Supertramp Flagship LT pop-up slide-in pickup camper

[K9LTW]

Thanks for the awesome TED Talk on internal heaters, @Chadx ! I had no idea there were different methodologies for internal heaters. Lots of stuff to ponder as I look for solutions for cold house batteries. I have self-heating Renogy batteries in our trailer, but an issue I run into is the REDARC's temp sensor is only looking at ambient temp and will cut charge off despite the batteries being happy to accept a charge. Need to figure out a way to insulate that. Not a huge fan of running the heat in the trailer while it's bouncing along behind me, but guess I could. The house batteries in the bed of the truck (have an OVRLND camper) present the same issue but I'll be getting an external heating wrap for them as they've no self-heating. I could, likely, just ensure the temp sensor from the REDARC is also kept warm.

 

[Chadx]

Ha. I've never been accused of being too brief. Glad there was some value there. Hard to dive deep without getting wordy.

There is a challenge in getting chargers and batteries "on the same page" regarding knowing internal battery temp and when to charge or not. Same for an external battery heat pad thermostat. Unless external heat pads or chargers can communicated directly with the internal battery BMS, and therefor access the internal battery sensor reading, there is no way for any external device to truly know the cell temp. There are ways to estimate and/or trick things to work, some of which were discussed in last post. But a reasonable way in your trailer battery, since they have internal heat, would be to place the REDARC sensor directly on the surface of the battery and then insulate tightly over it. Been a while since I had my OEV, which had a REDARC Battery Manager 30, so can't remember where that REDARC battery temp is located. In your trailer, is it attached to a battery terminal or some place else? If a terminal, that might make it a bit tricky to insulate around.

If you know your internally heated batteries are up to temp (by app, for example), but REDARC isn't charging because it thinks temps are too low, like you mentioned, you could intentionally create a false reading on the REDARC temp sensor (tiny 12v heat pad on an on/off switch). Or, simply make a temporary change the REDARC to a use a different battery chemistry charge profile that charges below freezing. You can change it to AGM and it will start charging. Looking at the REDARC Battery Manager 30 (is that what you have in the trailer?), the AGM profile has a perfectly acceptable voltage and would work fine for getting charge to your LiFePO4 battery as the AGM doesn't limit charging at freezing temps. Easy hack. See various charge profiles in owner's manual paste below.

And no worries if your lithium dips below freezing while charging is taking place as long as your lithium battery has a cold temp disconnect. If so, the battery BMS won't allow charging. But as long as you have first checked the internal battery temp with the app and the internal battery heaters have brought the cells up to adequate charging temp, then I'd just switch the REDARC to AGM charge profile to get it charging. It's only a few menu clicks to change the charge profile. Then, once at camp and camper is heating up, change it back to Lithium charge profile.

 

[Chadx]

Supertramp has launched their updated website. New look and features including a "Build and Price" section. They have also launched their "packages" that group some of the most popular options into single option packages. Looks slick.

https://supertrampcampers.com/

 

[K9LTW]

I do have a Manager30 in both the truck and trailer, @Chadx . Unfortunately the temp sensor is attached to the positive terminal of a battery with very little slack but the external pad thing may work. I hadn't thought of simply changing the profile to AGM (and, yes, I'm confident the batteries' BMS would kill charging if they were, in fact, too cold). Appreciate the knowledge and insight!

 

[Chadx]

Quick run up north of us, in MT, chasing the Tamerack (Larch) color change. In some sections, the needles had already started to get dingy/brownish, but in the milder areas, they were in full swing.

 

[Chadx]

 

[Chadx]

Future STC camper owners,
Before you place your order, reach out to me via direct message as I may have a perk available, from Supertramp, for new STC camper orders.

Separate from that, any existing or future owners, always feel free to reach out directly (as a fair number of folks do already) if there are any questions about STC campers or even just pickup related questions or conversations. I always encourage questions in the thread since others may have the same questions as you and answers in the thread may benefit others who are going through the same research, but always feel free to reach out directly as well. I love a good camper or pickup conversation...and it spares my wife from listening to me talk about campers and pickups at the dinner table. Ha.

 

[Chadx]

Another batch of shrouds (related to the Linak actuator safety update) has shipped from STC.

 

[twowheels19]

Has any person successfully placed a CompoCloset Cuddy or Cuddy Lite toilet in the LT shower well area? The spec on the toilet height is 16.3”. Trying to make the decision on the throne to take advantage of the BF sales.
TIA
Cheers

 

[Chadx]

Has any person successfully placed a CompoCloset Cuddy or Cuddy Lite toilet in the LT shower well area? The spec on the toilet height is 16.3”. Trying to make the decision on the throne to take advantage of the BF sales.
TIA
Cheers

The toilet/shower basin spec is likely somewhere in the thread, but I'll measure and post when I get home.

But I'll share that a Trelino brand separating toilet in size L is 16.9" tall and it does not fit (too tall). Size M is 14.2" and fits but sits rather low so most put a spacer underneath (teak or bamboo shower mat) to raise it closer to the cabinet wall height. Will post pan measurements in a couple hours.

 

[ruadhrigh]

Picked up Flagship #189 last Friday.

Like everyone else we had a great experience with Kelsey and team. They got right to work on the truck and Kelsey gave us the grand tour.

Camper highlights include:
new LA covers (phase 1)
appliance shelf (anyone care to petition STC to design one for the other side of the camper?)
Guzzle filter
Wrappon
2000w inverter
200aH batteries
L-track everywhere
50amp dc/dc charging

I didn't get an awning but STC added the awning tie-down points to the corners of the leading edge.

After the install we went straight from Golden to Frisco to get some fried chicken and IPAs at Outer Range Brewery. While in the parking lot we ran into another Supertramp, they've had theirs for about two years and only had good things to say.

Short trip home but good exercise of the heater in the 20F morning outside of Leadville.

Quick question for current owners:
How bad was your out-gassing experience? Any tips or tricks to help expedite getting the fumes from the manufacturing process out?

 

[Chadx]

@twowheels19 Unfortunately, I don't think a 16.3" high toilet will fit. And the 17" length may also be an issue.

Went out and measured. The below image I took of a demo flagship back in summer 2023 (we did not get a portable toilet when we bought ours), but in a previous conversation, I used it to draw some dimension lines.

Height: 16" to 16 1/8" depending on where you measure.
L1: 23 1/4"
L2: 18" (not exact because the bend on the 45 degree section is a radius and not an angle)
W1: 16 5/8"
W2: 12" (not exact because the bend on the 45 degree section is a radius and not an angle)

The stock portable toilets (like pictured) have to sit sideways, but they can be used sitting sideways. Most separating toilets, like our Trelino, can not be used sitting sideways because things "don't line up", but luckily, many brands fit facing front to back.

I've noticed a lot of these small separating toilet manufacturers incorrectly call their products "Composting toilets" rather than "Separating toilets". Even the very large volume "composting toilets" with agitators fill up and need to be emptied long before any composting can take place. When they are cleaned/dumped, the solid bin content can be added to a dedicated compost pile where composting will take place over the following year. But contents should never just be spread on top of ground and left (should go with out saying, but some may get the incorrect impression that it can be spread anywhere since it's "compost". Even those big "composting" toilet need to be bagged and thrown in trash when on the road and not spread randomly, no matter how remote.

These smaller versions have even less hope of any composting occurring. It seems to be more a marketing phrase. Even if one used the toilet for a couple days worth of solids, added media and left it sit for a few months, no composting would occur. The media's job is to dry out the exterior of the solid, which greatly reduces odor, but it effectively mummifies the solids so no break down will occur. Think of exposed animal dropping that dries out on the exterior vs what happens when stepped on and the dry exterior makes way for not-so-dry interior.

Separating toilets can be used multiple times, for solids, by using drying media to encapsulate and dry the solids. They work much better if the paper is not added to the solids bin and are instead thrown in a separate trach bag. We've noticed that driving down bumpy trails means solids do not stay buried in the media, so while it's reasonable to use the same back and layer media while at a single camp spot, it works best to remove bag before driving.

We use our separating toilet regularly for liquids, but still prioritize using bathrooms, outhouses or digging cat holes if allowed (and weather/bugs permit). The separating toilet is our last option for solids, but it's very nice to have available. We use media, but we bag it before driving and have a dedicated dry bag, for the bagged-up solids to go into, which seals in scents completely (which is not the case if the bags are thrown into a non-sealed trash sack like a trasheroo or similar hanging on the back of the rig.

 

[Chadx]

Picked up Flagship #189 last Friday.

Like everyone else we had a great experience with Kelsey and team. They got right to work on the truck and Kelsey gave us the grand tour.

Camper highlights include:
new LA covers (phase 1)
appliance shelf (anyone care to petition STC to design one for the other side of the camper?)
Guzzle filter
Wrappon
2000w inverter
200aH batteries
L-track everywhere
50amp dc/dc charging

I didn't get an awning but STC added the awning tie-down points to the corners of the leading edge.

After the install we went straight from Golden to Frisco to get some fried chicken and IPAs at Outer Range Brewery. While in the parking lot we ran into another Supertramp, they've had theirs for about two years and only had good things to say.

Short trip home but good exercise of the heater in the 20F morning outside of Leadville.

Quick question for current owners:
How bad was your out-gassing experience? Any tips or tricks to help expedite getting the fumes from the manufacturing process out?

Love it! (and immediately recognized your pic from your post on the Tremor forum's "Overland Campers" thread last Monday).

Interesting thought on the Appliance Shelf for the driver's side. We use that wall spot for seating backrest, since we have our Lagun table mounted over the bench in front of the drivers side window, but can see it would be a handy shelf location for some owners. STC already has the plans, so the design/engineering is already done, and they could potentially just mirror the plans and bend up a batch. Would be interesting what the take rate would be for one in that location compared to the current location. I can ask if they've had anyone requesting that and what run size would need to be.

Since you have a Flagship hot off the presses and you mentioned that you have the L-track everywhere (they only recently started offering it along the interior wall on the driver's side), can you measure the height of the interior L track, where the mirrored appliance shelf would locate, and see if that L track is the exact same height off the "floor" as the kitchenette L track? Likely it is, but that would be interesting data and confirm if a mirrored shelf would work there.

Below is the only image I've seen of that new L track so it would be great if you could post some images of your interior with that wall of L track.

As for fumes, airing it out is about the only way to evacuate the fumes. It doesn't seem to come from one specific item so just air out everything. Since some say it isn't too bad and others say theirs is almost unusable, it seems likely that is bases more on individual tolerances rather than a variation in offgassing intensity being different between campers. Opening them up (including having the top popped) and getting air through them helps it dissipate, but it will still take time. You can also stand up the cushions inside the camper or remove them entirely and air them outside of the camper. Same with floor mat. While you are airing it out, open up all the compartments (bench storage, underbed storage, electronics and galley cabinets, etc.). You can also draw air only through the basement by opening the external gray water drain hose access door and setting the fan(s) to out and leaving everything else closed up. That will draw fresh air in through the basement, up through the electronics cabinet and front bench seat (leave both open) and out the vents. High camper interior temps also help things off-gas. Kind of the wrong time of year for that, even down near you, but airing out will help. Just know you'll likely get another wave of offgassing when you get hotter temps in the camper regularly (90F+).

 

[ruadhrigh]

Thanks @Chadx !

Started by leaving the top up and the fabric windows down with the fans doing a push/pull. I like your suggestion to open up the basement, take the cushions out and set both fans to pull air out. Our previous camper definitely had a similar smell and it took a while to dissipate.

L-track on that wall is 72" long, 4.75" from the bed wall and 5" from the door wall. 26" to the middle of the l-track off the base of the bench (no cushion), I got the same height measuring the l-track on the opposite wall.

So far we have used the appliance stand as storage. Dry goods and toiletries. If there was one on the opposite side it would also be a storage spot. Maybe shoes, maybe fishing packs. Really not sure how we would use it, but coming from an offroad trailer with storage everywhere we are looking for places to store our outdoor accessories.

Best picture I can get right now, morning sun angle makes it tough to get a decent picture.

 

[Bean]

@twowheels19 Unfortunately, I don't think a 16.3" high toilet will fit. And the 17" length may also be an issue.

Went out and measured. The below image I took of a demo flagship back in summer 2023 (we did not get a portable toilet when we bought ours), but in a previous conversation, I used it to draw some dimension lines.

Height: 16" to 16 1/8" depending on where you measure.
L1: 23 1/4"
L2: 18" (not exact because the bend on the 45 degree section is a radius and not an angle)
W1: 16 5/8"
W2: 12" (not exact because the bend on the 45 degree section is a radius and not an angle)

The stock portable toilets (like pictured) have to sit sideways, but they can be used sitting sideways. Most separating toilets, like our Trelino, can not be used sitting sideways because things "don't line up", but luckily, many brands fit facing front to back.

I've noticed a lot of these small separating toilet manufacturers incorrectly call their products "Composting toilets" rather than "Separating toilets". Even the very large volume "composting toilets" with agitators fill up and need to be emptied long before any composting can take place. When they are cleaned/dumped, the solid bin content can be added to a dedicated compost pile where composting will take place over the following year. But contents should never just be spread on top of ground and left (should go with out saying, but some may get the incorrect impression that it can be spread anywhere since it's "compost". Even those big "composting" toilet need to be bagged and thrown in trash when on the road and not spread randomly, no matter how remote.

These smaller versions have even less hope of any composting occurring. It seems to be more a marketing phrase. Even if one used the toilet for a couple days worth of solids, added media and left it sit for a few months, no composting would occur. The media's job is to dry out the exterior of the solid, which greatly reduces odor, but it effectively mummifies the solids so no break down will occur. Think of exposed animal dropping that dries out on the exterior vs what happens when stepped on and the dry exterior makes way for not-so-dry interior.

Separating toilets can be used multiple times, for solids, by using drying media to encapsulate and dry the solids. They work much better if the paper is not added to the solids bin and are instead thrown in a separate trach bag. We've noticed that driving down bumpy trails means solids do not stay buried in the media, so while it's reasonable to use the same back and layer media while at a single camp spot, it works best to remove bag before driving.

We use our separating toilet regularly for liquids, but still prioritize using bathrooms, outhouses or digging cat holes if allowed (and weather/bugs permit). The separating toilet is our last option for solids, but it's very nice to have available. We use media, but we bag it before driving and have a dedicated dry bag, for the bagged-up solids to go into, which seals in scents completely (which is not the case if the bags are thrown into a non-sealed trash sack like a trasheroo or similar hanging on the back of the rig.


View attachment 901855

Based on measurements, the Cuddy Lite height does seem problematic. Fortunately there is some flex in the lid, so it does just fit. The aluminum bench cover rubs on the lid, so we added a towel on top, but even with that and a pad under the toilet to prevent shifting and scuffing, the bench lid closes.

We're the opposite of Mr. and Mrs. Chadx, and have yet to uses the toilet for liquids, which go on local vegetation. We do prefer it to cat holes for solids, even in 20s F weather. The plastic warms up pretty quick. We include the toilet paper for convenience, and remove the bag daily and keep it with other bagged trash in a collapsible bucket in a Roam box mounted on the back of the camper. With regular trash stops, no issues with odor, so I haven't had to dedicate a dry bag to storage, although that's a good suggestion.

As @Chadx notes, small "composting" toilets do not do any composting. And you wouldn't want to try to compost solids anyway, without the industrial scale that sludge is composted at. Even if you could get it hot enough for long enough to kill pathogens, the solids still contain heavy metals and toxic chemicals that come from eating at the top of the food chain. Best to just put in a landfill like disposable baby diapers.

Here are a few shots of the Cuddy Lite to demonstrate the fit. It does need to be taken out of the shower enclosure to have the geometry right for use. In campsites with traffic or cold/wet weather, we put it in the outdoor shower enclosure. When we have an area to ourselves, we enjoy a "loo with a view," something I learned to appreciate with groover placement on river trips.

(For reference, I'm on the Tremor forum as @SuperGuck.)