Hello all, and Kind Regards from Steven Gibbs, Director,
Bushtracker
For those ordering a new van, here are a couple of window treatment options:
I have gotten a couple of enquires for fine mesh window screens. There are now window screens available for "midgees, sandflies, gnats, or #@%!" whatever you want to call them... They land on the window sill of each little square in normal screens and then fly in... I get about a hundred of them all over the ceiling by a light, until I finally take a wet paper towel or sponge and clean them all up... Happens once or twice a night in the wrong areas...
Now, it is available, but I am still of two minds as to whether I personally get them in my new van or not.... The reason is, that it would, without a doubt, reduce the air flow in the van.. I am not sure it is the answer. I might experiment with velcroe and see if they could be put on in rare locations, but taken off easily when you needed cooler air flow in hot times... changing out the screens is just a big job, pushing in the welt all around the window with a screen not stored flat could be a problem.. They also seem to shrink in storage and it becomes a fun job to put up a new one... Not sure I want to tackle it as a routine.
They are not dear as in $$$. They are around a $20-$25 increase over the normal ones. In ordering a new van, it will be a bit more to cover the extra handling and segregation of specialized window orders, and some other hassles, but it can be done. I might just live with the paper towel wetdown wipe up routine, rather than spend the extra money and cut down the air flow... It seems the problem is the worst in areas that are also tropical and hot, and so it might be counterproductive to cut down the natural cooling factor...
They do not see why the same could not be done for doors and the "Four Seasons Hatch". But again, I am of two minds. In all my travels, the little gnats were either off schedule for feeding time at night, or were not the biting type.. I am sure the biting type do get in, but it has not been a problem for us; in travel with my family of five... It is available, but I don't know if I want to reduce the air flow, in return for a little clean up on the ceiling and light where they all land at night. So far it has not been a practical problem, other than the little hassle of the clean up, so I might put up with the inconvenience in return for better air flow... All up it looks like they would cost about $200 on the average van for the windows. The door is just a normal spline, you could probably do that yourself. And they have not gotten back to us on the Four Seasons Hatch cost, but it can't be that much..
Again, the cost is not too bad, but I am not sure I would do it on the basis of a cut down on the air flow.. But for those who asked, here is the choice....
There is also the option of double glazing on the windows. We just did a costing on one, as an average 8 window van basis, and it looks like around $800 would get double glazed windows.. This will vary van to van, and we would have to run the figures in each case, but that is what we have just priced up as an average. I don't know if I would do it for hot conditions with the dark tint, but it probably makes good sense to do it for the cold climates.. Will add a minor amount of weight..
You choose.. That is my best analysis on the matter. I own a
Bushtracker too...
And I am getting a new one next year, so it is always a good idea to review these things as conditions of technology and experience change... But to tell you the truth, for me personally, I am not sure I will bother with either...
Kind Regards, stg at
Bushtracker