new from Austria: ActionCamper for Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

[ActionCamper]

Looking at your camper, I think I might probably still be European at heart. Love that design. Any plans on selling to the US or to sell just an empty shell (or empty shell kit)?

Of course you're right I'm Austrian and also live there - and thanks for the compliment - and yes we will sell the ActionCamper in the U.S., that's why we ship it to Long Beach, right now. >> we wrote about this before...
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My partners will show the ActionCamper at the SEMA show in Las Vegas and of course it's their decision what they want to sell. Please wait a few days for the first announcement here, who are the ones to do the U.S. business. Thanks! Also in Europe I'll have a distributor, so I'll have the chance to focus on designing in the future too.

 

[ActionCamper]

To move the conversation to your thread instead of the picture thread ...

So you have to carry the spare tire through the camper to get to it? Removing the clean spare that way is one thing ... putting the dirty/muddy flat tire back up there is another. Any thoughts for an external mount? ....

>> here you see where it's located ... and of course it's in a vinyl, smell tight cover, leaving enough space inside the rime to carry tire fix kit, compressor etc.. The calculated tire was a 35/12.5 17" Cooper Discoverer SST Mud Terrain from my Rubicon. Sizes bigger than that will be very rare for overlanding, I guess. A bigger tire cover and a smaller matress can be made if desired. There will be a roof-rack option too. With a AEV rear pumper I could think of a fold down frame that can be used as a step in device, but this would sacrifice the departure angle. For me possible but not a good idea.
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[ActionCamper]

.... Certainly be an excellent option though for Folks that require less off-road ability. :ylsmoke:

I love to play with my Rubicon when I have my spare on the tailgate, but I believe overlanding is a different story where everything is done a little bit more thoughtfully. For instance: last winter I spend five weeks in Libya, partially driving on very sharp lava rocks. I hade not one tire problem even though I run my tires with Staun Bead Lock inner tires with flat run functunallity. In our group I had the tires with the best backup feature and still took the most care. Others had several tire damages. One can decide if tire changing is fun or not. I don't think so.

 

[ActionCamper]

Last night the container ship passed Gibraltar and crosses the atlantic now. The estemated time of arrival is the 26th October now. We will have again a race against time to make it to Las Vegas on time.

 

[ActionCamper]

I plan to do a pick-up conversion kit as a base for the ActionCamper. Good or not?

 

[Harp]

pick up conversion

Would like to see something like this on a Toyota Tacoma.

 

[Ramdough]

Awesome!!!!

The camper looks like a well thought out design and the construction looks to be top notch.

I am curious about a few things.

Are the lower faring pieces there for aesthetics and aerodynamics or is there a different function? Do they touch the body paint? If so, how do you protect the paint from rubbing off?

I did not see a water tank in any of your pictures. Is there one hidden from view and what size is it?

Is there a spot for deep cycle batteries?

I can't wait to see the 2-door and truck bed versions.

Good work and best of luck.

 

[Overland Hadley]

would like to see something like this on a toyota tacoma.

yes!

 

[ActionCamper]

The camper looks like a well thought out design and the construction looks to be top notch.

I am curious about a few things.

Are the lower faring pieces there for aesthetics and aerodynamics or is there a different function? Do they touch the body paint? If so, how do you protect the paint from rubbing off?

I did not see a water tank in any of your pictures. Is there one hidden from view and what size is it?

Is there a spot for deep cycle batteries?

I can't wait to see the 2-door and truck bed versions.

Good work and best of luck.

Thanks for your very positive valuation!!
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I'm lucky to read that I'm not the only one who owns and loves a short Rubicon. I thought if nobody else but me wants a short ActionCamper I'll not hesitate to ever build one. In the U.S only ~10% short JK's where sold. In Austria where the most wood trails are very tight and winding, ~40% short JK's where sold. For overlanding and expeditions the long wheelbase helps to give comfort and space, even though I made my last three Sahara trips with my short Rubi.
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The side fairings have an 6mm - 1/4" gab to the body. They have many functions: esthetics, aerodynamics and storage for the optional front camper stands. The fairings are mounted with race type quarter turn screws ( many head styles to choose )
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The location of the white and grey water tanks can be seen on the 3D's only because we will do all the installations for water, electric, etc. in the U.S. to comply with U.S. norms. After the show in Las Vegas, we will do all this in the workshop of my U.S. partner and distributor.
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The 3D shows the tanks right ( white water ) and left ( gray water ) to the refrigerator in middle ( black ). The front area of the floor storage will be used for batteries to concentrate the weight towards the front bottom.
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[Ramdough]

Again, the more I see of this camper the better it looks.

Is the camper mostly permanent once unstalled? Have you given any thought to making it removable by the owner? For example, if you made a location for rolling camper jacks and built a bolt on rear roll cage section, an owner could attach the jacks, slide the camper off (or drive out from under it), then restore the roll cage and tailgate when they wanted to drive around when not overlanding (at home). Just a thought.

From your last post, it looks like there are two small horizontal spaces aft of the water tanks. How are those accessed?

Is your jeep diesel from the factory or did you do a conversion? I lived in Germany for a year and it was painfully clear to me that even American cars are better in Europe.

It looks like you have excellent CAD skills, but I am assuming that you did not create the stock jeep model. Where did you get the model for the JK 4 door vehicle?


I think you will do very well with your new product and I wish you the best of luck.

Ciao

 

[ActionCamper]

Again, the more I see of this camper the better it looks.

Is the camper mostly permanent once unstalled? Have you given any thought to making it removable by the owner? For example, if you made a location for rolling camper jacks and built a bolt on rear roll cage section, an owner could attach the jacks, slide the camper off (or drive out from under it), then restore the roll cage and tailgate when they wanted to drive around when not overlanding (at home). Just a thought.

From your last post, it looks like there are two small horizontal spaces aft of the water tanks. How are those accessed?

Is your jeep diesel from the factory or did you do a conversion? I lived in Germany for a year and it was painfully clear to me that even American cars are better in Europe.

It looks like you have excellent CAD skills, but I am assuming that you did not create the stock jeep model. Where did you get the model for the JK 4 door vehicle?


I think you will do very well with your new product and I wish you the best of luck.

Ciao

In one tread before yours I wrote that the side fairings are used for the optional front camper stands too, I didn't write that the rear optional telescopic stands or jacks will be integrated inside the seat compartments. On the website all of this and the features of the roolcage are described since the last year.
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The hidden spaces may be accessed from the cabinet or the outside cabinet door. There are two more hidden spaces in the wedged aerodynamics part behind the rollcage / front doors. See 3D picture...
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Especially in Austria diesels are supported by the tax system. So they are stock and cheaper than gas espirated engines. The new 2011 JK Rubicon has 460 Nm torque. Not bad for an 2.8 liter engine. The horsepower is "only" 200. Good enough with that torque.
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The 3D model of the short JK was a data set made for the Chrysler visualisation department in Maya format. To create usable SolidWorks data around these rendering files took me one month. To measure and do all 3D's for the Unlimited was a lot of extra work. I wish to get better support by Chrysler / Jeep / Mopar / AEV for the future, and will handle all data with the expected care and secretcy. To offer ActionCamper data to anybody else than my partners would be abnormal.
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Thank you very, very much for your friendly wishes.
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[Ramdough]

I looked through your web site and did not find mention of the jacks. There are some portions of the site that are still in German despite being on the English page. My German is either really rusty or I did not find it.

Out of curiosity, do you know who makes the diesel engine?

I completely understand your view on giving away your hard modeling efforts. I was just hoping there was a model in existence on the web that was free to the public. Is there a conversion software from Maya to Solidworks or did you remodel the whole thing? If you modeled the whole thing, that is very impressive.

On another note, when do you think your campers will be available in the US? Are you planning on selling shells as well as finished campers?

 

[ActionCamper]

I looked through your web site and did not find mention of the jacks. There are some portions of the site that are still in German despite being on the English page. My German is either really rusty or I did not find it.

Out of curiosity, do you know who makes the diesel engine?

I completely understand your view on giving away your hard modeling efforts. I was just hoping there was a model in existence on the web that was free to the public. Is there a conversion software from Maya to Solidworks or did you remodel the whole thing? If you modeled the whole thing, that is very impressive.

On another note, when do you think your campers will be available in the US? Are you planning on selling shells as well as finished campers?

Hi again,
I'm so sorry that somehow I missed to fill in the English text. I was there for the short Camper since long time. Thanks for telling me that mistake. After reading the text I realized that many things need to be changed. I'll do that while traveling to L.A. and spending the coming up weekend in Marina del Rey.
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It's a VM Diesel
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The Maya data was transferred to Alias Design to create *.stl files. These where imported for modeling as volume models ( big file size ). Mesh endpoints can be used to define planes and create contour lines ... A endless process. For rendering I imported a second data set graphic models ( fair file size ). In SolidWorks these parts are called STL-Graphic. Believe me all this was a painful, boring, uncreative process. I have Mechanical Desktop, Inventor, 3DS Max too. Nothing really worked well.
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My U.S. partner and nationwide distributor will make an announcement here at ExPo and in the Outlander Journal within this week. It will be his business what configurations he will offer, but one thing is for sure: Jeep ActionCampers will be made for outlanding and expeditions, outfitted with everything that's needed therefore. I personally believe that the end quality should stay in my partners and my hands. To us this is most important.

 

[PTO]

Would like to see something like this on a Toyota Tacoma.

x2

 

[ActionCamper]

Would like to see something like this on a Toyota Tacoma.

At this moment we are trying hard to get ready for SEMA Show in Las Vegas and need to get the Jeep ActionCamper marketed in the U.S.. I personally spent over one year to get where we are and spent a lot of money into this project. But as soon as things get rolling we're open to do whatever makes sense.