Wow, these comments sure are motivating. I’ll share some (too much?) additional info that I hope answers your questions.
My design goals for this canopy:
1) Looks good. Your van is awesome and the canopy should reflect that.
2) Installs quickly - less than 5 minutes.
3) Packs small. Space in your van is precious.
Do these goals make sense to you?
Your questions:
Packed size? I made a stuff sack that is roughly the size of a pillow case with a very thin pillow in it when the canopy is inside. There is a narrow pocket for the poles and a large pocket for the canopy that can be wrapped around the poles or left flat depending on where you want to store it. It is small enough that it has been tricky to find in the van at least once. Fabric choice affects packed size – more on that below.
Installation on roof? I’m 6’3” with correspondingly long arms and I can’t even come close to reaching the roof when standing on the ground so I needed a solution for a normal sized human that didn’t require using a ladder or a helicopter. Installation steps: 1) close rear doors, 2) insert poles, 3) pick up the canopy by the outside pole ends and place roof/rear edge on top of van (the polls act like extra long arms and strong magnets along the roof edge hold the canopy in place, 4) open doors, and 5) tighten side straps (clips attach under bumper sides).
Costs? I don’t have that figured out yet but I’m trying to keep costs down while providing an easy to use and good-looking product - as the design gets finalized I’ll be better able to estimate costs. The primary cost driver is fabric choice. The first prototype was made from rip stop nylon (backpacking tent material) which packs down small. The prototype in the picture is made from Sunbrella fabric (used in boat covers) and it is 4 to 5x the cost of the nylon (but is tougher/thicker and looks nicer in my opinion).
The current version of the canopy is roughly 80% along the path to being a finished product and needs some refinement before being complete. I’ve worked in new product design and production for over 20 years and am very particular/finicky about the final product.
Given my pickiness I do have one concern to share. The prototype shown works well at keeping the rain/garden hose spray (we tested it) out of the van. However, the van doors don’t extend very far behind the van so the canopy doesn't provide a lot of cover when standing on the ground behind the van. Given the height of these vans I think your feet or favorite camping chair would get wet if the wind was blowing rain around at all. A potential solution would be to attach more material that hangs down from the front edge (maybe using a zipper at the top for removal) and would extend to nearly the ground and cover the opening between the doors for privacy or weather protection. It could be rolled up or down as needed. In addition, it could also be staked out behind the van on adjustable length poles creating space to stand under in light rain or provide shade in sunny areas. Any reaction to that feature?
Sorry for the long post but I want to make sure the canopy design factors in your thoughts as much as possible. Please share your preferences and/or criticisms…it will all help improve the design.
Brianszero – Thanks for the Ripplewear link. I hadn’t seen that before and it certainly looks functional. My friend didn’t think it looked good enough to use on his van though.