Tufport Overlander

[ExpoMike]

Yeah, I saw this pop up in a FB ad. I was like cool.... until I saw the interior height of 65". My M1010 ambo had an interior height of 65" and it was the biggest PITA. Not tall enough to stand upright. I did a roof raise of 8" so I could stand up. Made a world of difference.

It think Tufport missed the boat on this one....

 

[Victorian]

Claiming R22 insulation. How thick are the walls and what insulation is used?

 

[rruff]

IME in small campers, being able to sit up straight was a huge improvement over not! Going from that to being able to stand was not that big of a deal. But this camper could have been 8-10" lower and still be ok for sitting up. Use the cabover for storage and it would be a good rig for 1 person in a midsize truck.

For a fullsize truck and two people, I'd want a good sleeping berth, and the ability to stand. You just need to make the center high spot ~30" wide, and then angle down to the sides. 80" wide, 8' long.

 

[rruff]

Claiming R22 insulation. How thick are the walls and what insulation is used?

Didn't notice that... it would need to be ~4" thick.

 

[jaywo]

Let me chime in a bit on the thought process, and some other details of the Overlander;
It primarily is a comfy lightweight base camp.
The real focus is on not overloading the truck that it is to be mounted on to. It is a full slide-in unit, 6.5' in length, with a 66" interior height (more on that later).
The Overlander unit will be fully outfitted by us at Wasatch Overland, that includes full insulation and a 'second' interior wall system, using water impervious materials that are also super light weight (almost half the weight of the wood equivalent).
There will be three variations of interior layout to choose from, all three with over 6' sleeping areas, even running widthways. 2 of the 3 layouts will include cabinets and substantial electrical systems.
All units will include solar, shore and dcdc charging, interior lights and a Maxxair 7500k fan. Options will include skylight, water and heat systems, ladders, rack etc.
The overcab section is designed for maximum storage, but also can be utilized for a secondary sleeping area with an approximate 22" max height, 73" width and 45" fore-aft dimension.
As for the height, this unit was strategically designed to have minimum wind resistance, whilst still allow for the user to sit up fully, and move around with ease inside, for putting on ski-pants etc, sitting up to cook is no problem with the interior designs. Tear drop trailers, Rtt's and many existing slide-ins and campers don't allow for standing up inside, the reason for overlanding is to be outdoors, with a comfy warm base to return to, and we think the Overlander will fill that niche.
It may not be for everyone, but a (proposed) sub-900lb fully built out camper, certainly has the attention of many people.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'll answer what I can.

I disagree fully. People who want to stay outdoor all the time buy a RTT, not an expensive camper. If you buy an extensive camper, then you want to be able to spend time inside. If not why have a kitchen and everything inside?
Plus, the height above the cab is so low that it’s even uncomfortable to sleep. Imagine a couple sleeping up there and the person laying at the front needs to get out of bed. There isn’t even enough room to sleep above your partner. It really is ridiculous. In a roof top tent, you have plenty of space to do that. So in fact for 10 times the price of a roof top tent you can’t even sleep as comfortably. Not to mention it’s not wide enough to sleep sideway.

You are targeting such a tiny niche that I don’t know how can this product succeed.

Make the exact same camper, but a bit wider and a foot taller and now we are talking. You will sell a lot if the price is right.

 

[crhawkeye]

I disagree fully. People who want to stay outdoor all the time buy a RTT, not an expensive camper. If you buy an extensive camper, then you want to be able to spend time inside. If not why have a kitchen and everything inside?
Plus, the height above the cab is so low that it’s even uncomfortable to sleep. Imagine a couple sleeping up there and the person laying at the front needs to get out of bed. There isn’t even enough room to sleep above your partner. It really is ridiculous. In a roof top tent, you have plenty of space to do that. So in fact for 10 times the price of a roof top tent you can’t even sleep as comfortably. Not to mention it’s not wide enough to sleep sideway.

You are targeting such a tiny niche that I don’t know how can this product succeed.

Make the exact same camper, but a bit wider and a foot taller and now we are talking. You will sell a lot if the price is right.

Eh, depends. I do think these fill a big niche. Here's a different take:

I actually just ordered the tufport t62 shell version. Going to outfit it with my own electrical system and furnishings. (plus heater and AC + wiring and other finishing done by Wasatch)

Why does it make sense for me and my 6.5 foot Tundra bed?
1) Space for an office chair + table and my work setup.
2) Space to sleep horizontally (I'm a bit under 6 foot)
3) Climate control. (huge for being able to work and stay comfortable)
4) Lightweight -- under 600lbs on my Tundra. I still have payload to tow a lightweight camper. (which I may get as a home base if I stay out months at a time)

What I figured out is that being able to standup -- when all I really care about inside is being able to A) sleep, B) work, C) climate control -- just didn't matter. Not at the expense of being much heavier and less nimble. Everything else... do it outside. This thing is just for work/sleep. Otherwise I'll be outside hiking and photographing or relaxing around a fire or whatnot.

With this setup I'll be extremely mobile, climate controlled, and wired. (going to add starlink to the mix) All the major checkmarks met.

I think these make a lot of sense if you're 1/2 ton or smaller pickup wise. Almost everything else is pushing payload that is hard sided.

 

[rruff]

I think these make a lot of sense if you're 1/2 ton or smaller pickup wise. Almost everything else is pushing payload that is hard sided.

You'll be over payload too, once it's finished and you are loaded up...

 

[crhawkeye]

You'll be over payload too, once it's finished and you are loaded up...

Weighing out the components so far, should be able to stay under with a bit of room to spare.

Nevertheless, certainly better than all the other hardside options weight wise for my Tundra. (even the tented popups are only a couple hundred pounds less -- and you'd still want those components...)

 

[rruff]

Weighing out the components so far, should be able to stay under with a bit of room to spare.

I'm highly skeptical, as it appears you plan to live in it for long periods. Insulation and interior wall, windows, furniture and storage, batteries and solar (considerable for AC), tools and equipment, suspension and tire upgrades, extra fuel, water, food, refrigerator, etc. It adds up, really. That's why people with a "light" shell build on a Tacoma often find out they are 2k lbs over GVWR. I don't know what your payload is but 1,200-1,500 lbs is pretty typical. Fortunately we don't really need to worry about GVWR in the US...

I'm not disparaging your plan at all but I'd opt for the bigger shell personally since it doesn't weigh much more, and you'd be able to stand and have a sleeping berth. I'd also get a Maranda shell as they are a little wider.

 

[simple]

The existing shells Tuffport sell look just fine for a repurposed utility shell for overlanding / camping. The thing that is lost on me is the intent of the new Overlander model. Dimensionally it's equivalent to what they already offer. The main difference I see on the Overlander is that it has current Toyota truck styling (will be out of style before this really gets going). If I owned a company and was going to retool, AKA build new molds, I'd make something that checks more boxes. Build a shell that is closer the to the original Northernlite 610.

If they did it right, it could be really straight forward to insulate and finish out as a DIY.

 

[crhawkeye]

I'm highly skeptical, as it appears you plan to live in it for long periods. Insulation and interior wall, windows, furniture and storage, batteries and solar (considerable for AC), tools and equipment, suspension and tire upgrades, extra fuel, water, food, refrigerator, etc. It adds up, really. That's why people with a "light" shell build on a Tacoma often find out they are 2k lbs over GVWR. I don't know what your payload is but 1,200-1,500 lbs is pretty typical. Fortunately we don't really need to worry about GVWR in the US...

I'm not disparaging your plan at all but I'd opt for the bigger shell personally since it doesn't weigh much more, and you'd be able to stand and have a sleeping berth. I'd also get a Maranda shell as they are a little wider.

Yes and no. Payload is 1300 IIRC.

Battery setup - 200lbs
Camera & laptop gear - 100lbs
AC - 40lbs
Heater - 20lbs
400w rooftop solar - 25lbs (alternator charging as well)
Bedding/dry food - 40lbs
Diesel/Water - 40lbs
12v cooler - 50lbs

Also a toolbox and lightweight fold down chair. 12" x 48" piece of food that's a table. A small pull out bedframe. No reason to build cabinets or whatnot.

So around 600 or so. I'm sure there will be a few more things. Don't need any more insulation for the shell (already around R5 and my heat/cooling systems will be overpowered for the area they have to work)

Don't plan on suspension upgrade unless I need it. (rock warrior package from 2011 already factored in off-road suspension and bigger tires into payload numbers)

Really should be able to stick around payload.

Besides even more weight... the height on the sleep above rigs just makes them that much more of a hassle to drive. Worse gas mileage, more effort in windy conditions. Just more clumsy adding another foot on top. And I plan to leave this on most of the time, I wouldn't do that with anything much taller. (other option a bit over a foot taller) That's part of the reason I didn't go that direction.

And besides, I've spent a lot of hours in car camping situations 100x less comfortable than this. I can sleep in a front seat fine, or on a couch fine, or in a sleeping bag on a mat. Memory foam pull out 38" bed in this thing with a diesel heater? That'll be deluxe.

And I don't plan on keeping weeks worth of supplies on hand at a given time. I don't need a bunch of extra fuel or water. I traveled the west pretty extensively at this point and you're never more than an hour or so away from a gas-station.

 

[jaywo]

Eh, depends. I do think these fill a big niche. Here's a different take:

I actually just ordered the tufport t62 shell version. Going to outfit it with my own electrical system and furnishings. (plus heater and AC + wiring and other finishing done by Wasatch)

Why does it make sense for me and my 6.5 foot Tundra bed?
1) Space for an office chair + table and my work setup.
2) Space to sleep horizontally (I'm a bit under 6 foot)
3) Climate control. (huge for being able to work and stay comfortable)
4) Lightweight -- under 600lbs on my Tundra. I still have payload to tow a lightweight camper. (which I may get as a home base if I stay out months at a time)

What I figured out is that being able to standup -- when all I really care about inside is being able to A) sleep, B) work, C) climate control -- just didn't matter. Not at the expense of being much heavier and less nimble. Everything else... do it outside. This thing is just for work/sleep. Otherwise I'll be outside hiking and photographing or relaxing around a fire or whatnot.

With this setup I'll be extremely mobile, climate controlled, and wired. (going to add starlink to the mix) All the major checkmarks met.

I think these make a lot of sense if you're 1/2 ton or smaller pickup wise. Almost everything else is pushing payload that is hard sided.

I was thinking exactly like you. Bought a van where I could not stand up. This thing was just for work, sleep. I like to cook outside better anyway. Guess what after one season we were done with this nightmare. You will realize keeping your head down each time you get in it, each time you feel like standing for a second, will get old very quickly. Then the bad weather hits. That’s when it gets really interesting and you realize you bought a full hardshell camper and have to sit in it like it was a RTT. It will be in your head every time you use it.

Good luck and we will touch base when yours is for sale on the forum next year

 

[crhawkeye]

I was thinking exactly like you. Bought a van where I could not stand up. This thing was just for work, sleep. I like to cook outside better anyway. Guess what after one season we were done with this nightmare. You will realize keeping your head down each time you get in it, each time you feel like standing for a second, will get old very quickly. Then the bad weather hits. That’s when it gets really interesting and you realize you bought a full hardshell camper and have to sit in it like it was a RTT. It will be in your head every time you use it.

Good luck and we will touch base when yours is for sale on the forum next year

I mean I've stayed out weeks at a time in a plain old topper on my truck and that apparently didn't bother me too much.

I've done cross country road trips in a toyota camry... without hotels.

It's not my plan to live in 24/7 for months on end... anyway. If I find myself wanting to do that I'll get a tow behind. I don't want a big clumsy vehicle setup.

 

[rruff]

Don't need any more insulation for the shell (already around R5 and my heat/cooling systems will be overpowered for the area they have to work)

Aren't they just a single wall of fiberglass? R value will be nil on that. You need 1 inch of high quality foam for an R value of 5.

Water weighs 8.33 lbs/gal, so remember that for your drinking and washing needs.

You seem to be prioritizing comfort where climate control is concerned, but not in any other aspects. If you are full-timing and working in it, I think you may want more... unless you are up against a real limit. Maybe not, everybody is different. For example I'm going to full time in mine and I don't have any heat or cooling. From teens to mid 90s I'm good, and since I can choose where I'm parked I try to keep daytime highs in the 55-85 range. Mostly I have storage space... and it fills up pretty easily.

I spent a lot of years living in a wee '84 Toyota truck, and the last camper I built for that was stand-up with a cabover and extra long. Had a roommate then too and all her stuff! That was definitely more size and weight than that truck should have been carrying... but the Tundra (or any fullsize truck these days) is a big, heavy, overpowered beast. The camper I have now is nothing. I took the swaybar off, and it still handles great (with better shocks). One of the full size service bodies wouldn't phase it, especially if you keep your weight low.

Good luck with whatever you do... it'll be cool to see how it ends up!