What are your thoughts about Raptor coating your van?

[Jack]

I've never heard of this stuff before watching a YouTube video about a vandwelling couple that drove from Key West, Florida to Alaska in a van that they painted with the Raptor coating.  The guy was paranoid about rust so he rubber lined the metal floor in the back of the van with truck bed lining before building it out.  Then he used Raptor to paint the van on the outside.  

I understand the pros to doing this:  scratch proof, uv proof, waterproof, help with sound deadening, etc.,  But the only con I see is that it takes away from the stealth of a van.  I think folks here are familiar with Mike (Backroads Vanner on YouTube.)  He painted his van and loved it.  He said people will give him a thumbs up as he's driving down the road, or come up to feel the van at a gas station and ask about it.  Still, he feels that what he loses in stealth, it's worth it.  

At the very least, I can see doing the bumpers, roof, skirts, and steps.  It sounds like a great idea (to this MinneSNOWtan) for under vehicle protection, too.  I could see doing the body of the van in the flat finish and the rest in a standard coarse finish.  (Scroll to bottom of page for photos of the different finishes.)

What do you think and why?  The only posts of it I could find here on the forum were passing mentions of the product but no discussions on it.

 

[Van-Tramp]

I assume the Raptor coating is a bed liner type epoxy? I googled it, yeah it is.

So, I used Monstaliner http://www.monstaliner.com on my van and It is amazing. I'm not sure you can roll on Raptor, but you can with Mostaliner. That makes it a very easy-to-do project for anyone. No need for compressors, air gun skills, or even electricity. I rolled mine (see link below).

Since doing it, there are a few things to think about that I've learned. 
1) It will never come back off. If you worry about resale value, a bed liner coating is not going to help it unless you plan to market it only to the off-road types. They will appreciate it. You average van-lifer will not.
2) it is heavy duty as all snot. You do not have to worry about scratches from scraping branches on that tight 4WD road. If you do happen to damage it, you can easily fix it with a spot application
3) It does get a lot more attention. People approach me all the time about the paint.
4) all the other stuff (insulation, UV, sound deadening, etc) may be true on paper, but you will not notice any of it.
5) it is heavier than paint. I added about 60+ pounds of weight to my van. Doesnt sound like a lot, but now I am struggling to get my van back anywhere near GVW. I'm 900+ pounds overweight last time I rolled through a scale. So weight does matter eventually.

If you are considering it, I wrote a post on this forum about when I did it (or you can read it on my blog at https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/painting-the-van-with-bed-liner ). There I detailed some of the things I learned doing it as well as the costs and an estimate on how much you might need to do your own van. The black stripe - and bigger tires - on my van I added just a few months ago.



[size=large] https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/van-before-n-after.png[/size]

 

[Jack]

Wow!  Your van looks incredible!  Love the color!  Did you apply more of a course finish or a flat (dimpled-looking) finish?  And did you have to sand down your van to a rougher finish before applying?  As far as color goes, I'd rather not have white.  A tan like yours, or a charcoal gray would be nice.  I've never been a fan of white.

I'm starting to rethink how I think about being stealth.  I see the benefit of it but I really don't want it to rule my life either.  Then I saw a video on YouTube that made a lot of great points, too.  I'm not the biggest fan of the guy on a personal level, but he's no dummy and he knows his stuff.  In the first four minutes, he made enough points for me to challenge my thoughts on trying so hard to keep everything stealthy.  (If you watch the video, what are those black grill things he has on his windows?)

You bring up good points for me to think about - weight.  I'm not very concerned about resale.  There's a customer for everything. But I really like the idea of protecting it from scratches, dings, dents, hail, tree branch scrapes, etc.,   You can even put an anti-graffiti protection over it.  (I live in a big city and know big vehicles are blank canvases to hoodlums.)

 

[MrNoodly]

I think a van freshly painted with ANYTHING looks better than old, faded, cracking, peeling paint. Van-Tramp's before and after pictures demonstrate that.

 

[Jack]

I almost wish I never learned about this stuff because now I'm fascinated with it! Gosh, you go into hermit-hood for almost 20 years and, when you decide to emerge, everything is new and unrecognizable.

 

[Jacksonricher]

Jack, I agree, I wish I never learned about these liners. I was fine with white until now.

 

[Jack]

Jackson - I wouldn't even hesitate to put it on a brand new 2019 ProMaster (Lord willing!) But, whether it's an old van or a new van, this is now on my wish list.