Before OO picked up the SpareHopper bag design for production I sewed several prototypes, one of which (the black one in the photo below) I made from recycled Haartz Sailcloth recycled from a used JKU hardtop. The tan prototype I made from an acrylic similar to Sunbrella. Both of those fabrics worked out very well but they were a bit expensive to use in a production version.
It works pretty well and does eliminate or at least minimize the bulge in most circumstances I've tested it in. If it were ever to go into production I'd recommend to the manufacturer that they increase the thickness of the insulation a bit so it works even better in extreme heat places like the desert southwest.
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On another sewing-related topic...
I was talking with Overland Outfitters this afternoon and they told me they sold a bunch of several different products in the last couple of hours, which they thought was unusual. I told them I wasn't surprised because Quadratec send a marketing email out this afternoon promoting "The Five Best Products For Your Jeep's Interior", three of which were the OO products in question:
Actually the email featured 7 products, when I did the screen shot I left off the last row of three. I guess they can't count?
All three of those OO products first appeared in one of my threads on the Expedition Portal in prototype form, they were ideas I came up with that I sewed prototypes of for my own use, thinking the ideas might be useful and not knowing that OO would pick up the designs and put them in production. I guess they are useful for more people than just me, and it's nice to see that.
Two of the OO products in the QT email work well in the TJ; the door pockets are just for the JK and JL. I have done a door pocket design for the TJ/LJ and use one in my LJ but OO hasn't decided to put it in production
.Maybe someone in this forum who takes up sewing will come up with a fabric design that will end up in a future "Best Products for your Jeep" blast from someone like Quadratec
.
