Hondo Garage's New Thing

That’s a pretty cool idea.

 

Wow, those are cheap! very cool.

 

Oh man, great find!!

 

this thread kind of petered out and its killing me....eagerly awaiting some good updates from Baja!

 

@shortround13 - Worry not! I've just gotten back from Baja and after 27 consecutive nights camping out of the GFC I can say it's pretty awesome. We have a few details to work out that we didn't have time to get done before the trip (opening panel struts, and a cleaner hinge attachment method, rain flap awning props, etc.) but overall the important elements all performed flawlessly. The camper withstood rains, winds, a car-wash pressure-washing, more whoop-de-doos, washboard, ruts, rattles and rocks than I can count, miles of the worst potholes I've ever seen on the Mex 1 (bad enough to rip the axle off of an Astro van, crack at least four car wheels, and cause a Sportsmobile transfer case to jump into neutral). I'm working on a full writeup for the GFC blog but in the meantime just know that since all the major bits checked out just fine, we're on track with our schedule. We'll be building the first two production units in February to get our production process dialed in. These will be identical to production units so hopefully by the end of February we'll have photos of the final product. More soon, but here's some photos:

 

February, I like the sound of that.

 

Great find! I am loving the looks and possibility of these. Its funny since you posted the Amazon link and they have gotten a ton more traffic the amazon algorithm has almost doubled the cost of them.

 

Awesome option, Hondo Garage... I've got a camper trailer and may end up getting rid of it for a full blown truck camper, but I wouldn't be able to do any 'overlanding' beyond simple dirt roads. Eventually I'd like to do a setup that would allow for more aggressive off road and camping use. There's at least one competitor that would just be too damn pricey.. but this thing for even $5k puts it close to what the closest option I had in mind currently (an iKamper RTT on a rack with a Softopper under it), but would be more useful. I like the enter through the truck bed design.

I'm going to keep an eye on this, even though it may be a couple years before I could end up getting one. I love seeing the cool things that people are coming up with for our trucks!

 

Those look like good products. My only concern for vehicle (non marine) mounting applications is rattle. If the contacting surfaces aren't tapered or if there's no clamping mechanism (there's clearly a locking mechanism but I'm not sure about clamping) then the inherent play needed to allow them to slide could be a major source of rattling off road.

We will have machined awning brackets available by the time these ship. You can't bolt an awning directly to the T-track for reasons pointed out earlier and because the awning will need to be offset to clear the gas lift struts. Not really a problem with a bracket. If there's enough interest in quick release solutions that's something we can consider. Keep in mind though that you'd want something lockable if you're going to make it easy to remove

 

Oh I wasn't worried....just missing my daily fix of camper talk and pictures!

And I gotta say I'm a little envious of your 27 day trip! Sounds amazing. Although I'm sure it was all work you know, testing and working out all the bugs of the camper....all for our sake right?

 

I should also say that the tracks in the tent frame extrusions are just simple T-nut tracks, so you could easily bolt anything you want to them or fab up your own mounts if we don't make what you need or you don't like our solution.

 

Did everything stay dry inside?

 

No rain leaked in if that's what you mean. In the right conditions (fog, mist) you'll get some condensation like in any tent, but even that was channeled into the rain gutters and was never a problem. None of the condensation was from breath, as this thing vents well and has a large amount of interior air volume. During the three nights of rain and wind I had the inside stayed nice and dry.

On my way south I stopped near Salt Lake City and went to sleep in a fog bank. Later that night the temp dropped to 12 degrees and when I woke up in the morning everything was covered in a layer of ice inside and outside (the whole truck, actually). I closed the tent up, ice and all, and hit the road and three hours later the inside was completely dry. This is the reason we designed it without a gasket between the bottom and top extrusions. There's enough overlap of the edges to keep water out when driving in the rain but still allow for airflow through the tent while driving to dry stuff out. The last thing you want is an airtight box to put a tent with wet outsides into.

The only place water/dust got in was in the lower portion around the rear hatch and that's because we didn't have time to make the seal flap before I left. Even then it was a minimal amount of intrusion and none of my gear below got wet.

 

@wileydavis I'm going to need you to incorporate everything seen in this video:


https://youtu.be/Awh1pIEVbwQ

 

jesus that looks like a bit of dirt would ruin about 50% of the functionality of that thing...and holy rattle nest.

 

The Khaya is kinda cool but is three times the price, three times the weight and you have no useful truck bed anymore.

 

I bet the GFC team can incorporate some of that easily (table, shower mounts). For me its going to fall between these guys and Iggy but I havent seen many details on Iggy's V2 and theyre keeping it tight to the chest for a while. I really like the GFC and hope to be able to make a decision/deposit before the preorders are up. I am not rich by any means so a $5,000 purchase is a big deal for me and I want to see all i can see before committing. Also, weighting til the end of Feb I can be way down the list for preorders and have more time to save money. lol.

I am also looking forward to see what accessories you guys create for this lightweight camper.

Did you guys track MPG at all on your trip? I am curious how the camper affected the mpg (minimal I am sure but the front hanging over the cab seems like it would cause drag).

On another note, have you all seen the youtube video someone created for the GFC? Robotic narrator voice and all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxfSdP8x8Xo

 

I mostly meant it as a joke... hehehe

Eventually, if I turn the truck into more of an overland use, I'd like to go with something like the GFC camper top. I want to be able to LIVE in the bed - eat, lounge, cook, sleep... I really like the Habitat setup, but DAHM that price! The GFC gives it some serious competition!

Eventually I'd want to have a compressor fridge, a small sink with a water tank (and maybe a grey water tank), a battery, a small propane stove, maybe a toilet (or at least a spot to put a small portapotty) and possibly even a propane furnace or a small AC unit.

Most of my use will be going to paramotor fly-in events, or otherwise going to places I can fly my paramotor, and possibly camp... not serious overlanding on crazy technical terrain... so some creature comforts would be nice.

And most of all, I want to be able to easily remove it all because this truck is my daily driver, and I don't want to lug all that crap around!

In the near term, I have a camper trailer, but I may sell it and get a smaller truck camper, like the Palomino SS500.

 

@FrayAdjacent - While it does have some interesting features, in a lot of ways the Khaya is the opposite of what we're building. I'm not a fan of having everything built in as it ruins the versatility of having a truck. And while having all the amenities of an RV in something the size of a Tacoma can work, it's not really pleasant as there's just not enough room to replicate a house. And having everything built in makes this issue worse because you're committing to using up valuable living space for things that in a lot of cases could be moved outside, so you end up with a very cramped cabin. The huge upside to the GFC and a minimal kit of gear is that it feels like you have a lot of space. It's bright, open, and cheery inside. This becomes doubly true when you throw an awning into the mix. Deploy an awning and open up two of the lower panels and now you've got a really cool indoor/outdoor living space that's both sheltered and open, like a portable cabana. That's the primary reason we're going with side panels where the entire panel opens, not just a hatch or window within the panel. It's a small gain when measured in square inches but a huge gain when measured in psychological/living comfort.

Of course we're going to make lots of accessories and everyone's needs are different, but in general we encourage folks to build in as little as possible. We have a number of interior options on the drawing table but all of them will be easily removable. The GFC won't be for everyone of course, but if you value the things we're optimizing for:

• Light weight
• Durability/repairability
• Super fast setup and takedown
• A great night's sleep

Then you'll probably love what we're building.