waterproofing

Hi Robyn, me again! Why don't you go to http://group.yahoo.com/groups/campertrailers and have a chat to the members (of which I'm one) there. There are members Aust. wide and probably some with Jayco Dove's. The group is all about sharing info, experiences, travel tips etc with like-minded people. Could be helpful in planning your trip. Regards, waterproofing paint...I used it years ago on an old cavas tent and found it quite good for waterproofing in light rain. It didn't cost much and only took an hour or so to apply so I figured I had nothing to loose. Yes, I have heard (from the group) that the bed flys are very good - for extra shade as well as wet weather protection.
Happy travels, Melissa

I used a product called Thomsons which I believe is used to waterproof cement products. It is added to the mixture of concrete. It seemed to work ok on my canvas ute canopy but it made it appear tranparent from the inside but it was approx half the price of the canvas product from the camping shops but anything bought there is usually pretty pricey.
Years ago I remember my father using bees wax which he melted into the canvas the old irons that they used to sit on the old wood stoves. He heated them with a kero primus. It made the canvas a fair bit heavier and the bees wax had an odour of the wax in hot sunlight but there was no way it was going to leak in heavy rain and it lasted for about 5 years.
Rowdy

Hi Robyn
I bought a new Jayco Finch and had no problems whatever in the wet. I have bed flys without sides. However, friends of ours bought a second hand unit, which the previous owners obviously scrubbed down before selling. Theirs leaked quite badly. They did apply the recommended sealer, but it was never as good as our new one. They ended up making solid sides for their flys to try and minimise the problem. They have recently sold it for a pop-top off roader. Iguess you just need to make sure you buy the best sealer you can and don't skimp on cheaper products. Cheers and good luck