Anyone heard of Topolo RV?

[ReluctantTraveler]

Like the title says, anyone heard of these folks?

• https://topolo-rv.com/rv-materials/rv-wall-panels/foam-core-rv-wall-panels/
• https://topolocfrt.com/pvc-foam-sandwich-panel/

They seem to do a lot of full service work. Based out of China, which is could be problematic or not matter at all (since pretty much everyone does manufacturing there).

 

[Ozarker]

I'd think they would have been out of Mississippi, but now it sounds rather clandestine being out of China. Need to check and make sure that there are no bugs built in to follow your every move, no transmitters, no repeaters or imagining devices.

I really don't know why we can't make this stuff in our garage at home, or at least get it at our local RV dealer.

Seems shipping from China would cost more. Just a thought,

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

Need to check and make sure that there are no bugs built in to follow your every move, no transmitters, no repeaters or imagining devices.

That seems a little extreme considering a lot of other vendors sold by American brands are also manufactured there.

I really don't know why we can't make this stuff in our garage at home, or at least get it at our local RV dealer.

We can! Of course! But it's also a fair bit of work at a not-insignificant cost, so I'm exploring all options.

 

[Ozarker]

@ReluctantTraveler

Obviously just pulling you leg on the bugs, whatever, but I was under the impression those insulated panels were pretty pricy.

Since you are studying this angle, have you found any insulated panel with coroplast being used (the stuff yard signs are made out of). It's pretty durable and ultra light weight.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

@ReluctantTraveler

Obviously just pulling you leg on the bugs, whatever, but I was under the impression those insulated panels were pretty pricy.

Since you are studying this angle, have you found any insulated panel with coroplast being used (the stuff yard signs are made out of). It's pretty durable and ultra light weight.

I haven't, but admittedly haven't been looking for that. Since I'm hoping to build this on an F-550/5500 platform, I'm not particularly concerned about weight, and am prioritizing insulation and strength.

 

[Willardjwilliams]

I did stumble on them months ago when I was going down the rabbit hole of building a camper from scratch. Since then I’m 99% done doing a cargo trailer conversion, and on the brink of acquiring a overland platform like an LMTV or FMTV and building a box to go on the back. I think I’m going to go down the rabbit hole to see what a topolo build delivered would cost.


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[ReluctantTraveler]

I did stumble on them months ago when I was going down the rabbit hole of building a camper from scratch. Since then I’m 99% done doing a cargo trailer conversion, and on the brink of acquiring a overland platform like an LMTV or FMTV and building a box to go on the back. I think I’m going to go down the rabbit hole to see what a topolo build delivered would cost.


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I'd love if you shared what you found!

 

[simple]

It's really hard to know what is real with Chinese companies. They can copy paste about anything onto a website to try and get sales. The items shown look similar to what is available from a lot of different suppliers on Alibaba.

It might make sense to engage with them if you're an OEM looking to buy container loads of material and can afford to send someone over to tour the facility and then again to verify and pay for the shipment before it is sent.

For a DIY one off, it makes the most sense to belly up to bar and pay full retail to a company like Total Composites or Arctic Turn who have already invested a ton of time and money in China and stand behind their imports with quality and warranty.

That being said, I'm also curious to see what Willard can dig up.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

It's really hard to know what is real with Chinese companies. They can copy past about anything onto a website to try and get sales. The items shown look similar to what is available from a lot of different suppliers on Alibaba.

It might make sense to engage with them if you're an OEM looking to buy container loads of material and can afford to send someone over to tour the facility and then again to verify and pay for the shipment before it is sent.

For a DIY one off, it makes the most sense to belly up to bar and pay full retail to a company like Total Composites or Arctic Turn who have already invested a ton of time and money in China and stand behind their imports with quality and warranty.

That being said, I'm also curious to see what Willard can dig up.

That's a really, REALLY good way to think about it.

 

[Willardjwilliams]

It's really hard to know what is real with Chinese companies. They can copy past about anything onto a website to try and get sales. The items shown look similar to what is available from a lot of different suppliers on Alibaba.

It might make sense to engage with them if you're an OEM looking to buy container loads of material and can afford to send someone over to tour the facility and then again to verify and pay for the shipment before it is sent.

For a DIY one off, it makes the most sense to belly up to bar and pay full retail to a company like Total Composites or Arctic Turn who have already invested a ton of time and money in China and stand behind their imports with quality and warranty.

That being said, I'm also curious to see what Willard can dig up.

What Willard just dug up is it makes more sense to talk to total composites or artic Turn. Lol. I’m also combing through Globe Trekker website right now also. Thanks for the tip on the former.


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[ReluctantTraveler]

What Willard just dug up is it makes more sense to talk to total composites or artic Turn. Lol. I’m also combing through Globe Trekker website right now also. Thanks for the tip on the former.


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Thanks friend!

 

[sprocket3]

Any updates on these guys for panels or just a shell habitat? I've been down the Alibaba habitat rabbit hole and it's a little concerning to import from china directly.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

Any updates on these guys for panels or just a shell habitat? I've been down the Alibaba habitat rabbit hole and it's a little concerning to import from china directly.

I haven't seen/heard anything, but given how supply chains are at the moment (and the general decline in quality overall on many manufactured goods), I'm probably going to build my own panels instead of using this company.

 

[sprocket3]

I haven't seen/heard anything, but given how supply chains are at the moment (and the general decline in quality overall on many manufactured goods), I'm probably going to build my own panels instead of using this company.

You couldn't find a source for panels? I don't mind making a box, but don't want to try to make panels.

 

[ReluctantTraveler]

You couldn't find a source for panels? I don't mind making a box, but don't want to try to make panels.

Oh, I could! There are quite a few US/Canada-based options (and at least one German manufacturer). But $30k+ for just the box is pretty high for my budget.

I'm planning to do a more traditionally framed build (wood frame + marine ply + structural foam boards for insulation). I'll probably use fiberglass cloth + epoxy (ie. the West System) on the exterior.

It's all tradeoffs, right? I'm sacrificing a fair bit of my time to have something that's 100% what I want at a lower cost.