Aluminum Camper Forum

Hi Steve! I still have the tent, if you're interested.

Quote from: Paul on October 10, 2017, 12:31:40 PM

Quote from: MitchB on October 10, 2017, 08:50:52 AM
It's a perfect excuse to buy a 3d printer and print up your own corner covers!

My public library has one you can use. They charge you per gram and time to print I think

Wow! Your library has a 3d printer!?! That's amazing! If our public library had one, I'd be there all the time.

Quote from: Diversteve on October 10, 2017, 08:32:46 AM
Try these.
They look like a better fit than original

https://www.amazon.com/Cushion-Furniture-INSAFE-Maximum-Prevents/dp/B01MQLVY1T/ref=sr_1_11_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1507634937&sr=8-11&keywords=plastic+corner+covers

Thank you for this suggestion! Perhaps with something like this and the right epoxy, I'll have a more permanent solution.

Quote from: Pinstriper on October 09, 2017, 07:51:19 PM
Fast Eddie did a much more meticulous job than I, but I knew from the start I was putting the rugs on top.

Looks pretty good to me! Besides if anyone starts giving you flack about the flooring in YOUR camper, you can tell em where go! 😉

Quote from: Pinstriper on October 08, 2017, 11:36:13 PM

I'm planning on antagonizing someone I trust - Merlin, for example - into becoming intensely dissatisfied with his mattress and going on a mattress safari and coming back 4 mattresses later to proclaim the best option. Less work for me, really.

Hahahaha! Nice plan 😂

Quote from: Pinstriper on October 08, 2017, 10:37:21 PM
Oh yeah. Just finished our second full season on 'em and part of a third. 2 dogs plus us. We put the standard OEM rugs on top of them. No more chilly feet, and one or other of the dogs usually sleeps on the floor because the foam is more comfortable than the cheap mattresses issued by LL. I'm seriously thinking of moving to the floor, myself. Or at least, moving Mrs. P down there so the dogs and I have more room.

I've seriously considered using the extra pack of tiles I bought, as an underlayer for the OEM bunk mattresses. Currently, we're using thermarest underneath, or both mattresses or all of the above.

Quote from: Pinstriper on October 08, 2017, 08:56:31 PM
Meh. I went with Harbor Freight foam tiles. Hosed them off and aired them out for a week before installing so the trailer wouldn't have that HFT benzene stink. I put it all together in about 30 minutes, including time to have a beer. The fit isn't perfect; some of the gaps are as small as 1".

I had some bigger gaps also, due to puzzle seams, but those are in a pretty inconspicuous place. No other choice really unless you want to use twice the amount of tiles... How have yours held up for you?

Quote from: Scout on October 08, 2017, 06:47:30 PM
Too cool. I like the solid dark colour. Any updates on the doors catching at all?

KC

Thanks. Glad I decided to go with the dark grey side. Since everything else in the camper is bright, it didn't affect the visual perception of space. If I ever change my mind, I can flip them over and have a multi-colored disco floor 😆

At the risk of sounding ignorant, what do you mean by "doors catching"? If you're asking if there was enough clearance for the doors to open with flooring in place, then the answer is, yes. There's plenty of space, even with foam flooring.

I let the tiles off-gas, and after installation, let them get acclimated in place, before doing final trimming. Some of them popped up at the puzzle seams, which only required minimal trimming around the border, for them to lay flat.

We'll see how they fair on the next outing.

Quote from: whitefish on October 05, 2017, 02:30:21 PM
That's what I have to do. The coating on the aluminum in my kitchen cabinets is getting chewed up.

Rubber cabinet liner would work well also. I just happened to have scrap roofing material laying around.

Has anyone else had an issue with the plastic corners covers cracking and breaking off? Both covers on either side of the door have cracked. The metal is quite sharp and I worry it will rip the tent when folded up. I currently have pieces of cardboard covering the metal, to protect the tent while in storage. This is only a temporary fix and I would like to find a permanent solution.

I still have the broken pieces and have tried to glue them back on, to no avail. Has anyone figured out a better solution? The plastic seems so brittle, and I'm concerned that if I replace those parts they will just crack again. Ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

  I installed the Norsk tiles the other day and aside from having to do some post-install trimming, they seem to fit quite nicely.
  I also decided to line the cabinets with some rubber roofing material, to prevent gear from sliding around and further scratching the cabinets during travel.
  I noticed the the bottom of the cabinets were quite sharp and worried that they might cut the new foam flooring. I decided to reserve some of the flooring scraps to cushion the cabinets while folded down for storage or travel. I thought that maybe the extra cushioning would make the camper hard to fold up, but there were no problems, and everything fit perfectly.

I'll be curious to see how these hold up. I placed an order for these last night. Then I started looking at the reviews and pics, and then chickened out. I cancelled the order because I wasn't convinced they wouldn't hold up to heat in our QS. Bought some Norsk tiles from Sam's club instead. Will you update us here, on how they work out for you? 

Hi Steve! Glad to see you on this forum. Thank you for weighing in on this. I guess I'll be in the market for some large totes to store everything. Do you think the mattresses could be folded and put in a space bag, to save on storage?

I like your idea of using essential oils and herbs as a deterrent. Maybe I can find some cinnamon oil to keep the ants out as well.

Curious to hear your thoughts on using carpet cleaner for the vinyl interior. I don't know enough about chemistry to know if there would be a reaction. I have some awful bug stains (from mosquitoes who were unlucky enough to get trapped in the camper), that I'm eager to see gone. Might hydrogen peroxide or oxi clean work? I'm really good at getting stains out of natural fabrics but this synthetic stuff has me perplexed....

Merlin- to be perfectly honest I scrubbed the dickens out of our awning, with a scrub brush and mild detergent, and now it's gleaming. I guess I wasn't as concerned with the integrity of the awning, since for us it's mostly been a sun shade and I have a spare. The tent however, I want to be more careful with, as I did notice some slight fraying on the fabric side of the awning.

I wonder if a carpet cleaner, like spot shot (which is essentially concentrated dry cleaning fluid), would do the trick for the fabric interior, of the vinyl tent top or awning? I don't know enough about chemistry to know if there would be a reaction between the product and the vinyl?

Being new to the camper world, I have many questions, that I'm hoping you fine folks can  help me with.

While washing my tent top (for the first time since we bought it a year ago), it occured to me that I should probably be doing more frequent maintenance. I was able to get most of the spots and scuff marks off the exterior, however the spots inside proved impossible to remove. I don't want to use something abrasive, as I don't want to compromise the vinyl exterior or fabric inside.

Is there a specific cleaner that i should be using for the outside or inside? Is it safe to scrub with a brush or scotch brite pad? Is there some sort of UV protectant that I should be applying? Is there a way to make the tent top more stain resistant?

While washing the camper, it also occurred to me, that we did nothing to winterize the camper last year, save for emptying the water tank, and putting some damp rid in there. I guess we got lucky that the tonneau cover didn't leak, because we didn't take the tent off, or the cushions out, or even put a winter cover on it. Total newbie mistake, right?!

Luckily, we didn't have any issues with mice or moisture last year, even though it is stored outside. I don't want to push my luck, but I'd rather not remove everything, if I don't have to.

Should we be removing the tent and the cushions? Will mice get in and chew stuff up? Would just a winter cover be sufficient to prevent moisture from getting in? Is there someway to deter rodents from getting in and wrecking the place?

Am I missing anything? Is there other yearly maintenance that we should be doing, to ensure the safety and longevity of our camper?

I'm looking forward to your responses. Thank you in advance!