Help! I need a good GLUE for reflectix to tent rain cover!

[gyre]

I wish that was an option for most people.
Are there any good four season tents under $300 now?

I'm outraged they make so much useless crap for camping.
Zippers on some tents I wouldn't accept on a vest.

[Mosin]

Have you ruled out using the reflectix tape? It comes in duct-tape sized rolls of 25 ft @ $3-$4. We will be using a combination of the bubble-wrap-style reflectix and the flat "foil" reflectix heat barrier to cocoon the top 1/2 of our RV. The pieces will be mated with the reflectix tape, and held down with a matrix of bungee cords. It forms easily and holds a shape quite like aluminum foil, it's not messy, there is no drying time, and it is quite light... alowing the pieces to be cut apart wih a razor and used again next year. Bonus: when you are jonesing for some playa dust in Dec. the pieces can be unraveled and licked.

[gyre]

I haven't seen the scrim or the tape.
But it should be very easy to attach this stuff to anything solid compared to a flexible surface.

Does the scrim have the same material or is it different?
You make it sound like its more foil than mylar?

[Mosin]

The tape has a very foil-like consistency... in fact it is like very sticky aluminum foil. The radiant barrier is like mylar material, but less shiny, and with "threads" that criss-cross to add strength. It is easily manipulated but won't hold a form on its own for long without the tape.

To be more specific about our project, we are using the bubble-wrap style reflectix (two 4x25 foot pieces linked end to end) to run from the rear bumper, over the top and over to the front bumper (cutting holes for a/c units of course). Then the 4x125 foot roll of scrim comes in... taping it with reflectix tape to both sides (long ways to create a cover that is 12x50 ft, and that wraps around the corners of the rv. Bungee cords hold the whole thhing down. Mylar "emergency" blankets ($1 ea at Tar-jayy) will be hung from the horizontal bungees...adding another few feet of side cover.

[gyre]

This is very interesting.
I hope you will post your results after the burn.

Why scrim and not bubble style on the sides?
I was looking at the scrim for space reasons alone.

If you're going to reuse this, would it be useful to attach it into big sheets permanently?
They might attach better as a single unit?


I think that tape may be overkill for a week.
It sounds like it's made for very permanent locations.

[Mosin]

Well, we were actually planning on doing it entirely in bubble style, which would have required four 4x25 foot rolls (@$42 ea at HD). It is a 26 foot rig (x 10 ft high x ~ 8 ft. wide), so the plan was two 4x25 foot rolls longways to cover top, front and back, and two attached on the sides. The problem with the rolls is that they are actually relatively bulky, but we were going to work something out... THEN we saw the roll of 4x125 foot reflectix radiant barrier (@~$65) on the adjoining shelf... same 97% reflectivity (or so the box says) and seemingly the same stuff they wed to the bubble wrap, yet so very much more compact. :idea: So we bought two rolls of the bubbly and one scrim. I went nuts on eBay buying bungee cords (24x8 ft, 100ft. bulk cord w/ connectors, plus 4x 24 foot straps for the roof) and we picked up 4 rolls of the reflectix tape, so it's not going anywhere. Although the insulating properties of the bubbly are certainly better, the idea here is to stave off an hour or two of generator time (we sleep at BM from like 8AM-2PM) and be able to run the a/cs on low when we do run them. The metal roof of my RV fucking COOKS (like, shoe melt temps) in direct sunlight so I am expecting the difference to be dramatic.

Side note: one reason this is so critical is that I own an older Onan genny that eats ~ 1 gl/hr when the a/cs are on high. For our 10 days on the playa (early admin for theme camp) that means ~60 gallons of gas if we slept 6 hrs/day with the a/c's on high. I already had to have some surplus NATO gas cans mounted to bring extra fuel, so this reflectix project has some very practical, environmentally concerned motivations! :P

[gyre]

You might consider some aluminet mesh or other shade cloth stretched over the top with a spacer of some kind. (over the reflectix)
I plan on doing that with a trailer elsewhere.
Can take rain without pooling where that's an issue.
Every little bit helps.

Have you checked out silvicool?

[Mosin]

I like the mesh idea but I'm anticipating the bungees will be sufficient due to the woven consistency of the scrim, and the weight of the bubbly center-strip. That silvicool looks... cool! We should do the BM Side-By-Side Comparison and make corporate millions... I mean BILLIONS [pinky to corner of mouth]. Bwahahaaahaaa. Haaa. Haaaa. Bwa....

[gyre]

I was suggesting the mesh as additional shade with a space.
It has the advantage of flexing when in the wind and not pooling rain, which is a big consideration for mounting it flat.
I plan on using some with 6 inch spacers on a trailer here.
The mesh is inferior to solid material for shade.
Maybe the combination is the ultimate practical shade?

Maybe you could test a piece and see if it makes a difference?

In a container, I plan on 6 inches insulation wrapped with reflectix and inset from the walls and roof by an inch or two.
The free air space would be stack vented.
Then mesh stretched over the outside spaced out.
Eventually a proper attic with vents, mesh on the walls.

[Cassidy]

AND a chemo-physical bond such as GOOP (*smooches!*) or other adhesive.

ha ha ha
- robot, you're such a nerd