Club 80-90 Forums

Hello all, long time no post. I'm very much a fair weather camper and so it's been sitting on my drive in all weathers since the end of last 'summer'. I don't know why but I suddenly decided to have a look at it today and was disappointed to see that all the mould I had cleaned up last year has come back. I don't think it has struck the canvas yet but is on the fuzzy stuff lining the fibreglass roof. Cleaning it off isn't such a problem but I'm a bit concerned about how damp it is in there. Is this just something I have to live with as I don't have the facilities to store it in a nice warm garage?
It's a pop-that I bodged on myself so maybe it doesn't have some essential ventilatation feature. Any ideas on better winter storage?

Thanks in advance

http://www.justkampers.com/shop/type_2_ ... hable.html

It's done me proud this winter, alothough ive got metal work on the roof which creats a pool of water which soaks through.... but on the whole its great for winter maintenece and it laid my mind to rest!

You really need to ventilate it as often as you can when the weather is fine... open a window or door for a while... don't forget to shut them again or you may regret it!
If you can get a power supply to the van then a small de-humidifier may be the answer and you could fit a good weather proof roof vent to the top...Fiamma or similar it all depends on roof thickness. I presume its a pop top... so pop it up on a dry windy day this should give the canvas a good airing. Forget the damp absorbing crystals, you would need a wheelbarrow load for a van stored outside!

Thanks for that advice, I was wondering about those crystal thingys but won't bother now. If we ever get a couple of dry days I'll definitely give it an airing, along with a hefty dose of mould zapping spray. I guess it's my own fault really, i did neglect it over the winter and then expect everything to be ok - I haven't tried starting it yet, that could be interesting.

I'll also look into the breathable cover option, although the roof is a weird shape so I might have trouble getting one to fit.

Which conversion is it?

Well it was an Autohomes Kamper with one of those rigid-sided, straight up pop-tops but I've bodged a Westy roof onto it because i couldn't find the parts to repair the leaky old one (I'm not a purist so it didn't have to look pretty). It's a bit of an odd shaped roof though which is higher at the back, I'd post a photo if I could find one. Although it is a complete bodge it does the job and I think it probably is just a case of taking better care of it over winter, especially with ventilation.