calicamper
Expedition Leader
Keep the midnight snack in a Bear bin outside and all will be ok ;-)
AT Tacoma Habitat: Official Thread
- Thread starter elcoyote
- Start date
bkctyadventure
New member
Price increase?
I saw that the price is now 8600 on the website. That's the same price of an atc or fwc shell. Now granted the mods for the camper might exceed the price for the habitat but to start they are the same. That seems a bit high to me. Considering your talking a hard sided camper vs a tent. What was the 700 dollar increase for? Any feed back would be great since I would like to travel full time next year about this time, and I'm looking at all my options for living quarters. Thanks, Don
I saw that the price is now 8600 on the website. That's the same price of an atc or fwc shell. Now granted the mods for the camper might exceed the price for the habitat but to start they are the same. That seems a bit high to me. Considering your talking a hard sided camper vs a tent. What was the 700 dollar increase for? Any feed back would be great since I would like to travel full time next year about this time, and I'm looking at all my options for living quarters. Thanks, Don
Martyn
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Don, the initial pricing was based on the prototype, I would have preferred not to release the price prior to us going into production but there was considerable pressure to get some idea of pricing from potential consumers. Once we went through the prototyping stage we made some changes in construction and materials for the production model, which along with the man hours needed to construct the Habitat resulted in the price increase.
As usual we did not skimp on the design or the materials so you have a product that is uncompromising when it comes to quality and durability. The construction is aluminum and composite, and the tent is designed and made by Nemo.
The Habitat is a very different animal from a pop up camper in that:
it weighs between 320 -340 lbs and requires no modifications to the suspension for a stock Tacoma, and due to weight and low profile was less of a detrimental effect on fuel efficiency.
it was designed to be left on the vehicle when not in use and acts as a truck shell, so unlike a slide in camper it does not take away from the use of the truck bed.
it has a built in awning formed by the lid, and we will soon be adding a screened and wall room for outside living.
The Habitat is similar to a pop up camper in that:
It can sleep up to four people
accessories such as heaters, fridges, water, showers, etc can be added
electrical accessories such as lights, battery systems, 12v outlets, USB port, 120v outlets can be added
Storage and seating areas can be added (probably more usable storage than a camper)
As far as the price I have a few thoughts on that. We do some in depth analysis of what products cost us to make, and what profit on the sale needs to come in to keep the company afloat. We also look at the cost to develop a product, which in this case was in excess of $40,000.00 and then come up with a fair price.
As far as comparing the cost to shell campers goes, having been in the business for 14 years I have a good feel for what products cost to make, when I look at shell campers I see a product that is breaking even at best, or losing the manufacturer a little money. The profit on campers is based on all the accessories and options that are added to the build, so the inexpensive shell usually get added to and results in a $20,000.00 camper.
Sory for the long winded answer, but I hope I covered everything for you.
Martyn
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Roger, unlike most camper shells the Habitat does not use a stock rear glass window, we produce a solid rear lift gate with two lockable closures, and the lift gate is sealed around the edges with bulb seal. That takes care of dust and moisture entering through the lift gate.
The other point of entry for dust is the edges of the tailgate itself. We have found that carpet kits and good sealing along the vertical gap between the body and the tailgate takes care of this point of entry.
During the 6 days of off road testing the prototype went through more dirt was tracked in on peoples feet than came in through the back of the truck.
dman93
Adventurer
I had a chance to look at the AT Habitat today at Four Wheel Camper of Jackson Hole. It's really impressive! The design quality and workmanship of the metalwork and the tent are superior to most RV products I've seen. Compared with my now-sold FlipPac, it's in another league. I can't judge what the costs and profit margins are or should be, but by the standards of the industry, it does not seem overpriced. I'm unaffiliated with either AT Overland or FWCJH.
If I was in the market for a new flippac type (already have one) cap today I would almost certainly pay the extra money and get the AT version. The flippac is a great idea and works great but has too many commonly reported issues to choose a flippac over the AT (I'm not talking about the old rebadged flippac that they apparently no longer sell) based on price alone. I did build my own FWC/ATC type pop up camper (now 11 years old and still used), each style has its advantages and disadvantages but if I had a light truck like a Tacoma I would personally not want the FWC/ATC type based on wt alone. I have a F350, my homemade camper is about the same wt as the commercially available ones and fully loaded with stuff I inflate my rear suspension air bags. I would ignor the owners who say that their standard suspension trucks "don't even know" that there is a FWC/ATC on the back other than that they are correct that an inanimate object doesn't "know" anything.
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I've had my Habitat installed for a week+ now and slept in it 3 nights. There are a couple of little quirks that I think are reasonable to expect from a first-gen product (getting it packed and closed solo can be a bit tricky) but on the whole it's a really excellent product. And the fact that it weighs so little is a—pardon the hyperbole—a game changer for me. I've got a ****load more usable space on the truck now, but it still drives and crawls like it did before I had the shell. I stopped by my uncle's place to check out his new purpose-built rock crawler and ended up following him up a couple of 45-degree berms with the Tacoma just to show him I could.
I'll take some pics and share them here one I get some of my interior stuff buttoned down, but even accounting for the early adopter bias, I don't feel like my investment was ill spent at all. In fact, the Habitat is the thing that really made the Tacoma click for me; I can have my expo/boondock sleeping solution but still a light, nimble truck, too.
I'll take some pics and share them here one I get some of my interior stuff buttoned down, but even accounting for the early adopter bias, I don't feel like my investment was ill spent at all. In fact, the Habitat is the thing that really made the Tacoma click for me; I can have my expo/boondock sleeping solution but still a light, nimble truck, too.
Martyn
Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
Joel, I think some internal bungee cords will take care of the tent packing issues. I'll look into if there is an easy solution for the existing tents, but it's a for sure on the next generation. Closing the lid solo and the final stuffing may be a made easier with some slick use of the helper pole. I'll put our "Solutions" team on it next week.
More than anything I want to thank you for your leap of faith in buying this new product sight unseen. I'm confident it will serve you well and we are just a phone call or e mail away if you have questions.
All good, homie. Bungees were my first thought, as well, and I've got a couple of other more "clever" (read: too ornate by far) ideas to try, as well. I'll send you guys an email with any discoveries I find, but the kids and I already had a great couple of nights in it on the way to dropping them off in KC. (And let me know if you want recommendations for my 5-volt home theater setup. 
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Gear
Explorer, Overland Certified OC0020
All good, homie. Bungees were my first thought, as well, and I've got a couple of other more "clever" (read: too ornate by far) ideas to try, as well. I'll send you guys an email with any discoveries I find, but the kids and I already had a great couple of nights in it on the way to dropping them off in KC. (And let me know if you want recommendations for my 5-volt home theater setup.
Wait! What? -- 5-volt home theater setup in the Habitat. This sounds interesting!
Overlanerd
Vagabond Outdoors
Martyn, any thoughts on installing a fantastic fan on the solid rear hatch, or an exhaust fan somewhere in the bed? In my FWC, with the door closed and fan on exhaust, it sucks the sides in when lowering the camper. I just have to tuck two spots near the back corners.
It would be interesting to see if it would work on the habitat.
It would be interesting to see if it would work on the habitat.
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Funny, I was just looking at vent fans last night. They're not necessary when the tent's deployed, but I boondocked one night in a sketchy rest stop and slept in the back with the top closed and it got pretty stuffy without the rear hatch open. I never thought about a fan vacuuming the tent sides in!
All the Fantastic Fan stuff looks a bit too big for this application, though, especially side-mounted. I might just weatherproof a couple of small PC fans and cut a hole for a small stainless grate.
All the Fantastic Fan stuff looks a bit too big for this application, though, especially side-mounted. I might just weatherproof a couple of small PC fans and cut a hole for a small stainless grate.