Hard-Sided Pop-Up Camper by Hiatus Campers

[K9LTW]

The oru designs is less than half the price and I WILL accept compromise at that price. My point was that for 20k we shouldn't have to compromise on the bed sleeping on cushions.

I see all of the hype on these canopy toppers and folks seem so desperate to jump into something with compromise that the manufacturers don't really reach the point of improvement because everyone wants something so bad they can't make changes without upsetting their users.

Hard shells should be the norm, not the acception.

Beds that maneuver completely out of the way should be the norm, not the compromise.

20k is more than 4x the cost of a truck canopy, and compromise shouldn't cost this much.

Nobody “forced” anyone to sleep on those cushions. Anyone is free to get a custom mattress done (like I did on mine). And hard shells the norm? They weigh significantly more than a vinyl pop up, and are significantly more involved to repair…those are issues for some folks.

Clearly you have your opinion…awesome. So go build what you feel should be the norm. Then get back to us on how much it’ll cost Or go buy something like an Aterra XL or something with a fixed bed.

My bed DOES move completely out of the way, as does the Hiatus. The choice of mattress is purely up to the individual.


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[Florida Native]

It is great that we actually have choices! You just need to pick one that compromises the least on the things that are most important to YOU.

-Mike

 

[///KM]

The oru designs is less than half the price and I WILL accept compromise at that price. My point was that for 20k we shouldn't have to compromise on the bed sleeping on cushions.

I see all of the hype on these canopy toppers and folks seem so desperate to jump into something with compromise that the manufacturers don't really reach the point of improvement because everyone wants something so bad they can't make changes without upsetting their users.

Hard shells should be the norm, not the acception.

Beds that maneuver completely out of the way should be the norm, not the compromise.

20k is more than 4x the cost of a truck canopy, and compromise shouldn't cost this much.

I own a Hiatus and have been loving it, but I've been following Oru's development with interest.

Some random thoughts:

• Hiatus has the better insulation on both lower & upper walls and has more hard wall coverage on all sides (~R6 insulation value). Oru has exposed aluminum all along the lower walls
• Oru has the better mattress - the 2.5" thick mattress on the Hiatus isn't very good so I've changed to a folding 4" one. It does suck having to take the mattress down when packing up, and it's my biggest gripe with the Hiatus. I think a thicker mattress would require a thicker top section thereby increasing overall height of the camper - the Oru looks quite thick at the top which probably allows for the thicker stock mattress.
• I prefer the slide-in bed platform over the lift up style since it takes full advantage of the extra space when you pop the top. Lift up style beds are best on wedge campers. Side note: a parallel-lifting bed platform like on Sportsmobiles would be amazing on these campers
• One thing I noticed on the Oru, it doesn't seem to have a locking mechanism when the top is up. Not sure how safe that is
• I love the Hiatus' full length doors that gets rid of the tailgate. I used to own an AT Overland Summit, and there was tons of dust intrusion at the tailgate even with added seals - with the Hiatus that's pretty much all gone
• I do wish the Hiatus had L-track along the interior to be able to mount things like molle panels. When I work up the courage to drill into my camper I'll probably add some myself

I'd love to meet up with an Oru owner and compare/contrast the campers in person. If I upgrade to a larger truck or a Rivian it'll come down to another Hiatus or Oru.

 

[Amarsh]

Any new reports from longer term owners? How about winter reports, great base for ski resort parking lots?

 

[tractor_to_trail]

My favorite camper to date just wish they were closer and that I could afford one😁

 

[trabs00]

Any new reports from longer term owners? How about winter reports, great base for ski resort parking lots?

Not a long-term owner (mine was installed in early October), but I am going to have to work with Hiatus on problems with mine.

Not bashing Hiatus, I just wanted to give people my experience so far.

I live in Seattle and unfortunately my truck is way too big to fit in my garage. I drive it around a few times a week up and down hills and a few exits on the interstate so hopefully rain doesn't settle on the roof for long. I also open it up every few weeks on one of our infrequent nice days this time of year.
Unfortunately, I opened it up yesterday to start doing measurements / test fit a few things for my build and ran into some big water leaking issues.

When I was opening it I noticed good sized water droplets all over the place on inside and outside of folding walls and roof. Tons of condensation (not entirely surprised) and a pool of water in the corner of the bed floor on my bed rug. There was water many other places as well but you get the picture.

Before I noticed the water, I had turned on the lights. Nothing for ~5-10 seconds, then they flickered a bit before turning on. They work fine now.
Both Maxair fans are not turning on (not a blown fuse).
I slid out the bed to fully extended and found mold on the bottom side of the slide (in addition to tons of condensation) ...I smelled mold but couldn't find it until then. Mold is on the composite portion, but also looks like some in the carpeting as well, photo doesn't do it justice

I will be contacting them ASAP.

I understand stuff happens. They have expanded to a larger facility and have ramped up their production, which unfortunately can be a less than ideal time to buy something.
I ultimately judge businesses on how they stand behind their product and rectify issues. I will see how this plays out.

I think it looks great. I love the hardshell concept and space inside, I just can't use it for the time being 😞.

 

[simple]

Thanks for the report. I'm going to start a general thread about pop up camper shells in humid environments.

 

[Spencer for Hire]

Not a long-term owner (mine was installed in early October), but I am going to have to work with Hiatus on problems with mine.

Not bashing Hiatus, I just wanted to give people my experience so far.

I live in Seattle and unfortunately my truck is way too big to fit in my garage. I drive it around a few times a week up and down hills and a few exits on the interstate so hopefully rain doesn't settle on the roof for long. I also open it up every few weeks on one of our infrequent nice days this time of year.
Unfortunately, I opened it up yesterday to start doing measurements / test fit a few things for my build and ran into some big water leaking issues.

When I was opening it I noticed good sized water droplets all over the place on inside and outside of folding walls and roof. Tons of condensation (not entirely surprised) and a pool of water in the corner of the bed floor on my bed rug. There was water many other places as well but you get the picture.

Before I noticed the water, I had turned on the lights. Nothing for ~5-10 seconds, then they flickered a bit before turning on. They work fine now.
Both Maxair fans are not turning on (not a blown fuse).
I slid out the bed to fully extended and found mold on the bottom side of the slide (in addition to tons of condensation) ...I smelled mold but couldn't find it until then. Mold is on the composite portion, but also looks like some in the carpeting as well, photo doesn't do it justice

I will be contacting them ASAP.

I understand stuff happens. They have expanded to a larger facility and have ramped up their production, which unfortunately can be a less than ideal time to buy something.
I ultimately judge businesses on how they stand behind their product and rectify issues. I will see how this plays out.

I think it looks great. I love the hardshell concept and space inside, I just can't use it for the time being 😞.

View attachment 812378View attachment 812379


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Please let us know what Hiatus is doing to help you.

 

[trabs00]

Please let us know what Hiatus is doing to help you.

Will do. I will hopefully chat with them tomorrow to get the ball rolling on fixing this.
I'm getting it professionally tested and
decontaminated before I take it back to Hiatus.

 

[Westy]

Will do. I will hopefully chat with them tomorrow to get the ball rolling on fixing this.
I'm getting it professionally tested and
decontaminated before I take it back to Hiatus.

@trabs00 What did Hiatus have to say about the situation with your camper? Any updates?

 

[trabs00]

@trabs00 What did Hiatus have to say about the situation with your camper? Any updates?

They graciously got me in to drop off the camper in as soon as I was able. Luckily I am about a 80-90 min drive to them so it wasn't too bad. I am glad I don't live somewhere across the country.

The fans were not working due to corrosion on a contact switch they have that prevents you from leaving fan or lights on when the camper is closed.

Their assessment, on the leak, that essentially was an issue with the way the fan was sealed.

"leak on the fan itself. It appears to be the result of a structural characteristic on the fan. The way these fans work is they sit on a shroud that we permanently mount to the roof panel. The fan assembly slides over the shroud and you use a screw to line up the hole on the shroud with the matching hole on the fan assembly. You have to pull down on the fan assembly, until the hole on the fan assembly lines up with the hole on the shroud. The fan assembly slides into a sort of trough, which contains a seal at the bottom. The bottom of the fan assembly seals against it while you pull down, which does a good job at sealing that interface. However, it appears that when the trough fills up too much in that location, it can sometimes reach the hole with the screw. I imagine if you are parked on a hill it could affect how water travels into it too. We only saw water entering through one shroud hole on the front fan after spraying it quite thoroughly. A picture and video are attached to help explain this. As we haven't heard of any issues like this before (besides you and Anders), we were not aware of this. What we are planning to do is to reinstall your current fans, but we will add a thick bead of caulk in the trough and in all shroud holes to prevent water from collecting in those zones. On the hole that was letting water in, we are replacing the screw as well in case there was a defect on the screw itself. We also plan to add a layer onto the top of the fan around the entire perimeter (where the rivets are) for good measure."

 

[trabs00]

I guess if you have a Hiatus, or maybe some other topper with a Maxxair model Maxxfan you should take a good look at how it is sealed.

 

[Bergger]

I've had several fans installed on various trailers and toppers, to include my current AT Summit. I've had both MaxxAir and Fantastic fans. None leaked. I'm not sure what type of an you have but I doubt the issue is "a result of a structural characteristic of the fan" but rather an improper installation of the fan by Hiatus. There are multiple products to seal the fans during installation and it's not a complicated process. Just needs to be done thoroughly to prevent water intrusion. They should use butyl tape on the interior screw holes that tighten the flanges together or a liberal amount of sika flex or other high quality sealant/adhesive. In my opinion the exterior flange and exposed screw heads should then be covered with a lap sealant as well. Or I have also covered this exterior portion in the past with eternabond tape which also sealed it for years with zero leaks.

I'd ask them exactly how they are going to do it and with what products. From the description in the response they sent you it looks like they may do it the correct way. They just don't say exactly what type of "caulk" they are using. Hopefully when they say "caulk" they are using sika flex on the interior and a lap sealant on the exterior. If they do not add lap sealant on the exterior that is something you can easily do yourself. Or use the eternabond tape if you don't want to mess with the lap sealant.

 

[ITTOG]

I've had several fans installed on various trailers and toppers, to include my current AT Summit. I've had both MaxxAir and Fantastic fans. None leaked. I'm not sure what type of an you have but I doubt the issue is "a result of a structural characteristic of the fan" but rather an improper installation of the fan by Hiatus. There are multiple products to seal the fans during installation and it's not a complicated process. Just needs to be done thoroughly to prevent water intrusion. They should use butyl tape on the interior screw holes that tighten the flanges together or a liberal amount of sika flex or other high quality sealant/adhesive. In my opinion the exterior flange and exposed screw heads should then be covered with a lap sealant as well. Or I have also covered this exterior portion in the past with eternabond tape which also sealed it for years with zero leaks.

I'd ask them exactly how they are going to do it and with what products. From the description in the response they sent you it looks like they may do it the correct way. They just don't say exactly what type of "caulk" they are using. Hopefully when they say "caulk" they are using sika flex on the interior and a lap sealant on the exterior. If they do not add lap sealant on the exterior that is something you can easily do yourself. Or use the eternabond tape if you don't want to mess with the lap sealant.

I agree with you. I have installed two MaxxAir fans and there was no channel or anything like they describe. Of course the design could have changed our hiatus does something in the roof that created it.

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[trabs00]

I've had several fans installed on various trailers and toppers, to include my current AT Summit. I've had both MaxxAir and Fantastic fans. None leaked. I'm not sure what type of an you have but I doubt the issue is "a result of a structural characteristic of the fan" but rather an improper installation of the fan by Hiatus. There are multiple products to seal the fans during installation and it's not a complicated process. Just needs to be done thoroughly to prevent water intrusion. They should use butyl tape on the interior screw holes that tighten the flanges together or a liberal amount of sika flex or other high quality sealant/adhesive. In my opinion the exterior flange and exposed screw heads should then be covered with a lap sealant as well. Or I have also covered this exterior portion in the past with eternabond tape which also sealed it for years with zero leaks.

I'd ask them exactly how they are going to do it and with what products. From the description in the response they sent you it looks like they may do it the correct way. They just don't say exactly what type of "caulk" they are using. Hopefully when they say "caulk" they are using sika flex on the interior and a lap sealant on the exterior. If they do not add lap sealant on the exterior that is something you can easily do yourself. Or use the eternabond tape if you don't want to mess with the lap sealant.

Thanks for the reply and stating the obvious:

On one hand (tens of?) thousands of Maxxair fans out there installed vs. the dozens or so vehicles that they have installed them in....

They use sika 221 for everything they seal interior and exterior.