Question:
My son has a 1989 Coleman Sequoia. I has the Evolution "state of the art" fabric on it. The fabric has started to rot and is going to have to be replaced. Coleman (and other manufacturers) are now using another "great" fabric called Sunbrella. Questions:
1. Does "Evolution" typically have a 12 year life?
2. Is "Sunbrella" really that much better?
3. And, how about that stuff called "Canvas"?
I am aware of three fabric replacement companies, all located in Wisconsin. (Bearcreek,Canvas Replacements, and Canvas and More). Some use canvas and others have Sunbrella available.
Does anybody have any suggestions regarding any of the above companies or choice of fabric?
Answer:
-Don't know the other 2... I only know Sunbrella... it's very good material, good enough to be used on boats...
I'd use any of them, as long as they are garantied to be waterproof!
-If cost is not a factor I would go with Sunbrella. Canvass would be a
good 2nd choice, and I believe it is cheaper. I would not consider
Evolution 3 at all...I don't even know if Evolution 3 is still offered
by any of the above mentioned companies (including Fleetwood/Coleman).
I have posted to several threads concerning Evolution 3 over the past
3 years. I did a google.com search, and cut-n-pasted several of my
past threads on the subject together below:
I have had campers with canvass, Evolution 3 and Sunbrella. We
replaced the worn-out Evolution 3 on our 87 Sequoia with new Evolution
3 in 1994, and we replaced the original canvass on our current 77
Valley Forge with canvass. Our 98 Bayside had Sunbrella. The
"breathable" aspect of any of these materials was never an issue for
us...I've never noticed any difference. However, when it comes to
durability and light diffusion or darkening there are big differences.
Sunbrella is the most "transparent" material of the 3...it's great
during the day, however if you camp in a spot next to a bright street
light,
the interior of your camper will be well lit all night. The shadows
of your movements inside the camper are also telegraph thru and are
more visible at night due to the transparent quality of the Sunbrella
fabric. Canvass, on the other hand is virtually opaque. Frankly we
prefer the dark inside our camper at night. Evolution 3 is an opaque
fabric like canvass.
For durability and ease of cleaning, I would give the edge to
Sunbrella, then canvass and lastly Evolution 3. All 3 fabrics will
last a long time if taken care of properly.
In my experience, I don't think Evolution 3 holds up the the everyday
rigors of being popped-up and taken down, and regularly cleaned. If
you look closely at the bed boots just behind the roof posts you may
see the material pulling apart like a kitchen paper napkin (the 3
layers are de-laminating).
Also check the ends of the bed boots where the bed bow engages and
supports the boot. These are points where the fabric has been
stressed
over and over and can wear the fabric thin.
Also you can hurt Evolution 3 by scrubbing it with too
coarse of a brush. I believe canvass may be cheaper than Sunbrella.
I don't know if Bear Creek Canvass or Canvass Replacements Co. offer
Sunbrella.
New canvass will run you about $700. (I found a set of new canvass
for my 77 Valley Forge on ebay for $200)
When we bought the 87 Sequoia we knew we would have to replace the
Evolution 3 but the price we paid for the camper was low enough to
allow us to do that and ultimately we did not loose any money on it
when we sold it. We bought the 87 Sequoia in Oct 92 and the Evolution
3 was not in good shape. I think he may have left it popped up for an
extended period of time or maybe over a winter. The layers were
de-laminating. It looked like this: if you take a dry tooth
brush and rub both faces of a kitchen paper towel, the fibers of
the paper get a "fuzzy" look. Also, at the stress points (such
as just behind the zipper where the bed boots attach to the
roadside panels) the stuff was pulling apart. I noticed the
same thing happening to other similar model Colemans at the
time. We bought a couple of yards of Evolution fabric from Coleman
and
sewed/reinforced the weak spots (sewed to the interior face to
reinforce the weak spots) and we made it last a couple of years
longer. We finally ordered a new set of Evolution 3 repalcements in
May 1994 for $695. This was pre-internet and I had no way of getting
the information & life experience from others like is available thru
this news group now. If I had known then what I know now, I would
have gone with canvass. I'm not sure I've ever read a thread here
that tells the true story of what happened to Evolution 3, and why
it's use by Coleman was discontinued after the 1994 models in favor of
Sunbrella.
