> Your idea has sorta been done many years ago by Westfalia &
> others for VW Buses  The tents that cantilevered off the side
> of the vw camper had privy attachments, removable sides, etc.
> & now sell for $1500 +- for a decent tent w/ poles.  Later on
> they did drive-a-way tents called Big Tops.

This might be a good time to mention that in 8 weeks I will have a
completely new modernization of the classic VW driveaway side tent/awning.
This is a total redesign that I've been working on for nearly two years, and
is unlike any other on the market. I'm an avid fan of driveaway VW tents and
awnings myself. I've owned and/or sold many different ones built over a 30
year period, including multiple generations of both OEM and aftermarket
German offerings. As I've used them over the years, I've often thought, "if
only I could combine this feature from this model with that feature from
another, it would be the perfect combination."  So that's basically what I
did - I combined the best of various models, and added some new ideas of my
own.

I have to say that I'm pretty happy with the result. It is more configurable
and more user friendly than anything previously available. For example,
every side can be raised and lowered independently, so you can use it as an
open pavilion, close individual sides to block wind, rain, or sun, or close
it entirely. Two of the sides can also be raised into an awning, adding an
additonal 10 feet of shelter beyond the footprint of the structure.  When
the sides are down there is a full floor, which can also be removed or
turned into a ground sheet. Also, it's available in color choices that are
specifically designed to compliment your Vanagon - a gray/blue color scheme
to match later Vanagons, and a brown/tan color scheme to match earlier ones.

You can find more info here:

http://busdepot.com/details/addaroom.jsp

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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Toll-Free for Orders by PART # :  1-866-BUS-DEPOT