OVRLND Campers
Active member
Lower pricing is always a good thing.
A good comment was made in another thread: have you thought about perhaps doing a press-brake style panel box ala Vagabond, then attaching your lifting roof to it? It might save considerable labor...although I bet a press brake of that size is quite expensive. I wonder if anyone in Flagstaff has something that big.
Such a design would save you from having to cut all the small pieces of the lower canopy, and keep you from having to skin the large parts of the frame.
I saw that, and though Im sure I could find a brake in Phoenix I am against that kind of construction for a few reasons.
1 - custom fit to any truck. With a brake I would probably have to do size runs to bring the cost down. I also like the ability to change certain things as I build one or with customer wants.
2 - adding insulation. I have seen pictures on some of the insulation added to the current slant wall wedge campers and it really isnt pretty. you instantly lose 2" interior room to silver Styrofoam. I like the ability to add it to the walls inside the tubing and being able to cover that with some Velcro and some nice fabric.
3 - Adding anything down the road. Being able to add extra support if you find yourself wanting an AC unit or heater. You could contract a local welder to add what you need and do most of the work yourself. Also knowing that you have tubing members to catch some weight and or hide some pop rivets is nice.
4 - repair is a huge design consideration. If you back into something the tube will crumple and wont affect most of the frame. Though it could be a little tweaked, most of it would come out. You could even replace a whole side panel if you needed to, or add a little aluminum patch.
Im all about new ideas, but as I see it the benefits of tube construction outweigh the production savings.