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Roof Storage
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Hi,
Does anyone have a roof rack system on your evc. I have a 95 evc. I have an old Sears car top carrier that I am considering using. Looks like I'll need to fasten some rain gutter type brackets onto the side of the fiberglass top to give me something to fasten the hooks to to hold the pod on. Looks like I can do this without a rack. Also, looking at the Yakima system. Looks pretty neat. I'll have to fasten those same raing gutter type brackets onto the fiberglass to mount the racks. Kind of expensive. Looks like about $600 with the middle sized case. I like the idea of being able to haul other things like a canoe with this system. Do you know of where to purchase this cheaper? Will this go on the roof ok and will I be able to raise the top with it fully loaded? I imagine I should try to keep the unit as far to the rear of the van as possible. Also, does anyone know of a good waterproof bag/container to use in that area above the cab that looks like it was made for storage. ?? Thank you , David Lawyer, Kentucky ( Getting ready for major road trip ) |
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Todd Jacobs
For a couple of reasons, I bought the Pro Rac system (for about $150, through
the VW Dealer) that Winnebago shows as an EVC accessory in their catalog
after deciding not to use the Yakima racks that I had left over from my
Landcruiser wagon.
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First, I was concerned about the overall height of my vehicle becoming too high to? fit into 7' parking garages.? The Pro Rac are low profile.? The Yakimas mounted to the top of my pop top would have been several inch higher.? My '97 EVC is about 6'8" tall with just the Pro Rac bars on the roof.? It is about 6'11" (just fits into the lot at my office) with a Tule bike attachment (folded down) on the racks. The other issue that concerned me was drilling the PLASTIC pop top of the EVC.? The tops are made of plastic, not fiberglass like the Westfalias.? The plastic is two layers thick with styrofoam-like pellets of insulation between the layers.? The Pro Racs mount through the top of the pop top, where there is about 3/4" between the layers, rather than through the side of the pop top where there may not? be as much clearance and the canvas is in the way.? Most importantly, the Pro Rac's mounting hardware utilizes rubber expansion nuts that you carefully drill through the outer layer of the pop top and then push into the space in between the layers.? You could find some similar hardware to use a Yakima mount for the top of your pop top, but if you use what comes from Yakima as it is designed for a fiberglass pick up truck shell, you will have problems.? If you drill all the way through both layers ot the pop top and then tighten the bolts to the inner backing plate, you will distort or crack the inside (gray headliner) of your pop top. You can add a outer cargo case (really, any brand as long as you space your bars the correct distance) with the Pro Rac or use other attachments.? You can place the bars wherever you want. I haul my 9' surfboard most of the time.? My top will stay up with one mountain bike and one surfboard without removing the load. I hope that this helps. Todd
DLa8406062@... wrote: Hi, |
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Thanks EAB for your thoughts on the whitewater bag for the area above the
cab. I have thought of that too but, haven't found the perfect size yet. Passing through Boulder the other day I looked and the largest bag with a zipper was 29" long. The area is about 43". The larger bags, which would fit almost perfectly don't have a zipper, they top load which is undesirable because of the way you can access it from inside. Zipper bag would be great. Do you think a bag in that spot would mess up the aerodynamics much. I saw the perfect size bag in Louisville yesterday ( forgot the brand ) , its waterproof material but seams are not waterproof. I wonder how that would work in a rainstorm. David Lawyer |
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Edward A. Bevan
Hi David:
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I'm afraid I don't have an answer for the tricky roof rack question, but I do have a suggestion for a waterproof bag to strap onto the roof rack area above the cab ( my EVC is a 99, so I'm assuming your 95 is similar ) You could use a white water gear bag. They are completely water proof, have solid tie down straps, come in all sizes and are made for rugged use like being lashed to the thwarts of a white water canoe. The bag looks like a stuff sack except the top part is long and flat so you can role it up like a news paper, then there's a strap that keeps it rolled. I've not tried the idea yet because I'm looking for the exact size I want in a closeout. Even though they are relatively inexpensive at full price, it's not unusual to see these bags going really cheap if you're patient and know where to look ( the closeout section of any outdoor gear sales co. i.e. REI or EMS would be a good start ). If you use the idea, please post your thoughts so that I may learn. Truly E.A.B. DLa8406062@... wrote: Hi, |
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Mike MyLymuk
I found a nice roof cargo bag while vacationing in Santa Cruz CA. The
place I found it was called Outdoor World. The manufacture is Allen, they call it a Cargo Pack. It is made of 18 oz. vinyl-coated polyester with a heavy duty double-sided zipper. It also has handles on the sides. Total capacity is 5 cubic feet and folds to less than 1 cubic foot. Price around $100. Size 30" across x 15" front to back x 20" high. Mike MyLymuk 99 EVC ex 79 Westfalia |
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I use these bags for rafting/kayaking as well as on the roof of cars as
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you suggested. Great idea! They will keep your gear very dry if you seal them up right and fill them to capacity. Get a light color, so your stuff will stay cooler in the sun. They will last forever. A large size would fit real well in the front part of the EVC roof. There are duffle varieties with water proof zippers available, but the zippers are not that waterproof -- avoid them. Try these 2 sites. They are 2 of the best mail order whitewater shops I know of and have both been around for at least 20 years. Check out the tie down straps that NRS sells as well. Cascade Outfitters www.cascadeoutfitters.com or 216.150.13.140/shop/index.cfm Northwest River Supplies www.nrsweb.com You could use a white water gear bag. They are completely water proof, have solid |
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Gwyn Ap Nued
Either North Face or Patagonia make a larger waterproof bag that should work
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a little on the high side with TNF you can look at www.patagonia.com they have some on sale right now.. Namaste Stephen -----Original Message-----
From: DLa8406062@... [mailto:DLa8406062@...] Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2000 10:12 PM To: ev_update@... Subject: [ev_update] Re: Roof Storage Thanks EAB for your thoughts on the whitewater bag for the area above the cab. I have thought of that too but, haven't found the perfect size yet. Passing through Boulder the other day I looked and the largest bag with a zipper was 29" long. The area is about 43". The larger bags, which would fit almost perfectly don't have a zipper, they top load which is undesirable because of the way you can access it from inside. Zipper bag would be great. Do you think a bag in that spot would mess up the aerodynamics much. I saw the perfect size bag in Louisville yesterday ( forgot the brand ) , its waterproof material but seams are not waterproof. I wonder how that would work in a rainstorm. David Lawyer ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Learn more with SmartPlanet. It's a new way of learning online. SmartPlanet offers hundreds of courses to take on your time, in your space. Join for FREE today! eGroups.com Home: - Simplifying group communications |
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Edward A. Bevan
David:
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Yes, you're correct. A bag with a zipper would be much easier to load, however; such a bag would not be waterproof as our water sports enthusiast friend confirmed ( thanks for your help and the web sites, I didn't get your name? ) in his or her recent reply. The roll up top design is the one that really works. If you want convenience you'll have to give up the watertightness ( is that a word? ). However; this could be an intelligent option. it all depends on what kind of gear you plan to store in there and how much wetness you can tolerate. If it's just some camp chairs, cooking equipment or screens that dry quickly it made be a worthwhile tradeoff. As for the aerodynamics question. Anything that increases frontal mass will increase drag. The question is how much? That depends on the bag. If you get one that fits down between the to rails and rests on the plastic roof top, you can keep about half of the bag out of the wind. This coupled with the sloping shape of the top of the bag should keep keep drag to an insignificant amount. If however you mount a bag up on top of the rails so that most of the bag is exposed you will surly increase drag by real numbers. As in MPG. The EVC is a very efficient design all the way around, I think would a shame to get poor gas mileage when VW has gone through so much trouble to bring you a vehicle that can be used as an RV that gets 20 mpg! American car companies could do this too, but they won't do it until Americans as consumers start thinking differently about wasting resources ( don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be an American, I just wish Americans would think more like Europeans when it comes to wasting energy and polluting the environment, that would give me more to be proud of ). A better suggestion might be to mount a luggage rack on the rear where there is a vacuum. This creates no additional drag and you can carry more stuff. Sorry for the political outburst, I was sounding so logical there too. Truly EAB DLa8406062@... wrote: Thanks EAB for your thoughts on the whitewater bag for the area above the |
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DANIEL R HERBERT
On Thu, 24 Feb 2000 16:52:27 -0500 "Edward A. Bevan"
<pcbevan@...> wrote: As for the aerodynamics question. Anything that increases frontal mass willDon't underestimate the power of aerodynamic drag and/or turbulence. Last summer I had my large Cascade canoe bag in the luggage carrier, held down by an 8-arm 'octopus' bungee cord. Fortunately, I have the habit of running the shock cords through and around the bag straps. What a shock to have the bag flip onto the windshield at 110 kph! The bag was still tethered by the shock cords through the shoulder and waist straps, but still managed to escape the luggage carrier. So be careful! Dan ---------------------- DANIEL R HERBERT Manager, Computer Services Faculty of Dentistry University of Toronto dan.herbert@... |