FLIPPAC: AN OWNERS REVIEW

C

casejeep

Observer
Ive had my FlipPac for about 6 months now. First impression was it was fantastic and everything I was wanting. But as Ive been using it and getting more aquatinted with it Ive started to notice a few things.
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Pro's:
You can camp anywhere your truck can go. There is no limit to where you can camp.
Sleeping off the ground. Once you do you will never want to go back to sleeping in a tent.
Easy to go camping with kidos. And a good way to introduce the wife into the world of camping....
Looks ************ and is different than almost any set up in the campground.
Set up is super fast.
The standing room and inclosed area in the back of the truck bed is amazing. raining? eat dinner without being cramped in a tent.
Leaves the truck bed free to do anything you want. Haul gear, yup. build compartments, yup, build a living area with sink and freezer, yup.

Con's:
Build quality. For costing $5,000 plus, the quality kinda sucks. Feels if it was almost just thrown together.
Tent and joint components look and feel cheap. I guess that is why they give you a crap ton of extra parts....
No rain fly included.
The rainfly you can buy extra is $400. The vents kinda match the windows holes. The vents are propped open with these white sticks.
Windows dont lock very well. Vibration can rattle open the window. They leak when it rains hard.
The seal around the top of the FlipPac is not very tight, dust and water gets in.

Overall I really like the FlipPac. It functions properly. I just wish it was better constructed. It is a fantastic idea and if the company cared more it could be an amazing product.

20140418_124651 by casejeep, on Flickr

20140418_125418 by casejeep, on Flickr

20140910_082608 by casejeep, on Flickr

20140910_082621 by casejeep, on Flickr

IMG_20141004_080958 by casejeep, on Flickr

IMG_20141004_135027 by casejeep, on Flickr
 
Dave Bennett

Dave Bennett

Adventurist
That design is circa Barr Top, 1977. No doubt the market is ripe for a modern variant of this theme... cough... Ursa Minor... cough... AT... cough...

I've had one since 2009 and spent quite a bit of time in it. Some of the things you pointed out can be addressed by the user. If your lid seal is not good enough, adjust the tension on the latches. You actually have the "Gucci" rain fly from SLO, try the old school blue FRP one... same dough and WAY less functional.

Side window complaints well, that's why I ordered my shell sans windoors or anything. Less failure points for water or dust ingress.
 
Arclight

Arclight

SAR guy
Having just got mine, I would add:

You can tell it's definitely a low volume, handmade product. The fiberglass is very stout and well-done, and it's clear that is their specialty. And the important dimensions like the inside bed rails and the fit between the cab and front window are very consistent. It's also clear that they don't have a fully custom mould for every pickup, since I think there are only two widths available.

On the T100/Gen-1 Tundra, the shell has about 3" of overhang, while some of the mini trucks look more like a bread van with a straight-up and down profile. I think my truck is 2" too wide for that one, so it gets the "full-size" width. It's not a problem, but looks a little odd.

I think it's made in a small enough volume that there's no incentive to reduce the materials and build more special manufacturing fixtures. You can tell the Aluminum parts were hand drilled, while they would be stamped or drilled in a dedicated fixture on a high-volume part like a new Tacoma Snugtop.

The tent isn't "$3,000 basecamp tent," but the fabric is a reasonable compromise of light vs. durable.

I think the build quality is OK at the price point they sell it. My guess is that it would need to be around 2X the price or sell in a lot higher volume to be closer to "high end sailboat" or "Earthromer" fit and finish,

So far, the biggest room for rimprovement seems to be upgrading the lighting and going through and doing a bit of filing and tweaking on the Aluminum trim, sealing if needed, etc.

.

Arclight
 
Dave Bennett

Dave Bennett

Adventurist
Arclight said:
Having just got mine, I would add:

You can tell it's definitely a low volume, handmade product. The fiberglass is very stout and well-done, and it's clear that is their specialty. And the important dimensions like the inside bed rails and the fit between the cab and front window are very consistent. It's also clear that they don't have a fully custom mould for every pickup, since I think there are only two widths available.

On the T100/Gen-1 Tundra, the shell has about 3" of overhang, while some of the mini trucks look more like a bread van with a straight-up and down profile. I think my truck is 2" too wide for that one, so it gets the "full-size" width. It's not a problem, but looks a little odd.

I think it's made in a small enough volume that there's no incentive to reduce the materials and build more special manufacturing fixtures. You can tell the Aluminum parts were hand drilled, while they would be stamped or drilled in a dedicated fixture on a high-volume part like a new Tacoma Snugtop.

The tent isn't "$3,000 basecamp tent," but the fabric is a reasonable compromise of light vs. durable.

I think the build quality is OK at the price point they sell it. My guess is that it would need to be around 2X the price or sell in a lot higher volume to be closer to "high end sailboat" or "Earthromer" fit and finish,

So far, the biggest room for rimprovement seems to be upgrading the lighting and going through and doing a bit of filing and tweaking on the Aluminum trim, sealing if needed, etc.

.

Arclight
Click to expand...

Great post.
 
cgengo

cgengo

New member
For those watching this thread---- I have a couple of Flip-pacs and a Wildernest for sale. Search Craigslist Prescott for the ads and more info.
 
Clutch

Clutch

<---Pass
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