Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => Tips and Tricks => Topic started by: gl1500 on October 19, 2014, 01:20:35 am
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We finally decided we did not want to continually fold and unfold the pleated shade in the truck front windows. Besides that hassle, the pleated material does not really block much light. My wife went to a fabric store and bought black-out material and made non-pleated curtains. We then punched holes in the material and installed the hangers. Works great. Another benefit is when driving with the sun coming in the side window you can slide the curtain forward as much as needed and block the sun which is not possible with the pleated material.
Bob
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I'm interested in doing this as well, although I don't need blackout, I just want a real curtain for night privacy that's easier to use than the stock pleated unit that came with the PC. So if I understand this right, you removed the pleated unit and used the original hangers and track for your new curtain. I also assume you made the new curtain the same length. I was thinking I would have to use traditional drapery pleating tape and drapery hooks, but from your description it sounds like I won't have to go to all that trouble.
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It was fast and relatively easy. Remove the screws from the side wall that holds the curtain in place. Remove the little lock on the track on each side and slide the curtain out. Remove the hangars (they are just pinched shut and easily opened.) Measure from the lock on the track to the center of the track (ours had a black mark at center) on each side. Ours was 57" on each side. You will need to make the width to this measurement and perhaps a few inches more for fulness. Make the length the same as the original curtain or whatever length you like. I used quilt bias tape for all the edges so did not need to add extra for seam allowances. The quilt bias is wider than the usual ½" bias binding. Using this will speed up the job but you can make seams all around. We bought a leather punch from the hardware store to make the holes for the ¼" grommets at the top and on the sides where the screws go. Grommet kits are available with a little tool to install at Hancock Fabric and probably JoAnn's. Camping World sells extra hangars (12 to a box) but be sure to take one hangar with you to match up for the same kind as in the PC. Sew the Velcro to the middle edges of the panels; I put one strip on the side facing the RV and one on the other panel facing the windshield. This position makes it easier to close them because they will lap over . The original curtain has one grommet every 10" but this is too far apart for material so a few more are needed to make it hang nicely. Do not make the width to the full extended size of the original curtain or you will have way too much fabric. Once the grommets are in, put in the hangars, pinch them closed, and reinstall in the track. Put in the track lock and the screws and you are done. You won't need the long plastic rod because the material opens and closes easily by hand. I divided the total width into two uneven sizes so that the wider was on the driver side and the smaller one on the passenger side. This meant that we could close the curtains near the steering wheel instead of dead center; that left less bulk on the passenger side to get in the way of the little "table" that is on the 2551 by the door. If your material is real thin, you might need to add some interfacing at the top and sides for the grommets. I used a white silky blackout material with sage green binding and it looks like it "belongs" . it is so much easier to open and close than the original. If you have any questions, I would be happy to help. Nancy
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Wow, Nancy, what an awesome job (both the doing and the describing). You could probably do a little custom-order business with that kind of skill. Sewing is becoming a lost art. (cheer)
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Hello Nancy,
We had similar fabric curtains in our previous Motorhome and I agree they were easier to open and close than the pleated. Could you post some pictures of the curtains you made?
Thank you,
Dave
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Thank you Nancy, I copied all this down and put it on my "to do" list. Going to JoAnn's this week for the materials. Yes, photos please. (nod)
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To All,
I have tried to send a picture and a couple of pictures and it always states file too large. So if anyone would like to see the new curtains, give me an e-mail address and will send them to you.
If anyone can tell me why I cannot send a picture out of my photo file without it being too large, would appreciate the feedback.
Bob
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Hi Bob,
Here is what I do to make the photo fit into a post while using my MacBook:
Select the photo in the iPhoto program,
select "Export" in the "File" drop down menu,
chose "medium" size,
then "Export" to the "Desktop."
Then select the photo from the Desktop to add it to the post.
I imagine the process would be similar when using a PC instead of an Apple.
Hope this helps,
Bruce
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With the help of Bruce and Sharon, I will try and post some pictures of our new curtains. Thanks for help Bruce and Sharon.
Bob
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Seeing as those pictures went OK, my wife thought some others may also be helpful.
Bob
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Beautiful work!
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Bob,
Thank you for posting the pictures your wife did a great job.
Great improvement!
Dave
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Very Nice idea. That's one that may spread to other PC's. I may use that idea in the rear bed area in my 2350 and my front divider.
Bill G
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Hello Nancy and Bob,
Thank you for sharing your pictures and instructions for replacing the pleated curtains. We made and installed new curtains yesterday. We think they look nicer and work much better than the original.
"It was a fun project for my wife and I." :)
Dave
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Congratulations,
They look good.
Bob & Nancy
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Admittedly the stock front privacy curtain is a bit cumbersome, but we have adapted well in managing it. I do like their full vertical Velcro center connecting feature, and they do store cleanly tucked away.
For cold nights it would be nice to completely seal off around the front seats with something like a thin quilted blanket. It would take good skills to come up with something friendly to work that offers a draft-free seal. It would be much easier a project if leaving the front seats on the cold side, but we store stuff on the two front seats, primarily at bed time where all my wife's pillows get dumped.
Then there is the swivel front seat feature. It would be sad to block off a seat that could be used when we have guests.
We just started carrying a small electric 1500 heater with a blower for the fix but have not yet tried it out. We never seem to camp plugged-in anymore.
BTW, This is my 2000th post. Yikes!
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Ron,
The divider curtain Kermit installed for us my give you an idea on how to close off the front.
Bill G
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Bill,
Because we have a TV there, the curtain wouldn't work for us. When it's cold and getting dark early, watching a movie is a very nice pass time for us.
I do wonder if a simple quilted blanket would work to drape over the two front seat backs for a good lower-half barrier, providing reach-over access to the front. It wouldn't work if needing to sit on the swivel seat, but otherwise might keep the coldest air and drafts away. Has anyone tried that? If so, how well does it work for you?
Oh so many pillows we have now, plus a big quilted blanket would be over the top for me. :'(
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Ron,
I forgot about that. I relocated my tv to the rear.
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Like Ron, we too have found the pleated curtains to be very manageable. When we had our 2008 2350 we could never use the swivel front passenger seat at night when the curtains were drawn since they were too short and too stiff to accommodate the seat being swiveled.
When we ordered our 2012 2551 we requested an extra curtain panel to allow us enough curtain to accommodate both the driver and passenger seat being swiveled. We only needed about a third of that curtain so I cut it and sewed it into the existing curtain to give us more fabric to go around the seat. It has worked great and it allows us to use both seats at night with the curtain closed. Since the curtain is larger on the drivers side I had to move the straps from the middle to the bottom screw to accommodate the new thickness. It actually worked out better for us and now the curtain doesn't flare out on the bottom when in the stored position. The pleats remain in a folded position and the curtain is now very easy to operate. We find that it cuts down a lot of the cold air and can comfortably sit in these seats at any time.
(http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1178.0;attach=1922;image) (http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1178.0;attach=1923;image)
Sue
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Ron, we've draped a "Neat Sheet" across the front from the curtain bar on each wing wall (mainly because it was already on board and wasn't too heavy - we attach with clothes pins). We make sure it is pushed up against the wings and touches the floor. It droops to about the height of the seat backs. We can reach over it to access things in the front. We also close the pleated curtains and vents. This traps a good bit of the cold air up front but it isn't the perfect solution.
My next attempt is a compression curtain rod with clips to hold a thin, silver emergency blanket from ceiling to floor in the same general area that Bill's curtain is. It will need to be pinned to the wing walls somehow (probably clipped to the existing curtain bar). This will block the TV but we seldom watch it anyhow. It will be two curtains overlapping so we will be able to access things up front but will let cold air in when we do so. I considered true thermal curtains but the ones I've found are too heavy and bulky so the Mylar emergency blankets will have to do until something better comes along. I bought a pack of four or six on Amazon.
I'm still eyeing the trim areas and trying to figure out if I can hide some sort of clips or magnets up there so I can hook the Mylar up so it runs under the"cap" ceiling thereby leaving the TV and front cabinets accessible... then I read those cabinets are possibly not insulated. Insulation up there may be another step on my weather defense list.
Now that I've snuck a few tidbits into that analytical brain of yours in the hope that you'll come up with the attachment solution, the short answer is yes, a drape helps but it doesn't have to be a big quilt. Just something to block the air flow.
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2Frazzled's suggestion about the silver emergency blanket got me thinking (danger! danger!). I currently use two Magic Shade sunshades (by Auto Expressions, purchased at Walmart, extraordinarily reasonably priced) on my dash to block out sun in the summer and for privacy any time I am parked. They are made of that extremely lightweight silver material you spoke of and they are bound on the edges with some kind of oval spring so that when they are opened up they are totally flat and can be snuggled in between the dash and the visors to fit really nicely. As the weather has gotten colder, I've noticed that they trap a nice layer of cold air in between them and the window when I open up in the morning. I think I'm going to get an extra pair to put along the driver and passenger windows at night and see how much more cold air gets trapped. I also use the accordion curtains at night for more thorough privacy. Plus I think they are pretty.
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I love all the ideas shared. Yes they got my gears turning again.
On our first motor home seen here, it came with a privacy curtain that attached to the decorative buttons. You can see 4 of the eight buttons with the decorative caps removed.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3458/3729397435_8178e4e64d_z.jpg?zz=1)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2540/3730195862_65bf543c23_z.jpg?zz=1)
In the case with our PC, those buttons are used as seen in this picture.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8233/8462446019_ba372d35bd_z.jpg)
I think adding one more button to the right on the green triangle would make for an ideal snap on curtain. Maybe a button in the middle and one at the far right for a nice balanced look. You simply use a teaspoon to pop off the decorative cap (green cap in my case here) and behind it is the male portion of the snap. With two snaps per side that sort-of follows the wing wall, that might offer enough support and enough of a seal. I am currently at work, unable to determine if anything is in the way. Maybe cover 50% across the triangle would be best to avoid cabinets, dinette, etc.
As far as what material to use, our old rig was upholstery vinyl. It blocked out the draft except down at the floor because it wasn't quite long enough.
If it works very effectively, maybe we should propose it to Kermit to offer it as a feature or option because it would be nice if it was made of the same material to match.
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What would it be like if you just replaced the current pleated curtains with ones that are longer and reach all the way to the floor? Then you could still see the TV and turn the front chairs around and use them. Just wondering. >8)
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Replacing the pleated curtain with a long, flexible, thermal one would probably work for us IF the curtain bar can support the extra weight. We have the rubber floor mat so that reduces the heat exchange through the cab floor. I'm not sure how that would work with a noninsulated floor. I'm also not sure I want to deal with all that curtain every time I shutter the front. A floor length curtain that wraps the entire cab would likely be cumbersome. We only need the extra wrapping when we camp really hot or really cold and we do try to avoid the extremes. We just aren't all that good at it.
The idea is food for thought, though. If I could just find a nice, smooth flowing, good looking, light blocking, thermal fabric, we'd be good to go.