Total Composites Slide In Camper Kits

[andy_b]

Which one do you have?

AC/DC 12 volt minisplit.

Not the best name tbh. Amazon was the vendor's primary marketplace. This is their website but I ordered mine off of Amazon. It has been unavailable for a while. AT uses them on their Aterras and maybe they have bought all of the supply, idk. I would contact the vendor directly. When I bought mine, they were super responsive.

If I were to do it again, I'd consider the Cruisin' Comfort. They are expensive but they have higher outputs. If you're running a 48 volt system, they support that option which is nice.

The AC/DC is rated at 6000BTU and it keeps the box cool during the summer but it has to work at it. The head unit is barely able to get the breeze to the front of the cabover. AFAIK, none of the Crusin' Comfort systems provide heat - not the end of the world, but I appreciate (and have used) our minisplit as a heat source. Our Planar stopped working on a trip in the winter so it was great to have a backup.

We initially had no plans for an inverter which is why I focused on a DC minisplit. If you're thinking about having a high enough capacity inverter in your build, a residential option might be worth considering. One aspect I wasn't a huge fan of for using residential units was packaging the exterior compression unit - both AC/DC and Cruisin' Comfort allows the compressor to be put in creative places.

 

[sn_85]

We have a AC/DC 12volt mini split. Works pretty good and kept the roof clear.

Do you have a picture of your AC/DC setup?

 

[Victorian]

AC/DC 12 volt minisplit.

Not the best name tbh. Amazon was the vendor's primary marketplace. This is their website but I ordered mine off of Amazon. It has been unavailable for a while. AT uses them on their Aterras and maybe they have bought all of the supply, idk. I would contact the vendor directly. When I bought mine, they were super responsive.

If I were to do it again, I'd consider the Cruisin' Comfort. They are expensive but they have higher outputs. If you're running a 48 volt system, they support that option which is nice.

The AC/DC is rated at 6000BTU and it keeps the box cool during the summer but it has to work at it. The head unit is barely able to get the breeze to the front of the cabover. AFAIK, none of the Crusin' Comfort systems provide heat - not the end of the world, but I appreciate (and have used) our minisplit as a heat source. Our Planar stopped working on a trip in the winter so it was great to have a backup.

We initially had no plans for an inverter which is why I focused on a DC minisplit. If you're thinking about having a high enough capacity inverter in your build, a residential option might be worth considering. One aspect I wasn't a huge fan of for using residential units was packaging the exterior compression unit - both AC/DC and Cruisin' Comfort allows the compressor to be put in creative places.

I'm going to experiment with the ecoflow wave 2 in our new personal camper. It's fairly easy to integrade it with the Ecoflow 48V electrical system. Main heat source will be 2 Autoterm 2D. 2 x diesel heater for redundancy.

 

[andy_b]

Do you have a picture of your AC/DC setup?

In my build thread here in this subforum.

 

[Spencer for Hire]

I'm going to experiment with the ecoflow wave 2 in our new personal camper. It's fairly easy to integrade it with the Ecoflow 48V electrical system. Main heat source will be 2 Autoterm 2D. 2 x diesel heater for redundancy.

Any thoughts on how good it will work with the non 48v systems in a popup camper?

 

[Victorian]

Any thoughts on how good it will work with the non 48v systems in a popup camper?

On shorepowwer it will be great. On the eco flow battery alone it will maybe last for a day.

 

[VanIsle_Greg]

I'm going to experiment with the ecoflow wave 2 in our new personal camper. It's fairly easy to integrade it with the Ecoflow 48V electrical system. Main heat source will be 2 Autoterm 2D. 2 x diesel heater for redundancy.

I have seen, heard and read some good things about these units... a bunch of YouTube channels I follow have these and have done reviews on them, all of which seem to be favorable. Ecoflow seems to be one of the better products out there for portable power and I have no doubt they put a lot of effort into engineering these.

I love their battery / solar and automatic generator solution for off grid homes and RV's.

 

[Victorian]

This owner nailed it! When we started the design process of our truck campers we envisioned just that. Empty shells for the win!

 

[ffirg]

That is what my plan will likely be as well. Purchase the shell and use as-is until i have a better idea of the available space and how i want to build it out. Are you aware of many people that have used their shells long-term like that? My idea would be to have the electrical system built out so I could install a furnace and power lights, fans, etc. but use it as is other than that. Until the itch to build it out fully gets too strong anyway...

 

[shuttshow]

We have a TC 8' Wolf Slide-in shell on order. We'll be picking it up July. The builder asked what type of tie-down we plan to use. I don't really know. I've never owned a truck camper before. In videos and pictures of TCs, it looks like people have some sort of ratcheting tie down. I'd like to go with that. But what is it? What ratcheting mechanism do I buy? What do I need to tell my builder to use for an anchor on the TC unit?
For reference, we have a a 2023 F350 with 8' bed.

Also, I tried to join the TC DIY group on Facebook, but my request to join keeps getting denied. Does anyone know who the moderator of that group is? I'd love to join!

 

[Victorian]

We have a TC 8' Wolf Slide-in shell on order. We'll be picking it up July. The builder asked what type of tie-down we plan to use. I don't really know. I've never owned a truck camper before. In videos and pictures of TCs, it looks like people have some sort of ratcheting tie down. I'd like to go with that. But what is it? What ratcheting mechanism do I buy? What do I need to tell my builder to use for an anchor on the TC unit?
For reference, we have a a 2023 F350 with 8' bed.

Also, I tried to join the TC DIY group on Facebook, but my request to join keeps getting denied. Does anyone know who the moderator of that group is? I'd love to join!

Hey there. I’m sure you will love the camper! Who is your builder? The campers have been designed with several tie down solutions in mind: You can use “transom tiedowns” or Fast guns. Your builder can help you with that. If not, give us a ring and we can explain further.

As for the DIY FB group:
We indeed had to start implementing a “vetting system” …. The amount of spam, fake accounts and more or less aggressive competitors that have been trying to get access to our group got really bad over time. It is indeed likely that your request was denied if (for example) you didn’t agree to the group rules or your FB account is just a couple months old. Please try again! If you still can’t get access, please reach out through a PM.

 

[shuttshow]

Hey there. I’m sure you will love the camper! Who is your builder? The campers have been designed with several tie down solutions in mind: You can use “transom tiedowns” or Fast guns. Your builder can help you with that. If not, give us a ring and we can explain further.

As for the DIY FB group:
We indeed had to start implementing a “vetting system” …. The amount of spam, fake accounts and more or less aggressive competitors that have been trying to get access to our group got really bad over time. It is indeed likely that your request was denied if (for example) you didn’t agree to the group rules or your FB account is just a couple months old. Please try again! If you still can’t get access, please reach out through a PM.

The "transom tiedowns" are what I originally had in mind. Fast Guns looks to be a great product, though it is pretty expensive. It looks the like transom tiedowns can be directly to the camper. Is there a particular set of brackets we should ask our builder to use?

Our builder is San Juan Vans. They suggested reaching out on this forum and also on Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook. You probably rejected my request because my account is a couple of months old. I had to get a new account because my previous account was hacked. It was not recoverable. In fact, I was at university when Facebook was created and had a very early account!

 

[Victorian]

The "transom tiedowns" are what I originally had in mind. Fast Guns looks to be a great product, though it is pretty expensive. It looks the like transom tiedowns can be directly to the camper. Is there a particular set of brackets we should ask our builder to use?

Our builder is San Juan Vans. They suggested reaching out on this forum and also on Facebook.

Speaking of Facebook. You probably rejected my request because my account is a couple of months old. I had to get a new account because my previous account was hacked. It was not recoverable. In fact, I was at university when Facebook was created and had a very early account!

Here is a video explaining what we envisioned when we designed those campers. watch Our builders have the liberty to implement their own tiedown solutions. The one shown in the video is the most thermal efficient solution but not the most practical if you need to take the camper off on a regular basis. Most of the TC campers I have seen have the "transom" straps ref=sr_1_12 (not exact model) mounted to the front camper jack mounts and the same type of straps mounted within the rear wheel well area with our included mounting hardware.

 

[shuttshow]

Here is a video explaining what we envisioned when we designed those campers. watch Our builders have the liberty to implement their own tiedown solutions. The one shown in the video is the most thermal efficient solution but not the most practical if you need to take the camper off on a regular basis. Most of the TC campers I have seen have the "transom" straps ref=sr_1_12 (not exact model) mounted to the front camper jack mounts and the same type of straps mounted within the rear wheel well area with our included mounting hardware.

That's exactly what I was looking for. Does that black bracket that's attached to the straps come with the shell? Or is that something that I need to order from Expedition Upfitters separately?

 

[Victorian]

Hey! Best if you chat with the guys at San Juan directly about the components. They will be more than happy to guide you through the options.
Cheers