Composite pop up project

SEcamper

New member
I'm following this thread with great interest.
I've really enjoyed my FWC Fleet on my Tacoma, albeit with all of the shortcomings others have mentioned here and elsewhere.

What is the expected weight of the production model(s)?

As others have noted, I think your design will be equally relevant for camping and traveling in hot climes.

I also want to echo the recommendation of an earlier poster who suggested having doors inside the camper that allow access to the wheel wells for storage.

It looks like the loss of storage resulting from your more simple design is the area to the rear of each wheel well (compared to, for example, a FWC). Is that right? If so, that could be remedied by providing an optional box with an external door that could be bolted to either side of the back of the camper.

In any case, great work!
 

Cptsoftbelly

New member
The only difference with the heat in the southeast us is the humidity. So having an ac to help dehumidify the air is important. Just food for thought. I don’t like the idea of it on the roof for weight and and penetration, but I haven’t came up with a good solution. My dads has a window unit.
 

Runt

Adventurer
Thanks Runt, we are doing the small pop up with soft sides, and the next thing to follow will be a full sized unit with hard sides, the little unit is dedicated to the small truck market and will be in production in 2018, this will be finished towards fall. The roof is going to be composite with perimeter extrusions so no worry about loading anything on top, there is an option for a hydraulic lift although the manual system is pretty slick. The roof will be tapered at the front with a built in slope to shed water, and will be tall enough to leave all the bedding in place. Lots of accommodations for awnings, we are a dealer for Alu Cab, and there is not a better 270 degree awning, fits this unit perfectly. With the design and construction of the camper, you can pretty much mount anything anywhere, there is a full perimeter wiring chase as well. We are moving into a 80% production 20% custom environment in the near future so we can concentrate on our product lines, and leave room for customers to customize to a realistic degree. Pic of appliances installed, should see a little more progress soon, gotta get the people in the shop looked after first!
View attachment 408625

I'm looking forward to checking the camper out this summer. The wife has indicated that we need a full size unit so hurry up and start on the full size! :)
 

xtremexj

Adventurer
I had a chance to swing down to the shop and check this camper out myself a few weeks back and it looks even better in person. As per usual, Mark's attention to detail and craftsmanship shows through from top to bottom.:wings:

Mark, thanks for taking a few hours out of your day to catch up and show me the other cool stuff going on, as well as the help and advice for my project. Having talented friends sure makes things a lot easier when you're a bit bogged down.
 

HayStax

Member
Any plans for a flatbed version? I’m kinda looking at a Raptor for my next work truck rather than a 1ton. I’ve spent my entire life bouncing across Nevada in a 1ton Ford and I’m kinda over it. I realize this might get into the “custom” category but it seems more of a matter of scaling your current offerings.

Or what about an even simpler offering, the guts of your TDK trailer scaled to fit on a short wheelbase flatbed? Reconfigured slightly for storage and cooking/fridge slideouts with sleeping platform above.

At any rate, thanks for sharing and I applaud your attention to detail.
 

Jeep

Supporting Sponsor: Overland Explorer Expedition V
There is a pretty well laid plan in place and it's under way. We are just finishing the first small production run and it's going pretty good. We have a second run scheduled to start in 4 weeks. So far all of the demand is from the full size truck market, I expected to see more from the mid sized guys but that's been pretty sparse.

As of today we do have the mid sized truck covered with a 6' camper, the full sized market has a 6 1/2' camper. A 8' camper is in the works for the long bed trucks.

We are doing flat bed versions, it's in the final design stages. We have redesigned the bed to be much more affordable, while maintaining the fit and finish, we also managed to drop a few pounds. It has also been designed so it can be installed out of the facility with relative ease. The long box trucks get a 9' bed, the first 2 flat bed units are 9' long, with no over cab sleeping area, going onto long bed 3/4 ton trucks, and one 9' with an over cab sleeping area. I am going to address the short box flat bed version immediately after, a lot of the work is already done due to process so it should happen pretty quick. Funny you should mention the Raptor, I have the same thoughts.

There are basically 2 floor plans for these guys, and the major difference will be if the unit has an overhead or not. It's the only way to keep production costs in check, and keep the pricing competitive. This should all close out by the end of 2018.

Thanks for the comments, and support!
 

Eagle05

Adventurer
As of today we do have the mid sized truck covered with a 6' camper, the full sized market has a 6 1/2' camper. A 8' camper is in the works for the long bed trucks.

We are doing flat bed versions, it's in the final design stages. We have redesigned the bed to be much more affordable, while maintaining the fit and finish, we also managed to drop a few pounds. It has also been designed so it can be installed out of the facility with relative ease. The long box trucks get a 9' bed, the first 2 flat bed units are 9' long, with no over cab sleeping area, going onto long bed 3/4 ton trucks, and one 9' with an over cab sleeping area. I am going to address the short box flat bed version immediately after, a lot of the work is already done due to process so it should happen pretty quick.

The Camp (and Camp-X) are looking great. Did I miss a description of the difference between the two? One for the mid-size and the other for full-size I suppose.

Are any of your future models going to incorporate a pass through? I know they aren't for everyone, but for us they make all the difference.
 

Jeep

Supporting Sponsor: Overland Explorer Expedition V
The Camp (and Camp-X) are looking great. Did I miss a description of the difference between the two? One for the mid-size and the other for full-size I suppose.

Are any of your future models going to incorporate a pass through? I know they aren't for everyone, but for us they make all the difference.


The Camp is the mid sized (Tacoma) and the X is full size. A pass thru is as easy as cutting a hole and installing a window. Can be done to any model.
 

Eagle05

Adventurer
The Camp is the mid sized (Tacoma) and the X is full size. A pass thru is as easy as cutting a hole and installing a window. Can be done to any model.

Great! Thanks for the quick response.

Would the cabover be too long for an extended cab truck? Looking at the F-150 in your pictures, I wonder if it would extend past the windshield if the truck wasn't a crew cab.
*Edit - I measured a few trucks on the dealership lot and the Crew Cab is about 11" longer than the Super Cab.

Is there any reason you couldn't put a second, or a longer window, in the passenger side wall?
 
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Jeep

Supporting Sponsor: Overland Explorer Expedition V
Great! Thanks for the quick response.

Would the cabover be too long for an extended cab truck? Looking at the F-150 in your pictures, I wonder if it would extend past the windshield if the truck wasn't a crew cab.

Is there any reason you couldn't put a second, or a longer window, in the passenger side wall?


No reason you couldn't add another window, these are production units with one window, the construction doesn't limit that though. The cab over on the full size is 60", I haven't measured the roof on an extended cab. The midsized camper has a 48" in case anyone is wondering.
 

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