Keder rail

Nigll

 what tent will fit in a 2014 cs-s keder rail? The rail is so skinny is there a tent made for this?

Tampakayaker

There should be a wider spot in the rail near one end.  On our 2016 it's about 10 inches or so from the back end of the rail.

The easiest way to attach something is using Keder rope.  I got some off of Amazon that has a built in flap that you can sew onto awnings, tents etc.

Keder - 8.5mm (5/16") Welded Flap, Standard, Black - 15 Feet

Keder

Other people have used rope, vinyl strips, etc.

There are plans on this site on how to make a "wing" type awning.

Some people have just used a blue tarp setup.

Sharon_is_SAM

I think the PaHaQue brand Visors, awnings and tents as well as the All Pro Adventure offerings all fit.  I know @Verna had a 2014 and I believe the Keder rail size has always been the same.

Verna

The Keder rail has not changed size on the Pleasant Valley/nüCamp T@B’s since the production started. 

I still have the PahaQue visor I used on my 2014 T@B and it fits the Keder rail on my 2019 T@B 400. 

Nigll

Ok thanks! 

ChanW

But the Clamshell requires a tent specific to the CS, for the kedar rail, due to the different profile.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Nigll - as @ChanW noted, if you go with PahaQue or All Pro Adventures tents/awnings, make sure you get the CS version.  The S model tents will not fit the clamshell TaBs.

CibolaSisu

On the t@b models after 2020, are the Keder rails still measuring as: 8.5mm (5/16") ?

Sharon_is_SAM

Yes.  See last post in this thread: https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/11931/keder-cord

nbrandt

We have a 2021 CS-S.  I found that I had to remove each screw individually, bore the hole slightly with a drill bit and replace that screw and then move on to the next screw and repeat the process.  The head of the screws were sticking out so far that the keder rail flap (mentioned above) did not slide along the rail easily.  This process really aided the installation of the homemade awning - turning from something I had to fight at every screw head into a smooth process from one end to the other.

Be careful not to bore the hole bigger than the head of the screw.  Take your time.  Worth the effort.

CibolaSisu

@Sharon_is_SAM I had to check b/c there was a thread on FB today where a 2021 t@b owner's AllPro awning did not thread through the keder rail.

Part of the post: 
"I’ll ask this again in the hopes of someone having a similar problem. The “shade wing” awning from All Pro Adventures does not fit into the inset keder rail on my 203(2)1 Tab 320. The rail seems smaller in circumference. Any suggestions? All Pro says they have been making them for years but this is the first year the keder rail is inset.  RESULT: Elton from All Pro Adventures contacted me. Apparently I’m not the only one with this problem. Another Nucamp customer returned his awning to All Pro to be fitted with a ¼ inch SPLINE instead of the 5/16 one typical for the Nucamp 320 S. “It worked perfectly”. I’m ready to ship mine back to All Pro. Whew."

SO...what is the actual answer? I have no idea what a "spline" is. I just need to know what that means with my keder rail purchases for future use. I am hesitating now to invest in awnings etc.

THANK YOU in advance!

CibolaSisu

nbrandt said:

We have a 2021 CS-S.  I found that I had to remove each screw individually, bore the hole slightly with a drill bit and replace that screw and then move on to the next screw and repeat the process.  The head of the screws were sticking out so far that the keder rail flap (mentioned above) did not slide along the rail easily.  This process really aided the installation of the homemade awning - turning from something I had to fight at every screw head into a smooth process from one end to the other.

Be careful not to bore the hole bigger than the head of the screw.  Take your time.  Worth the effort.

Maybe that is why the above issue necessitating the "spline"?

Marceline

CibolaSisu said:

SO...what is the actual answer? I have no idea what a "spline" is. I just need to know what that means with my keder rail purchases for future use. I am hesitating now to invest in awnings etc.

THANK YOU in advance!

The spline is the part that actually slides into the track. There are various sizes of spline (and track) so it's important to get the right diameter. From what you posted it looks like there was a mistake at the manufacturer. A spline that is too big won't fit into the track at all.

But as @nbrandt wrote, there are cases where the screws haven't been sunk far enough into the track, and the protruding screw heads interfere with sliding the spline (or keder rope, or awning rope) down the track.

CibolaSisu

Marceline said:

CibolaSisu said:

SO...what is the actual answer? I have no idea what a "spline" is. I just need to know what that means with my keder rail purchases for future use. I am hesitating now to invest in awnings etc.

THANK YOU in advance!

The spline is the part that actually slides into the track. There are various sizes of spline (and track) so it's important to get the right diameter. From what you posted it looks like there was a mistake at the manufacturer. A spline that is too big won't fit into the track at all.

But as @nbrandt wrote, there are cases where the screws haven't been sunk far enough into the track, and the protruding screw heads interfere with sliding the spline (or keder rope, or awning rope) down the track.

So, as far as you know, NO CHANGE in the keder track diameter? Or as far as anyone else knows...I hope. 

I am a bit leary to trust the NüCamp folks right now, esp as a new buyer into the cult, as my trailer came without a screen door - which is supposed to arrive at an unknown date forever from now. I was recently acquainted with several t@b owers, that are new buyers, one from Nov that are also still waiting for their trailer to be "COMPLETE" - missing screen doors and window covers. COVID can't be the excuse anymore. 

Thank you for your help!

Sharon_is_SAM

@CibolaSisu - actually supply issues continue to be an issue in many industries including RV manufacturers.

Regarding the Keder rail issue:  there was a thread here that reported an issue with the inability to slide an awning/visor.   The 2021 and 2022 320 S models have the new inset rail that are reported to allow a Keder rope to slide very smoothly.  I wonder if AllProAdventures had an early production run using oversized Keder rope? (Nope - see next post.)

I think you will find that you can trust nuCamp to remedy most situations.

I think I will call All Pro Adventures and inquire.  

Sharon_is_SAM

Spoke with Elton at All Pro Adventures.  He confirmed that the Keder rail size has not changed.  He reported that sometimes the new Keder rail results in an area on the rear rail that twists and narrows, resulting in the inability to pass the cording.  They did switch to using 1/4 “ cording and there is no inventory with the larger cording, so orders now have the 1/4”.  He also recommended threading the cording from front to back to avoid the struggle with the possible narrowed area in the back.  

Marceline

CibolaSisu said:

COVID can't be the excuse anymore. 

Yes it can. Anyone who is involved in any kind of manufacturing or construction will tell you that there are still many supply chain issues.

jfinigan

I emailed Nu Camp today. I do not have a screen door yet. They said it would be a couple of weeks. I don't believe that because there are quite a few people waiting, I have my camper for about a month now. Supply chain issues are still from Covid. As I was trying a to book a flight to Alaska to visit family and they have no rental cars still. There are other items that are in short supply because some other countries keep shutting down.

34tl34d

The spline is the solid part inside the fabric (if you are using a fabric sleeve where the awning attaches to the camper within that track). Splines are used more generally for attaching surface materials to a frame (like a screen to a screen door or woven wicker to a chair seat or attaching a skin to a boat frame for a SOF canoe). The long cylindrical or tubular cordage that holds the material in the slot. I have a Yakima awning that uses round slots and a 3/16” spline with a middle-weight fabric (I have a canvas drop cloth prototype) will fill the slot and the spline provides a space filler between the fabric sleeve and the round slot. I think that slot is about 5/16” diameter. I’ve used wood dowel, fiberglass rod, and plastic tubing as a spline; they all work pretty well. But wood can splinter or break pretty easily. And the plastic tubing seems like it might not last long. The fiberglass rod is the way to go. It seems to work on my 2024 tab 320, too. There is also a material that someone else mentioned that includes either material with a spline inside, or just some rigid cordage on a strip that can be sewn onto the fabric. This seems problematic to me, but I’ve seen something like it used on a Sailrite video for a boat enclosure and that seems pretty legit imho. 

Mcadaman

When we ordered the new PahaQue tent, the customer service rep asked if we had the "square" or "round" type of keder rail. Our 2016 320 S Max has the round one.