Summer Tyvek roof cover for Trillium

[clyle]

To protect against further UV exposure, rain, dirt, etc in storage, I constructed a roof cover for my 1978 Trillium 4500. I used UV protection soft Tyvek 1460C. It's light as a feather, strong enough, not cheap, and at least for me a bear to sew. But it works. Fits like a glove. Doesn't flap around in the wind. More or less waterproof. I like it. As with all of my projects I'm sure there are many out there who could have done a better job, but here it is for your opinion.

[BarbinBC]

Any more photos on how it's attached?


Details on how you made it? Wondered why you didn't make it longer? How much did it cost to make as it is?


I have a heavy-duty sewing machine so looking to create something like this.


Thanks for your help.

[clyle]

I just wanted it long enough to cover and protect the roof. I have a larger, much heavier cover for the winter.

The Tyvek material I used is about as thin as a handkerchief. The entire cover prob weighs about two pounds. It was difficult to sew because it was so long (about 18 feet), but mainly because it is "slick" like Mylar. The sewing machine foot could not get a purchase on the material so I had to feed it through manually. It took some time, but I eventually got the hang of it to get the right stitch length. Must use UV resistant thread. I kind of had the feeling that I was making a sail for a small sailboat.

I'll upload a few pics of how I attached the cover. Mainly I used small pieces of canvas sewed to the Tyvek to provide a better purchase for "tarp clamps". I used thin bunji-cords to provide tension and keep the Tyvek cover tight.

There is about $120 in Tyvek and a lot of time involved.

[workhorsed]

Originally Posted by clyle

To protect against further UV exposure, rain, dirt, etc in storage, I constructed a roof cover for my 1978 Trillium 4500. I used UV protection soft Tyvek 1460C. It's light as a feather, strong enough, not cheap, and at least for me a bear to sew. But it works. Fits like a glove. Doesn't flap around in the wind. More or less waterproof. I like it. As with all of my projects I'm sure there are many out there who could have done a better job, but here it is for your opinion.

That looks fantastic. A couple of questions; is, the material wide enough to cover a Class A RV, sturdy enough for a prairie winter, think of like a 1/4 mile off shore on lake Michigan on the ice for 5 months! My concern too is mainly the roof. Our zoning will not allow any kind of shelter not even the false roof I thought of. Is there an issue with scuffing caused by the wind? Any other thoughts? Many thanks.

[clyle]

The Tyvek comes in rolls, 4' wide so it would take several to cover a large rv. It took 2 to cover my little Trillium. It has worked well for my application (summer uv protection and rain/dust protection). Wind doesn't get under my cover. My cover doesn't move so there is no scuffing.
I wouldn't consider using this cover during winter. Extreme care is needed to prevent punctures. It is strong enough to resist tension tears, but if it gets a puncture or a tear and the wind gets under it, goodbye cover. For that reason I wouldn't use it on a large rv.
I've included a few pics of how I attached the cover.

[workhorsed]

Originally Posted by clyle

The Tyvek comes in rolls, 4' wide so it would take several to cover a large rv. It took 2 to cover my little Trillium. It has worked well for my application (summer uv protection and rain/dust protection). Wind doesn't get under my cover. My cover doesn't move so there is no scuffing.
I wouldn't consider using this cover during winter. Extreme care is needed to prevent punctures. It is strong enough to resist tension tears, but if it gets a puncture or a tear and the wind gets under it, goodbye cover. For that reason I wouldn't use it on a large rv.
I've included a few pics of how I attached the cover.

Many many thanks for the idea. Think I'll seek out a superior fabric. Cheers!!

[k corbin]

I recently saw some walking pressure feet for sewing machines that have a soft bottom surface which grips onto and pulls slippery materials. Not sure if it would help or not.


But I do know what you mean about how slippery mylar is. This week I was sewing together some silver mylar surfaced tarp material to make a heat shield for the side of my FGRV. My top stitching was sliding around quite a lot but no one will ever notice the stitch lines are not perfectly straight other than me. The mirrored surface will blind them when they look at it in the sun