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Bus Depot Poptop
Canvas & Seals
for all
Volkswagen Campers
Replacement
Pop Top Tent Canvas:
We offer a wide variety of poptop canvas options depending
on your needs and budget. Most are Bus
Depot exclusives, not
available anywhere else in the U.S. - higher quality, at lower
prices. Buyer
Beware: Not all
aftermarket canvases are the same. There are some very poor
quality Chinese knockoffs out there, and others that are
decent quality but made of a rough textured material that
looks nothing like the original. Watch out for misleading terms
like "original German quality" (which means nothing)
or prices that are too good to be true. Poptop tent installation
is time consuming but not exceedingly difficult. You can find
some installation hints further down on this page.
'68-91
European Repro Westfalia Poptop Canvas
 If you're on a moderate budget and want
the "best bang for the buck," this is the one to
buy. We import this quality reproduction directly from Europe
because it is far superior to any of the other aftermarket canvases
we've seen. It comes surprisingly close to the original considering
its very reasonable price. It looks nearly stock, and
its fit and quality are quite good. It is cotton based with
a special Teflon microcoating to help maintain its color
and reduce wear. It has three screened windows for improved
ventilation, and is available in Tan for Buses, and
Tan or Gray for Vanagons.
'68-91 Genuine OEM German Westfalia Canvas
If
you want the very best, this is it - bar none. We've tried them
all, and the simple truth is that even the best aftermarket
canvas - regardless of price or material - doesn't
quite compare to the fit and quality of the German original. Time
has proven its quality. Your original probably lasted 20 or 30
years, and is waterproof yet soft and breathable - all of the
characteristics of a top quality tent. Our OEM German
canvas comes from
the original supplier to Westfalia, using the same materials and workmanship
found on Westfalias in Germany even to this day. We have updated the design to include
three screened windows for improved ventilation. On the Vanagon canvas,
we have also incorperated a design improvement that VW
only added in 1990-91 - a fully removable front screen, which
can be replaced separately
if it rips (i.e. gets caught in the latch when
closing). The OEM canvas is offered in Tan or Yellow for Buses,
and Tan or Gray for Vanagons.
''68-91
Synthetic Acrylic ("Sunbrella") in Custom
Colors: We offer a high quality
North American made Acrylic poptop tent in a variety of
colors. Acrylic fabric (commonly branded as Sunbrella or Outdura)
is a chemically synthesized fiber that is dyed while still
in viscous form, which keeps it from fading over time after prolonged
exposure to bright sunlight. As a result it is commonly used
on boats, where fading is a problem due to constant exposure
to strong sunlight reflected off of the water. It is not typically used
for tents, though, due to its poor breathability and its stiffness.
Not surprisingly, this combination of attributes makes
Acrylic a mixed bag as a poptop tent material choice. The solution-pigmentation
process makes it very well suited for custom colors, and it
is durable. On the other hand it doesn't breathe nearly as well
as cotton, and can be difficult to fold when you close
your poptop. If you want a custom color Acrylic is your
best bet, and we offer such choices as royal blue, yellow, dark green, or maroon.
If you are sticking with a stock color, while we offer both Acrylic
and OEM Geman canvas (described above), we prefer the OEM German
canvas as the better all-around choice.
Pre-1968
Westfalia Canvas
We offer U.S. made replacement
canvas for Splitties in either 100% cotton or Synthetic Acrylic,
in your choice of colors. Click on the link below for color
options.
ASI/Riviera
and Country Homes Canvas
If you have one
of these rare campers with the "straight-up" penthouse
style poptops, we have the replacement canvas you need
- made by the original factory and cut from the original patterns.
The stock color is yellow for the Rivieras or white for the
Country Homes. However we can provide either style in either
color. This canvas is made to order and takes about 5-10 working
days to ship.
Eurovan
Canvas
We offer OEM German Westfalia replacement
canvas for Eurovans with the Westfalia poptop, genuine Winnebago replacement
canvas for Winnebago Eurovan Campers, and Country Homes canvas
for those conversions as well. For Westfalia poptops, we also offer a U.S. made canvas in either heavyweight cotton or Synthetic Acrylic
("Sunbrella"), in your choice of colors. See the
sections above for a comparison between the OEM German
Westfalia canvas and the Synthetic Acrylic canvas.
Installation Hints:
Illustrated installation
instructions are included with our replacement Westfalia canvas. As
per VW spec the included instructions involve completely removing
the poptop, which does deliver the most consistent results.
However, many people do it wiith the poptop still on. This is
not very difficult (requiring only a short screwdriver and staple gun),
but it can still be time consuming, since a large number of screws and staples
are used to hold the canvas on, and the precise alignment is largely a
matter of trial and error. It is easiest to do the job with two
people. Prop the poptop half way up and remove the old canvas, being
sure to save the tack strip and other reuseable parts. Start by
stapling or screwing the new canvas corners to the poptop (most use staples;
later Vanagons use screws), then put a few in
the middle and at the bottom of the canvas. Then, very slowly and
carefully, raise the poptop and look for loose or tight areas. Getting it
lined up such that the canvas neither bunches up nor is too snug is mainly
a matter of trial and error. If it doesn't look like it's lined
up right, or if you find any tight or loose areas,
you'll have to remove some or all of the staples/screws, reposition, and test
again. Continue until completed. If you're lucky you'll get it right the
first time; if not it may take a few tries to get it lined up just right!
Important:
Please thoroughly inspect and measure your canvas before
beginning installation to ensure that you have a suitable replacement.
We cannot take back partially installed canvas.
Pop Top Seals:
Our poptop
seal kit was the very first product we designed in-house, over
15 years ago. The major flaws of the other kits on the market - which
continue to this day - led us to "build a better mousetrap."
Our kit is still the best on the market - not only better (and
cheaper) than any competing aftermarket product, but better
than the $600 original German seal as well. It protects
your camper better, installs faster (with no adhesive required),
lasts longer, and looks closest to stock. Read below to
learn what makes ours better. You can buy each seal section individually, or
get a complete kit for '74-91
Westfalia campers for just $79.95.
Pop Top Seal:
This
seal insulates and keeps rain out, protecting your
canvas. If yours is sagging, the metal clips inside have rusted.
Our replacement installs in ten minutes, and uses aluminum
clips so it will never rust. Most replacement "poptop seal"
sold elsewhere is actually just a generic "off
the shelf" weatherstrip that the retailer buys in big rolls
and cuts to size. Not ours. It is specifically designed for the
Volkswagen poptop,
with an insulation bulb precisely located to match the original German design. This
keeps windswept rain from creeping under the seal when your
poptop is closed, wetting and eventually mildewing your canvas.
In addition, the cosmetic finish looks closer
to stock than on any other seal available.
On '67 and earlier campers
(small poptop), this seal goes around all 4 sides. On '68-73 it goes
around the two sides and the rear (you use the Flat Seal, below, for the
back), On '74 and later campers it goes around the two sides and the front (again, you
use the flat seal, below, for the remaining side). It is available in pre-cut
lengths for all Westfalias, or sold by the foot for custom use on non-Westfalia
campers.
Luggage Rack Edging:
Originally
found on '74 and later Westfalias (but also available for '68-73),
this
seal's primary purpose is cosmetic. It is not meant to block rainwater
like the poptop seal, but rather to allow it through, so rainwater
in the luggage rack can drain out into the rain gutters. Ours
is designed for that purpose, and also can be installed without
loosening or removing the luggage rack. This makes the
installation quick and easy, and avoids the risk of the luggage
rack not reinstalling snugly (which can cause wind noise). By
comparison, other retailers sell the same generic weatherstrip
they use for poptop seal (see above) and call it luggage rack
seal. Bad idea. Not only does their seal trap water under
your luggage rack, but its fatter profile requires you
to loosen or remove the luggage rack to install it- turning
a 10 minute job into a two hour job (or longer if you have trouble
snugging the luggage rack back up when you're done). As with our poptop seal, our luggage rack seal
uses no-rust aluminum clips.
Flat Seal:
On '68 and later Westfalias, this is the
seal that goes along
the leading edge of the poptop where it comes down to meet the luggage
rack. Ours is the only flat seal that has an
imbedded clip for attachment, so it installs in minutes. Our competitors' versions must
actually be glued
to your poptop.
Installation Hints:
Poptop Seal:
The insulation bulb on the
poptop seal faces the inside of the van. It helps to slightly raise your
poptop (but not extend it all the way) when installing.
Luggage Rack Edging:
Use a
thin flat object (about the size of a flathead screwdriver blade) to
help coax the lip of the new seal under the luggage rack. (However, use
something relatively soft, perhaps made of wood or plastic; an actual
screwdriver will easily scratch your paint if your hand slips!)
Flat Seal: On the original VW
seal, this flat seal was actually attached to the 3-sided section, whereas
on the aftermarket seals it is a separate piece. If re-using your original
flat seal, simply use an exacto knife or razor blade to separate it from the worn out 3-sided section (although we do recommend replacing all of the seals at once,
as it will save you the trouble later). The new
3-sided poptop seal and the
flat seal (new or old) can be mated together just by butting them up
against eachother and trimming slightly with an exacto knife or razor
blade for a clean seam. You can use some weatherstrip adhesive or silicone
at the seam, but it isn't necessary.
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