ATO AterraXL composite flatbed camper (pagoda roof)

[mk216v]

Since I haven't seen any posts yet in this forum about the new AT Overland AterraXL hard-sided composite flatbed camper, and we're up for production unit #001, I thought I'd start a thread sharing info and our experience.

Here it is in initial concept form;

Here it is in real life, as the prototype on Mario@ATO's RAM;

Interior;

*[Ed; = my additional info added]
SPECIFICATIONS
• Honeycomb composite construction
• UV resistant polyurea coating inside and out with upholstered ceiling.
• Camper overall width: 80”
• Camper overall length: 153”
• Camper overall height: 83”
• Cab over length: 60”
• Cab over height: 42”
• Flatbed footprint: 80” x 80”
• Interior headroom: 76”
• Base Model Weight: 1250 lbs [Ed; WET weight]

COMPATABILITY
• Designed for ½, ¾ and 1 ton full size pickup and cab chassis trucks with 6.5’, 6.75’ and 8’ or longer flatbed trays. Note: ½ ton trucks may need augmented rear suspension.
• Fits flatbed trays made by FiftyTen, Lite Aluma Tray [Ed; Overland Explorer Vehicles], UTE, Norweld, [Ed; Highway Products Inc.] and similarly dimensioned and built trays (80” x 80” minimum required).

STANDARD EQUIPMENT
• Queen size bed (78”l x 60”w) with 3” thick upholstered foam mattress and Froli travel spring system.
• 5 Arctic tern double pane acrylic windows with reflective privacy curtains and bug screens
• Arctic tern double pane acrylic electric roof hatch skylight with integrated led lighting, bug and light blocking screens.
• Arctic tern double bolt entrance [Ed; Wildlands] door with window and security/ bug screen
• Truma VarioHeat Comfort heater and AquaGo on-demand hot water heater
• Dometic flush mount 2 burner sink/stove combo with glass top
• Plyboo countertops and table
• Maxxair ventilation fan [Ed; located above kitchen galley]
• Dimmable interior and exterior led lighting
• Four double usb and four 12-volt power points
• 20 Lb propane tank (standard swappable type)
• National luna 90 liter dual zone fridge/freezer [Ed; or fridge/fridge]
• 30 Gallons fresh water capacity [Ed; with backlit level]
• Inside [Ed; in dinette floor] and outside Sagiv shower points
• Spod electrical switch panel w/bluetooth control
• 105 Ah lithium battery and 400 watts solar
• National Luna 40 amp DC to DC charging system with integrated MPPT solar controller and automatic vehicle charging disconnect
• Wrappon Trekker waterless toilet system [Ed; located under curbside dinette seat. Poopbag chute in access door in footwell of curbside dinette seat]
• 8x step 22 Stingray cabinet storage cubes (16”l x 12”w x 8”h), and 2x step 22 Stingray cabinet storage half cubes (8”l x 12”w x 8”h)
• 3 Underbed storage drawers (25”w x 40”l x 6”h) [Ed; can be slid out either when bed is in stored position, or when bed is slid out for increased-headroom sleeping position]
• 3 Hidden under bed compartments (25”w x 20”l x 6”h) [Ed; once bed is slid out]
• 1 Clothes hanging closet (10”w x 20”l x 35”h )
• Shoe cubby (12”w x 20”l x 8”h) [Ed; underneath 2 slide-out steps to access cabover bed]
• Storage under dinette seats (dinette also converts into a 78”l x 24”w bed )
• Rear accessory mounting rack
• All doors lockable and keyed alike
*[Ed; exterior painted RAM PW7 white]

OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT
• King Bed Extension (79" x 80") [Ed; as of 5/2022 this is now STANDARD! King cushions make a 2nd bed for 1 in the dinette area, as well as a day lounge!]
• Additional lithium battery (up to 210 ah total)
• 8' Exterior awning
• Exterior EeziAwn Shower Cube curtain
• Mechanical camper jacks
• Maxtrax recovery boards mounted on rear accessory rack
• Fuel/Water cans mounted on rear accessory rack
• Fresh air replenishment system with condensation removal. [Ed; new technology developed in conjunction with Tern Overland. Is seen as a exterior "box" structure on rear upper of camper, maybe street side?, warms/dehumidifies the air as it comes into the camper?]
• Paint match to vehicle

More information/pics/videos here;

AT Overland Equipment Aterra XL Flatbed Truck Camper

The AT Overland Equipment Aterra XL Flatbed Truck Camper is an innovative lightweight fiber reinforced thermoplastic honeycomb composite camper design. Engineered by Tern Overland and collaboratively built with AT Overland Equipment, it combines the best available materials and technology with...

atoverland.com

NOTE; these are ver1 camper pictures, which is what we're getting. ATO is supposedly revising for a ver2 camper which will have taller walls (maybe for even more headroom height in the cabover bed?), maybe that means retaining the same overall height but angling the roof pitches even more? The 3 dinette windows will then be moved up for even more light into the camper.

Here's our truck/camper build thread; https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...osite-camper-carli-king-37s-4-88s-etc.230131/

We hope to see our camper finished March or April '22, then install, then enjoy it!

 

[Ninelitetrip]

Stopped by ATO at EXPO, and was able to speak with Mario.

First impression, definitely impressed. I think this certainly is a contender, compared to the OEV HBE. Some changes from the displayed prototype and upcoming production. First, on this display unit, the flatbed tray has been changed to the OEV Aluma Tray HD 9 foot tray, with driver side storage and passenger side spare tire up front. Build quality on the exterior looks excellent. There has been a change to the floor construction and a change to the interior hieight by an extra @ 3 inches. Cushions are now upholstered with Sunbrella for durability. The sPod has been replaced by a Garmin unit for durability and extra functions. The smugglers notch up front of the bed now has covers that can be removed, and in combination, the extra cushions for the king-size bed can be used to turn the dinette into a sofa/love seat. There will be an option for a DC 12 volt mini split AC. the head unit will hang above the dinette on the driver side, with the rest hanging off the back of the exterior. The table has been revised and contoured to allow easier access to the dinette seats. Maybe a couple of other things, that's what I remember.

I really like the headroom and open feeling of the interior. The entryway/foyer is huge and you don't have that confined feeling. Others have mentioned the lack of exterior storage for items like skis or outdoor equipment, etc. Interested to see what people come up with for solutions.

One item that the OEV HBE seems to excel is the ability to attach exterior items to the shell, like the molle panels in the rear to carry items like spare tires and extra storage, or the L track that is installed on the roof and along the side panels. Attaching items to the exterior, especially heavy items like spare tires may be more of a challenge with the type of construction used by ATO. I asked specifically about installing L track on the exterior walls.

Current production should come in around 1100 pounds. They shaved 70 pounds just with changes in the interior fit out.

 

[mk216v]

The ATO AterraXL is definitely impressive. I'd say it's the hard-sided competitor to the OEV CampHBE (poptop).

Ver2(or is it ver3?), let's just say 2nd Gen, will have even more headroom as you mention. This will allow the 3 dinette windows to raise up for better visibility to outside.

From my build thread;








I'll post some interior pics of my #001/ver1 soon. First impressions are hugely positive. I'm persnickety for detail and looking behind the scenes I see high quality USA craftmanship. Pride in workmanship is very evident, they thought about so many more details even as my camper was being built; like how now all Aterra's come with a king bed, the extra cushions stored up on the bed are velcroed together so they don't fly off the bed mid-flight, and those cushions can now make for turning the dinette into a lounge area and/or a single bed for 1 thinner person.
It's so nice to be 6' and stand wherever you want without bending over and ducking. Lighter/brighter than expected, the TernOverland windows are a treat. 65deg here the other day, I had the 2 clerestory windows in vent position along with the big rear dinette window, blackout shades drawn on the other 2 dinette windows. In the late afternoon with the truck cab locked up, it was stuffy in there, yet the camper was cool as a cucumber; ahhhhh! I think we're going to have more storage than we need, but we'll see.
One immediate change needed (nothx Lagun) is that since Lagun offers no extendable table arm(lame; they only have 1 product, with only an optional taller table leg? I wasn't aware until now), the dinette table isn't able to swing to the driver side dinette seat, which would open up the toilet area. Currently to have any sort of room when using the Wrappon toilet (unless you want to ******** with your elbows on the dinette table), we'd need to remove the dinette table from the Lagun mount, put the table on the cabover bed. So, in quick brainstorming, instead of finding a custom extendable table arm (searching the interwebz multiple ways didn't net anything), the easiest solution will be to re-mount the Lagun setup to the driver side of the dinette area. This will orient the table more to the driver dinette seat, freeing up space on the passenger side where the toilet is.

That brings up the awning. As some have said, the mounting looks out of place, however I understand why it has to be do. Of course it can't be mounted to the pagoda roof, and it needs to clear the entry door, so options are very limited. I'd prefer a 270deg awning for better coverage, but an awning would have to be mounted so high off the ground (like it is now), that there's no easy way to manually open/unfurl/wrap such a 270deg around the camper...the Fiamma 45S allows the long crank handle (neatly stowed to the right of interior camper entry) to use used. I am concerned about tree limbs wrapping themselves around the awning/fore mount bracket, so I'm going to look at possibly having some sort of deflector shield att'd to the forward bracket and hopefully that would push branches away vs have them tangled up in the awning/mounts.


Aterra definitely feels spacious and airy inside.
Exterior storage; one could have a cross-frame/tunnel box like mine built. At 80" wide, that's long enough for many skis stored in the bottom of the box, right? Or have a custom angled(ie inverse of rear bottom of camper) and full-width box made. Perhaps it attaches to the end of the flatbed? Would have to get creative.

I agree on OEV having the ability to mount items to the exterior. I believe that's because of their cabin construction methods/thicker panels? Definitely won't be mounting a 125lb spare wheel/tire to the Aterra.
L-track would be sweet.

PS--https://expeditionportal.com/at-overlands-aterra-xl-flatbed-camper/

 

[Ninelitetrip]

Did you get the sPOD or GARMIN control unit?

What is the max load limit of the rear aluminum panel?

I would like to see the ability to add L track on the exterior walls like OEV.

 

[mk216v]

Did you get the sPOD or GARMIN control unit?

What is the max load limit of the rear aluminum panel?

I would like to see the ability to add L track on the exterior walls like OEV.

Mine has the Garmin unit. I haven't used it much yet.

Unsure on the load limit for the rear accessory holder/rack. I do know that it not only mounts to the rear mechanical camper jack mounts, but also the dinette table mount is through the center of the accessory holder/rack too.

Agreed on L-track; would offer more flexibility.

 

[Ninelitetrip]

Mine has the Garmin unit. I haven't used it much yet.

Unsure on the load limit for the rear accessory holder/rack. I do know that it not only mounts to the rear mechanical camper jack mounts, but also the dinette table mount is through the center of the accessory holder/rack too.

Agreed on L-track; would offer more flexibility.

Ok, now I understand that doubler plate I can see at the back. Similar to the ones inside the cabin for the grab handle at the door.

The L track has a lot of utility. Hopefully enough demand for it that they offer it.

One common theme I came across was a lack of ability to store long items externally but covered, like skis, hence the CAMP-X plus external box setups on flatbeds for example. For long items, fishing poles, skis, snowboards, etc. what ideas do you have? With the raised ceiling by @ 3 inches, I suppose some folks may be willing to hang items from the ceiling, say fishing poles. My question, with the honeycomb construction, is how feasible is that?

 

[mk216v]

Ok, now I understand that doubler plate I can see at the back. Similar to the ones inside the cabin for the grab handle at the door.

The L track has a lot of utility. Hopefully enough demand for it that they offer it.

One common theme I came across was a lack of ability to store long items externally but covered, like skis, hence the CAMP-X plus external box setups on flatbeds for example. For long items, fishing poles, skis, snowboards, etc. what ideas do you have? With the raised ceiling by @ 3 inches, I suppose some folks may be willing to hang items from the ceiling, say fishing poles. My question, with the honeycomb construction, is how feasible is that?

Fully agreed on L-track. I almost had HPI add L-track to the exterior "rub rail side" of my flatbed, to allow me to alternatively tie the camper down with Torklift/Derringer turnbuckles, but since the L-track was a bolt-on, I learned HPI or I could do it later, so I opted to hold off on it. If there was L-track on the camper too, then between flatbed and camper, there'd be even more flexibility.

I edited my post above earlier, you might have missed it. My crossframe box between truck cab and camper is 80"W. That's long enough for most skis and fishing poles, if stored at the bottom and then top level of the box(I have 3 levels in my box, with L-track and adjustable internal shelves). Or could alternatively probably store light items like fishing poles in the ceiling of the Aterra. How crazy strong can you get hook/loop(Velcro) these days? Anything like VHB Velcro?

Snowboards...could get creative and make a quickly-removable mount(in order to get to the camper hatches on the driver side) that spans the LF-LR mechanical camper jack mounts, and attach snowboards to it? Hopefully they wouldn't stick past the truck mirrors. Or maybe do a roof rack at the front of the truck, ahead of the camper cabover, and boards flat/horizontal and stacked on top of each other? Or forgo jerry cans and Maxtrax and mount the boards to the accessory rack?(have to find out from Mario what he thinks the weight limit is)

 

[MichaelS.]

Do you think their is enough room for more batteries and an inverter? Also is their room to replace the wrappon with something like a cassette toilet? Have they shown which ac they are using and how and where it is mounted?

 

[mk216v]

Do you think their is enough room for more batteries and an inverter? Also is their room to replace the wrappon with something like a cassette toilet? Have they shown which ac they are using and how and where it is mounted?

Inverter can easily go under the driver side dinette seat area; quite a bit of available room in there.
3rd Li-ion will currently be challenging in the driver side hatch where the other 2 Li-ion I have (210aH total) and the Truma aft of it. But I heard Ver3 campers might have 3 batteries? I haven't verified that, and I'm unsure if "add'l 105aH" here means add'l to the 1 that is standard + the 1 that is currently optional... = 3 total.
https://expeditionportal.com/at-overlands-aterra-xl-flatbed-camper/
"Generation Three also offers an optional DC power driven 6,000 Btu split air conditioning unit and an additional 105A battery."
I'm unsure of the brand, but the split will sit above the dinette at the rear of the cabin wall.

I suppose you could mod for a cassette toilet but that'd be a lot of work to replace the what-seems-to-be a great option for a cassette.

For those not following my main truck/camper thread, 37s are now on, making the entire combo a bit burlier.

 

[Greener]

Your rig looks amazing! This a setup I've been looking into. I can't figure out how to make the 1/2 ton setup work so I'm now considering an F350 diesel Tremor. I really like what I'm seeing in the ATerra, love the floor plan and clever packaging.

Where do you store your spare?

 

[mk216v]

Your rig looks amazing! This a setup I've been looking into. I can't figure out how to make the 1/2 ton setup work so I'm now considering an F350 diesel Tremor. I really like what I'm seeing in the ATerra, love the floor plan and clever packaging.

Where do you store your spare?

Thx much! Yeah, I don't think a 1/2ton will work well at all. The F350 Tremor is an excellent choice.
The Aterra offers a whole lot of storage space, feels very open and not confined, as compared to many other campers.

Aiming to store it in the factory location as Peter has done here;

 

[jeep364]

Will gen 3 have a grey water tank? Even a small one?

 

[mk216v]

Will gen 3 have a grey water tank? Even a small one?

I doubt it; would just add complexity and more "stuff" to have to fit somewhere.

 

[Ninelitetrip]

?(have to find out from Mario what he thinks the weight limit is)

Did you ever find out what the max weight limit is off the backend?

 

[zb39]

I know everybody does it, but I don't know why. Run the box right up against the cab and get more living space. You can use it for living when it's crappy outside and you can use it for storage if you need to. At least you have the option. I know the spare looks COOL in that space but I'll take actual living space every time.
Love this unit otherwise.