What is the deal with fixed top camping rigs?

The flippack opens over the front of the truck. The Habitat opens over the back.

 

I kind of wish the Habitat flipped forward like the Flippack does. Probably a patent issue involved here.

 

I do love the slip in campers, and was ooogling them when the habitat was being installed. I just can't justify the weight for where we go. Things got sketchy this past summer with just the added 360lbs of habitat... I shutter to imagine what would have happened with 800lb+ in that same space. This doesn't address the size/overhang outside the profile of the truck. West and south, you can get by with a bigger butt, but here it's not at all uncommon to be pushing through brush and trees for miles on end. It gets so tight here that even the gas struts on the habitat are a concern.

The flippac was/is made by a fellow in SoCal, and used to be heavily distributed by Adventure Trailers. New, the were about $8k. Fiberglass topper and quality tent and mattress, but the design of the hinge point was a real issue. It used a large torsen bar at the hinge to assist in opening and closing. This bar is notorious for breaking, and getting a replacement from the manufacturer was/is difficult. It folded forward and the bed was cantilevered over the cab, the one feature I wish I had, but flipping back is growing on me.

I have two friends with/had the units, both sourced and carry an extra bar in the truck. One was on his trans Canadian trip, and broke the bar his first night... spent the rest of the trip ground and hotel camping.

As I understand it, folks at AT we're tired of dealing with the design flaws/warranty issues and wanted to improve. They met resistance from the manufacturer, and decided it was best to introduce a better mousetrap; thus the habitat was born. Having seen/used both first hand, the habitat is that much better. The friend with multiple broken torsen bars sold his flippac, and bought a habitat... if that's at all telling.

The gofast is pretty sweet, I like its design a lot. Has the same opening style as the Ursa Minor vs habitat for the JKU platform (fpop-up vs flip over). This design sadly limits the number of people that can sleep in the tent once deployed. We need to sleep 4 on about 95% of our trips. Granted two of those are 3 and 1yo... they are getting bigger by the day. The optioned sleeping platforms for the over bed opening is perfect, and currently my digs while the little ones sleep with mom on the main mattress.

I love my Tacoma and habitat. Both are way over priced for what they truly are; a pickup and tent. For $45k, maybe a 4wd van (u-joint, quigly, sportsmobile) would have been a better long term goal... who knows. What I do know is, not a day goes by that I regret the purchase of either!

We get to spend our vacations and time off in the outdoors with the family. We get to see the remote beauty and wonder our continent has to offer, places most will never see. And all while living in relative comforts of home when compared to back packing and ground camping.

Long term, I am seriously thinking of building an aluminum ute bed that will mate to the habitat, so I can maximize the wasted space in the bed/fenders

 

The ute bed + Habitat combo sounds like a great combo. Do it!

 

Just read the whole thread lol. I love to camp an hunt here in my part of Texas we don’t have bears but even worse hogs. The are mean as hell I plan on getting a RTT for when we go deer hunting they will destroy your camp in an instant I don’t want to be on the ground if that happens. As we do it now coolers an equip usually on the ground an sleep in the bed with a tent but if I can get everything elevated be a whole lot safer.

 

Same, with it flipping forward it has less of a footprint

 

That's my thought.

I can see where the torsion bar on the Flippack was a weak link, maybe a different method using the Habitat bar instead would work?

 

I'm sure someone giving it some thought could reengineer it to be more reliable. Imagine the gofast made it off aluminum with a flip top like that would be nice

 

Habitat cost twice as much, is one thing. It is better built since they use aluminum over wood and fiberglass construction. Better quality tent material.

Was thinking about getting one to update my Wildernest, but it sucks in the wind...I can't see spending $10K on the AT by the time your done for pretty much the same thing. Bought my Wildernest for $600 put another $100 into for repairs. So when it is sucking in the wind, I am not too but hurt...if I spent $10K wouldn't be too happy. That and since I tow a moto trailer, I don't like how it opens rearward, would either have to jackknife the trailer or disconnect it. Those middle of the night stops I don't want to have to mess with it.

Think my solution is to get a small enclosed trailer to haul the moto in, like a 5X8 or 5X10...and when it is super windy I'll toss a cot in there, and only use the 'Nest when it is nice out.

 

Would like to see it engneered with different opening options. Like a full 180º open or only 45º for windy days so you can park it with an angle into the wind.

That is probably my biggest complaint with any roof style camper. Or maybe I live in a place that is too damn windy....

 

Haha maybe. We have a tepui and I'd say about 8 of our trips this year were in New England monsoons. Good thing I'm a welder and keep ear plugs in my console, but structurally I was impressed with the tent.

 

Only on a beeemer.

 

My last camping trip I passed these...so yeah we get a little windy here.

 

I'm anti-softside these days be it ground or RTT. "Tent" or "canvas" are what I avoid. Been there, done that. Had a Kodiak hybrid trailer, but that was canvas foldouts on a hardside trailer, cold in winter, hot in summer.

I'm full sissy now with a 19' hardside. There's a tradeoff with poor gas mileage (11mpg at best) but I can unhook and have full 4WD offroadability with an empty cargo area. Everything is stored in the trailer either inside or passthrough storage. I have 4" lift blocks on it ($1k parts/labor), it can get over rocks and through gullies.

There's tradeoffs with every setup, I'm done with experimenting, this is my final rig.

 

Eh, a trailer is your base camp. Then you can transfer whatever gear you need to the truck, make a day trip or longer, then have a nice comfortable base camp to return to. The trailer won't be stolen while you're away. Perhaps someone that brought spraypaint along with them will graffiti it with anti-overlander slogans.

 

Riiiiiight....

 

Your garage must be really short! Are you able to get your truck in there?

Dunno if the pic was clear enough before but it is a pop up.

Specs are 2013 Forest River REAL LITE - aka - Palomino SS - 1601.

Scale weight is 1040 dry.
First pic below is loaded w/ no airbags.

 

I had a '67 Westfalia poptop. Dang nice rig. Good ground clearance, chains on it in mud it could go offroad well. The air induct above the windshield was like having a swamp cooler, had the vent redirection so you could switch it from side-to-side, to the rear, or both.

Icebox, sink, 10g water tank, auxilliary heater that ran off the gas tank. Simple effective rig. I built a 1776cc dual-port motor for it on a workbench in the back yard, swapped the old engine out by myself and the new one in two hours on the street with a floorjack. I'd done it before with a '68 bus so I knew the drill about getting the starter out. Engine only weighed about 250lbs assembled. That was a slick little rig, I'd like to have it today for weekend summertime fishing trips.

 

Really miss our '73, loved that thing. But the Tacoma is just so much more practical. Thought of doing a Ford Transit, with a GTRV poptop...and a , so I could get a more modern version of our old VW...but man, the price goes up real quick. $13K for the 4WD conversion and $8K for the poptop alone.

 

You're lucky you found a Wildernest, there's a market for it when you sell it. I was looking for one for years for the Tacomas.