18 replies to this topic

[camelracer]

I saw a FWC Keystone on a 1st gen flatbed dodge in Goleta today. It was either a factory build or the owner did a great job of modifying it. The sides were brought down to the flatbed with storage access doors on the sides and back. The area under the overhead above the cab also had a 6 inch high storage area with access doors that matched the rest of the camper. I wish I had my camera with me.

[Overland Hadley]

Last I saw the tacoma sized ute was running $2500 so taht sorta falls in your numbers.

Shipping is expensive to my neck of the woods. Plus I would need a few extras (sides) for carrying tools and bags of stuff in the bed.

[Overland Hadley]

I saw a FWC Keystone on a 1st gen flatbed dodge in Goleta today. It was either a factory build or the owner did a great job of modifying it. The sides were brought down to the flatbed with storage access doors on the sides and back. The area under the overhead above the cab also had a 6 inch high storage area with access doors that matched the rest of the camper. I wish I had my camera with me.

I also wish you had had your camera with you, as that sounds like an interesting setup.

[brett13]

I sort of agree with DD, but not entirely. When I was first exploring the idea of a camper, instead of sleeping in the back of our Landcruiser with the seats down, I considered a plain old fiberglass "camper shell" on a Tacoma. The problem was not the space, but that I couldn't figure out how to get the comforts my wife demanded: a comfy bed and heat. A catalytic heater was out for safety reasons, the bed was something I could rig. But after looking, we opted for a full camper because they are just so sweet and yet rugged/maneuverable enough to go off road. Still, I wonder about a shell with a furnace installed and bed system, though we do love sleeping in the cabover with the view, so I doubt we'd ever go back. It seems there could be a healthy market for something in between. I will say that if I could leave the camper on and still drive into the garage, we'd use it a lot more.

[pods8]

Shipping is expensive to my neck of the woods. Plus I would need a few extras (sides) for carrying tools and bags of stuff in the bed.

Well for the purpose of the conversation, ie a manufacturer being able to add on a flatbed for a couple thousand more, you'd have to incur that cost either way if you we're local to the distributor.

[DirtyDog]

My point isn't entirely specific to the flatbed idea. It's more about general innovation. All these US makers are coming out with all these funny models full of "innovations" but for the most part I'm entirely unimpressed. Marc at XP is the only one that is innovating in the US market IMO.

From my perspective these tiny campers are expensive, barely usable, and have horrible storage space for gear. I looked through this Geo thing and I have to be honest I think it silly. A bunch of extra fabrication (and cost) time to make rounded corners? Sorry but I don't want to pay extra for rounded corners as I don't think this thing is very attractive anyway. And these extra tapers and rounded corners necessitate a strange custom jack attachment which I also don't like. When I first read about the fold up counter I was impressed until I realized it just folds up like 30 degrees to make room for a full width bed. Another example of doing weird stuff to try to get too much out of too little. The Alaskan design at least acknowledges the limitations of the small design and just uses two separate beds while keeping the rest of it a quality build (like the counter).

US manufacturers aren't innovating and we as consumers are letting them get away with it because we accept these mediocre, high-priced products as acceptable. I don't buy it (figuratively and literally). The rest of the world is light years ahead of us for these off-road capable compact campers. Time that we demand better for our money.

I'm not entirely against the idea of a non-cabover camper, I just haven't seen one yet from a US company that I don't think is silly.

[brett13]

DD- I agree with your last post. If demand is high, which it appears to be, then there are no selective pressures to innovate. For example, we don't have $10 gas, but we do have large trucks, so a hulking 1000# wind breaking camper is all we get. I can't blame the manufacturers too much because business is still good serving up the same old. (Though I do think they are afraid of cannibalizing their bread and butter with a real innovation). I'm wondering, what have you seen from non-US manufactures you think fits the bill?

[DirtyDog]

This was recently posted on EP which I think looks great:

http://www.expeditio...m/threads/63626

Other than that you can take your pick from the following list lots of great innovations in design and materials:

http://www.wanderthe...hp?/topic/4121/

[UglyScout]

I think the GeoDen thing is pretty silly. In the article they talk about the 1970's model they are somewhat based on with this quote about the old ones.

"In retrospect, there were only about five Packers ever built. They were all eight foot, full-size campers that went on Ford, Chevy, and Dodge trucks. They were okay, but they were also square and old fashioned looking; definitely not modern. We only built them on request."

I think is 30 years they will be able to make the same statement about the GeoDen model...