Total Composites Slide In Camper Kits

[Victorian]

@Victorian I know you were concerned about tip over risks with deeper cab over sections on empty slide-ins in the past. Any chance there will be a 2.0 with a 60" cab over? Even pushing it to 54" (full size mattress width) would be very helpful with fitting everything into the smaller slide-in shells.

We would love to do that but as long as we have the boxes on offer as empty shells, we can’t go down that rabbit hole. The liability and possible damage resulting from possible tipped over boxes is a bit much. If we decide to only offer fully outfitted campers we could certainly move the centre of gravity far enough back to increase the bed size. cheers

 

[COCampin]

Good Morning -
Wondering if you are any closer to finding an East Coast supplier for these. Im up in New England and interested in a 6.5 Full size wolf shell to build out... who would be my best bet?

 

[Victorian]

Good Morning -
Wondering if you are any closer to finding an East Coast supplier for these. Im up in New England and interested in a 6.5 Full size wolf shell to build out... who would be my best bet?

Very soon! Announcement in February. Cheers

 

[Victorian]

Time for a much needed update!
Can't believe how fast the last year went by...

We now have 10 fantastic commercial build partners!
2 in Quebec Canada, 1 British Columbia Canada, Alberta (announced soon) ,Washington State, California, Colorado, Utah (announced soon), Indiana and the United Kingdom (announced soon). Contact information found here: purchase-truck-camper

2023 was an incredible year for us. After successfully finishing the first polar expedition with Arctic Trucks our builder in Squamish BC Off Grid Customs was commissioned to built version 2.0 for a second expedition to the high arctic AND the South Pole. bo5sl6jps1-february-1213-2024 . We are pleased to see that our material choices (FRP, Foam Core, Adhesives) can easily handle those extreme conditions.

Many more customers made their dream come true and started travelling in their dream rigs. Some of them full time.

Aside from the campers, we also expanded our Online store offerings with unique and hard to find components that make outfitting a small camper easier.
https://expeditionupfitter.com

Give us a shout if you have any questions!

Cheers and a heartfelt thank you for supporting us

 

[jk6661]

@Victorian Where do you list the rectangular boxes (no cabover) you sell for box trucks? Curious about sizes, prices, etc., but I only see the ones for pickups on the website. (I could be blind.)

 

[Victorian]

@Victorian Where do you list the rectangular boxes (no cabover) you sell for box trucks? Curious about sizes, prices, etc., but I only see the ones for pickups on the website. (I could be blind.)

Hey!
Regular habitat boxes are custom orders. They need to be quoted individually through one of our commercial partners. Cheers

 

[gator70]

Totally over priced

 

[Ozarker]

Totally over priced

When a "regular" product is a special order, prices will, most likely be higher.

If there is no published MSRP, does that allow a dealer to add whatever they think the market will "bear"?

 

[sn_85]

Totally over priced

Okay...care to share what you think is fairly priced then?

 

[gator70]

If you trust other countries you can get a complete composite build for $7500 plus $3500 ocean freight (add taxes and duties). And the labor for the box build is not necessary. (empty box 4200mm L X 2200mm W X 2100mm H) The wall thickness is 55mm. Add $1200 for subframe.

 

[simple]

If you trust other countries you can get a complete composite build for $7500 plus $3500 ocean freight (add taxes and duties). And the labor for the box build is not necessary. (empty box 4200mm L X 2200mm W X 2100mm H) The wall thickness is 55mm. Add $1200 for subframe.

Out of respect for Victorian's thread, it would be cool to move this discussion to a new thread.

 

[Victorian]

If you trust other countries you can get a complete composite build for $7500 plus $3500 ocean freight (add taxes and duties). And the labor for the box build is not necessary. (empty box 4200mm L X 2200mm W X 2100mm H) The wall thickness is 55mm. Add $1200 for subframe.

Your numbers are WAY off from reality! Show me proof of your freight numbers, your subframe pricing (and construction). What materials are used?

Aside from all of this: Who is giving you warranty, parts (if needed), customer service? I have been doing business with Asian suppliers for almost 9 years. It is VERY rare to find one that actually honours their promises and help you after the purchase. We have a huge pile of “test purchases” in our warehouse that where a waste of money.

Here is another example that comes up on a regular basis:
Cost of acrylic windows. There are countless manufacturers in China. It looks very very tempting to only spend $250 instead of $900. What most are forgetting is that windows break and may need replacement. We deal with this all the time as a Tern Overland distributor for Canada. Not because of quality issues but because of operator errors, flying rocks etc. 99% of the time, customers call us with an urgent request as they are travelling and are stuck in place till the replacement arrives. Because we have the inventory on hand, that person usually gets the new window within days from us. Now imagine you purchased your windows direct several years ago and need replacement. Who knows if your orginal supplier still operates or if they changed the sizing/components and can’t guaranty the proper fit? With Tern Overland, you can bet that parts are on hand and still fitting/compatible for years to come.

Ad all of this together and it should become clear, that you can’t complain about the cost of a product that has a solid team and warranty behind it.

 

[Victorian]

When a "regular" product is a special order, prices will, most likely be higher.

If there is no published MSRP, does that allow a dealer to add whatever they think the market will "bear"?

You are 100% correct. Manufacturing a custom order involves many hours in the office generating production drawings, consultations with the purchaser and suppliers. This ads up extremely fast . We learned this the hard way and a couple of years ago started offering “pre designed” camper Shells. This allowed us to be more sustainable and also build a “dealer network” that can easily be trained - be up and running.

As for MSRP: For the longest time we had suggested retail pricing for our shells published on our website. Due to the hugely different operating costs between our dealers/partners we were asked to remove them. It was just too confusing for the end users. For example; Labour and shop space is cheaper in central USA vs the pacific north west….
Most of the partners have their prices listed on their websites. If not, send them an email.

Bottom line is that even though we are talking about high value products, it’s not about “what the market will bear” . It’s the opposite: figure out pricing that allows us to pay fair wages, do product development, attend trade shows (very expensive and time consuming btw) and most importantly use the best components/products for our shells.

By no means do we pretend to be perfect or affordable, but I can assure you that everyone working with and for us is doing their absolute best every day.

Cheers!

 

[Victorian]

The guys at NordVan in Quebec are really tricking out this 5’ Lynx camper. Loving it!

 

[gator70]

Look I understand everything you say, and it is not my intent to offend anyone. Like many we want to afford this type of purchase and continue to search for a more reasonable path. I found that purchase point. For me it is reality and no there is no warranty when you buy from so far away. Yet that is my choice and comfort zone.