My Search is over "Tune Outdoors M1" in person!

[Billincamo]

I made the drive to Denver today and checked out the M1. I have been researching and looking at campers for the last 12 months. I previously owned a Four Wheel Camper, Hallmark, and a GFC over a 30 year period. They were all good campers and served their purpose well. Pictures don't do this camper justice. I can honestly say out of everything on the market in this class the M1 is tops. I was impressed to the point I ended my search and put a deposit on a new camper for my RAM 1500 short bed. The M1 comes standard with interior lighting that wraps 360 degrees on a dimmer switch, modular build if you ever need to replace a panel, side of soft wall, or section of frame, it is a simple fix. A bed two people can easily sleep east to west and have no part of the bed intrude into the truck bed leaving the truck bed as living space with bunk in service. Plenty of windows. Window sills that doubles as seat. Great interior height. Dam near bomb proof. It's obvious the team at Tune Outdoors has set a goal to build the highest quality camper with the most interior room and they did it. The camper offers an incredible amount of room in a high quality lite weight unit that looks and feels like it will take a beating off road. If your wondering I have no affiliation with this company, I met them for the first time today. I am just that impressed with this camper and glad to have found the perfect camper for my needs as an avid bow hunter and fisherman. I spend approximately 60-80 days camping in campers and tents in all 4 seasons. Looking forward to a lot of nights in the M1!

 

[hobie17li]

thanks for posting this.I've been checking them out and really like the extra width.
I have a 2016 tacoma ACLB. Along while ago I had a slide on popup, but had to remove
my cap to get it on. This would eliminate that extra work, just leave it on, Doug

 

[czukie]

Link to more info?

 

[Bergger]

What is the hard sided portion, walls/roof, made of? Is it just raw sheets of aluminum like most others or is there any composite material or other material with insulative properties?

 

[cnynrpr]

What is the hard sided portion, walls/roof, made of? Is it just raw sheets of aluminum like most others or is there any composite material or other material with insulative properties?

It looks like the roof, the bottom part of the cab overhang and the front bulkhead of the camper are made from a white composite honeycomb structure, not sure about its insulation properties. You can see the honeycomb sheet in a video on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/tuneoutdoor

As far as the side and rear doors, from the images, they look like thin aluminum. Maybe the OP can comment on that.

I'm also not sure which part of the frame is aluminum and which is something else as this description states:

The TUNE M1 employs not just aluminum, but patent-pending extrusions and durable composite corners (the type used for boat propellers) that are stronger than metal. These components take all the abuse your adventures can throw at it.

And if the OP can also comment on what about the M1 made them say it is dam near bomb proof?

 

[Billincamo]

What is the hard sided portion, walls/roof, made of? Is it just raw sheets of aluminum like most others or is there any composite material or other material with insulative properties?

You can choose between aluminum or glass. The side panels are similar to Go Fast Campers. I insulated GFC with Reflctix and plan on doing the same to my M1. It was inexpensive and easy. The glass looked great but I went with aluminum because of my plans to insulate.

 

[Billincamo]

thanks for posting this.I've been checking them out and really like the extra width.
I have a 2016 tacoma ACLB. Along while ago I had a slide on popup, but had to remove
my cap to get it on. This would eliminate that extra work, just leave it on, Doug

I plan on leaving mine on full time. I take to many last minute trips to spend time taking it off and on. They are also coming out with a thermal pack for the tent that I will buy when available. I camp down into the single digits. With the extra insulation and a small heater it will be comfortable.

 

[Billincamo]

Link to more info?

Tuneoutdoor.com Limited information in the website. I mentioned this while I was at the factory and they said they were working on it and editing additional video that should be released very soon. The video will have more information.

 

[Billincamo]

It looks like the roof, the bottom part of the cab overhang and the front bulkhead of the camper are made from a white composite honeycomb structure, not sure about its insulation properties. You can see the honeycomb sheet in a video on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/tuneoutdoor

As far as the side and rear doors, from the images, they look like thin aluminum. Maybe the OP can comment on that.

I'm also not sure which part of the frame is aluminum and which is something else as this description states:


And if the OP can also comment on what about the M1 made them say it is dam near bomb proof?

You are correct about the roof, bottom part of the cab, and front bulkhead. It a white honeycomb composite very similar to GFC's roof. The insulating properties on the roof of my GFC did a great job insulating and I expect the M1 to function in the same manner.

You have two options for side door panels. Standard is aluminum panels or the tinted glass that looks incredible. I personally like the aluminum panels for security reasons but in the looks department the glass is sweet.

The frame runs from end to end is an engineered extruded aluminum beam with channels the is larger and stiffer then anything I have seen in a camper before. All corners are connected by a beefy high tech composite corner that inserts into the beams. They had one out of a camper I was able to inspect. Pretty sure you could shoot it out of cannon into a brick wall and it would blow a hole through the wall. I have no doubt you can use them for wheel chalks on big rigs and the would last a lifetime. You can hang from the overhead front corner and the only give is in the truck suspension. Zero flex in the frame from what I can tell. The best way to describe the frame is over engineered and over built, but overkill is a good thing. I could not find a weak point in the camper.

 

[cnynrpr]

You are correct about the roof, bottom part of the cab, and front bulkhead. It a white honeycomb composite very similar to GFC's roof. The insulating properties on the roof of my GFC did a great job insulating and I expect the M1 to function in the same manner.

You have two options for side door panels. Standard is aluminum panels or the tinted glass that looks incredible. I personally like the aluminum panels for security reasons but in the looks department the glass is sweet.

The frame runs from end to end is an engineered extruded aluminum beam with channels the is larger and stiffer then anything I have seen in a camper before. All corners are connected by a beefy high tech composite corner that inserts into the beams. They had one out of a camper I was able to inspect. Pretty sure you could shoot it out of cannon into a brick wall and it would blow a hole through the wall. I have no doubt you can use them for wheel chalks on big rigs and the would last a lifetime. You can hang from the overhead front corner and the only give is in the truck suspension. Zero flex in the frame from what I can tell. The best way to describe the frame is over engineered and over built, but overkill is a good thing. I could not find a weak point in the camper.

Thanks for the late night update. Does Tune do any kind of dust sealing during the install?

Did they say what sort of heating system they are working on?

I'm deciding between the Canopy Camper vs Tune M1 vs AT Atlas. Would you comment on those if you considered them and what made you choose the Tune M1?

So when do you get yours installed?

 

[bleuchip]

I’m in Denver and checked out the Tune last week. Put down my deposit that day for my 3rd gen Tacoma. They have quoted me an install mid to late April.

Tune does a seal on the bed rail. Not sure if they offer any additional sealing. I’ll be using polyurethane sealant on any gaps in my bed before install.

For the heater they said they were developing some sort of mounting system that would go along with a German diesel heater. Sounds like they’re going to engineer it all in a nice package.

I chose the Tune camper for several reasons. Solidly built, big interior space even on the short bed Tacoma, tons of customization possibilities with t slot channels everywhere inside and out, and the perk of them being a local company to me.

 

[Billincamo]

Thanks for the late night update. Does Tune do any kind of dust sealing during the install?

Did they say what sort of heating system they are working on?

I'm deciding between the Canopy Camper vs Tune M1 vs AT Atlas. Would you comment on those if you considered them and what made you choose the Tune M1?

So when do you get yours installed?

They use an automotive grade seal between the camper and the bed rail that they said does not allow water intrusion. I would say if water does not find its way in then dust will not either. The tailgate is up to the truck owner. I sealed mine with a kit from amazon that keeps 99% of the dust out.

The heating system that will be offered is a diesel powered model. Extremely efficient.

I have looked at both the Canopy Camper from Alu-cab and the AT Atlas. The biggest difference is space. We are talking truck beds which are already very limited in room. In the M1 you sleep across the camper instead of front to back. Two people can sleep comfortably across the overhead area in the M1. The bed does not intrude over the truck bed area. This is priceless, My wife can sleep in and I can get up and have the entire truck bed to get dressed, cook, etc.... M1 does offer an extended shelf bed which turns the bed into something like a king size tha would most likely sleep a family of 5 all on the same level but it would obviously extend well into the truck bed area. Another area the M1 wins out is the mattress space is about 4" when closed, there is plenty of room for a 4'' thick mattress instead of a 2.5'' mattress as in the AT Atlas. The M1 honestly feels twice as large as the Alu-cab and the AT. The M1 is similar in weight to the AT Atlas which are both lighter then the Alu-Cab. The Alu-cab is also a wedge camper which doesn't come close in the liveable space department to an M1 or the AT Atlas. The Alu-cabs rear door is tops for sealing and keeping the dust out but I am all about the extra liveable space in the M1. I have no doubt that after my install I will seal mine up tight and be completely dust free. Living in Colorado and traveling miles and miles of dry dirt roads each year is the ultimate test. Our dust is like baby powder and if there is an opening it will find it. As for price I feel the m! is the best bang for the buck, especially with the early order discount the are offering for a limited time.

One other thing that is impressive about the M1 is its modular design which decreases build time but also makes replacing any part of the camper cheaper and easier if you happen to meat up with a big tree branch etc,,, Side panels, roof, frame beams are all replace able. The tent is four panels which means if you happen to damage one side you just replace that section not the entire tent, easy and cheap. Brilliant design in my mind.

My installation date is mid April 2023, that is 6 weeks. Hopefully the don't run into any manufacturing or supply chain hick ups. If they do I know it will be worth the wait. As soon as the general public hears and sees the M1 I expect the lead times are going to get longer. My last words going out the door of the Tune Outdoors factory were '' Now that mine is on order I hope you sell a million of the M1s!"" LOL

The closer you look at an M1 the more impressed you will be.

 

[rbdudeman@]

Looks intriging. You mention the modular components are an advantage...not sure. In five years or more when the dust starts to settle on all these topper manufacturers, who's gonna be left. Anybody's guess. That said, most camper/toppers can be welded/patched/bolted in the field or nearby with common materials and average skills. The 'pro' of Tune's proprietory modular system could also be considered a 'con'. Is it repairable? How do you replace the 'corners' that are injection molded. Can the corners be welded? Good question. Don't know. Not sure if they have other custom stuff that is potentially 'proprietory.' Not trying to be the 'fun hater,' just a thought. Obviously from their website, it looks like a really nice product, but it does seem very new in the marketplace. As far as I can tell, there is'nt one M1 that's on a consumers truck yet. Your gonna be a good source of feedback for the group. I would love to hear your feedback when you get it and start to get some use. Keep us posted!

 

[Billincamo]

Looks intriging. You mention the modular components are an advantage...not sure. In five years or more when the dust starts to settle on all these topper manufacturers, who's gonna be left. Anybody's guess. That said, most camper/toppers can be welded/patched/bolted in the field or nearby with common materials and average skills. The 'pro' of Tune's proprietory modular system could also be considered a 'con'. Is it repairable? How do you replace the 'corners' that are injection molded. Can the corners be welded? Good question. Don't know. Not sure if they have other custom stuff that is potentially 'proprietory.' Not trying to be the 'fun hater,' just a thought. Obviously from their website, it looks like a really nice product, but it does seem very new in the marketplace. As far as I can tell, there is'nt one M1 that's on a consumers truck yet. Your gonna be a good source of feedback for the group. I would love to hear your feedback when you get it and start to get some use. Keep us posted!

I will definitely report back once mine is on the truck. It will see plenty of use. It is new to the market. Currently they have built three prototypes. The first unit has seen a lot of use and they found a few week spots. Redesigned and built prototype type 2 and 3. I looked at all 3 and was impressed with the quality and design. I can tell you with certainty the last thing that will ever need repair are the corners. If you held one in your hands you would understand where this comes from. I'm not joking when I say you can fire it out of a canon through a brick wall, after you brush the dust off I would bet a months salary that it is not damaged. I don't see this company going away as it offers a design that no one else does. Unique and useful at the same time. I have been in and out of most campers on the market and the amount of room in these units is hands down a class leader with nothing that compares to it on the market. Being a new design I expect there will be a few hiccups that will show up once they have built more units and put them in service. No company is perfect out of the gate. GFC has had issue after issue. I owned the GFC and had the hinges implode. I was able to install some standard hinges that got me through my trip. I was in FL when it happened and my home base is in CO. Part of the adventure. What mattered to me was GFC standing behind the product and installing the newly designed hinges in a timely manner. Great customer service and I expect the same from Tune Outdoors. I was equally impressed with the three partners as I was the M1.

 

[rbdudeman@]

Nice reply. You opened my eyes to Tune. I had never heard of them but am very interested. I'm so close to pulling the trigger on a topper. The M1 is in the running, but I have mixed feelings. Go with super cool but unproven or go with the more established. I think I know what I'm getting with Ovrlnd...good product, great customer service. M1 seems like a good product on paper, but there's no track record. Not sure on the customer service at this point. Everybody is great at the start, but who knows what they'll be like down the road.