After experimenting with a few different ways to have curtains in my
Scamp without holes through the shell for rod holders, I have settled on using curtain tracks and ditching the curtain rods. I have used two type of tracks however there are many ways to utilize these or similar curtain tracks. I am very happy with the hardware, even with the added cost which is more than using cheesy rods and rod holders. The curtains themselves are OK but would have been better if I knew then what I know now.
Track Option 1
For the rear side
windows (where I have overhead cabinets), I used
RECMAR 4108 Bendable I Beam Curtain Track with
rollers. Hooks on the curtains attach to the rollers. This track can be bent by hand and I formed it so that it follows the curve of the cabinet and shell. It is mounted to the underside of the cabinet with matching clips which were riveted to the cabinet. The track is mounted just far enough from the wall so that the curtain clears the top of the window frame. I extended the track at the rear to almost the edge of the upper cabinet so that the entire curtain can be moved to the back corner curve in the camper, leaving the view through the window completed unobstructed. I also added a curve toward the wall at the front so that the curtain’s front vertical edge is closer to the wall and maximizes privacy.
This type of track and carrier work too smoothly – they will not keep the curtains in place and I have to attach the hooks on both ends of the curtains to the end-stops on the tracks to get the curtain to stay over the window. That means I have to loosen one or both end-stops and slide them to different positions for the curtain to be fully open vs. closed. It’s not much of a problem but do note that these tracks and carriers are used more often for things like full length privacy curtains in hospitals. Also be aware of a possible fire hazard from the reading
lights, if they use incandescent bulbs and are pointed to the wall. It might be too close to the curtains when they are bunched up in the corner.
Track Option 2
For the rear window I used
RECMAR 3296 Aluminum Curtain Track and
snap carriers that ride inside the track. It is mounted with
Gorilla Mounting Tape on the Hehr window frames which protrude about an inch inside the camper. I expect that VHB tape would also work but frankly I have used both the Gorilla tape and VHB tapes in my camper and had better luck with the former. This curtain track has now been installed for two months, including a 3,389 mile trip throughout more than the entire month of July and it is still rock-solid. Because of the curve in the body of the camper, the track cannot extend very far past the edge of the rear window (but can if used on the side windows). Therefore the curtains will still block the edges of the
windows. I cut a taper in the track to get as much length as possible while still mounting the track on the window frame and not making it weaker. I also have the option to push both curtains to the left, leaving the window unobstructed on the right side where it can be opened. Compatible end-stops finish up the installation for both options.
These internal slide carriers with snap connectors do hold the curtains in place. There is just enough resistance to do that, while still allowing one to easily slide the small curtains. I tried using four sets of magnets to hold the bottom to the wall better. Four magnets are mounted to the window frame (again with Gorilla mounting tape). I just put the other four on top of the curtains over the mounted ones but they could have been sown into pockets on the curtains. That worked OK but another option is to mount a second track on the bottom of the window frame, mirroring the top track with snap tape on the curtain at the bottom. I might give that a try someday but note that one would have to measure it very carefully.
Curtains
The curtains were made from Sunbrella Marine Grade fabric with Roc-lon® liner. They are a vast improvement over the very cheap curtains that come with a
Scamp but I have concluded that I could have done a better job making them up, primarily by making them wider and perhaps using lighter material in place of the Sunbrella. For attaching the curtains I used tapes that are sewn into the curtains. For the side curtains,
Shirring Tape is sewn onto the curtains and then
hooks attach to loops in the tape and to the sliding carriers. For the rear window curtain I used “
snap tape” which has snaps that mate to the slide carriers.
Summary
In my opinion using curtain tracks is the way to go and a much better option that trying to mount curtain rods in a
Scamp or similar camper. Having fewer rivets trough the shell is an added benefit. There are many options in materials and different ways to plan and implement their use. It is worth spending a good amount of time planning, if for no other reason than if ordering from the same source that I used, then the shipping charge for the tracks is expensive and its best to get everything you need at one time. Actually construction of the curtains should be simple enough, but not for me! There is actually a lot to learn about curtains and drape and maybe I will hire the job out if I decide to replace what I have now.
---------------
The Bluette
Linear Mode
