XPCamper goes out of business, files for bankruptcy?

[gdaut]

We are owners of an older XP V1 camper. We are the third owner, so we bought used and did not have to deal with the issues that some original buyers had with the previous management. Overall, we really like our camper and are glad we bought it. I think to some degree the XPs were perfected through repetitive testing, and some of the early models had a "beta" aspect to them. I have been spending quarantine doing all sorts of upgrades and maintenance on our unit, and I sometimes take something apart and say "What the hell...?" (If we ever sell our camper, the next owner will probably look at my work and say "What the hell...?) These are complicated products with lots of systems, that have to balance being light, durable and small. Sometimes things fail. As my friend who is a sailor and marine electrician told me, "If you don't like working on boats, you should not own a boat."

It is a great design and concept, and overall it is well executed. I am sure the new Nimbl campers will be even better. My only concern with Nimbl is I am going to see the new models and want one of those.

 

[DiploStrat]

Cheese and crackers! Enough with the conspiracy and whitewash talk.

XPCamper went bankrupt. Instantly dozens of XPCamper owners, including yours truly, were orphaned. And just as fast, everyone who worked at XPCamper was unemployed.

Nimbl is a new company which bought the assets of XPCamper. They did not buy XPCamper - they bought tools, molds, and similar stuff. They did not buy the company. There is a huge difference.

They are also working with the original designer of the orignal pop top camper, so the entire design is getting a complete review. They also hired many of the original employees, so they are making a salary again.

If you are an old customer, like me, this means that you can get support. This is especially comforting for XPCamper own currently traveling outside the US. For a new customer it means that you are getting an updated product.

But, as the only color available is white, I guess this is a whitewash.

But if you are on the East coast and want to see my XP, warts and all, and learn what I have done to update it, put on your mask and come on down.

 

[easy_going_journey13]

I was curious mostly because I like to learn from other people's mistakes... instead of my own...

Totally understand man and that's why transparency is huge. I had QC issues with my bed we got from XPCamper (not the new company Nimbl). When I brought it up to the company they said they would bring it up in the next staff meeting and good luck with your issues. Stripped bolts, missing bolts, improperly half ass installed electricals, no license plate light (drove 3k miles back home some of which was in the dark) I fixed everything and I truly feel the XPCamper bed is a work of art. I also feel if you're paying ~10k for a flat bed these issues shouldn't exist. I understand things fall through the cracks, but these were pretty big. We love our current set up and love our flatbed. Just a few of the QC issues with the bed are similar corner cutting issues we heard from XPCamper camper owners. I'm not going to play the telephone game on what they said. If they want to bring up the issues they had they will. Not my place to speak for someone else. Just make sure you do your research before buying anything. Hard lesson learned on our part.

 

[easy_going_journey13]

One of the jokes I used to make about my Defender was that it was never completely working or completely broken.

No expedition camper is perfect, and I think that most folks understand that. You take a tiny and very complex combination of house, power station, sewage treatment plant, water plant, etc., and bounce it down rugged trails through extreme heat, cold, humidity, etc., and things inevitably happen.

At the end of the day it comes down to how well any builder supports their product.

Oh I agree with you. When you buy a Defender or a Dodge in our case you know most of the known issues with "X" company and why it has a cult like following. I knew buying an 07 Dodge there were weak points that needed to be addressed.

The support did not exist on the other end at XP, sole due to management. We never had an issue with the guys in the back working the floor. But you can't get to them without going through management. So some people ended up with a giant paperweight cause they weren't savy enough to fixed issues the company didn't back up.

 

[DiploStrat]

Hate to sound like a phanboi, but I am, so I will.

Some points worth repeating and understanding:

-- XPCamper went bankrupt and closed. Period. It did not reorganize or rise from the dead. It died and stayed dead.

-- Nimbl is a new company. New founder, new president. And yes, the founder and I have known, and traveled with each other, for years.

-- Nimbl bought tools and molds from the bankruptcy court, not from XP.

-- Nimbl is building a new camper, the Evolution. (The name alone tells you something.) Since this camper has not yet been built, it is too early to assess its qualities. But that quality has nothing to do with the build quality of any XPCamper product. Quality control issues or customer support issues with XPCamper are irrelevant.

I realize that people find it hard to disassociate the two ventures, but quality issues with XP are completely irrelevant when considering Nimbl. Now, since the Evolution is evolved from the original XPCamper V.1, if there are aspects of that camper that you think are totally wrong, or don't meet your needs, then you probably should not consider it. But other than the basic shape, the Evolution is being built with at least 50% new systems.

You cannot judge Nimbl by XPCamper. New people, new design, so new opportunities for new problems! Wait until they actually produce a camper, then have at it.

 

[rruff]

I realize that people find it hard to disassociate the two ventures, but quality issues with XP are completely irrelevant when considering Nimbl. Now, since the Evolution is evolved from the original XPCamper V.1, if there are aspects of that camper that you think are totally wrong, or don't meet your needs, then you probably should not consider it. But other than the basic shape, the Evolution is being built with at least 50% new systems.

When discussing design, it's totally appropriate to point out shortcomings of previous designs, and if they've been addressed. I'm not interested in QC, as that would *not* be relevant.

Earlier in this thread an experienced welder and fabricator said he was offered $12/hr to work at XP. If they were bottom feeding like that, it's no wonder they had QC issues...

 

[DiploStrat]

When discussing design, it's totally appropriate to point out shortcomings of previous designs, and if they've been addressed. ...

If you know of shortcomings of previous designs this would be a good time to mention them, either here or by e-mail directly with Nimbl. I know that the new management does not want to repeat the failings of the past. And, as I have a camper built by the former company, I certainly want Nimbl to succeed so that I have somewhere to turn for support.

 

[rruff]

I'm the guy who was unaware of any design issues, but others have been saying there were some... just wondered what they were?

 

[DiploStrat]

I'm the guy who was unaware of any design issues, but others have been saying there were some... just wondered what they were?

As I don't own either a V1 or V2, I can't comment. Most of the complaints that I have heard have been QC and support. I know that the reason you haven't seen a finished camper from Nimbl yet is that they have gone back to the original designer, and reached out to current owners, for a complete review of the V1 before launching the Evolution. Obviously, they look identical, but I know that there are a lot changes under the skin.
My personal XPCamper was a one of a kind but used all of the basic components of the regular, pop top line. Some of those component choices were excellent but others, for example, the refrigerator, were not as good.

At this point, I will step back. Some current owners may show up.

 

[highaltidude]

This thread was to discuss XP going bankrupt.
That ship has kinda sailed....
Doesn't seem productive to beat a dead horse.
There are several threads on Nimbl campers where those that have experienced both the good and bad with the actual campers that XP produced can comment to help improve future products. This helps current XP owners by increasing the knowledge of people they'll turn to for service, and future Nimbl owners both....

Chuck

 

[DiploStrat]

Chuck, I hear what you are saying, but would argue (at least slightly) that issues with existing XPCampers belong here as they pertain to XPCamper going bankrupt and are irrelevant for Nimbl campers. Nimbl campers are not being built by XPCamper.

Especially as there are, as yet, no Nimbl campers to have issues. Give 'em time.

 

[This Big Road Trip]

As you can probably tell from my profile picture; I am an XPCamper owner. I also wanted to just add my 2c about a couple of things mentioned in this thread so far.

1 - XP Design / Quality Control.
There are some design flaws, I would say. I think that applies to every product ever made. The quality control used to be pretty terrible but this was mainly things like plumbing, wiring, etc. which was easily fixed ... mainly by the owners, because taking it back to Marc at XP was fraught with stress and you ended up with a terrible fix anyway. One of the owners mentioned "When you buy an XP you buy 90% of a camper and do the other 10% yourself until it's perfect", which kind of sums it up. I had many issues, half of which were XP, half of which felt had nothing to do with them really because they were appliances within the XP that faulted and weren't to do with how they were installed. Warranties fixed most of those. I learnt a lot about everything pretty quickly; I was fairly unlucky compared to others!

2. Old XP Management.
Appalling at best. I run the Nimbl & XPCamper Owners Club. After the sale to Nimbl (and after people were no longer desperately trying to stay on the good side of XP due to being owed money, campers, vehicles either, or all three) the stories that emerged about the old company were nothing short of horrifying.

3. Nimbl and XP legacy.
The new owners of XP seemingly have an entirely different attitude and approach. The XP is a popular camper, so it would be prudent to attach themselves to some of that appreciation from existing owners. They openly state on their website that they took over the guts of the XPCamper business. They also go to some length to address the fact that Steve Kozloff (a simply amazing arctic expedition yacht designer - Google him) was the original designer of the XP but did not get enough credit. So they push that as well. I have had a number of discussion with the new owners and haven't been sworn at or hung up on once.

If there are any holes to be picked in Nimbl's messaging then I feel it's simply because they are a new company taking over an old company. As someone who has done this before it's not as easy as it sounds as you paddle your way through the turbulence of old relationships and skeletons in the closet.

if anyone has any questions about the old XP (I have one of the newer model V1e) please feel free to shout. I know a little about the Nimbl changes too but if you are interested I would recommend reaching out to them for the full breakdown of those.

Hope that adds something to the thread info.

 

[pugslyyy]

For anyone interested in what Marc has been up to since XPCamper, he has started a new meal kit venture in Mesa, AZ - a local version of "Blue Apron" or similar.

Speakeasy Table

Speakeasy Table. 153 likes. New American Cuisine with a European touch

www.facebook.com

 

[AeroNautiCal]

How long before he cooks the books...

 

[gregmchugh]

Didn’t take long for the snide comments to appear...