Composite pop up project

[NVLOC]

Really looking forward to where this is going. The pop ups available in NA are a joke in our climate. Insulated fabric and no cold bridges are what needs to happen indeed. In my opinion, skip the windows altogether. No way to have a proper insulated soft side with them. I'm also looking forward to the standardized systems you are creating for individual purchase as well: ie, kitchen cabinetry, sink, storage, etc. The idea of having items removable to be used outside is essential imo.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Xrunner]

Looks great! Any chance this will fit a 5' Tacoma bed (double cab short bed) with the tailgate removed?

 

[Jeep]

Looks great! Any chance this will fit a 5' Tacoma bed (double cab short bed) with the tailgate removed?

It might work fine, would really have to load one up and see how the center of balance works out, but a lot of truck campers hang out a foot, and I'm keeping the weight a little forward so it "should" be fine.

 

[Jeep]

Thanks for the replies, and sorry for being slow with updates, going through a very busy time. Sometimes it's a good thing to take a break from a project and look at it over time with a few different eyes, and a few different perspectives. We ended up being able to fit a Dometic CFX65 dual zone cooler (others will fit, this is just the biggest capacity fridge with a freezer, with the best footprint), and a 22" Partner Steel cooktop which is something a lot of people own, or for that matter anything that fits the space. The sink will be a SMEV, permanently mounted, and there will actually be some counter space. There will be a lot of cargo tracking for soft bags, and the ability to add a lower bank of cabinets if desired but there is a good amount of floor space without them. Something we are using in this unit for power, 12 volt DC and 110 volt AC is a system from Lion Energy, https://lionenergy.com/products/lion-energy-ftb-50-solar-generator, and using the expansion pack with it, we have been testing the generator with some emergency vehicle systems and the results are pretty impressive, it's a 1500 watt inverter, and 150 Ah of LiFePo4 DC power that weighs in at 90 pounds total. It's another part that is removable and usable away from the camper. The same space that the Lion system consumes would also fit a conventional battery or two. The roof will hold 3 - 100 watt solar panels to keep it all filled up.

I should be back on it in a few weeks, progress should be pretty quick now.

 

[alumacapt]

Actuators

I used actuators originally but the two front ones burnt out due to the extra burden of the font cantiliver. I switched to hydraulics. Alaskan campers gave me the name of hydraulics pro Tommy. Don't have contact anymore. Love your build, looking forward to watching your progress.

 

[Cptsoftbelly]

I've been waiting to see what you could do with this product! I'm excited to see how everything turns out and had a question about if you had though about different options for the camper for warmer climates? I live in the southeast us and would use a heater 2 months out of the year. Camp in my dads 30 year old pop up in November and have to open the windows just from our radiant heat. Excited to see what you do.

 

[Jeep]

I've been waiting to see what you could do with this product! I'm excited to see how everything turns out and had a question about if you had though about different options for the camper for warmer climates? I live in the southeast us and would use a heater 2 months out of the year. Camp in my dads 30 year old pop up in November and have to open the windows just from our radiant heat. Excited to see what you do.

The jury is really out for warmer climates, that has more to do with the soft sides than the rest of the construction, which will also show up in cold climate use. We have a couple of campers and trailers running around the southwest and only one got AC, the insulation value of the composite combined with "window open" ventilation addresses the situation pretty good. I have spent time myself in my own rig as well as some we built in Utah, Arizona, Nevada in some blistering heat, and even up here in the summer time where we have gotten into the 35-38 Celsius (close to 100 F) range for weeks on end and they have been very good. The soft sides are very different, they are 2 sided with different materials, and insulation between the inner and outer, theoretical R5 insulation value. That should really help with temperature management in hot weather, just as much as cold weather. As long as everything folds up and folds in like it's supposed to, all will be good!

This little guy is a prototype, and I will be using it this winter for a few cold weather trips I have coming up, that will be the test for the soft sides. Some really good stuff coming in 2018, here is a pic with the roof set on top.

 

[Jeep]

Sides are on. I was a little concerned that they would have a little difficulty folding due to them basically being built like a sleeping bag, but so far so good. 3 renditions of hinge designs, and a tweak still needed to the last adjustment still required to be 100% but still really good and lock nice and solid with little effort.

 

[ripperj]

I like it, a lot

A shock cord loop sewn in a continuous pocket on the middle of the soft walls would ensure it ends up inside. (I have seen it just wrapped around the outside, but looks half baked)
Before I made the flip panels for my Alaskan(like) Popup, I doodled about with hard side insulated windows in soft walls. Basically normal windows would have a narrow 2”?? solid frame that something like awning track without the rear part clamped to. The window holes would have that awning welt? (1/4” round stuff) sewn into the perimeter.
Probably makes more sense in my head
Keith


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[NVLOC]

That looks solid. Can you describe the fabric and insulation layering you are testing? I’m assumig the Center strip is taught and keeps the fabric tucked without having to walk around and manually lift the roof and fold it in (a la FWC)? What is the standing headroom?

 

[flipmachine]

Got to see this in person today all I can say is WOW... ,this pop up camper is a game changer, if you think it looks good in pictures, you have to see it in person. Great job Mark and Arnold, can't wait to see the production version.

 

[sg1]

I fully agree, it is a game changer. This is why I sold my Hawk and ordered the first production unit of the full size version. The Hawk is in my view simply not designed for our Canadian climate especially if you want to use in spring or fall and if you go north ( http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/163254-A-Hawk-in-the-Arctic?highlight=Hawk+arctic ). From my experience with European style composite cabins I knew that it is possible to build a product which is much better suited to our climate and in Overland Explorer I found a company having the same vision. In long discussions Mark and I came up with quite a few ideas to modify and hopefully improve the design of the pre production prototype shown here. The build will start early in the new year. I am really exited.
Stefan

 

[HowardH]

I had a change to inspect this camper last week. It is very impressive. The list of options is amazing. There are none which leads to what I feel is an extremely competitive price. This camper is one of those rare instances where a product IS NOT built to a price point yet is very competitive price wise.

You get a LIGHT camper, with a pop top, that will be extremely durable and last for years and years of hard use.

 

[craig333]

Actually you don't have to do that to an FWC. I know they recommend it but I've never done it and mines still going strong.

 

[Jeep]

Thanks for the comments guys, it's a lot of work figuring out all the little details, and the production version is going to look a lot different, all for good reason! To answer some of the questions:

The fabric is a waterproof cold rated coated canvas on the outside, a layer of insulation designed to wick moisture and breathe with the inner canvas liner. I'm not the designer of the soft side, I leaned on an expert that designs and very successfully builds insulated multi man outfitting and guide tents used extensively in all regions of Canada, it looks really good and the experience is there with the combination. There is also a shock cord that runs through loops around the center of the outside, just not in the pics. It is ran that way as it is a wear item that can easily be replaced, not so when it is sewn into a wall. It helps fold the top in.

To address the PM's, the production version is only coming one way, ready to go. It's the only way we can produce it in a cost effective manner and extract as much value as we can from our vendors, by buying volume. The standard equipment list look like this:

.Insulated soft sides
.Full cabinetry package - there are some really cool features coming that work very well
.Pull out bed platform - turns bed into a king size north south bed
.Lagun table system
.Sink
.Interior cargo tracking and tie down points
.Group 27 AGM battery in sealed and vented box
.Blue Sea fuse and breaker panel
.Battery monitor
.USB and 12 volt ports
.20 gallon water system in the full size, 15 gallon in the mid size (this MIGHT move to 20 gallon too)
.Truma Eco hot water and forced air heat
.20 pound marine horizontal propane tank
.Fantastic ceiling fan
.LED interior lighting
.4 camper jacks with brackets (Aluminum)
.Tie down kit - in bed, model specific

It is designed to use an outdoor cook top, most people already have their favourite one. If not we sell Partner Steel in our online store, the proper valve and a jumper hose is supplied and mounted on top of the counter. It will accommodate the biggest portable fridge, again most people already have their favourite one, we sell Dometic and Indel. If you are looking for an inverter/110 volt check out Lion Energy, testing so far is pretty darn good, we expect it to work perfectly in this size of product. The majority of this concept has come from the user group, and committed buyers who have been involved in the process from the inception. Thanks for the input everybody, let's see how this thing works!