h2opup
Senior Member
Site Team
I just took possession of a new Summit Topper and thought folks might be interested in a look at one of these units.
Summit toppers are made by Adventure Trucks (AT) Overland Equipment, based in Prescott, Arizona. AT Overland Equipment. This is one of three configurations they offer in all aluminum pop-up truck toppers. The Summit is a wedge-shaped unit. The Atlas is a full-size pop-up, and the Habitat flips out over the tailgate area into a sort of roof-top tent design.
AT has 10 dealerships across the US. My Summit was bought through and installed by Oregon Adventure Trucks in Bend Oregon Adventure Trucks. Oregon AT takes orders a couple of times per year; production and delivery from AZ takes a few months. Oregon AT ships them up from AZ in batches to minimize the transport charge. You can buy directly and have one installed at AT in Arizona, but you have to pay the AZ sales tax.
Construction is an 0.090 aluminum outer shell fused to a honeycomb material for a 1” thick composite that provides insulation and strength. Interior walls are carpet material that insulates and does not absorb moisture. Small items with Velcro hooks will attach directly onto the carpeted walls.
Certain options e.g., window types and placement, fan, heater, roof racks, awning brackets, are done during the build in AZ and need to be specified at the time of ordering. Other things, like the solar and electrical systems, can be purchased directly through Bend (or other AT dealers) and added on later. Or purchased elsewhere and DIY.
I got a cab-slider window in the front and a solid window in the lift gate for increased ventilation and visibility. I opted for a passenger’s side slider window for ventilation. Other side window options are hatch-style or Euro-style double-pane acrylic. I have a Truma Vario heater mounted on the driver’s side wall. The Truma can be installed on either side, but it has to be a ‘blank’ wall without a window. Last fall, Oregon AT ran a special that included a free Truma Vario. A sweet deal, as they were otherwise a $2,500 add-on.
The Arctic Breeze fan is reversible with variable speeds and a remote control. It has an automatic setting that kicks on to open and cool off the camper at a set temperature (72o, I think), so you don’t return from a day of hiking to a pizza oven. It’s a great design except for the lights. The fan has two bright white lights that light up the interior nicely. However, if you turn on the lights to look at the fan controls, you are staring at the white lights and can’t see anything. Not the smartest design. It would have been nice if the controls had some ambient illumination, but they don’t (or maybe I just haven’t found that feature yet). I’ll be putting red film over the white lights to help preserve night vision.
There are two sets of amber LED lights at the rear; one set of five bulbs located around the rear interior, and a separate switch operates four bulbs in the lift gate to illuminate the tailgate area. Nice! The rear interior lighting pillars also include 12v and USB outlet plugs.
For power, I chose the 105W solar panel, 10amp MPPT controller, and a National Luna Portable Power Pack II dual battery system and isolator. Oregon AT custom designs their solar panels to be ultra-thin and mount virtually flush to the roof. Additional outlets in the NL Power Pack include four 12v DC sockets, two Hella-type DC sockets, and more. NL is a South African company, so I'm not familiar with all of the plug types (yet).
At my request, Oregon AT left the cables long so that I can position the NL unit later after I figure out where/how I will be stashing other gear. One of the main reasons for my choosing this kind of camper is to have the large, available area of an empty truck bed. I’m used to camping out of a pickup, and found that I did not have room for my gear in a slide-in style camper.
I installed Rhino Rack tracks to keep rooftop equipment options open for now. A nice aspect of the Summit is that you can easily open the wedge with 100lbs of gear on the roof. You can walk on the roof, too, (600lb max).
The tent portion is a breathable, waterproof, canvas called “Fire Resist” made by Sunbrella. It is advertised as zero maintenance – I would love to believe that! Three large windows have the standard three layers of no-see-um netting, clear vinyl, and black out material that open and close with Velcro strips. There is also a small triangular vinyl window on either side near the head of the bed allowing for a quick peek without having to peel open the large window coverings. I got the Thinsulate TM thermal pack liner to help regulate sun and cold temps day and night (R-Value 1.4, 34o-36o heat retention). That adds another layer over the windows.
Unfortunately, the thermal pack I received is very dark gray color; the one depicted on the website is almost white. I would prefer a lighter color liner as it will greatly brighten the ambient light inside of the unit. Not a deal-breaker, but hopefully Oregon AT will swap mine out.
The upper loft sleeping area feels spacious, with a 48”W x 80”L mattress. For this build, I specified the option of having the sleeping platform placed about 12” farther back towards the tailgate than the standard build because this puts the head of the sleeping area in a taller part of the wedge and provides more height for your feet. This gives 36” of vertical height between the roof and the head end of the mattress and about 10” height at the foot end. [This is in a full-sized truck with 6.5' bed].
A major advantage of having the bed farther back towards the tailgate is that you can sit up in bed. It also creates a small but usable storage area at the foot of the mattress 48”W x 12”D x 8-12”H. The trade-off is that this configuration reduces the size of the open space that is left between the head end of the sleeping platform and the back of the topper, although in my rig that space is still 48”W x 21L”. A person can stand up in the truck bed in this open space while the sleeping platform is down. Also, you enter and exit the sleeping loft through this open space. With the sleeping platform down, the height from the truck bed to the underside of the sleeping platform is 48” tall.
A very clever design of the Summit is that the sleeping platform pivots at the cab end and swings away up to the ceiling with a gentle push. That leaves the entire area of the truck bed to stand up and move around in when the bed is stowed upwards; 8’ of headroom from truck bed to top of ceiling at the back of the wedge, and 6’ of headroom at the front of the truck bed. With the bed stowed upwards, there is also a handy storage ledge over the cab area (48”W x 34”D) for food prep, a book, beverage, or whatever you might want within easy reach while indoors.
Advantage: the Summit has a few inches of space between the mattress and roof, which is sufficient room to leave bedding in place when swinging the bed up, or closing the roof.
Disadvantage: the stock mattress is well-made but only 2” thick. Not quite enough for me. I added a foam topper.
Advantage: there is room to sit up in bed at the head end.
Disadvantage: you can only sleep in one direction in the bed.
Disadvantage: unless you are a Cirque du Soleil performer, you need a step stool of some kind to get in/out of the loft sleeping platform. On my first night camping en route home from the install, I had no portable steps and had quite a time of it. A lightweight step stool was my first purchase upon getting home!
The Summit wedge has 5 robust hinges along the front and two latch hooks over the back that secure with carabiners. Remove the carabiners, open the two latch hooks, duck inside and push up on the ceiling at the back. That’s it. The roof dampers lift the wedge to full height. The whole operation takes about 30 seconds.
To close the top, you do the usual pop-up camper routine of bungee cords to pull the canvas walls inward, then pull down on the single ceiling strap at the back of the roof. After the top comes down, you need to tuck in the canvas to ensure it is not pinched outside of the aluminum. This is easily done by standing on the tailgate. Then secure the latch hooks, clip the carabiners and you are done.
Advantage: having a tailgate!!
Another nice thing: It would be impossible to open the wedge top with the latch hooks closed, meaning that there is no danger of bending the roof. You could conceivably close the top and drive away without securing the latch hooks, but there are only two latches, they are at the very back right in front of your eyes when you are there tucking in canvas, so they would be hard to overlook. Even if accidentally left unhooked, the wedge is aero-dynamic so popping up could not do much harm unless perhaps you had large items stowed on the roof.
Robust keyed locking latches are on either side of the lift gate.
The stock Summit weighs in about 340lbs (+15lb for the Truma). I expect very little impact on mileage and obviously there is no concern about payload.
Mods to date:
BedRug XLT. Welcome cushioning, added warmth while camping and rattle-proofing while driving. Most importantly, this mod is Dog Approved!
The Otto-Step OTTO STEP works for both my dog and me to get in & out of the pickup bed. Hitch extenders position the step at a functional distance from the open tailgate, and the entire system can be easily removed within seconds and stored in the truck bed.
I chose the awning bracket option, and Oregon AT attached my Batwing 270o compact awning that I brought with me to the install. I’m looking forward to having this extra area of protection from sun or rain (when there is room to deploy it, and it isn’t too windy). More on that after I’ve had a chance to use it.
For securing gear inside the truck bed, I discovered Cargo Posts which are a robust system for creating versatile attachment points using the existing cargo hooks. This is a well-designed, powder-coated product made by a small company in Iowa CargoPost Pickup Truck Bed Storage Dubuque | Cargo Organizer Davenport They bolt over the cargo hooks with no drilling required. These fit perfectly in a RAM and can be adapted to fit other trucks that may have different angles and sizes of cargo hooks. Or they can be bolted directly into the bed. They come with a contoured adapter that fits a propane tank, another adapter for storing a truck hitch, and two strong, adjustable bungees.
I’m trying out a 10gal propane tank because they are smaller profile to store and lighter to schlep around. Flame King has a package that includes a 10gal tank, a carrying case, and hose (bought for $100 recently through Amazon). The Truma comes with its own quick-connect hose, but I’ll need this standard hose for hooking up the tank to other propane gear, like a stove.
I use a small, pressurized portable shower system called a Rinse-Kit www.RinseKit.com. Mine is an old model that is pressurized with a hand pump; the newer ones utilize a rechargeable battery. These 12v insulated units heat stored water via a submersible heating element meaning that you can have this plugged in while driving or camping and have hot water available whenever you want it. These come in a variety of sizes; this company also now make hot water on demand systems. Yes, it is a luxury item, but what a treat! There is nothing like a hot shower outdoors. It is handy also for rinsing off a dog, sandy boots, doing dishes, hand-wash station, etc. I carry a lightweight pop-up shelter for when privacy is an issue.
A 35gal Action Packer fits nicely along the cab wall with the NL Power Pack and the RinseKit. The packer currently holds a portable table, camp chair, and the canvas walls & stakes for the awning with room for some recovery gear and more. Of course, there will be more… The challenge is to not fill up all of the ‘available space’ in the truck bed thereby defeating the purpose of choosing a topper-style camper.
That’s it for a first tour. Hope you enjoyed it!
Lastly, there are an increasing number of different brands of pop-up toppers on the market these days suggesting a growing interest in this option. I’ve also seen many creative build-outs by folks camping out of regular toppers. There are undoubtedly lots of ideas that would be of particular interest to us topper-types. Can we please create a “Toppers” Forum? I can’t bear the thought of being relegated to ‘Van Conversions and Misc Recreational Vehicles’!
Thanks!
Additional photos to follow.
Summit toppers are made by Adventure Trucks (AT) Overland Equipment, based in Prescott, Arizona. AT Overland Equipment. This is one of three configurations they offer in all aluminum pop-up truck toppers. The Summit is a wedge-shaped unit. The Atlas is a full-size pop-up, and the Habitat flips out over the tailgate area into a sort of roof-top tent design.
AT has 10 dealerships across the US. My Summit was bought through and installed by Oregon Adventure Trucks in Bend Oregon Adventure Trucks. Oregon AT takes orders a couple of times per year; production and delivery from AZ takes a few months. Oregon AT ships them up from AZ in batches to minimize the transport charge. You can buy directly and have one installed at AT in Arizona, but you have to pay the AZ sales tax.
Construction is an 0.090 aluminum outer shell fused to a honeycomb material for a 1” thick composite that provides insulation and strength. Interior walls are carpet material that insulates and does not absorb moisture. Small items with Velcro hooks will attach directly onto the carpeted walls.
Certain options e.g., window types and placement, fan, heater, roof racks, awning brackets, are done during the build in AZ and need to be specified at the time of ordering. Other things, like the solar and electrical systems, can be purchased directly through Bend (or other AT dealers) and added on later. Or purchased elsewhere and DIY.
I got a cab-slider window in the front and a solid window in the lift gate for increased ventilation and visibility. I opted for a passenger’s side slider window for ventilation. Other side window options are hatch-style or Euro-style double-pane acrylic. I have a Truma Vario heater mounted on the driver’s side wall. The Truma can be installed on either side, but it has to be a ‘blank’ wall without a window. Last fall, Oregon AT ran a special that included a free Truma Vario. A sweet deal, as they were otherwise a $2,500 add-on.
The Arctic Breeze fan is reversible with variable speeds and a remote control. It has an automatic setting that kicks on to open and cool off the camper at a set temperature (72o, I think), so you don’t return from a day of hiking to a pizza oven. It’s a great design except for the lights. The fan has two bright white lights that light up the interior nicely. However, if you turn on the lights to look at the fan controls, you are staring at the white lights and can’t see anything. Not the smartest design. It would have been nice if the controls had some ambient illumination, but they don’t (or maybe I just haven’t found that feature yet). I’ll be putting red film over the white lights to help preserve night vision.
There are two sets of amber LED lights at the rear; one set of five bulbs located around the rear interior, and a separate switch operates four bulbs in the lift gate to illuminate the tailgate area. Nice! The rear interior lighting pillars also include 12v and USB outlet plugs.
For power, I chose the 105W solar panel, 10amp MPPT controller, and a National Luna Portable Power Pack II dual battery system and isolator. Oregon AT custom designs their solar panels to be ultra-thin and mount virtually flush to the roof. Additional outlets in the NL Power Pack include four 12v DC sockets, two Hella-type DC sockets, and more. NL is a South African company, so I'm not familiar with all of the plug types (yet).
At my request, Oregon AT left the cables long so that I can position the NL unit later after I figure out where/how I will be stashing other gear. One of the main reasons for my choosing this kind of camper is to have the large, available area of an empty truck bed. I’m used to camping out of a pickup, and found that I did not have room for my gear in a slide-in style camper.
I installed Rhino Rack tracks to keep rooftop equipment options open for now. A nice aspect of the Summit is that you can easily open the wedge with 100lbs of gear on the roof. You can walk on the roof, too, (600lb max).
The tent portion is a breathable, waterproof, canvas called “Fire Resist” made by Sunbrella. It is advertised as zero maintenance – I would love to believe that! Three large windows have the standard three layers of no-see-um netting, clear vinyl, and black out material that open and close with Velcro strips. There is also a small triangular vinyl window on either side near the head of the bed allowing for a quick peek without having to peel open the large window coverings. I got the Thinsulate TM thermal pack liner to help regulate sun and cold temps day and night (R-Value 1.4, 34o-36o heat retention). That adds another layer over the windows.
Unfortunately, the thermal pack I received is very dark gray color; the one depicted on the website is almost white. I would prefer a lighter color liner as it will greatly brighten the ambient light inside of the unit. Not a deal-breaker, but hopefully Oregon AT will swap mine out.
The upper loft sleeping area feels spacious, with a 48”W x 80”L mattress. For this build, I specified the option of having the sleeping platform placed about 12” farther back towards the tailgate than the standard build because this puts the head of the sleeping area in a taller part of the wedge and provides more height for your feet. This gives 36” of vertical height between the roof and the head end of the mattress and about 10” height at the foot end. [This is in a full-sized truck with 6.5' bed].
A major advantage of having the bed farther back towards the tailgate is that you can sit up in bed. It also creates a small but usable storage area at the foot of the mattress 48”W x 12”D x 8-12”H. The trade-off is that this configuration reduces the size of the open space that is left between the head end of the sleeping platform and the back of the topper, although in my rig that space is still 48”W x 21L”. A person can stand up in the truck bed in this open space while the sleeping platform is down. Also, you enter and exit the sleeping loft through this open space. With the sleeping platform down, the height from the truck bed to the underside of the sleeping platform is 48” tall.
A very clever design of the Summit is that the sleeping platform pivots at the cab end and swings away up to the ceiling with a gentle push. That leaves the entire area of the truck bed to stand up and move around in when the bed is stowed upwards; 8’ of headroom from truck bed to top of ceiling at the back of the wedge, and 6’ of headroom at the front of the truck bed. With the bed stowed upwards, there is also a handy storage ledge over the cab area (48”W x 34”D) for food prep, a book, beverage, or whatever you might want within easy reach while indoors.
Advantage: the Summit has a few inches of space between the mattress and roof, which is sufficient room to leave bedding in place when swinging the bed up, or closing the roof.
Disadvantage: the stock mattress is well-made but only 2” thick. Not quite enough for me. I added a foam topper.
Advantage: there is room to sit up in bed at the head end.
Disadvantage: you can only sleep in one direction in the bed.
Disadvantage: unless you are a Cirque du Soleil performer, you need a step stool of some kind to get in/out of the loft sleeping platform. On my first night camping en route home from the install, I had no portable steps and had quite a time of it. A lightweight step stool was my first purchase upon getting home!
The Summit wedge has 5 robust hinges along the front and two latch hooks over the back that secure with carabiners. Remove the carabiners, open the two latch hooks, duck inside and push up on the ceiling at the back. That’s it. The roof dampers lift the wedge to full height. The whole operation takes about 30 seconds.
To close the top, you do the usual pop-up camper routine of bungee cords to pull the canvas walls inward, then pull down on the single ceiling strap at the back of the roof. After the top comes down, you need to tuck in the canvas to ensure it is not pinched outside of the aluminum. This is easily done by standing on the tailgate. Then secure the latch hooks, clip the carabiners and you are done.
Advantage: having a tailgate!!
Another nice thing: It would be impossible to open the wedge top with the latch hooks closed, meaning that there is no danger of bending the roof. You could conceivably close the top and drive away without securing the latch hooks, but there are only two latches, they are at the very back right in front of your eyes when you are there tucking in canvas, so they would be hard to overlook. Even if accidentally left unhooked, the wedge is aero-dynamic so popping up could not do much harm unless perhaps you had large items stowed on the roof.
Robust keyed locking latches are on either side of the lift gate.
The stock Summit weighs in about 340lbs (+15lb for the Truma). I expect very little impact on mileage and obviously there is no concern about payload.
Mods to date:
BedRug XLT. Welcome cushioning, added warmth while camping and rattle-proofing while driving. Most importantly, this mod is Dog Approved!
The Otto-Step OTTO STEP works for both my dog and me to get in & out of the pickup bed. Hitch extenders position the step at a functional distance from the open tailgate, and the entire system can be easily removed within seconds and stored in the truck bed.
I chose the awning bracket option, and Oregon AT attached my Batwing 270o compact awning that I brought with me to the install. I’m looking forward to having this extra area of protection from sun or rain (when there is room to deploy it, and it isn’t too windy). More on that after I’ve had a chance to use it.
For securing gear inside the truck bed, I discovered Cargo Posts which are a robust system for creating versatile attachment points using the existing cargo hooks. This is a well-designed, powder-coated product made by a small company in Iowa CargoPost Pickup Truck Bed Storage Dubuque | Cargo Organizer Davenport They bolt over the cargo hooks with no drilling required. These fit perfectly in a RAM and can be adapted to fit other trucks that may have different angles and sizes of cargo hooks. Or they can be bolted directly into the bed. They come with a contoured adapter that fits a propane tank, another adapter for storing a truck hitch, and two strong, adjustable bungees.
I’m trying out a 10gal propane tank because they are smaller profile to store and lighter to schlep around. Flame King has a package that includes a 10gal tank, a carrying case, and hose (bought for $100 recently through Amazon). The Truma comes with its own quick-connect hose, but I’ll need this standard hose for hooking up the tank to other propane gear, like a stove.
I use a small, pressurized portable shower system called a Rinse-Kit www.RinseKit.com. Mine is an old model that is pressurized with a hand pump; the newer ones utilize a rechargeable battery. These 12v insulated units heat stored water via a submersible heating element meaning that you can have this plugged in while driving or camping and have hot water available whenever you want it. These come in a variety of sizes; this company also now make hot water on demand systems. Yes, it is a luxury item, but what a treat! There is nothing like a hot shower outdoors. It is handy also for rinsing off a dog, sandy boots, doing dishes, hand-wash station, etc. I carry a lightweight pop-up shelter for when privacy is an issue.
A 35gal Action Packer fits nicely along the cab wall with the NL Power Pack and the RinseKit. The packer currently holds a portable table, camp chair, and the canvas walls & stakes for the awning with room for some recovery gear and more. Of course, there will be more… The challenge is to not fill up all of the ‘available space’ in the truck bed thereby defeating the purpose of choosing a topper-style camper.
That’s it for a first tour. Hope you enjoyed it!
Lastly, there are an increasing number of different brands of pop-up toppers on the market these days suggesting a growing interest in this option. I’ve also seen many creative build-outs by folks camping out of regular toppers. There are undoubtedly lots of ideas that would be of particular interest to us topper-types. Can we please create a “Toppers” Forum? I can’t bear the thought of being relegated to ‘Van Conversions and Misc Recreational Vehicles’!
Thanks!
Additional photos to follow.
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