Smokin-It User Forum!
Smokin-It Smokers => Model 2 & 2D - The Middle Kid => Topic started by: aspenextreme03 on March 12, 2015, 04:35:20 PM
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I am opening the model 2 today and just missed the free cover promotion by a couple of days. I doubt Steve put on in there but if he did not what do you all do for a cover outside of ordering one from the website?
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My #3 has sat outside, uncovered on the deck since I bought it last June. No problems or issues because of it.
I do plan on a good hot water bath for it once the weather stays warm. I want a black cover but haven't pulled the trigger because I haven't decided on the cart yet.
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Do you put anything over the vent hole on top or is that not a problem if water gets inside?
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Depending on where your smoker is relative to rain, you might want to cover the top hole just to avoid water running inside the unit. I have a cover on my #2, but it is also under the roof eve on my deck so it gets little rain or snow, unless it is coming in from the side.
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Inexpensive cover alternative is a blue tarp. LOL! Or, look at your home improvement store for an AC / swamp cooler cover.
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I do this to keep the water out of the bunghole
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I don't worry about the vent hole while it is sitting or while smoking.
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Ordered a classic accessories square cover on amazon tonight. If it works i will let you all know as it was $22 with free ship with prime. The dimensions are good for depth and width. It is about 3 inches to tall but that wont bother me. I have this brand of cover for my weber and it is great and best cover i ever have had.
Thought about the smokin it one but it was $29.99 and $15 shipping which honestly i was a little thrown off by the high shipping.
Worst case it does not work and amazon is easy returns. Will update when i get it and test it out just in case anyone wants and alternative and was like me who missed the free cover offer by a day or two.
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I use an old vinyl (cloth backed) picnic table tablecloth to cover my #2. Just cover the unit as evenly as I can, and wrap some clothesline around the whole unit (like ribbon on a package). Never had a problem, and it keeps the water (and snow) out.
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I bought my #2 last spring and it came with the black cover for free. Unfortunately after a year of sitting on my uncovered deck in NE Ohio the cover is shot - the color is completely faded to a sickly gray with a pink logo, and it ripped about 3 inches down one of the seams when the wind caught hold of it and the cover snagged on the corner of the smoker.
I considered buying another one from Smokin-It, but with the quality issues there is no way I am paying $15 to ship one of these every year when it inevitably fails again. I have a premium all 304 stainless grill costing over $3k with a great cover that only costs $80. Comparably, for the $45 that this small cover costs shipped I expect a much higher quality - ie - vinyl lined canvas or something. Not this thin, easily faded and ripped product.
I cannot find another solution however. Looking at the Classic Accessories smoker covers on Amazon they are all slightly too small fitting smokers up to 17"x20" where the #2 is 17.25"x21.5"
I would be willing to pay more for a quality cover that does not need replacing every year and protects my smoker investment.
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maybe find the right material and get a local person to sew it together for you? That might work without being too expensive.
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I have thought about that. I happen to work for, lets say, a major national retailer specializing in fabrics and crafts.
I think I would have to buy my wife a very expensive commercial quality sewing machine to get through sewing the two thick materials together. She swears that there is no way for her current machine to do it.
I really wish Smokin-It would offer a more premium quality cover accessory to go with their premium quality smokers. Oh, and reasonable shipping charges too. This current cover weighs as close to nothing as you can get.
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I don't have one yet, Dana, but the camo covers (from what Steve told me) are much better quality than the black ones. My smokers sit on a covered porch, so the black covers have held up well for the last 2 years. Maybe someone with a camo cover can comment?
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Ordered a classic accessories square cover on amazon tonight. If it works i will let you all know as it was $22 with free ship with prime. The dimensions are good for depth and width. It is about 3 inches to tall but that wont bother me. I have this brand of cover for my weber and it is great and best cover i ever have had.
Thought about the smokin it one but it was $29.99 and $15 shipping which honestly i was a little thrown off by the high shipping.
Worst case it does not work and amazon is easy returns. Will update when i get it and test it out just in case anyone wants and alternative and was like me who missed the free cover offer by a day or two.
I bought the same cover for my grill and it works great. For the smoker I have the black cover, if goes bad I may replace it with the classic also.
Keep us posted on the fit, got to love Amazon Prime!
Greg
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Fit is pretty good. A little tight in areaa but not bas. I put a small platic box upside down on top and then put the cover on so it keeps the rain off the top.
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Eric, are you using the cord hook on the back of the smoker too?
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No i am not. I just wrap it up and lay it under the smoker when not in use. I did not see the need for the hook honestly. If you have it i doubt the cover will fit well.
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I use a Weber cover that covers the SI2 as well as the SS equipment stand that it is on. ($20) My smoker is under roof cover but sun and dust are still a bit of a problem. It is far from a perfect fit and it ain't real pretty but it serves the purpose at a reasonable cost. :)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/10924694
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Good improv, Ralph! :D
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It works but the SI has very sharp corners so I'm not sure how long it will last
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After pricing out material to make my own cover (well, have my lovely wife sew a custom cover) using Sunbrella Marine grade fabric was going to be about $65.
I came across a seller on Amazon making custom covers for grills and reached out to him. He is able to make a custom Sunbrella cover for $85. I also asked for a vinyl liner to be sewn into the top to double make sure no water gets in the blow hole, and also requested that the vertical seams be double lined with fabric to make sure they don't rip on the sharp corners of the smoker taking the cover off. The cover will also be slightly taller than the factory one to allow for a bit of protection from rain filling the drip tray and allow for a sewn in bungee cord to tighten down the cover.
I did see that currently the SI cover is free shipping and looks to be a new design without the logo, but for marine grade Sunbrella, Ohio company, made in the USA - I think this is a good deal. I will post pics when it arrives. They said it should only take 2-3 days to make and ship. The company's website is http://www.northstarproductsinc.com/ in case anyone else is interested.
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Sounds like a winner Dana... looking forward to the pics. :)
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Cool, Dana! I figured someone would eventually find a custom maker!
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Finally had some time to take some photos of the custom cover. Looks great and seems to be very good quality. I took a photo of the inside as well to show the clear vinyl liner under the top.
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Finally had some time to take some photos of the custom cover. Looks great and seems to be very good quality. I took a photo of the inside as well to show the clear vinyl liner under the top.
Looks great!
Greg
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Also Looks like a winner Dana :)
Nice pics
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Wow, that's a nice cover, Dana! I love the integrated drawstring at the bottom - eliminates the need for my "chin strap" mod!
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If you are using sunbrella fabric that is used for boat awnings, there is no need to use a vinyl layer inside for water protection. I had a custom cover made out of it for my duck hunting boat and it is totally waterproof. Just go down to an awning company and have them stitch you up one out of remnants in the color of your choice.
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I asked for the vinyl just because I know from experience that standing water can eventually make its way through Sunbrella Marine fabric if left to sit - and given the flat top of the smoker I did not want anything getting into the blow hole.
And the company sewed it in for nothing ;)
I have found however with the spring heat the vinyl sticks to the top of the smoker a bit. If it gets too bad I can always cut it out but I would prefer the extra piece of mind given my smoker is completely exposed on the deck.
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Dana, if you are worried about water getting into the blowhole a synthetic wine cork fits perfectly, is free, and will give your cover a bit of an angle to shed water.