What's new at Coyote RV/Phoenix Pop up?
- Thread starter offroadcamperguy
- Start date
Brushbuster
New member
My brand new 8 foot phoenix weighs in at 1840 with 30 gallons of water, propane and two batteries and the other options. This is with "no camping gear or stuff"? and It has a on demand water heater so no extra weight for the water in the heater. So with out water it is 1600 lbs. alot heavier then I had anticipated I am in the market now for a 3/4 ton truck it is a lot of weight for my 1/2 ton. I was told when I ordered it it would be 700 lbs plus options. then on the final invoice it said approx 1200? I thought This would be ok but most of the weight is in the back of it actualy when the camper was installed it took 80 lbs off my front axle. i axle weighed the truck at a certified scale the day before the camper install and the day of. made sure I topped off my fuel tank at the truck stop before I weighed both times. If I would have been told the real weight of what is was going to weigh I would have went with a bit smaller camper or not had the wings put on the back. I love the concept of my camper and it is comfortable I have used it about 14 nights so far since I picked it up at christmas and plan many more trips.
Brushbuster
New member
It is on a 2010 short bed ford f150 4x4 5 the wings on the rear probably are heavy I thought they would be framed in aluminum but they are out of thick Cdx plywood. Rob posted pictures of it a few post back it is a great looking camper.
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offroadcamperguy
Supporting Sponsor
Actually, if you equipped a FWC with exactly all the same great features, it would weigh at least as much as this camper. The structure is made of materials that are just as light weight, but designed to be even stronger.
offroadcamperguy
Supporting Sponsor
CAMPER WEIGHTS RE-POST
Ok Everyone, I posted this a while back, but it sounds like a good time to put it out there again:
Camper Weights
A message from Coyote RV, we are the makers of the Phoenix Custom PULSE camper units.
I have been confronted at least 10,000 times with the following:
How much will the camper weigh for my truck?
How does your camper's weight compare with ________?
I have a really light duty truck and I am affraid that my truck won't be able to handle one of these campers.
Please don't get me wrong, I totally understand why so many people ask these questions and make these comments. These campers do look heavier than they are, and when you sit or stand in your truck or SUV, it is so hard to imagine an entire living cabin fitting into your little vehicle, and then having it still be DRIVABLE!!
Also, there are A LOT of truck camper builders who live by the "bigger is better" belief. I mean a camper that is 8' wide, 8' tall, 11' long, and weighs 5,000 lbs is NOT okay to set on top of ANY truck you can buy off of a car dealer's lot, no matter what that RV salesman tries to tell you! And there a few pop up truck camper makers that are just about to this same point.
So, today I am adding to our website an extra page that I hope will outline my phylosophy about the "issue" of camper weight. Please let me know what you think. Here it is below:
POP-UP CAMPER WEIGHTS
Our intension is to build your camper to be as non-invasive to your vehicle as practically possible WHILE MAINTAINING the highest possible level of STRENGTH AND DURABILITY. Our frame structure is made of an all aluminum welded tubular cage frame. The exact same light weight framing materials as the industries VERY LIGHTEST WEIGHT campers made. If the particular custom Phoenix that you design for your vehicle ends up weighing more than another manufacturer’s published weight, then YOU ARE GETTING A UNIT WITH MORE IN IT. We suggest that one does not obsess about the weight of the camper too much. A general rule of thumb is that if you design your unit standard Pheonix profile or low profile, and to fit it pretty tight to the overall length of your vehicle, and get your basic living needs inside, then your truck should handle the unit well, without suspension modifications. If you want a longer than the bed unit, A NON POP UP, or add extra big refrigerator, or restroom, shower, television, air conditioner, etc… then you will want to add “air bags” to your vehicle in order to optimize performance. You can get air bags installed at most reputable 4x4 accessory stores.
Ok Everyone, I posted this a while back, but it sounds like a good time to put it out there again:
Camper Weights
A message from Coyote RV, we are the makers of the Phoenix Custom PULSE camper units.
I have been confronted at least 10,000 times with the following:
How much will the camper weigh for my truck?
How does your camper's weight compare with ________?
I have a really light duty truck and I am affraid that my truck won't be able to handle one of these campers.
Please don't get me wrong, I totally understand why so many people ask these questions and make these comments. These campers do look heavier than they are, and when you sit or stand in your truck or SUV, it is so hard to imagine an entire living cabin fitting into your little vehicle, and then having it still be DRIVABLE!!
Also, there are A LOT of truck camper builders who live by the "bigger is better" belief. I mean a camper that is 8' wide, 8' tall, 11' long, and weighs 5,000 lbs is NOT okay to set on top of ANY truck you can buy off of a car dealer's lot, no matter what that RV salesman tries to tell you! And there a few pop up truck camper makers that are just about to this same point.
So, today I am adding to our website an extra page that I hope will outline my phylosophy about the "issue" of camper weight. Please let me know what you think. Here it is below:
POP-UP CAMPER WEIGHTS
Our intension is to build your camper to be as non-invasive to your vehicle as practically possible WHILE MAINTAINING the highest possible level of STRENGTH AND DURABILITY. Our frame structure is made of an all aluminum welded tubular cage frame. The exact same light weight framing materials as the industries VERY LIGHTEST WEIGHT campers made. If the particular custom Phoenix that you design for your vehicle ends up weighing more than another manufacturer’s published weight, then YOU ARE GETTING A UNIT WITH MORE IN IT. We suggest that one does not obsess about the weight of the camper too much. A general rule of thumb is that if you design your unit standard Pheonix profile or low profile, and to fit it pretty tight to the overall length of your vehicle, and get your basic living needs inside, then your truck should handle the unit well, without suspension modifications. If you want a longer than the bed unit, A NON POP UP, or add extra big refrigerator, or restroom, shower, television, air conditioner, etc… then you will want to add “air bags” to your vehicle in order to optimize performance. You can get air bags installed at most reputable 4x4 accessory stores.
Pest
Adventurer
It is common sense that more comforts and amenities means more weight. I would also advise that when having a totally custom unit built, to expect the estimated weight to be just that: an estimate. I would find it hard to give even semi-accurate estimates for a unit that doesn't exist yet!
If you are critical about weight, you'll have to go with an existing design.
Personal opinion: Popups with overhangs are counter productive. A popup still allows the ability to go to farther remote places, an overhang will very quickly limit that allowance.
If you are critical about weight, you'll have to go with an existing design.
Personal opinion: Popups with overhangs are counter productive. A popup still allows the ability to go to farther remote places, an overhang will very quickly limit that allowance.
brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
Rob and Cari,
I would love to see/hear some more details of your camper construction. I'm selling my hard side camper in two weeks and strongly considering ordering a custom camper from you, but would love to see what is under the skin. I know some posts back there was mention of tubular frames, plywood skin (in and out), fiberglass glued to the exterior. Is the roof construction the same? Any pictures of the aluminum frame during construction? Is the bottom half (below the bed rail) all plywood? Insulated? I live in Oregon and a new camper would be designed with the intent to stay on the truck 95% of the time, and I worry about water collecting under a plywood floor. Can/do you often add additional layers to the soft sides? Could the screens of the soft sides be made to unzip in some way to shoot pictures from the inside looking?
In regards to the molded fiberglass front cap, are they pre made in only specific widths and heights?
I have a lot of other more specific questions but I'll leave those for an email...
Thanks in advance.
Brian
I would love to see/hear some more details of your camper construction. I'm selling my hard side camper in two weeks and strongly considering ordering a custom camper from you, but would love to see what is under the skin. I know some posts back there was mention of tubular frames, plywood skin (in and out), fiberglass glued to the exterior. Is the roof construction the same? Any pictures of the aluminum frame during construction? Is the bottom half (below the bed rail) all plywood? Insulated? I live in Oregon and a new camper would be designed with the intent to stay on the truck 95% of the time, and I worry about water collecting under a plywood floor. Can/do you often add additional layers to the soft sides? Could the screens of the soft sides be made to unzip in some way to shoot pictures from the inside looking?
In regards to the molded fiberglass front cap, are they pre made in only specific widths and heights?
I have a lot of other more specific questions but I'll leave those for an email...
Thanks in advance.
Brian
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xtremexj
Adventurer
Brian, check out Pest's thread, it has some pics of the initial construction of his unit that might help you along. Also, there are pics around the middle of this thread that Rob posted that shows various stages of production.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43526
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43526
offroadcamperguy
Supporting Sponsor
Hi Brian,
Thank your for considering a new Phoenix PULSE pop up! I will be happy to send you some extra construction process photos, any time you like.
The molded fiberglass cab over designs do start out as a set shaped piece, but we can actually have them hand altered to just about any custom width you want.
The roofs are built with the same great frame design as the body, and laminated with an extruded foam core.
To answer your question about the lower end construction.... The standard set up is from the side and front walls, down to the ground... (the floor section) is made of an exterior plywood with a weather coating on the surface, with no extra layers of instulation or anything like that.
Ok, that's the STANDARD set up. From there we can build you whatever you want. Like we have built quite a few with the plywood flooring, PLUS layers of extruded foam insulation and underlayment. Another option would be to go ahead and continue the welded tubular aluminum framework all the way down and throughout the floor section..... whatever you want, that's what we do... CUSTOM.
For additional information, or to request specific photographs, or a quote on YOUR design, please feel free to call or e-mail us direct any time.... (720) 233-1408 cari@coyoterv.biz
Thanks again,
Rob
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offroadcamperguy
Supporting Sponsor
What NOT to do with your new Camper.....
Ok, everyone saw this great little PULSE go out on the road a few weeks ago. Beautiful 8' Tundra with custom cab over size, and many neat features.
Well, here it is after a "little mis-hap" in a California parking garage:
There's got to be a better way to meet a nice firefighter!
But I must stand up for my customer here. Although it was ordered as a STADARD PROFILE, the rig seams pretty low, and the garage did not have a hight limit hanging sign. I understand that they had to let some air out of the tires to back it out without further damage. It held up pretty well, knocked off the roof vents, punched holes in the roof skin and stuff like that, but not too bad overall. The unit is now being fixed at an RV Service center there in Cal. I'm sure it will come out good as new again!
Ok, everyone saw this great little PULSE go out on the road a few weeks ago. Beautiful 8' Tundra with custom cab over size, and many neat features.
Well, here it is after a "little mis-hap" in a California parking garage:
There's got to be a better way to meet a nice firefighter!
But I must stand up for my customer here. Although it was ordered as a STADARD PROFILE, the rig seams pretty low, and the garage did not have a hight limit hanging sign. I understand that they had to let some air out of the tires to back it out without further damage. It held up pretty well, knocked off the roof vents, punched holes in the roof skin and stuff like that, but not too bad overall. The unit is now being fixed at an RV Service center there in Cal. I'm sure it will come out good as new again!
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offroadcamperguy
Supporting Sponsor
For instance, here is one of our custom units that actually weighs about 1,800 lbs.
It is a 10' body plus:
extended cab over
3 cu ft extra big refrigerator
Hot water
interior shower
restroom toilet
extra large holding tanks
tail light skirts
stereo system
overhead storage cabinets
four extra windows in pop up
ladder
racks
generator storage
4 corner jacks (mounted)
and more...
It is a 10' body plus:
extended cab over
3 cu ft extra big refrigerator
Hot water
interior shower
restroom toilet
extra large holding tanks
tail light skirts
stereo system
overhead storage cabinets
four extra windows in pop up
ladder
racks
generator storage
4 corner jacks (mounted)
and more...
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brianjwilson
Some sort of lost...
Thanks for the response. I do have a couple of drawings put together and a pretty good idea of how I want it setup. A lot of it is in my head, with a few sketches on paper. At some point I'll get it all on paper and email you to figure out what we can come up with, and hear your feedback. I keep trying to get an extended layover in Denver when I'm traveling for work so I can drop by, but i haven't been able to work it out yet...
offroadcamperguy
Supporting Sponsor
Camper weights
Forever we have received the comment "why don't you publish your camper model's wieghts on your advertisements?" The simple and honest answer to that is that we build every single unit custom, designed by the customer, to fit THEIR TRUCK just the way they want it to. So we have an infinite number of "models" and no two may ever be exactly the same. So there is NO WAY we could publish the weight of YOUR one and only custom camper design, before it ever takes shape. All we have been able to tell folks is that we build Phoenix PULSE pop ups with materials that are designed to make the structure, furnature, and fixtures as light weight as possible, while keeping the P.U.L.S.E. as absolutely durable and long lasting as possible.
Ok, we have an idea. Might not be a "new" idea, but it's new for us. From now on we are going to actually weigh more of our new campers, on a fairly regular basis, and post those camper dessigns and weights, so that everyone can use that information to design their camper to fit their trucks and their needs as well as possible.
Here is a start, and an example. When carrying the GEO-DEN you would normally not have the camper jacks mounted, when the unit was weighed the jacks were actually bolted on (as noted by the scale attendant with the words "lifts included" on the receipt) so you can subtract the weight of the jacks (180 lbs) and therefor the carrying weight of the basic GEO-DEN as it is shown in the photo below, would actually be about 520 lbs.
More to come...
Forever we have received the comment "why don't you publish your camper model's wieghts on your advertisements?" The simple and honest answer to that is that we build every single unit custom, designed by the customer, to fit THEIR TRUCK just the way they want it to. So we have an infinite number of "models" and no two may ever be exactly the same. So there is NO WAY we could publish the weight of YOUR one and only custom camper design, before it ever takes shape. All we have been able to tell folks is that we build Phoenix PULSE pop ups with materials that are designed to make the structure, furnature, and fixtures as light weight as possible, while keeping the P.U.L.S.E. as absolutely durable and long lasting as possible.
Ok, we have an idea. Might not be a "new" idea, but it's new for us. From now on we are going to actually weigh more of our new campers, on a fairly regular basis, and post those camper dessigns and weights, so that everyone can use that information to design their camper to fit their trucks and their needs as well as possible.
Here is a start, and an example. When carrying the GEO-DEN you would normally not have the camper jacks mounted, when the unit was weighed the jacks were actually bolted on (as noted by the scale attendant with the words "lifts included" on the receipt) so you can subtract the weight of the jacks (180 lbs) and therefor the carrying weight of the basic GEO-DEN as it is shown in the photo below, would actually be about 520 lbs.
More to come...
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