Pop up toppers (GFC, Lone Peak, Super Pacific, etc.) how much condensation and or leakage in the PNW or other humid environments?

[trabs00]

Agree to adding AT users for feedback as well (those do look pretty sweet) I basically think OP (not to expo-splain them) and I are trying to get information from any of the current options out there

Other less common ones: Howerbuilt, Oru, Topo

Thanks everyone for all of the replies. I am also curious about how much / if you get much condensation when the vehicle is parked outside (not in use). I get condensation in any tent / camper I have been in while sleeping; mitigated by window / tent vented.

my main issue is also I just noticed a ton of condensation from vehicle just parked outside (It hasn't been camped in yet)

 

[Spencer for Hire]

My other post about Hiatus link

link didn't work

 

[trabs00]

link didn't work

Thanks for catching this (I've never inserted a link berfore, must have done something wrong). I edited my previous post and link works for me now.

Hiatus thread Post

 

[trabs00]

Update:
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.

 

[trabs00]

Bump,
Still looking for more Feedback from other PNW other other wet / humid climate based Overlanders with truck topper camper setups
Condensation issues while camping (likely mitigated by venting, dry heat)
Condensation / leakage while not camping
When not out on adventures do you store your truck camper in garage, carport, or mostly parked outside?

 

[waltermitty]

I've only had my ATO Atlas a little over a month and have not experienced condensation yet. The topper was ordered bare but I purchased a MaxxAir fan and will install it when it's warmer and dryer out. I opted out of the thermal liner but will be sewing one myself using Thinsulate.

The recent Seattle wind/storm did not result in any water intrusion. One of my chores will be to apply better weather stripping around the tailgate. (Following this thread for tips)

 

[97heavyweight]

I live in seattle and have had my DIY camper on my truck for 3 winters. I used to get excessive moisture and mildew prior to insulating the roof. Since I insulated the roof I have not had any condensation issues. I do get some water intrusion from the front corners where the gaskets meet. This issue is being resolved soon. If you take a look at my build thread you will see the extensive sealing I did for the Tacoma FRP Bed. In short I used spray foam in the fender wells along the top and replaced the factory bed rails with ABS plastic cut to fit. Also sealed up the front gaps with spray foam and sikaflex. I even removed the bed storage compartments and added sheet steel that i sealed up. I do not have any water intrusion from those areas.

Thankfully I use my camper in the winter as well so I do not have any ongoing issues with mildew or moisture.

 

[trabs00]

I live in seattle and have had my DIY camper on my truck for 3 winters. I used to get excessive moisture and mildew prior to insulating the roof. Since I insulated the roof I have not had any condensation issues. I do get some water intrusion from the front corners where the gaskets meet. This issue is being resolved soon. If you take a look at my build thread you will see the extensive sealing I did for the Tacoma FRP Bed. In short I used spray foam in the fender wells along the top and replaced the factory bed rails with ABS plastic cut to fit. Also sealed up the front gaps with spray foam and sikaflex. I even removed the bed storage compartments and added sheet steel that i sealed up. I do not have any water intrusion from those areas.

Thankfully I use my camper in the winter as well so I do not have any ongoing issues with mildew or moisture.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was horrified when I pulled my bed rail caps off. I never would have gotten this option if I didn't buy my truck a couple years gently used.
I only have today through Sunday until the camper goes back on. Weather is cold AF right now so I'll be spending a lot of time with a heat gun to warm things up. I plan on mostly using Aluminum foil tape (like the video from Super Pacific) followed by butyl tape that I can clamp down on the bed rail caps and let it seal. Our weather is too cold right now for Sika to cure.

 

[trabs00]

I live in seattle and have had my DIY camper on my truck for 3 winters. I used to get excessive moisture and mildew prior to insulating the roof. Since I insulated the roof I have not had any condensation issues. I do get some water intrusion from the front corners where the gaskets meet. This issue is being resolved soon. If you take a look at my build thread you will see the extensive sealing I did for the Tacoma FRP Bed. In short I used spray foam in the fender wells along the top and replaced the factory bed rails with ABS plastic cut to fit. Also sealed up the front gaps with spray foam and sikaflex. I even removed the bed storage compartments and added sheet steel that i sealed up. I do not have any water intrusion from those areas.

Thankfully I use my camper in the winter as well so I do not have any ongoing issues with mildew or moisture.

You wouldn't happen to have a link to your build thread you could share?

 

[97heavyweight]

You wouldn't happen to have a link to your build thread you could share?

I decided to build my own Pop Top camper

Last November I started to plan out a custom built pop top camper. In January I started the build. The following is a collection of pictures and thoughts of my build. So I do not know how to weld very well and I certainly don't know how to weld aluminum. So I decided to do my build with 80/20...

forum.expeditionportal.com

There ya go. I agree way too cold for Sikaflex right now.

 

[tgoff]

I have an OVRLND Camper in the redwood rainforest of Humboldt County, CA. First winter so far with it and we've had 32" of rain so far (Since October 1) at the house with only some minor issues at the hatch door that were easily resolved. I second the comment above about insulating the camper especially the roof to fight condensation during the winter.