Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
One thing the AterraXL shined at was internal storage, just far more than the HBE. I would take the underbid storage option.
2021 Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) CAMP-HBE pop-up flatbed pickup camper (renamed the "Hudson Bay" for 2023 model year)
- Thread starter Chadx
- Start date
110v outlet on the end of the galley (minute 5:03 in video). Went back and looked at my picks of the older version and that is the same spot as before.
Switches on the galley and, at minute 4:49 in the video, shows the second set of switches that are reachable from outside. They are on the storage cabinet now.
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
Well for the hardwall pricing... as a precedent we know the Basecamp Soft to Hard is ~+7K USD. Maybe similar for the HB ?? am curious also.
Agreed on the big jump from HB to BaseCamp. That's why it would be sweet if there was a HB model that moved toward the BaseCamp in terms of length and layout but still on a flatbed. (I think similar was discussed before, perhaps by you. A poor man's BaseCamp as it were, with a good amount of room)
Re the video posted earlier, has the overcab height increased from the 2022 as was rumored ? I heard said there is now optional 2.5" underbed. Is that just a sub floor in the same overall dimension ?
3 for us also. 1 dog and 2 humans. I'd like more aisle space to give us a fighting chance at not being in the dog's way all the time. Plus a possible pass thru so he can of course also have the choice of sleeping in the truck cab.
SW vs HW. Just adding panel dimension, get rid of the electric lifting system, the SW tent material, easier production, but costs more. The BASE CAMP has to be installed at the factory. I don't believe a pass through will be an option on the HBE from the factory.
I didn't see anything showing where the victron now live. He mentions electronics moved forward, but only showed the inverter. The top galley cabinet was a flip down previously and the next two were slide-out drawers. That looks to still be the case. They show the inverter in the lower area now. That never had much room as it was the back of the propane cabinet. Looks like the inverter is just mounted on there. Really curious to see where the victron components are located. Probably not inside that batter box in the other cabinet, so yeah, maybe one of the drawers was sacrificed.
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Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
Sometimes it is better to pay attention to your own posts, completely missed the vertical strip of switches, thanks. So the 110 is still in its original spot, plus the CO2 detector and a USB plug. To the right of the 110, circuit breakers?
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
You can see the black cabling for the solar entering just above the stove and going rearward. He did not lift the driver side dinette seat, I suspect besides the Truma and the water tank that the Victron components are still there. Moving the inverter forward, I don't know, it knocked out that sliding drawer step into the bunk.
Yes, that black panel/switches look like 110v circuit breakers (12v fuses/breakers handled elsewhere). Better picture of that end of the galley as well as the door/entry switches as video 00:23.
That black bundle of cables is where the solar wiring comes down but also where the DC goes up to the roof for power to the overhead lights, fans, exterior lights (both flood lights and camper running lights). I'm interested in where the DC/DC and solar controller are located because those typically should be as close to the batteries as possible.
While on the topic of overhead, still seeing the same round LED lights. Again an area some of us have asked for improvement. I saw an image where a OEV dealership modified the lighting, per a client, to longer LED bars, which has been my recommendation from the beginning. Longer, strip-style lighting makes for a much more usable light as it spreads out the light source compared to a dome light with a single point of light. Single point of light casts harsh shadows when you block it. Also, the location of the lights isn't ideal. The rear light is just left of center, which is fine if no one is standing, but a standing person can block the light and cast a shadow on the dinette and galley. The lights that are now included in part of the rear fan will help a bit.
If the same dome lights are retained, it would help if they were closer to the edge of the roof and two of them used in the main part of the camper (one directly over the galley and one directly over the dinette).
To me, the ideal lighting would be two strip lights that run front to back the entire length of the camper in about 1' from the left and right side of the camper (or in just far enough that when the pop-top is lowered, the folded in soft top doesn't block the light so if you enter the camper with the top down, the lights are still usable. Those two strip lights are then on a dimmer switch. So you can have them as intense or subdued as is appropriate.
I understand the roof being a panel complicates the design since all wiring runs in conduit on the surface and is visible (vs wiring running within the roof panel), but to me, the functionality of the light is more important than the looks of how the conduit/wiring runs. If not redesigned by the time we make our next camper purchase, and we decide on the Hudson Bay, I will request the dome lights not be installed (since I'll only have to remove them) and the overhead light wiring just be stubbed out. Then I'll put two long LED strip lights as outlined above and add in a dimmer switch. Sorry for the long digression on lighting, but we've found it's a big part of the day-to-day experience. I added extra light to our CAMP-X, as others have done. Wouldn't take much of a change in the design to eliminate the need for owners to mod upon receipt.
@Ninelitetrip I'm not following your comment regarding losing the sliding drawer step up. The bottom galley compartment (back of propane cabinet and new location for the inverter) was always just a removable cabinet face; not a drawer. The top galley compartment is also just a tip-down cabinet face; not drawer. I might have missed it in the video, but I didn't see/hear anything about changes to the two drawers (which are the middle two compartments).
The primary cabover step-up is a aluminum step mounted to the side of the entry-way storage cabinet (see 4:04 if the video). In that same image, you can see the cabinet face that he removed to show the inverter compartment. That is how that compartment cover has always been. I vaguely recall a camper where a drawer (with a cap covering the drawer contents) was used as a step to get into the cabover, but I don't recall if that was every an option in the CAMP-HBE.
Here is a picture from the old setup:
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Agreed on the super thin FWC cabover thickness (on certain models; though thicker on the models with underbed storage). When we had our FWC Hawk, that very thin cabover made for lower overall camper which helped both aerodynamics and trail branch clearance. For us, the con to that thin cabover was there was zero room to keep pillows and bedding in the cabover when the top was down. We had to pull all that off to lower the pop-top. Not having to make and unmake the bed ever time we popped down the top was one of the factors that pushed us towards the OEV campers (though the biggest was to get away from the unacceptable amount of condensation we constantly dealt with in the FWC).
Even though none would be at eye level, I would really like a window or two in the main body and not just the soft top.
In the following image, one can see that even if the hard body panels were extended taller, there would not be room for a wide rear window. That is a side effect of the entire Hudson Bay dinette area being so elevated and also the design of the rear table. I'll mention that I absolutely love the design of that rear table and hope it stays for a long time. So fast, simple and elegant and rock solid when you lean on it unlike the tables that use the Laguna pivoting arm (very flexy).
Typically when one passively vents the camper (no fans powered on), it's nice to have windows/openings down low and up high (roof vent). Hot air rising out the roof vent pulls cooler outside air in the lower openings/windows. Hudson Bay has no lower windows. The screen door is the only main body opening and we keep the door closed at night. The only other openings are in the soft top. Would be nice to have a vent or small acrylic window down low that can be cracked open ever so slightly for air exchange at night. Would be easy enough to retrofit a small vent down low if desired.
Regarding the view, that is another pro of some other campers with lower dinette height is that you look out clear double pane acrylic windows or glass windows when seated in the dinette. Soft top windows give a blurred/hazy view rather than a sharp view. Imagine taking a photo through the soft top window vs another type of window to visualize the impact on sharpness. Still, soft top windows are much better than nothing and, they are at eye level.
A nice perk for those that choose the pop-top actuators is you get two extra windows (front and rear of the pop top where hinge/brackets would normally be).
The "view" issue is exacerbated by the choice of this model door. Glad that our CAMP-X was prior to this "jail cell" style design. Ha. When I captured the below images, I did not look too close. Does anyone know if the thick security grate is easily removed in this style door? Or would one have to clip through it and permanently/destructively remove it? Would really like to see OEV move to the Artic Tern Wildlands Door with it's secure double locking method built into the screen door, less visually-jarring security mesh, etc.
Even though none would be at eye level, I would really like a window or two in the main body and not just the soft top.
In the following image, one can see that even if the hard body panels were extended taller, there would not be room for a wide rear window. That is a side effect of the entire Hudson Bay dinette area being so elevated and also the design of the rear table. I'll mention that I absolutely love the design of that rear table and hope it stays for a long time. So fast, simple and elegant and rock solid when you lean on it unlike the tables that use the Laguna pivoting arm (very flexy).
Typically when one passively vents the camper (no fans powered on), it's nice to have windows/openings down low and up high (roof vent). Hot air rising out the roof vent pulls cooler outside air in the lower openings/windows. Hudson Bay has no lower windows. The screen door is the only main body opening and we keep the door closed at night. The only other openings are in the soft top. Would be nice to have a vent or small acrylic window down low that can be cracked open ever so slightly for air exchange at night. Would be easy enough to retrofit a small vent down low if desired.
Regarding the view, that is another pro of some other campers with lower dinette height is that you look out clear double pane acrylic windows or glass windows when seated in the dinette. Soft top windows give a blurred/hazy view rather than a sharp view. Imagine taking a photo through the soft top window vs another type of window to visualize the impact on sharpness. Still, soft top windows are much better than nothing and, they are at eye level.
A nice perk for those that choose the pop-top actuators is you get two extra windows (front and rear of the pop top where hinge/brackets would normally be).
The "view" issue is exacerbated by the choice of this model door. Glad that our CAMP-X was prior to this "jail cell" style design. Ha. When I captured the below images, I did not look too close. Does anyone know if the thick security grate is easily removed in this style door? Or would one have to clip through it and permanently/destructively remove it? Would really like to see OEV move to the Artic Tern Wildlands Door with it's secure double locking method built into the screen door, less visually-jarring security mesh, etc.
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
I believe it was BVO / Off Grid Engineering that did the dimmable color change LED strips? Even changed the switches at the entry possibly?
It's all a mish mash. Was it the FX that had the lower drawer that was a step also?
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
OEV just posted on Insta. You can now order the HW version. $10k upcharge.
Will be nice to see the design when they finish the first one. Interested in how they slope the cabover roofline (similar to BASE-CAMP and Summit?) and impact on cabover interior space.
By the way @Ninelitetrip, I found the picture of the OEV with the drawer that also servers as step up and it's the BASE-CAMP.
Picture of BASE-CAMP drawers:
Hudson Bay drawers:
By the way @Ninelitetrip, I found the picture of the OEV with the drawer that also servers as step up and it's the BASE-CAMP.
Picture of BASE-CAMP drawers:
Hudson Bay drawers:
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
Thanks for posting the photo, knew I had seen it somewhere. I wish they would take reimagine that cabinet and move the water tank forward. Sort of CAMP X like, propane, water and battery all forward. HW price will be above the AterraXL price.
Agreed. Would really like weight forward and a water tank in between the galley and storage closet would make a great step up into the cabover and a nice platform for anyone wanting to use a chest fridge. Granted, one or both of those would limit access to that section of the galley, but if no drawers are in the lower section, that section could be used for batteries, Victron goodies, and inverter, which would free up the passenger side storage closet from the battery box and keep the batteries very close to the solar controller and inverter as they should be.
Perhaps the weight being further forward is not as important for the Hudson Bay since its is targeted at HD pickups rather than Fullsize, but every little bit of weight ahead of the rear axle ,rather than behind helps in my opinion (weight centered between axles).
Perhaps the weight being further forward is not as important for the Hudson Bay since its is targeted at HD pickups rather than Fullsize, but every little bit of weight ahead of the rear axle ,rather than behind helps in my opinion (weight centered between axles).
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Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
Moving the CG forward is helpful but I also look at recovering some of the storage under the dinette seats. The AterraXL is way ahead on internal storage. Going with a chest fridge opens up the current space for some slide out drawers.