fair bit under there and find even under the cover often those straps were tight.  We usually do a side each of the D-ring ones haha

The 2 longer straps that go front to back over the tent have heaps of length. I used these on the front and centre of the cover. One of the shorter straps I used on the back as we don't have much under the cover there. I found they had more than enough length, just cut them off as close to the tent as possible.
I did notice that the straps over the tent are actually one piece. They go all the way under the bed base from one side to the other. I tried pulling them out, but  I think you'd need to take the bed base off the frame, as they're in there pretty tight.
I'll post some pics in the morning.
 

[brickiematt]

As promised, here are some pics of the webbing straps.
First, the original setup. Double D-rings, 3 down each side, fiddly to use and didn't really do much in terms of tensioning the cover.

I replaced them with the webbing straps and push type buckles that were going over the tent section:

Much quicker to use now There is still at least a foot of strapping on each one after tightening them fully, so heaps of room to store more stuff under the cover if needs be. This setup also eliminates the billowing of the cover when on the road, hopefully reducing a bit of drag.
 
Matt

[paceman]

As promised, here are some pics of the webbing straps.
First, the original setup. Double D-rings, 3 down each side, fiddly to use and didn't really do much in terms of tensioning the cover.

I replaced them with the webbing straps and push type buckles that were going over the tent section:

Much quicker to use now There is still at least a foot of strapping on each one after tightening them fully, so heaps of room to store more stuff under the cover if needs be. This setup also eliminates the billowing of the cover when on the road, hopefully reducing a bit of drag.
 
Matt

looks the goods...

can i ask where you got your strapping and clips from?

[paceman]

Yeah Nay, that was the main reason I changed them. They really were a PITA to undo/do up (that's why it was SEMBO's job ). I actually cut off the webbing straps that go over the tent when folded up and attached them to the underside of the bed base. Much better set up I reckon. I took it for a drive and no billowing at all!
 

can you provide some more detail as to how you did this?  i would like to try something like this myself...

[brickiematt]

looks the goods...

can i ask where you got your strapping and clips from?

Paceman, the strapping and clips were already on my trailer. They originally went over the tent when folded up, to hold it all in place.
I just cut them off close to the tent, and moved them to the outside of the cover.
Our tent base sits on an alloy frame,  so I used large self drilling screws and washers to attach the straps to the frame. 2 at the end of each strap and they aren't going anywhere.
We can still fit everything we used to under the cover, and the straps hold it all in place and reduces billowing of the cover.
Hope this helps.