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Damn it Phil....

But at least I’ll be able to yell down to my son without getting out of bed and crawling down to tell him they won’t eat much and that they’re good pillow warmers.

This is what I get for not taking Sam the wonder dog with me. He would of gone crazy
 
Partway through the panel design, got the shapes lasered and edges broken last week. This panel will get bead rolled to stiffen it up and more holes made for the dzus fasteners. And we started working on the hinge to make these sides operable, its been a big request so we are pushing the production forward a bit. It’s a real challenge to make the hinges work with our seal and tube placement and still clearing the camper bits, but it's looking like we’ve got it figured out with a pretty trick 8-bar linkage hinge...

Probably going with .080 5052. Should be plenty stout once beadrolled to maintain the seal, and is nice because its so formable. It's also got a really good corrosion resistance and with .080 skin will hold up well to branches and impacts.

Mocked up...

24819142278_edac0e7084_z.jpg


From the interior. Looking like a race car.

38659789782_761be057cb_z.jpg


24819146518_b6dac83431_z.jpg
 
Partway through the panel design, got the shapes lasered and edges broken last week. This panel will get bead rolled to stiffen it up and more holes made for the dzus fasteners. And we started working on the hinge to make these sides operable, its been a big request so we are pushing the production forward a bit. It’s a real challenge to make the hinges work with our seal and tube placement and still clearing the camper bits, but it's looking like we’ve got it figured out with a pretty trick 8-bar linkage hinge...

Probably going with .080 5052. Should be plenty stout once beadrolled to maintain the seal, and is nice because its so formable. It's also got a really good corrosion resistance and with .080 skin will hold up well to branches and impacts.

Mocked up...

24819142278_edac0e7084_z.jpg


From the interior. Looking like a race car.

38659789782_761be057cb_z.jpg


24819146518_b6dac83431_z.jpg
....... I know a lot about the thermal conductivity of aluminum (I cofounded AeroContinental) and it is way different than our insulated roof panel. Sleeping under raw aluminum in cold or hot weather is absolutely miserable.
................

After reading your previous quote Im surprised you are using aluminum/steel? Would compositie not be a better material choice when it comes to thermal conductivity and weight?
 
After reading your previous quote Im surprised you are using aluminum/steel? Would compositie not be a better material choice when it comes to thermal conductivity and weight?

The big driver was to avoid sleeping directly under an aluminum roof in sun or cold, so that is why we are using composite honeycomb paneling 'upstairs'. It has a PET film for UV stability (better than gelcoat), is pretty well resistant to impact. In case of running into a garage or something, we designed the upper panel to be replaceable without much mess. Its probably half an hour for someone to replace the upper panel if they have never done it before, and we will sell replacement parts for any component in the system.

We could use composite paneling for the lower, but toughness and impact resistance were definitely a concern. Something like carbon kevlar would be neat, but cost prohibitive. The sides will see a lot of abuse and long term durability, UV stability and maintaining a serviceable platform were all design considerations.

The aluminum paneling will be powdercoated, and that will significantly reduce the material conductivity. Additionally we are doing some testing with coatings that aim to reduce condensation/heat transfer. We have plans to release an insulation kit for the lower canopy as well as a winter weight upper tent side. We should have those ready for fall 2018/19.
 
Missed that the first time.

Do you mean the canopy to the tent frame? Its going to be a compressible seal in-between the two that is fastened through the tube into the extrusion throughout the perimeter.

Finalizing the renders now, and will be beginning the build of the prototype lower this week. The current test rig (simple a proof of concept) is just fastened with those exterior plates and does a good job of moisture, but is likely not dust proof.

Any update and pictures on the sealing of the two parts of the poptop?
 
No gasketed seal on those components, as we want the fabric to be able to breathe if put away wet. The fabric is a full 360, so it seals the leading edge, sides and rear.

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The two extrusions overlap eachother on the outside to form a rain seal. Additionally, for any water that gets into the gutter on the lower extrusion, there is a drainage path with drilled holes to allow water to pass. Same on the top as well.
 
so there is nothing to prevent road water from getting the tent walls wet while traveling? the tent fabric must be really waterproof...
 
Personally I would not be happy with a free entry of water and air between the 2 frames while driving .
Also with a water resistant fabric .
moister always travels towards dry area .
NOT vice versa.
You might end up with a dry fabric ,but damp matrass
, which is even worse !
I would definitely put a sort of rubber seal between the 2 frames .
During some trips I also experienced 1 good week of heavy rain .....
I always plan for worst case scenario,

Just my 2 cents .

Bye Renago
 
The metal frames overlap each other like a clamshell. We are testing the functionality of that seal while driving, of course if water intrusion is a major issue there, we will reconsider our decision and we have provisions to add a gasket if necessary.

The drainage/channel system is for when the tent is open and its raining.
 
Because I have made a few pop up before, would say that a vertical water resistant fabric is very difficult to get wet .
Should not be a concern , unless you go down the cheap way.
The back side is a different issue .
Different is the case of driving with the pop up closed .
There are pressure and depressure areas , depending on speed and air permeability of the interior that could suck in water and moisture, but also dirt and powder .
If you ride in sandy areas you will 100% come across dusty sand as deep as 50 cm .
In that case it's much worst then water !

From the picture of the aluminum extrusion I don't understand how they close ?
Sorry

Renago
 
The prototype is in Baja now, I am sure it will be driven through some silt beds. I'll keep you posted!

In the photo of the extrusions above, the aluminum on top is the lower rail. The one below is the upper. The "Tee" on the bottom left of the lower piece overlaps the "L" flange on the bottom right of the upper piece. Worst case, that seam will be easy to add a gasket. Time will tell, and this is why we are testing before shipping.
 
Subbed for a couple of reasons;

1. because Phil found this
2. because you said it would fit my 80
3. because you mentioned CAMPTEQ
4. And most importantly, because you're providing a modicum of hope that I could somehow/maybe/possibly either access through my sunroof (i don't care about standing on my console and i'm as agile and limber as a 20 year old yoga instructor) or by cutting the roof Campteq style. (Phil and I differ here)

Looking forward to this, and it's in my price range.


LOL THIS FOR ALL THE SAME REASONS
 
The owner of Maltec-us stopped by for lunch yesterday and what they are working on for EXPO2018 is going to be mind blowing for the poptop world. Having driven and camped in the 70 series below I can tell you I have never seen this level of quality in the US before.


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