Headliner Shelf

[DaveG]

We are looking at adding a headliner shelf in our 2021 AI-19. Anyone have suggestions, good or bad experiences, thoughts?
Thanks!

[InterBlog]

Rather than a headliner shelf, we added a soft loft. This prevents us from banging our heads as we climb in and out of the cab seats. We use it to store bulky but light gear including blankets and jackets. And bags of corn chips that we don't want crushed in the galley cabinet!!



DIY instructions here:

DIY CAB GEAR LOFT FOR THE AIRSTREAM INTERSTATE

TL;DR image, and IIRC, there is a previous thread on this topic somewhere in this massive stack:

[emike]

Saw this. Looks interesting:

https://owlvans.com/collections/vs30...eadliner-shelf

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by emike

Saw this. Looks interesting:

https://owlvans.com/collections/vs30...eadliner-shelf

I give it an "A" for originality. They partially got around the head-bashing predicament by cutting a notch in the middle. But that also forfeits valuable storage space.

The benefit of a fully-soft sling is that, if the trip is shorter and less stuff needs to be carried, the sling can be velcro'd up out of the way for a more expansive cabin feel. That can't be done with a fixed shelf.

There's another reason why slings / shelves are a good idea. Sprinters gain a tremendous amount of heat load (or conversely, experience heat loss) through their foreheads, which is a real problem for the Interstate because its a/c and heat are arguably underpowered for its size (there are many historical threads on that, especially the hot side of the equation). If you place light, lofty items such as jackets, blankets and pillows up against the headliner, it serves as a de facto extra layer of insulation up there.

Here's an old photo of a DIY radiant barrier mod that we did. Neither MB nor Airstream had installed any insulation above our headliner, to the effect that our cab tended to get broiling hot before we made several mods to compensate (we live on the upper Texas coast where the heat problem is extreme).

[emike]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

I give it an "A" for originality. They partially got around the head-bashing predicament by cutting a notch in the middle. But that also forfeits valuable storage space.

The benefit of a fully-soft sling is that, if the trip is shorter and less stuff needs to be carried, the sling can be velcro'd up out of the way for a more expansive cabin feel. That can't be done with a fixed shelf.

There's another reason why slings / shelves are a good idea. Sprinters gain a tremendous amount of heat load (or conversely, experience heat loss) through their foreheads, which is a real problem for the Interstate because its a/c and heat are arguably underpowered for its size (there are many historical threads on that, especially the hot side of the equation). If you place light, lofty items such as jackets, blankets and pillows up against the headliner, it serves as a de facto extra layer of insulation up there.

Here's an old photo of a DIY radiant barrier mod that we did. Neither MB nor Airstream had installed any insulation above our headliner, to the effect that our cab tended to get broiling hot before we made several mods to compensate (we live on the upper Texas coast where the heat problem is extreme).

This is awesome. Something I'll definitely look into.

Also saw/read that a slight tint on the front windshield cuts down significantly on overheating the dash, and any electronics on the dash.

[DaveG]

Thanks emike! The Owl shelf is low and would interfere with the house radio mounted above the rearview mirror in our model interstate. Also might be a tight fit with the bulkhead behind the drivers seat?

We're presently looking into this one:https://www.whitetopadventures.com
Thoughts, comments?

Measured at center it is 10" below the headliner. Similar support brackets appear available in several places like eBay and Amazon for DIY shelf construction. The use of net like InterBlog's design has some appeal. The curtain rod on the White Top Adventure model would be useful.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by emike

....

Also saw/read that a slight tint on the front windshield cuts down significantly on overheating the dash, and any electronics on the dash.

To be exact, an investment in 3M Crystalline (CR) will change your life and make you kiss the ground in happiness.

But two problems conspire and threaten to shatter that happiness, literally:

(1) Sprinter windshields are huge and vulnerable to road hazards. Most of us have replaced ours at least once.

(2) 3M CR is so expensive that it's almost impossible to even get it installed because so few shops carry it. IIRC, for a cab treatment, I paid a cash price of around $600 to a lesser-known installer, but people on this forum were paying $1,000 or more, the last time I checked.

I enjoyed the heck out of my 3M CR windshield right up until the point where I caught a stray bullet on the Gulf Freeway last year. I opted to not spend that money a second time on the replacement windshield - at least not yet, because that's a big pile of cash to be placing on something so fragile.

But I sure miss it. The first time I got back behind the steering wheel with the new naked windshield in place, I literally almost vomited in despair, it was so hot. I had, indeed, become spoiled.

If you want the ins and outs on tinting Airstream Interstate windows, this historical thread is epic:

Front clip protection & Window tint


EDIT: As I pause for a somber moment to mourn the loss of what I had, here's a direct link to my CR-70 installation post for those who are in TL;DR mode:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...ml#post2100183