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The incredible shrinking Nucamp $3000 shower curtain

Maxcamp8Maxcamp8 Member Posts: 213
edited June 2022 in Modifications & Upgrades
Our Feb 2021 Tab 320S came with a white vinyl shower curtain having snaps spaced with zero slack whatsoever.
To snap it to the mating snaps on two sides of the bath door requires great hand strength and physically stretching the vinyl.
Had to snap in and unsnap my wife every time she took a shower....

Air-drying the vinyl in the sun (or shade) makes it SHRINK 10-15% and IMPOSSIBLE to re-use.  
We resorted to sticking it in a bag in the fridge to relax enough to use with great difficultly.

This is a terrible product.  While it won't be hard to either make a curtain with riveted snaps that actually have slack fabric between them, or come up with a screwed or glued magnet system around the door, it all takes time and testing.  We are exhausted from our inaugural multimonth trip that featured too many of these surprise fixes, often of great magnitude.  I'd like Nucamnp to make and send out a curtain that actually can be used.

Anyone else done the magnet trick?
thanks.

2021 T@B 320S Boondock/ 2012 Tacoma 4 cylinder truck / 2023 Tacoma 6 cyl. truck

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    Denny16Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    Yes, we just recently received some shower curtain magnets, to hold the shower curtain against the door area on the TaB400, however we haven’t tried it our yet.
     Cheers 
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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    Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,513
    @Maxcamp8 - please email nuCamp Customer Experience at Help@nuCamprv.com or call 330.556.4415 ext 834.  They need this kind of info!
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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    Maxcamp8Maxcamp8 Member Posts: 213
    done.  They would not even offer a replacement shower curtain given we bought "used " at thirty days old.  

    2021 T@B 320S Boondock/ 2012 Tacoma 4 cylinder truck / 2023 Tacoma 6 cyl. truck

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    Maxcamp8Maxcamp8 Member Posts: 213
    Perhaps NuCamp was inspired by The Impossible Burger in 2021.
    We have dubbed this The Impossible Shower Curtain.

    Well we tested the old curtain after dewinterizing and I could not even get it to stretch enough between snaps to force it into place widthwise.   Installer failed to consider even 1/16" of slack when screwing male snaps into one jamb and one wall.  I envision Nucamp building 8'2" tall trailers inside a 7'8" overhead rolling door opening and then saying, "now what..."  or building floor to ceiling cabinets in one piece that cannot be tilted into place. 

    Made new shower curtain in a hurry today.  Very grumpy we had to procure materials and spend the time to do this, $30K shower trailer should come with a functioning system. 
    Temporary using existing male snaps and sewed up new curtain with female snaps spaced a good half inch extra slack between each... as Nucamp needed to do.  Functions as needed.

    Will replace after this trip with small round magnets mounted to same screwholes, and make a new curtain with magnets mounted in stitched pockets.  Future photos pending.  

    2021 T@B 320S Boondock/ 2012 Tacoma 4 cylinder truck / 2023 Tacoma 6 cyl. truck

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    Maxcamp8Maxcamp8 Member Posts: 213
    edited June 2022
    Update.   After pretty much rebuilding our old sewing machine (and learning the details of how they work...) made a magnetically fastening curtain. 
    Bonus: attach one upper corner and the strong magnets swing in and install each at the correct points in a few seconds.  Easy to remove but holds well if you brush against it.  Wife is very pleased.

    curtain stock 64x36
    source:
    amazon.com/gp/product/B07VPZGXW7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

    1/2" OD round neodymium magnets with 1/8" ID countersunk screwhole.
    source:
    amazon.com/gp/product/B095SJLQPH
    These came with two polarities (some North, some South) and are unmarked. 
    After a false test start, used permanent green and black markers to identify the North face and ensure I'd end up with mating orientation on curtain.

    #6x1/2" stainless flathead phillips screws, from stock.

    1. replaced existing Nucamp screw-in male snaps with magnets and flathead screws.  
    1a. added a magnet near base of toilet on left jamb.  No access to drill so epoxied and clamped in place.

    2. Drew on paper a layout of fastener centerpoints, measuring from floor.  
    left right
     59   59 
     39-3/8   39-3/8 
     19-3/16   19-3/8 
     4-3/4   1-1/4
     floor   floor 
    Left-right distance center to center is just over 19", I used 20" center to center to allow for handling and shrinkage after drying.  I deducted 1/4" from each measurement above from bottom, to keep base of curtain up off shower pan.

    2. cut down curtain to 60x23 and hemmed two edges about 1/2" with chevron stitch. 

    3. Picked out stitching on corner enclosing weight/magnet and removed same.  Scissored off the enclosing fabric triangle.

    5. Ironed a 1" wide hem down one edge (right jamb, looking out of bath) with chevron stitch.

    6. Laid out magnet locations on right jamb, straight-stitched lateral pockets about 9/16" high

    7. Picked out chevron vertical stitching at face of pocket, inserted magnet, re-stitched chevron hem, leaving the magnet pocket 'long' for adjustment.

    8. Test fit right jamb, marked left jamb magnets as about 19.5" center to center distance from right.

    9. Folded and ironed left jamb side of curtain about 1" in and chevron stitched, so curtain edge to edge is just over 20".

    10. Repeated steps 6,7,8, 9 on left jamb.

    11. After ensuring magnet to magnet spacing widthwise was neither too tight nor too loose, straight stitched pocket closures on the vertical axis to lock them in on fourth side.

    12. Picked out and restitched two magnet pockets where somehow the polarity ended up reversed.  Must not have fed the floor gods during lunch break, this was their toll.  

    12. Cleaned up loose threads.

    13. Field Acceptance Testing and idiot proofing.  Labeled upper edge Top/In with permanent marker.

    Nucamp sold us a $30K+ camper with a shower curtain that could not be used more than once, refused to replace it in kind or honor warranty on our 'used' camper purchased with six weeks' prior ownership on it.
    Nucamp, this is our fix.  Take notice.   You could and should easily be doing the same, very cheaply.

    Calls and emails to Nucamp: no charge.
    Parts: $50
    Discarded Prototype parts: $80 (male/female screw in and standard snaps, snap installation kit, fabric, shower curtain stock.)
    Lost Labor- emergency fixes and fabrication during initial trailer usages: $$$ to be determined.  
    Final Labor- professional prototyping and fabrication by licensed construction manager: 8 hours @$165 = $1,320
    -----
    Net Estimated cost to buyer of NuCamp procurement failure: $2500 to $3000.

    Not quite the proverbial Air Force $6500 toilet seat, but this shower curtain gets close!








    2021 T@B 320S Boondock/ 2012 Tacoma 4 cylinder truck / 2023 Tacoma 6 cyl. truck

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