Hondo Garage's New Thing

If there's a decent way to attach the panel/board/cushion to one side, I'd be more than happy with that. I'm thinking about how I'd set up the inside of my bed with the GFC on it... I'd probably put a chest fridge at the back passenger end, then build some manner of cabinet/platform over the wheel well with a 2 burner stove on it, maybe more storage forward of that ending up with a propane tank at the front. Probably a 5 or 10lb tank. In the front middle I'd either put a water tank, or a battery (I'm currently using a 100Ah AGM battery with my towed camper and would probably keep that... it should run a chest fridge for a long time!) box. The driver's side would probably be a cabinet/platform for sitting on.

I think I'd also want to figure out a way to rig up a propane furnace (because I'm a pussy when it comes to cold weather) and/or maybe a portable AC. I'd commonly be bringing a generator with me, so I'd have adequate power available.

The key is, I want it all easily removable, so I don't HAVE to take everything with me if I don't want to. That's one thing I like about something like the GFC. It's open to your interpretation and customization. I LOVE looking through other people's build threads to see what they're doing and get ideas.

 

Any chance you have a blog update coming soon? It's been a month, and I know we are all just dying to see that video of the interior...

 

Anything specific you’d like to know/see regarding the interior? The lower section looks a lot like this, not including the carpeted bed platform of course.



And the upper section looks like this:



In the final version the mattress cushions will all be the same color and the tent will be gray, not camo.

The first two production units will be ready in early March and we’ll make a wall around video of those. But in the meantime if there’s something specific you’d like to see I can shoot some video of it as the only changes from this prototype will be color and finish details.

 

The base model foam density is 1.8 lbs and we'll likely have an upgrade to 2.8 lbs but I won't know pricing on that until we get our volume foam pricing back. And the cushion covers will be an indoor/outdoor upholstery fabric, most likely gray Sunbrella (That's what we're using now on the prototype).

The camper seals to the bed just like any topper. We'll ship it with gasket that looks like this:



Here's a cad screenshot of how the panels come together. At each corner there's a 1/4" reveal of the tube structure. On the inside of the panel, just to the inside of the bend, is a rubber gasket that seals to the face of the tube when the panel is closed. This gasket also prevents the panels from rattling (the camper doesn't rattle at all in the rough stuff). The top edge of the panels is sealed by the continuous hinge.



The floor panels are a composite honeycomb. The two smaller panels have the honeycomb installed inside the cushion cover since these get removed most often, that way you're not having to remove the cushion and the panel separately. The large removable panel is separate from the cushion.

 

This looks like a great place to spend many nights. I slept in a Westy top once many years ago and still think about how cool it was up there, about how easy it was to open, and about how freaking quick it was to get on the road.

I should have bought that Type 2 when my cousin sold it, but it was an automatic. Considering what they go for now, it would have been worth an MT swap.

 

We're not skimping on the mattress since there's only 1" of space between the mattress and the roof panel when the tent is closed, so only enough room for some compressible sleeping bags and camp pillows.

 

Do you have any idea of the time-frame/price for the lower-level bed platform option?

 

The foam is what makes or breaks the sleeping experience for sure. And it's especially important when you don't have a sloppy design that has enough extra room for a 2" 30# memory foam mattress topper.

The foam that we are currently running in the prototype (that @wileydavis and @inv3ctiv3 are talking about) is what will be included in the base model. The higher density foam mentioned will be a bit firmer, and be a recommended upgrade for folks who are going to live out of this thing every night for a year/rental companies etc. But our base model foam is still cadillac, the upgrade will just be bentley.

 

Aiming to have something available mid to late summer. Might have a prototype at Expo. No idea on pricing yet though.

 

^ Every time I am working on replying to a message like the one above, wiley beats me to it. Don't know how that works.

BTW, bed platform solution is likely going to be available with more functionality than simply a deck. Working on drawer solutions and accessory mounting.

 

The decked solution weighs about as much as our camper for a 6' tacoma bed. In general comparison, our product will also be targeted more towards camping solutions than work storage, and will not be made of storage bin material.

Apart from that, they have a solid pricepoint, and that HDPE is a durable solution.

 

Ours will be a lot lighter but it won't support 2000 lbs. As @gmacmt said, it will be geared more toward camping. But it will be super easy to install or remove from the bed.

 

I’ll still be using my current basic platform until the release of the gfc or just design a new one that has a slide out for the fridge, stove, and table.

Current set up:

 

@wileydavis do you think the roof rack on top of the tent could hold two 13’ standup paddleboards before/after opening the tent? They aren’t too heavy but are really frikkin long so I don’t know if that’s feasible.

I’m loving the progress so far. Great works guys!


Current setup (hard topper with roof rack, drawer system with deck, old school tent on the ground or squeezing into short bed):

 

if we got the factory rail in the front of the bed can we have the ability to have brackets to further secure the shell/camper to the bed?

 

I LOVE that bed system! Any chance you wrote down the specs? I have a pretty sweet system - but yours is better!

 

I actually bought the topper and drawers on Craigslist so the guy already had them made by a local fab company. I just built the three-piece wood deck myself.

 

My situation is similar. I bought a drawer system someone else had made - it's all plywood. Nicely done though. But, yours is nicer. Thanks for the info.

 

I don't think I've seen it asked, but it's definitely possible i missed it. How much weight will the bed platform/removable panels be able to handle? How will it handle vigorous movement while on the bed platform? ....If you catch my drift...

 

We designed it to safely handle 500 lbs and vigorous action.