Insulated Window Covers

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danielto98

Member
Hello
Would any one post some information where I can purchase the materials similar to what belloinsella uses for his products.
My wife and I know how to sew. We have the commercial serger and sewing machines at home.

Your information is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Daniel
 
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outdoor_scott

New member
I just wanted to say that I am happy with the rear window covers I bought from belloinsella. I couldn'd sew a straight line if my life depended on it so I looked at the options available for purchase.

I live close to Van Specialties and was not super impressed with the quality for the money on their available magnet installed product. For a little more I got really nice covers from belloinsella.

 
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belloinsella

Member
danielto98 said:
Hello
Would any one post some information where I can purchase the materials similar to what belloinsella uses for his products.
My wife and I know how to sew. We have the commercial serger and sewing machines at home.

Your information is greatly appreciated
Thanks
Daniel
Click to expand...


You can try Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics. They stock the diamond ripstop and a fabric called packcloth that's slightly heavier. Low-e can be purchased through Amazon or many roofing suppliers local to your area.


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belloinsella

Member
We finished a full set of custom covers for a Sprinter customer. He camps in cold climates and requested an extra sleeve on the rear doors, crew and slider window where he'll add 1" Thinsulate when needed on top of the Low-E that we add to every cover. The front doors and windshield match in fabric color, but do not have the sleeve. We're making an insulated partition that will hang behind the front seats.



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belloinsella

Member
For the same van we made some custom two piece cab partitions that will attach to the customers custom top shelf via L-track. The middle is held together with magnets. I'm excite to see them installed.

 
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shouldbeasy

Member
Dang - these covers look amazing. Considerably better than whatever I was going to rig up! Might have to dent the Visa for these...

Do you have the set with the sleeve on them listed on the website? As I'm up in Canada I would like to have the option to add more insulation if the conditions warrant it.

EDIT - Can we see a picture from outside the vehicle with the shades in place? My current windshield sunshade is reflective and seems to block a lot of the heat... ideally the side facing outside would have a reflective surface as well but I think I read that they're currently black?
 
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hein

hein

Van Guru
Impressive design and workmanship.
Would you be interested in us stocking some of the thinner (<1") Thinsulate for you products?

We currently stock AU4002-5 which is 1" thick and has scrim on both sides.
That would make it easier to slip into those neat pockets you are making.
 
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belloinsella

Member
shouldbeasy said:
Dang - these covers look amazing. Considerably better than whatever I was going to rig up! Might have to dent the Visa for these...

Do you have the set with the sleeve on them listed on the website? As I'm up in Canada I would like to have the option to add more insulation if the conditions warrant it.

EDIT - Can we see a picture from outside the vehicle with the shades in place? My current windshield sunshade is reflective and seems to block a lot of the heat... ideally the side facing outside would have a reflective surface as well but I think I read that they're currently black?
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Hey, thanks. The extra sleeve isn't a stock it's, so you'd have to email me and we an talk about what you might need.

The black fabric faces out. It's true, the silver reflective material is very effective when facing out. We cover ours so it's a cleaner and more stealth look when you're camping. Also, the low-e insulation has double faced aluminum siding so it still provides a nice radiant barrier even when covered in fabric. On the partition photo (above) you can see the black fabric.
 
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belloinsella

Member
hein said:
Impressive design and workmanship.
Would you be interested in us stocking some of the thinner (<1") Thinsulate for you products?

We currently stock AU4002-5 which is 1" thick and has scrim on both sides.
That would make it easier to slip into those neat pockets you are making.
Click to expand...


Yes, if there's enough demand I'll need to get a roll of the double scrim 1" Thinsulate. Could be a nice way to make the partitions too.


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belloinsella

Member
We made a switch to a ripstop fabric that doesn't have the high sheen of the diamond ripstop. Reason being: more fabric colors that are better suited for the interior of the vans and seem to work very well for this application. We still have the diamond pattern in black and grey, but are now offering black, grey and olive drab colors. Black faces out, but you can choose your interior color. Custom color orders are an option for an additional cost, we just need to order the fabric.

 
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Inertiaman

Well-known member
rocktor said:
What do people use for insulation layer while making window insulation/insulated cab partition etc? I bought Dyneema fabric in hopes of making my own fabric partition and window insulation and contemplating on the middle insulation layer. I have some thinsulate and some reflectix lying around. Great post. Cheers.
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Was just reading this full thread for the first time and saw this. You are using dyneema for your window coverings and partition??
Why in the world would you use such an expensive and difficult-to-work-with fabric for such a benign application? $100/yard makes sense if you want to make an abrasion resistant, ultra-lightweight backpack, but we're taking about window coverings in a van. $5/yard ripstop and packcloth would serve this application just as well.
If you have a roll you got free or some other odd explanation, I'd be selling it at backpackinglight.com and putting the proceeds into other Sprinter conversion products.
 
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belloinsella

Member
For those Sprinter owners with the front door grab handles, we have made another pattern that fits over the handles and uses the same magnets as the window covers without the handles.

 
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belloinsella

Member
JFloFoto said:
I got coverings before StrawFoot was around, but I really like his design.

I went with the RB Components set which are held in place by riveted twist clamps. Quality and fit is superb. I like that I can roll them up and leave them in place.

http://www.rbcomponents.com/sprinte.../fabric-soft-goods-19/fabric-window-coverings
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I've used DOT turn-buckles on a bicycle frame bag design in the past and they work great. If they're the same product, the spring is strong and it's an easy and fixed attachment. I think I bought them from SailRite. They often attach with rivets and they make an inexpensive hand setting tool. For the vans application I wanted my design to not require drilling into the doors. Looks like RB makes a great product though.
 
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downunder

Active member
Hi belloinsella,
Are you capable of doing a custom window fit for something similar to your custom 2nd photo in on #46 (the glass behind the US drivers seat).
I have a sliding window within the glass, original MB item, as can be seen at Terrawagen.com for instance.
The inner sliding rails protrude from the inside surface of the glass by approximately 35mm (1 1/2 inches) and therefore the insulated window cover would likely need to be made fractionally larger to suit the door frame curvature further away from the glass, to suit where the magnets would likely attach?
Impressed with your tight fit and finish throughout, and your photos.
 
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belloinsella

Member
downunder said:
Hi belloinsella,

Are you capable of doing a custom window fit for something similar to your custom 2nd photo in on #46 (the glass behind the US drivers seat).

I have a sliding window within the glass, original MB item, as can be seen at Terrawagen.com for instance.

The inner sliding rails protrude from the inside surface of the glass by approximately 35mm (1 1/2 inches) and therefore the insulated window cover would likely need to be made fractionally larger to suit the door frame curvature further away from the glass, to suit where the magnets would likely attach?

Impressed with your tight fit and finish throughout, and your photos.
Click to expand...


A few months ago I ran into a 4x4 Sprinter at a nearby campground who had the TerraWagen windows and I was blown away. What a cool product. Curious...do they cut the glass and add the slider or is the entire window replaced?

To answer your question, I'm not sure my pattern will work. It fits over the bulky CR Laurence frame on the oem style t vent. I'd be happy to send you one cover to check the fit and then we can add additional area to the pattern to accommodate if need be. Send me an email if you can: info@strawfoothandmade.com
 
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Soreal

New member
Want to add my name to the list of very satisfied Straw Foot customers. I can sew, but ran into an unexpected time issue, so ordered the full crew package in grey. I do have the front grab handles and the covers fit beautifully over them. Great customer service. Really nice product. What a non-complicated solution to one thing in the mass of build decisions. Second photo shows a little window covering, but is mainly to show the European lower mattress for scale. Couldn't resist.
 

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