Supertramp Flagship LT pop-up slide-in pickup camper

SimplyAnAdventure

Well-known member
Yeah, sounds like they are planning to change the larger 120v charger, that comes with the larger battery bank, to something bigger than the Progressive Dynamics 45amp they were using. Will be 60 or 75 amps depending on which brand charger they go with. I think owners will have to source a larger DC/DC solution on their own as the demand for larger DC/DC charging is limited. Would be interesting to pull out a wiring chart and see how many 12v amps the cable that they use can handle (in the cable size and run lengths they use) and the rated amps of teh connector. Seems to me they used a trolling motor connector and all those are rated for 100amps, so the wiring may be your limiting factor. Was just wondering if the pickup wiring they install and the camper DC cable would support you installing a second Victron 30amp DC/DC charger in the cabinet run off the same wiring as the first. Not likely, but worth checking. Then, at the time of install, decide if you do one larger cable run or have them do two runs of cable (maybe one from each battery if you have dual battery setup) to two plugs. Then you can install the second DC charge and a second run of cable out the camper to a second plug, right along the first, pretty easy. You'd just have two DC plugs rather than one.
As always i value your input and perspective. But this time I think I’d have to disagree.

Perhaps it’s my style of travel but I can see zero benifit of a larger shore power charger. In my mind at least most Supertramp camper owners are not the type that park at campsites with power hookups, at least we certainly aren’t. The 45A charger would allow me to fully charge the batteries to 100% easily during the night in the time that I would have to be there anyway. I suppose I could see the use in a larger charger for people running the Air conditioner all night and needing to charge the battery all the way up from a low starting point.

Sort of the same as owning my Tesla people are always asking me how fast it charges at home, while I have 60A circuit feeding 48 @240V (the fastest a Tesla can charge) I always respond. With “overnight” basically what’s the difference if it takes 2 Hours or 8 hours that car is parked there anyway. BUT when on the road at a level 3 charger you need the fastest charge possible cause you aren’t parked for a long time.

Anyway I digress, my preference would be faster solar charging but as that is unrealistic without a much larger area to mount solar panels DC/DC is the next best thing. Having to find a 120V outlet to plug my Offgrid/ Offroad vehicle is definitely a last resort though I suppose carrying a generator would be an option for that…

I will say we move often, meaning we go from one spot to the next most days so DC charging is always available and basically free since we’re driving anyway.

I did option my truck with dual batteries and dual alternators for this reason, I have 410A if charging power from my two alternators. So I might ask them to connect an extra wire to the second battery if the gauge isn’t thick enough to run more amps through but I guess we will see.

I suppose either way more power is always better. But I definitely am not going to start camping at RV parks lol.
 

Chadx

♫ Off road, again. Just can't wait to get...
Ah, but I don't think we disagree. Ha. My opinion, like yours, is that faster DC charging is more usable than faster AC charging. Particularly with a large battery bank and plenty of alternator output. And also for slide-in type pickup camper since this type of rig is less likely to frequent campgrounds or places with shorepower access like the big RV rigs. We are more likely to roam and camp dispersed.
What I mean by "demand for larger DC/DC charging is limited" is that, according to Supertramp, there are not very many owners requesting faster DC charging. I imagine the request for faster DC charging is based on such things as size of battery bank, average daily draw and available DC output (alternator output) from any given pickup.

I might be off, but it sounds like majority of Flagship buyers are optioning for only 100 - 200amps of battery. Not sure the take rate for A/C. It seemed quite low early on but lately I've noticed more and more A/C units in pictures of camper deliveries. Not sure if A/C take rate is ticked up to 20%, 40% or what since it's hard to gauge since Supertramp doesn't post a picture of every delivery. Another big power draw would be those that are use a lot of electronics for work or play (computers, starlink, drones, cell boosters/hotspots etc.). Seems like for owners without those big power draws (A/C and computers/connectivity), the average 24 hour power draw would be 30 to 40amps. For users with that level of draw, they are covered by the combination of solar and 30amp DC/DC. In my last pickup camper, with one 200watts of solar and one 100amp LiFePO4 battery, I usually never even flipped the switch to allow 30 amp DC charging because the 200watt panel would have us 100% SOC again by noon on sunny days, by the end of the day on cloudy days, and only on rainy days would we only recoup only about 1/8 to 1/2 of our daily use. Some is better than nothing. And by the time a few days went by and battery got low, we'd have a sunny day again and get back up to 100% SOC. Our daily use is usually 20 to 40amps per 24 hours depending on the season. I only recall connecting up the DC charging once and that was after 5 days straight of pouring rain on a September trip to the PNW.

One factor I'm not including in the 30 to 40amp average daily use is the electronic actuators. Not sure how much each up/down uses. That would be yet another important stat to know. Maybe it's only an amp or two or maybe it's a surprising bit more.

But back to "power users" (those with A/C, heavy draws from electronics, etc.). I agree 100% that more DC charging capacity would be handy for those owners. I'd be really curious for someone to do a power audit, of their 24 hours consumption, while using their camper as an office with big monitors, starlink, etc. I have no idea if that bumps a typical 24hour draw up an extra 10, 30 or 50+ amps over 24 hours.

The second part of being a candidate for bigger DC/DC charging is having the alternator capacity to push them. I'm still surprised how many Supertramps, and campers in general, are going on Fullsize pickups rather than SD/HD pickups. I don't know how much overhead the typical Fullsize pickup alternator generates, but a lot of them only have 130 to 180amp alternators so I suspect they don't have much overhead considering today's accessory-full pickups are power hogs. Plus, the listed amp rating is only at a higher rpm. At idle or cruising at really low rpm (like todays 10 speed transmissions paired with turbo engines, big displacement gas, or turbo diesels, seem to do), the available amps is much lower than the alternators listed amps. The van crowd, or as part of conversions, such as Storyteller vans, put in extremely large alternators and huge DC chargers for their huge battery banks. Really interesting some of the capacities there. The drag, from one of those alternators putting out max amps, is probably quite high, too.

It would sure be interesting to see statistics on installed Flagships regarding what pickup they go on (Fullsize or HD/SD and so one could guess at alternator sizes and available DC input) and a break down on Flagship battery bank sizes, how many are optioning for the A/C, inverters, etc. Might be eye opening for me as my guesses are anecdotal and based largely on various Supertramp owner pickup pictures, posts in the FB owners group, communication with Supertramp, etc. I don't have any hard statistics like I prefer. It would be really interesting.
 
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SimplyAnAdventure

Well-known member
Ah, but I don't think we disagree. Ha. My opinion, like yours, is that faster DC charging is more usable than faster AC charging. Particularly with a large battery bank and plenty of alternator output. And particularly in a slide-in pickup camper since this type of rig does not frequents campgrounds or places with shorepower access. We are meant to roam and camp dispersed!
What I mean by "demand for larger DC/DC charging is limited" is that, according to Supertramp, there are not very many owners requesting faster DC charging. I imagine the request for faster DC charging is based on such things as size of battery bank, average daily draw and available DC output from pickup.

I might be off, but it sounds like majority of Flagship buyers are optioning for only 100 - 200amps of battery. Not sure the take rate for A/C. It seemed quite low early on but lately I've noticed more and more A/C units in pictures of camper deliveries. Not sure if A/C take rate is ticked up to 20%, 40% or what since it's hard to gauge since Supertramp doesn't post a picture of every delivery. Another big power draw would be those that are use a lot of electronics for work or play (computers, starlink, drones, cell boosters/hotspots etc.). Seems like for owners without those big power draws (A/C and computers/connectivity), the average 24 hour power draw would be 30 to 40amps. For users with that level of draw, they are covered by the combination of solar and 30amp DC/DC. In my last pickup camper, with one 200watts of solar and one 100amp LiFePO4 battery, I usually never even flipped the switch to allow 30 amp DC charging because the 200watt panel would have us 100% SOC again by noon on sunny days, by the end of the day on cloudy days, and only on rainy days would we only recoup only about 1/8 to 1/2 of our daily use. Some is better than nothing. And by the time a few days went by and battery got low, we'd have a sunny day again and get back up to 100% SOC. Our daily use is usually 20 to 40amps per 24 hours depending on the season. I only recall connecting up the DC charging once and that was after 5 days straight of pouring rain on a September trip to the PNW.

One factor I'm not including in the 30 to 40amp average daily use is the electronic actuators. Not sure how much each up/down uses. That would be yet another important stat to know. Maybe it's only an amp or two or maybe it's a surprising bit more.

But back to 'power users' (those with A/C, heavy draws from electronics, etc.) I agree 100% that more DC charging capacity would be handy for those owners. I'd be really curious for someone to do a power audit, of their 24 hours consumption, while using their camper as an office with starlink, etc. I have no idea if that bumps a typical 24hour draw up an extra 10, 30 or 50+ amps over 24 hours.

The second part of being a candidate for bigger DC/DC charging is having the alternator capacity to push them. I'm still surprised how many Supertramps, and campers in general, are going on Fullsize pickups rather than SD/HD pickups. I don't know how much overhead the typical Fullsize pickup alternator generates, but a lot of them only have 130 to 180amp alternators so I suspect they don't have much overhead considering today's accessory-full pickups are power hogs. Plus, the typical amp rating is only at a higher rpm. At idle or cruising at really low rpm (like todays 10 speed transmissions paired with turbo engines, big displacement gas, or turbo diesels, seem to do) the available amps is much lower. The van crowd, or as part of conversions, such as Storyteller vans, put in extremely large alternators and huge DC chargers for huge battery banks. Really interesting some of the capacities there.

It would sure be interesting to see statistics on Flagships installs regarding what pickup they go on (Fullsize or HD/SD and so one could guess at alternator sizes and available DC input) and a break down on Flagship battery bank sizes, how many are optioning for the A/C, inverters, etc. Might be eye opening for me as my guesses are anecdotal and based largely on various Supertramp owner pickup pictures, posts in the FB owners group, communication with Supertramp, etc. I don't have any hard statistics like I prefer. It would be really interesting.
Ah see of course we agree!!! Haha…

I see you’re argument and I’d bet you’re 100% correct MOST ST’s wouldn't need massive DC/DC chargers because MOST probably don’t have $10,000 in optioned batteries and A/C. I’d almost say that’s a certainty. But as DC charging is really the only practical way to fill up those big battery banks fast for an offgrid camper I’d expect to see them offer something in the near future. Kelsey seemed very interested in my request but they obviously can’t redesign things without putting some thought into it.

I’m going to run mine as is, I’m sure what’s built into it will be more than adequate for now. We will be one of those big power users (I hope) as id really like my wife to be able to work remote a lot as we travel. I think Chris over on the Tremor forum is a massive power user as he is using his as an office and has A/C as well.

Final note. The Expo video with Scott Brady that came out about a year ago had a bit of fortune telling in it. If i recall his batteries died and he had to start the truck to lower the top back down. His comments were it had heavy use at Expo with the actuators and then only a short 1hr drive to charge…. They should have known than they needed more power!! Hahaha!

You are right of course about alternators and power consumption. You and I both ordered our vehicles for a camper but many people, as you stated, are mounting this on a standard full size and therefore don’t have some of the heavy work related equipment in the truck to power larger more chargers.

FWIW I’m not bashing campsite camping, we actually do it a lot inside national parks, but those sites never have power, hell they’re rarely even level for that matter. Guess there is no one size fits all option.

Did i mention it’s 23 days away from my install??????? Yessssssss!!!!!! I’d imagine Kelsey is going to be asking me for a whole bunch more money here pretty soon!

As always thank you for the excellent dialogue.
 

Chadx

♫ Off road, again. Just can't wait to get...
Ah see of course we agree!!! Haha…

I see you’re argument and I’d bet you’re 100% correct MOST ST’s wouldn't need massive DC/DC chargers because MOST probably don’t have $10,000 in optioned batteries and A/C. I’d almost say that’s a certainty. But as DC charging is really the only practical way to fill up those big battery banks fast for an offgrid camper I’d expect to see them offer something in the near future. Kelsey seemed very interested in my request but they obviously can’t redesign things without putting some thought into it.

I’m going to run mine as is, I’m sure what’s built into it will be more than adequate for now. We will be one of those big power users (I hope) as id really like my wife to be able to work remote a lot as we travel. I think Chris over on the Tremor forum is a massive power user as he is using his as an office and has A/C as well.

Final note. The Expo video with Scott Brady that came out about a year ago had a bit of fortune telling in it. If i recall his batteries died and he had to start the truck to lower the top back down. His comments were it had heavy use at Expo with the actuators and then only a short 1hr drive to charge…. They should have known than they needed more power!! Hahaha!

You are right of course about alternators and power consumption. You and I both ordered our vehicles for a camper but many people, as you stated, are mounting this on a standard full size and therefore don’t have some of the heavy work related equipment in the truck to power larger more chargers.

FWIW I’m not bashing campsite camping, we actually do it a lot inside national parks, but those sites never have power, hell they’re rarely even level for that matter. Guess there is no one size fits all option.

Did i mention it’s 23 days away from my install??????? Yessssssss!!!!!! I’d imagine Kelsey is going to be asking me for a whole bunch more money here pretty soon!

As always thank you for the excellent dialogue.

Yep, Christoph is here under @DTAdventure and has super nice work computer and starlink setup in his rig. Hoping he can do a 24hour energy audit sometime and share average daily consumption. It's unlikely I'll ever have all that, but am still very interested in the numbers, if for no other reason than to know.

Yeah, Scott took out their camper after they spent a couple days straight, at the expo, putting the top up and down all day long for demonstration and anyone that wanted to see it. If our actuators are going up and down that often in a two day period, we are either making SOS signals or trying to take flight. Ha. Still would be interesting to understand how many amps are consumed by one up and one down actuation. Some things are short duration but can suck a LOT of power (I'm talking to you, induction cooktops. I love ya, but oh the power drain).

Campers might end up being like pickups and just continue to have more and more power-sucking options and creature comforts. Even 10 years ago, I never thought we would A/C that can run off battery for 6+ hours for a somewhat reasonable price point. It will probably be a cat and mouse game of us building larger battery banks and faster charging allowing us to run what we want, then we want to run more, so larger battery bank and chargers, and then we can run more things, and then...

I'm excited for you to get your camper here shortly. We are still a long ways away (March), but my Superduty build is scheduled for the week of 11/13. If that holds, I'll likely take delivery by the end of December.
 
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SimplyAnAdventure

Well-known member
Looking through the new website we noticed Starlink installation as an option now. Quick text/ phone call with Kelsey we ended up adding this to our build. It was part of the plan anyway so we figured why not get it factory installed. Attached are the photos ST sent me of the exterior installation.

image.png
 

Chadx

♫ Off road, again. Just can't wait to get...
Looking through the new website we noticed Starlink installation as an option now. Quick text/ phone call with Kelsey we ended up adding this to our build. It was part of the plan anyway so we figured why not get it factory installed. Attached are the photos ST sent me of the exterior installation.

That will be a great option for some buyers. Smart. I shared this on some of the other social media outlets. They just snuck that into their options list quietly. Ha.
 

SimplyAnAdventure

Well-known member
Christoph has started releasing some of his DTAdventure videos on YT! Thought I'd share.

Yeah he’s super active on the Tremor forum, I’ll let him know you linked up his video. I watched it when it came out. I told him i was shocked he wasn’t a 30yr old tech bro as that’s what I assume everyone in California is lol. He seems like a great guy on that forum. He has a long thread over there on his build and opinions on how things are working.

Oh look at that. He’s got a few up now. I’m migrating over to YT now lol. Thanks Chadx!!!
 

SimplyAnAdventure

Well-known member
That will be a great option for some buyers. Smart. I shared this on some of the other social media outlets. They just snuck that into their options list quietly. Ha.
They did sneak it in there!!!! I called Kelsey the moment I saw it! Hahaha it wasn't even listed on my build sheet even as an option but when they sent a revised one over it showed lol.
 

Chadx

♫ Off road, again. Just can't wait to get...
Yeah he’s super active on the Tremor forum, I’ll let him know you linked up his video. I watched it when it came out. I told him i was shocked he wasn’t a 30yr old tech bro as that’s what I assume everyone in California is lol. He seems like a great guy on that forum. He has a long thread over there on his build and opinions on how things are working.

Oh look at that. He’s got a few up now. I’m migrating over to YT now lol. Thanks Chadx!!!

Dont tell on me! Ha. JK. He knows I linked. I asked before doing so. He and I originally know each other from the Supertramp Owners FB group and bounce ideas off each other via email nowadays.

Fun how a person runs across people you already know in multiple forums and channels. But, pickups and campers go together like peanut butter and jelly so shouldn't surprise me.
 

Chadx

♫ Off road, again. Just can't wait to get...
mixflip, that has a fair number of Supertramp camper walkthroughs throughout the years, caught up with Kelsey at SEMA for a look at the Warthog build.

 

SimplyAnAdventure

Well-known member
After a lot of back and forth in my head I decided on a rear stair set for my upcoming ST install. Ended up ordering the Easy Hitch Step adjustable 3-step version. I had to install a 2.5” to 2” sleeve as well as a locking anti rattle hitch pin but it is SOLID!!!

IMG_0535.jpeg
Here are the steps deployed. They’re adjustable (and and down) and since I don’t have the ST installed I just took a stab at it. They’re set to the second highest spot making the first step a big one! But we carry a small folding step anyway so it shouldn’t be a big deal.

IMG_0537.jpeg
Here is is folded up, while I realize this hurts my approach and departure angels if serious off-roading (but I can just take it off) but I think for 99% of what we do they’ll be more than ok.

So what sold me on these stairs rather than a removable mounted stair or something like the little giant stairs was the fact that being able to stealth camp is important to me. Crashing at a rest stop or even a parking lot with the top down in the camper is crucial to my travel style, these stairs fold right up and if I have a small string attached I can easily pull them closed and they release just as easy. We also tend to hit a lot of festivals and Expos and I don’t want to leave something like an unsecured ladder out by my truck. Finally I just didn’t want to deal with having to store the ladder while traveling and have it bang around in the camper. Oh and we frequent a lot of National Parks and use our vehicle as a home base to hike out of. As long as I can back into a spot the steps will be totally out of the way and allow us easy access to the truck as needed.

Just my thoughts. I’m sure they aren’t for everyone but so far I am more than impressed when the quality and how sturdy they are.
 

SimplyAnAdventure

Well-known member
Pic dump! Picked up the ST today in Golden, I’ve been talking about it all day in the Tremor forum but I feel like I owe this thread a few pics.
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Looks good even in a hotel parking lot!
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After rolling out of ST HQ.
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A pic showing the stairs we chose. According to ST they LOVE these stairs for their campers. They were excited to see them.
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My ST plaque. She’s THICC 1617 lbs!
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And the interior of the Starlink install. This is wired internally to the inverter so when the inverter is turned on the Starlink turns on but it doesn’t use one of the plugs inside the camper.
 

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