Rossmonster F550 ER type vehicle

gdaut

Active member
Interesting. I wonder if they are not getting traction with their pop-top rigs on a 1 ton truck. Those smaller units look really nice (on the internet at least); this thing just looks huge.
 

Steve_382

Active member
I also just noticed that the full reveal will be mid December. I like the pop top on the 1 ton, but just worry about how well the top and bottom seal up with the sliding gasket and how long it will hold up.

Catch the full reveal episode on Monday 12/18/23 on this channel!
 

AZWanderer

New member
Thank you for posting, these larger rigs offer some interesting opportunities for longer overland trips with the wife in the western US. It is interesting to see each builder's approach to gain market share in this sector.
 

AbleGuy

Officious Intermeddler
Rossmonster also will be the partner in building a new all electric camper van that allegedly will be covered with enough solar to charge it’s batteries and run the motor (not perpetually tho)…


“Two West Coast automotive startups — the Los Angeles-based Maxwell Vehicles and Colorado’s Rossmönster — are teaming up to create a battery electric camper van that can be charged via solar panels on its roof. Maxwell is handling the EV technology, while Rossmönster is designing the van’s interior.

The van, which has been named Vanacea, will be sold by Maxwell and has plenty of features that should appeal to environmentally minded outdoors lovers.

These features include a 1,560-watt charging capacity from the solar roof, which is able to harvest energy from the sun while parked or in motion, as well as a compact instantaneous hot water heater, 9,000 BTU heat pump, and kitchenette complete with induction cooktop. Maxwell says that it can charge fully in 30 minutes when connected to a DC fast charger.

The first iteration of Vanacea to be released will have a 150-mile range and a Combined Charging System hookup, but Maxwell says that an upgraded version is already in the works for 2024 or 2025 that includes a dual battery that allows for a 250-mile range, with an added North American Charging Standard port…”
 

Steve_382

Active member
If you figure that an average KW battery for a Tesla or maybe the F150 lightning might be about 100KW, it would take about 64 hours of full charging from the 1,560 solar charging to get a full charge to an EV. So, maybe 6 to 8 days of full sunlight if you weren't using electric for anything else to get a decent charge. Now, if you could spread out another 500 sq. ft. of panels on the ground you might be getting somewhere. I am sure my numbers are incorrect in some way, but it still takes a bunch of solar charging to run a vehicle.
 

Steve_382

Active member
Rossmonster also will be the partner in building a new all electric camper van that allegedly will be covered with enough solar to charge it’s batteries and run the motor (not perpetually tho)…


“Two West Coast automotive startups — the Los Angeles-based Maxwell Vehicles and Colorado’s Rossmönster — are teaming up to create a battery electric camper van that can be charged via solar panels on its roof. Maxwell is handling the EV technology, while Rossmönster is designing the van’s interior.

The van, which has been named Vanacea, will be sold by Maxwell and has plenty of features that should appeal to environmentally minded outdoors lovers.

These features include a 1,560-watt charging capacity from the solar roof, which is able to harvest energy from the sun while parked or in motion, as well as a compact instantaneous hot water heater, 9,000 BTU heat pump, and kitchenette complete with induction cooktop. Maxwell says that it can charge fully in 30 minutes when connected to a DC fast charger.

The first iteration of Vanacea to be released will have a 150-mile range and a Combined Charging System hookup, but Maxwell says that an upgraded version is already in the works for 2024 or 2025 that includes a dual battery that allows for a 250-mile range, with an added North American Charging Standard port…”
They have one of the Maxwell units listed for sale on their website now:

 

gdaut

Active member
I also just noticed that the full reveal will be mid December. I like the pop top on the 1 ton, but just worry about how well the top and bottom seal up with the sliding gasket and how long it will hold up.

Catch the full reveal episode on Monday 12/18/23 on this channel!
I have a Nimbl, well, really the predecessor XP, now rebranded, but with a similar raising clam shell design. There have been 60+ of those made over the past 10-15 years, and I do not think the gasket has been an issue. And, it is easy to replace, at least on the Nimbl's, and many owners have done that themselves, not because the original gasket failed, but to upgrade to the better type of gasket that Nimbl now uses. For me, the clamshell gasket would not be one of the things I would worry a lot about.
 

Steve_382

Active member
I have a Nimbl, well, really the predecessor XP, now rebranded, but with a similar raising clam shell design. There have been 60+ of those made over the past 10-15 years, and I do not think the gasket has been an issue. And, it is easy to replace, at least on the Nimbl's, and many owners have done that themselves, not because the original gasket failed, but to upgrade to the better type of gasket that Nimbl now uses. For me, the clamshell gasket would not be one of the things I would worry a lot about.
Thanks. I have only really looked at one that had been used much and noticed a couple places where part of the gasket had folded back under itself instead of laying flat against the fiberglass body. What about if you get a coat of ice on the outside with the top raised? Do you need to remove it before lowering the top. Again, thanks for the reply. I really do like the way the interior is done on the Baja. Most of the poptop rigs don't have upper cabinets and they really add to the storage space without crawling around on the floor for everything.
 

gdaut

Active member
We have used our Nimbl a lot in the winter, including times where it has snowed quite a bit. never had a problem with things icing up. I know a couple of other owners who do a lot of winter camping and while I have not asked them, I have not heard of any issues. I suppose if you had a windy, rime-y type storm that blew wet icy sleet/snow sideways, it could create an issue. But, I think there is enough gap between the upper and lwoer shells that it would take a really thick coat of ice to cause a problem.
 

vwhammer

Adventurer
If you like the features of Rossmonster's Baja but might want a bigger truck, wait until you see their newest build at Overland Expo West. It's quite the unit.
 

rruff

Explorer
Speaking of overweight, how's that Taco Truckhouse Camper getting along? lol
They quit making them about a year ago and announced a new camper on an AEV Ram 3500. So far it's still "under development" with no price set, but I'd guess it will be in the $500k range.

truckhouse-bcr-carbon-fiber-camper.webp
 

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