Hondo Garage's New Thing

How will the top fair with low hanging branches? I know my current RTT cover will get scratched to hell and even some rips/tears. I know the roof is not load bearing, but would there be any damage to the GFC roof ?

Also, will there be any relief or ability to run cables/cords to the tent area for portable 12v LED lights or a 12v fan? will there be enough gap between the 2 small cushions? Perhaps through a duct for heating? Although I hate the though, could you drill through the floor material (that hurt to write)?

 

There was also mention for the heater to be connected to the propane tank probably living on a swing away outside.

For those of us that don’t have a swing away, a bracket to temporarily attach the tank to the ext panel while your parked could be cool. I’m using a small bracket from a power tank air for my small 5lb tank already. Just would need the bracket.
More accessories?

 

The top will fair very well. The honeycomb panel is incredibly resilient. It's capable of deforming and is also somewhat slick so branches should slide right over it. It can be punctured of course, given the right circumstances. But the material can be patched easily and, worst case, the panel can be replaced entirely as it was designed to be user serviceable.

For heat, we'll be testing whether or not a through-floor vent is even needed. If it is, we have a plenum design that can be installed in the floor and plumbed to a propex heater. You can drill holes in the floor but it is a stressed panel so you wouldn't want to go crazy.

By the time we ship we'll have an option to prewire the tent for 12v hookup. That will include a wiring harness that is routed through the extrusion and the tent sides. Our LED lighting is being tested now but it's actually built in to the extrusion and takes advantage of the translucent nature of the roof panel to cause the edges of the roof panel to glow for a nice diffused interior light.

 

The panel glow would just be for the tent area. Whatever we do for the lower lighting would be a separate switch. They're dimmable, with a full power draw of roughly 70 watts (at full power).

 

Speaking of lights and wiring, I haven’t noticed if this came up before: will there be provision for a high-mount 3rd brake light (or even standard ... I think it may be required)?

 

I believe there will be a CHMSL (Centre high mount stop lamp - 3rd brake light), but it wasn't finished in time for the prototype.

 

Well after finally reading through this entire thread, and visiting the hatchery, I have a couple of questions about configuration. We had talked loosely about these when I was there.

-any further thoughts on shifting the tent backwards 8-12”, so it overhangs a tyre carrier? Might look a little odd, but I know there are truck canopies out there that do this already, see them on first gens all the time.

-shortening up the RTT? So it sits flush with the cab? Or maybe incorporating the point I made above.

-cab level tent? This would require a shorter rtt to be produced. With my Jb, I just returned(30 uses and the fabric was falling apart, fan failure, latches, etc) it was just long enough for me to sleep in. An extra 6 inches would have made it perfect.

Reason, I am asking is that, I am not wanting to have to change my entire configuration. I’m 90% sold, just not sure on the last 10%. Need think about it some more.

 

It might help to explain further your requests

What benefits do you get from covering the carrier? Moving platform rearward would limit carrier height for cargo on the carrier. Would a rear awning work?

Being well over 6' tall, I wouldn't want the the tent shortened. Is the purpose of the shift because you looking to run a cab rack?

For me lowering the platform to or below cab height would make getting cargo in/out when tent is closed really crammed. Remember, they were intending this to still be functional for daily use as a truck cap and ladder rack.

 

Was mentioned early on in the thread that bead rolling may be an option if there was enough demand. Is that still in play? I like it as it breaks up the monotony/"homebuilt out of plywood" look of the sides

 

How about integrating a full time rear view camera into the 3rd brake light setup? Most campers greatly limit the functionality of the rear view mirror even with front and rear windows. My rig's stock back up camera is so good that I hardly use the mirrors anymore. Perhaps the camera could use the rear view mirror as the monitor. https://www.rearviewsafety.com/oem-...9h37cLleMz3Y4oEWIw_xNBCNzrBUmiQaAmy2EALw_wcB#

 

There are companies that will help you through software and/or hardware to use your OEM rear view camera while driving, or you can do it a cheaper way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UIG-31UCFU

 

Hmm..I see there are bluetooth solutions too which would be easy to integrate to the bluetooth capable OEM monitor. The main problem with using the OEM monitor is that the rear view camera is occupying the screen full time and you would have to switch back and forth to view other functions.
I might experiment with the WiFi solution while waiting for my GF camper. The good thing about the rear view mirror monitor is that you wouldn't have another screen cluttering the dashboard.

 

A third brake light will be included.

 

The shift backward (like a wildernest) won't really work in our application. The biggest issue is that you can't make the floor over the overhang removable (because it would open to the outside). That also means that now your open floor space moves forward where there's less standing room than at the rear. The solution there is to have the tent pop open in the other direction, but for now we won't be doing that. As @DoorDing has said, we've already locked in the configuration for this first product. Materials have been ordered and fixturing is being designed. That said, we're building this company for the long haul and have lots of new ideas and plans, so definitely expect us to be constantly experimenting with new designs. But for now all of our effort is going in building and accessorizing the current configuration.

We do have plans in the near future for a 78" version, but don't recommend this for anyone over 5'9". This is primarily for the RTT market on smaller vehicles and flush mount caps for bigger trucks with 6.5' beds. The small James Baroud is 78" inside length for comparison and the XXL is 89" inside length. The GFC platform is 90" inside length.

 

Fair enough, just trying to figure out on my end what I need to, and future plans/etc. I may hold off until other options become available. Or I may not, weighing that out at the moment. If I do decide to move forward, I’d be looking for a may pickup timeframe regardless.

I’ll keep you guys posted, until then, my deposit holds a spot.

 

That is the hard part with all this stuff, everyone has different designs/needs, then throw into that different design philosophies/etc, it’s finding something that will work or how to modify it to meet your needs. What pisses me off though I that I know my needs are all that anyone else will ever need, yet nobody else has seem to realize that.

All kidding, aside, I’m 90% of the way there, just trying to figure out what I really need. Buddy of mine with the same issue with trying to always find the best solution, said to me the other day over a beer that maybe we should step back and actually start using what we have more and just enjoy it. Words to live by right there. We are all constantly striving for more and makes things for more complicated then they need be. The simple approach is often all that is needed. Which has me also pondering whether I should just back back to a hammock and ground tent..

Steve

 

The answer to what do we really need is usually... a lot less than we think. I joke that if I had been shorter the GFC project might never have started because I'd be happy with sleeping in the bed of the Tacoma I'm definitely not one to play house when I camp but I do like that the popup allows me to sleep in rest areas, deploy and stow really quickly, and get a better night's sleep than I do in a ground tent. And when I'm not camping I can still use the truck bed or the roof rack for hauling stuff around. I tried to keep the design basic enough that folks could use it like I do (as a glorified crash pad) or build it out into a little RV if they want to. Oh, and I like being able to change clothes standing up. But I still sleep in a bivvy when camping off the moto or bicycle.

But I agree, this stuff isn't a necessity. No one should let the lack of the "perfect setup" keep them from getting out there.

 

My problem is that I enjoy the build process almost as much as actual camping/off-roading.

 

That’s pretty much what I’m doing now.

 

Hmm, I’m sensing a kindred spirit here. You should see my scuba dive gear locker. Ugh.