Gizmos

[Anne's Family]

Going in August. Yes, just shoot me now. But it's the only time of year we can go because of school and swim team.

That said, we're in a popup. I was just wondering if anyone knew what kind of fabric Popup Gizmos were made out of. I'm perfectly capable of sewing up my own, but I have no idea what to use.

I've got those reflective emergency blankets over the bunkends right now. They work, but they ain't too purty.

 

[BigDaddyRog]

They were originally made with canvas...but recently most companies have started using the same vinyl material that most ground tarps are made out of. Id just go buy a huge heavy duty tarp, cut it up, sew it, seal it and be proud of it!!

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

I would set up a large tarp or something to provide shade/rain protection and set up the pop-up under it. remember to leave an air space betwen the pop-up and the shade cover. If you pop-up has a/c this help it work. Also make sure the tarp will drain.

It never rains in August in Florida.

 

[lucy_love]

I'm going in August as well, but I live in FL so I am use to the heat

 

[tim5055]

Going in August. Yes, just shoot me now. But it's the only time of year we can go because of school and swim team.

That said, we're in a popup. I was just wondering if anyone knew what kind of fabric Popup Gizmos were made out of. I'm perfectly capable of sewing up my own, but I have no idea what to use.

I've got those reflective emergency blankets over the bunkends right now. They work, but they ain't too purty.

You can always tell the "real" pop up campers by how they answer a "gizmos" question.

The original pop up reflective covers were home made and constructed of Reflectix® which is a 5/16" thick, seven layer, reflective insulation. It is available in rolls of various widths and lengths. Two outer layers of aluminum foil reflect 97% of radiant heat". It is unfortunate that it is not available in a width to cover the entire bed end and because of this it must be spliced to cover the end. Most users add grommets to the corners to allow it to be tied into place. A standard roll of reflectix of sufficient size for a pop-up is around $50 (with lots left over). It is available from most home improvement stores (Home Depot/Lowe's). Reflectix is stiff and difficult to work with in my opinion.

Other options include Mylar "space emergency blankets", (which you are using) which while highly reflective but are thin and susceptible to tearing and holes.

Now, a couple of years ago a guy from Texas who camps in a pop up made reflective covers exactly sized to the make/model of your pop up. The original product he made was a brace for the roof top A/C which he called Pop Up Gizmos, so the name is also used for his new product.

I held out for a while, continuing to use other things but then gave up and purchased them and I must say they work great. They are an exact custom fit for your pop up and keep the bunk ends nice and cool. Just clip them on the top of the bunk ends (and the slide out in our case) before you pop all the way up. It helps keep the pop up cool. The material he uses is very pliable, but strong.

The closest I have found to his actual material is the Cabella's Sportsman's Space Blankets You will need 3 or 4 of them to cover both bunk ends.

Now add up four of them and the clips you will need and you are in the ballpark of just buying from Popupgizmos.

 

[DznyRulz]

I did not know that the original Gizmos were made of Reflectix. I'm pretty sure the current construction uses the same, or extremely similar, material as the All Weather Sportsman's Blanket sold at Cabela's or campmor.com, as Tim described above. Popup Gizmos once had a diagram of the material on their website and it appeard to be the same construction. For far less than the Gizmos I used the Sportman's Blanket (around $11 each) and crocodile clips (4 for $4) for my HTT (see below). Some folks have even stitched the two together for the queen bunk, only one was needed for the smaller bunk.

Here is a pic of the cover on the front bunk of our HTT.

 

[cwgamer]

I just happened to order a set from 'the guy in Texas' this morning. I thought of saving a couple bucks and coming up with something on my own, but then figured I'd just get the ones from a guy who actually knows what he's doing.

The ones' he makes has received rave reviews from campers on some of the sites like Popuportal.com, etc. I have yet to see anyone say anything negative about them.

On his site he has an expansive list of measurements already for older PUPs, and almost all newer ones, so you only need to provide measurements if your model, year, etc. happens to be one he doesn't have.

Good guy too. I provided info and paid via Paypal, and he was kind enough to actually call me to verify the style bunks my particular PUP model had. He said they should be shipped out tomorrow.

It's popupgizmos.com in case anyone is interested.

 

[3gr8kids]

We bought the gizmos from Bob (the guy in Texas) and are VERY happy with them. They definitely do what they are made to do, and IMHO are well worth the money. We bought them not only to insulate the TT, it also saves your bunkend canvas from getting all tree sap, bird poo, etc. We figured it is much cheaper to replace the gizmos than the canvas, and when we decide to sell our TT, the canvas will look like new.

 

[tim5055]

I did not know that the original Gizmos were made of Reflectix. I'm pretty sure the current construction uses the same, or extremely similar, material as the All Weather Sportsman's Blanket sold at Cabela's

I did not mean to imply that the first Gizmos were Reflectix, but that the first bunk end covers were home made using Reflectix.

Yes, the Gizmos are made of a similar material as the Sportsmens Blankets. Oh, and the price of the Sprotsmens Blankets have gone up - they are more than the "around $11 each" you paid.

 

[DznyRulz]

Yes, the Gizmos are made of a similar material as the Sportsmens Blankets. Oh, and the price of the Sprotsmens Blankets have gone up - they are more than the "around $11 each" you paid.

I see the price has gone up but it's still a great price, $12.99 per blanket at campmor.com.