What Attaches Your Travel Cover

[Nay-DMAX]

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

Thanks for posting the pics looks good.  How much do you  guys put under your cover?  You have the 12 foot tent I think we only have the 9 but have a bit under there and it is never neat when packed up I think that is partly to do with the drifta bed head and table on the bed.

[paceman]

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.
 

sure does...

[brickiematt]

Thanks for posting the pics looks good.  How much do you  guys put under your cover?  You have the 12 foot tent I think we only have the 9 but have a bit under there and it is never neat when packed up I think that is partly to do with the drifta bed head and table on the bed.

Yeah we do have the 12' tent Nay. Never seems to fold up the same way twice either! Under the cover we have our camp chairs (x4), 2 girls stretchers, solar panel, annexe matting, shadecloth for under the tent, sometimes the annexe walls and poles and whatever small stuff we can fit under there!!!!
The straps are long enough to go over that lot plus a bit more I reckon
 

[Nay-DMAX]

Yeah we do have the 12' tent Nay. Never seems to fold up the same way twice either! Under the cover we have our camp chairs (x4), 2 girls stretchers, solar panel, annexe matting, shadecloth for under the tent, sometimes the annexe walls and poles and whatever small stuff we can fit under there!!!!
The straps are long enough to go over that lot plus a bit more I reckon
 

Thanks for the info the 9ft tent never folds up the same either. I think that it has been harder to get it packed low since we got the drifta stuff in there.  Under ours we have our 2 chairs (fold flat type) the ladder (step one not what came with it) the side awning walls and 2 sets of those square mats that we put under the tent floor (I often think shade cloth might be a better option but we already had the mats).  Our solar panel is inside the trailer and we have 3 pole holders now so they are all in there except the inside tent ones we leave them along the side of the bed so they are ready at set up.  It does sound like you get a lot underneath the cover.  We do have room under the middle just some times it is harder to get the corners on I think the bedhead thing makes that worse maybe.

[brickiematt]

Thanks for the info the 9ft tent never folds up the same either. I think that it has been harder to get it packed low since we got the drifta stuff in there.  Under ours we have our 2 chairs (fold flat type) the ladder (step one not what came with it) the side awning walls and 2 sets of those square mats that we put under the tent floor (I often think shade cloth might be a better option but we already had the mats).  Our solar panel is inside the trailer and we have 3 pole holders now so they are all in there except the inside tent ones we leave them along the side of the bed so they are ready at set up.  It does sound like you get a lot underneath the cover.  We do have room under the middle just some times it is harder to get the corners on I think the bedhead thing makes that worse maybe.

It is surprising how much you can fit under those covers somethimes

[db]

Our cover attaches with Velcro and press studs, it's pretty good, but lots of dust makes the press studs a bit stiff. It helps thst the cover is tonneau material, so has a bit of 'give'. Kath made straps to stop it billowing http://www.myswag.org/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=13875.0;attach=55206;image

[NewieCamper]

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

Just using the same again from the local camping outlet. $1.20 per metre. Sitting in front of the box tonight with a needle and thread. Not concentrating though, half stitched a ring onto both ends of one 

[ozstickman]

Our cover is zip and Velcro. We also have 3 straps on each side to stop it from flapping.  It currently has the D rings but I want to change over to clip in buckle thingos.

[Ratbag]

Gidday Folks

The travelling cover on mine seems to be pretty heavy PVC covered material and has a sail track at the front, then shock cord running around the sides and rear. The shock cord loops under cleats attached to the base board.

Given the various prices for a new one of these being between $400 to $1,300, it seems that one should take good care of them! Just like the floor of any tent, whether camping trailer or normal.

The book of words for my CT states that while the materials of the travelling cover and the tent itself are UV resistant (etc), it also states that they are not designed or meant to be exposed to the elements or UV on a 24/7 basis ...

ATM, my CT lives outside, so the travelling cover is exposed to the elements and UV 24/7 ... .

There are other hazards to be considered - damage while towing from ballooning or flapping; damage from objects thrown up while towing, or otherwise falling onto the tent at speed to name but several.

To this end, I thought about various cheap solutions to all these scenarios. Seemed to me that a suitable solution is to protect the travelling cover while it is performing its primary function of keeping all the rest of the CT top protected from the elements and in one place. This might seem silly at first, but the more I thought about it, the better I liked it.

SCA sell some very cheap but robust PE ground sheets. When I say "cheap", I mean less than the $20 mark each ... . I bought two of these with eyelets all around that are silvered on one side and black the other side. They appear to be coated with something. Not sure what. However, when I got them home and started to put in the rest of the eyelets (no ground sheet ever has enough of these installed when made, IMNSHO ... ), I discovered that the coating plus the PE sheet is made of sterner stuff than I thought! Three to five belts of the punch to get a hole through for each new eyelet ... Put in about 12 extra 1/2" eyelets. The sheets each come with 8 ... . These sheets are far tougher than the old PE tarps that I have. Probably of the order of 5-10 times tougher and cut/tear resistant.

This ground sheet covers the entire top and front of the travelling cover, and about half way down each side and the rear - i.e. it provides pretty full protection without being overly large and unwieldy. When removed, it will wrap around the travelling cover when in camp, hopefully protecting it from sticks, branches and stray sparks and such like.

I bought two of these, and a further one that has D rings at the corners, but no eyelets. I will put 1/2" eyelets in suitable positions on this sheet as well. It is to go on the ground under the ground floor room to protect the tent floor from damage.

A set of ratchet tie-down straps also came into my possession from Bunnings at a never to be repeated price ($2.50 ... The lass said "Grab it and run". I did ... ). I intend to run two of these sideways and another two lengthwise when towing at high speed. I don't intend to sit on 80-90 kmh on the open road ... .

Sure, there is a set up and pack up time penalty arising from all this, but who needs to have their travelling cover damaged while on the road? I am very used to tying tarps down over odd shaped loads (read "time consuming"), so this is really pretty straightforward by comparison. The tarps I bought could have been made for my application, and at $13.88 each plus the cost of a dozen eyelets each, they sure beat stumping up $400 for a new travelling cover! The other one cost me a whole $18.88 ...

[grafy82]

Gidday Folks

The travelling cover on mine seems to be pretty heavy PVC covered material and has a sail track at the front, then shock cord running around the sides and rear. The shock cord loops under cleats attached to the base board.

Given the various prices for a new one of these being between $400 to $1,300, it seems that one should take good care of them! Just like the floor of any tent, whether camping trailer or normal.

The book of words for my CT states that while the materials of the travelling cover and the tent itself are UV resistant (etc), it also states that they are not designed or meant to be exposed to the elements or UV on a 24/7 basis ...

ATM, my CT lives outside, so the travelling cover is exposed to the elements and UV 24/7 ... .

There are other hazards to be considered - damage while towing from ballooning or flapping; damage from objects thrown up while towing, or otherwise falling onto the tent at speed to name but several.

To this end, I thought about various cheap solutions to all these scenarios. Seemed to me that a suitable solution is to protect the travelling cover while it is performing its primary function of keeping all the rest of the CT top protected from the elements and in one place. This might seem silly at first, but the more I thought about it, the better I liked it.

SCA sell some very cheap but robust PE ground sheets. When I say "cheap", I mean less than the $20 mark each ... . I bought two of these with eyelets all around that are silvered on one side and black the other side. They appear to be coated with something. Not sure what. However, when I got them home and started to put in the rest of the eyelets (no ground sheet ever has enough of these installed when made, IMNSHO ... ), I discovered that the coating plus the PE sheet is made of sterner stuff than I thought! Three to five belts of the punch to get a hole through for each new eyelet ... Put in about 12 extra 1/2" eyelets. The sheets each come with 8 ... . These sheets are far tougher than the old PE tarps that I have. Probably of the order of 5-10 times tougher and cut/tear resistant.

This ground sheet covers the entire top and front of the travelling cover, and about half way down each side and the rear - i.e. it provides pretty full protection without being overly large and unwieldy. When removed, it will wrap around the travelling cover when in camp, hopefully protecting it from sticks, branches and stray sparks and such like.

I bought two of these, and a further one that has D rings at the corners, but no eyelets. I will put 1/2" eyelets in suitable positions on this sheet as well. It is to go on the ground under the ground floor room to protect the tent floor from damage.

A set of ratchet tie-down straps also came into my possession from Bunnings at a never to be repeated price ($2.50 ... The lass said "Grab it and run". I did ... ). I intend to run two of these sideways and another two lengthwise when towing at high speed. I don't intend to sit on 80-90 kmh on the open road ... .

Sure, there is a set up and pack up time penalty arising from all this, but who needs to have their travelling cover damaged while on the road? I am very used to tying tarps down over odd shaped loads (read "time consuming"), so this is really pretty straightforward by comparison. The tarps I bought could have been made for my application, and at $13.88 each plus the cost of a dozen eyelets each, they sure beat stumping up $400 for a new travelling cover! The other one cost me a whole $18.88 ...

If your stone guard is the correct size and setup properly, the travel cover should not get damaged by flying debris. I definitely throw a tarp over the top if the camper is sitting outside at home to stop the stitching from crapping itself. Some may not mind it, but what a pain in the proverbial to have to throw another cover over a cover and strap it all down every time you setup/packup on a trip.

[Ratbag]

Gidday Grafy

If your stone guard is the correct size and setup properly, the travel cover should not get damaged by flying debris. I definitely throw a tarp over the top if the camper is sitting outside at home to stop the stitching from crapping itself. Some may not mind it, but what a pain in the proverbial to have to throw another cover over a cover and strap it all down every time you setup/packup on a trip.

Mate, I do not have, or want, a stone guard ...

Have you ever had a piece of stuff thrown up by a truck or another vehicle that's bounced off the roof of your car and then would have landed right in the middle of where your trailer would have been? I have. A stone guard won't help much in this situation ...

I have to take things pretty slowly anyway, so I don't think that anything is going to slow me down much further coming out of the blocks ...

It's actually no big deal anyway. Took me around 2 minutes to pull the cover off the other day to put the new eyelets in, and probably about 4-5 to put it back on from scratch. Normally, it will not be fully detached like this in use, Just attached at the front, the same as the tonneau cover is when the tent is erected.

I don't want any parachute braking when I am sitting on 110 kmh (or so ... ).

[grafy82]

Gidday Grafy

Mate, I do not have, or want, a stone guard ...

Have you ever had a piece of stuff thrown up by a truck or another vehicle that's bounced off the roof of your car and then would have landed right in the middle of where your trailer would have been? I have. A stone guard won't help much in this situation ...

I have to take things pretty slowly anyway, so I don't think that anything is going to slow me down much further coming out of the blocks ...

It's actually no big deal anyway. Took me around 2 minutes to pull the cover off the other day to put the new eyelets in, and probably about 4-5 to put it back on from scratch. Normally, it will not be fully detached like this in use, Just attached at the front, the same as the tonneau cover is when the tent is erected.

I don't want any parachute braking when I am sitting on 110 kmh (or so ... ).

I'm getting off topic here and not trying to start an argument. I would be a lot more concerned about stones flicking off the camper and back into the car, damaging the paintwork, (which happens all the time) than I would about something like a piece of something flying up from a truck, bouncing of the car roof and landing on the heavy duty pvc cover (which would be once in a blue moon, let alone land with enough force to damage the heavy duty cover). And that is only on the blacktop. If you ever intend to do dirt roads, you're asking for a cracked rear windscreen and a lot of stone chips if you don't have a well set-up stone guard (there would be cases of this happening numbering in the thousands), which would cost a lot more then a new travel cover to repair.

[Ratbag]

G'day again Grafy

I have never, not ever, had a stone chip on the rear of any car. Not even after dragging trailers many, many tens of thousands of miles. I don't care about the trailer copping the odd rock. That's what spray cans are for ...      .

If you have a look at my build thread, the first thing you will notice is that my trailer is covered with patches of respray. I consider that to be normal maintenance, just happens on a whim and on the way past  .

Maybe the stone chips on the car come from rocks bouncing off the stone guard ... ?
They do appear to be somewhat similar to baby bouncinettes ...  .

[grafy82]

Mate, all I can say is, you must only drive on polished concrete roads then. Just ask the countless people on here alone that have had there rear windows smashed by rocks bouncing of the camper. Oh and I have never, not ever, had or even heard of anyone having something flying up from a truck, bouncing on their car roof and then bouncing down onto the trailer top. But I guess it must just be me, no one else uses a stone guard, do they. Must be a sneaky way for shade cloth manufacturers to make millions from unsuspecting idiots trying to protect the back of their cars.

[Ratbag]

Mate, all I can say is, you must only drive on polished concrete roads then. Just ask the countless people on here alone that have had there rear windows smashed by rocks bouncing of the camper. Oh and I have never, not ever, had or even heard of anyone having something flying up from a truck, bouncing on their car roof and then bouncing down onto the trailer top. But I guess it must just be me, no one else uses a stone guard, do they. Must be a sneaky way for shade cloth manufacturers to make millions from unsuspecting idiots trying to protect the back of their cars.

Well, you have now ... .
I'm not sure it was a truck that did the throwing, it may well have been a chunk of truck tyre thrown up. Left a ding in the roof of my car of the time. I cannot remember which one it was. Sometime before 1994 ...

Equally, I have never heard of anyone who has had their rear windscreen broken except in an accident. Even that has some rarity value, IME.

Perhaps we can learn something from all this?
Perhaps it is all but impossible to protect one's self from the million to one accident; but it is relatively easy to protect one's self from commonplace things such as UV and wind damage.

Which is what I primarily set out to do ... And what I stated as my intention in my OP on this subject.

Perhaps, in my ignorance, I thought that some others might be interested in my finding a simple, cheap solution that suits me and my purposes?
Perhaps I was mistaken .

Sorry.

[Big Damo]

Don't have a soft floor anymore but when we did my wife attached the travel cover

Gold 

[Ratbag]

Gidday Folks

For anyone who's interested, I took some photos of the protective cover I made for my travelling cover. The silver coloured eyelets are the ones that came fitted when I bought it ($13.88 at SCA) and the brass coloured ones were fitted by me. IME, these tarps never have enough eyelets fitted, or in the right place/s ... .

Some pics of the tarp just slung over the top to check for fit, and to see where I needed additional eyelets:










After fitting additional eyelets (note that I missed one one the P/S front of the tarp ... ).
Also note that across the front and rear I have added a second eyelet in the middle, and one each between the middle and the corner.

The front edge of the trailer will soon have a tie-down bar similar to that at the rear of the trailer for the tarp to tie onto securely (or cleats ... ).
The front of this additional protective cover is securely tied so that it fully overlaps the front of the trailer. Also note how the additional eyelets allow the cover to be pulled down evenly and snugly over the existing travel cover. It can also be seen that the front corners are tied back through the first side eyelet so that they cannot flap, or otherwise catch the 100-120 kmh wind ... I have used this method for tying down cover tarps for many decades, and have yet to have any problems with it, even when tied down over lumpy, irregular loads.

I propose to run two ratchet straps cross-wise across the middle in an "X" pattern, then run two ratchet straps from front to rear over the top of the cross-wise ones.








I really don't care if it takes me an extra few minutes to set up and take down. It beats the heck out of having one's trailer tent deciding to self-erect at 100 kmh, or having to try to get one's travelling cover repaired or replaced several hundred kilometres from anywhere ... YMMV .