AT Habitat, Atlas, & Summit Pictures, ideas, aaand BS

I honestly think its all in the marketing.... especially here on TW and Instagram... AT has no presence here on TW that I have seen which is a huge mistake if they are trying to bolster sales as much as possible... The GFC squad has dominated the online marketing imo, hence the huge numbers flocking to it.


I would like to see one in person, but honestly the room the habitat offers is what I bought it for... that and being able to mount stuff on the walls has helped tremendously in keeping things organized for me. In any case I can't imagine what ATs habitat sales would look like if the Drifter and GFC hadn't been released. Im sure many are attracted to them because of the lower price point as well.

 

I totally agree. I don't know why AT doesn't have a solid presence on here. I know they are branching out to full sized trucks, but I'm betting a majority are still on Tacomas. I've seen the GFC, and I've climbed in an AT Summit, but they really lack the space. I do like the Summit's lift up bed, making it pretty easy swap from bed to open space, but it still means you can't have someone in bed and someone with a lot of room/full access to truck bed.

Maybe they don't want to sell more? Not like they are lacking in customers to keep them in business at their current size. Might be safer to keep things smaller.

 

Tacomas aren't a main focus for their products so much anymore. One huge advantage they have going over other pop up camper makers is they already have full size options available for both the habitat and the summit, so they still have an entire section of the market almost to themselves.

 

Yeah, their ability to slap the Habitat on top of any sized aluminum canopy was a great idea on their part. No need to re-design the entire thing for every truck.

 

I had been talking to AT since I'll be heading down to AZ for a tracking class in November and down to TX after, but ordering on Monday would've put me at around 11 weeks. So, they offered me a sweet deal on their display model, but I was just too worried about dropping that much cash on something sight unseen. Plus it was the older body style with the "cutout" sides, and since I'm mainly based around Alaska, Colorado, and soon to be Idaho, I was very worried about water infiltration/freezing. Not to mention someone else brought up the possibility of squeezing through tight brush and accidentally running a stick or branch between the panels. So I ran up to Juniper Overland in Denver to get hands and eyes on an actual unit before I made my decision, and found out they have an order in production with AT right now, so I'm hoping I can get my mitts on that one when it comes in. Crossing my fingers! I believe they had one available in the store for the double cab Tacoma, but my truck is an access cab.

 

Good luck dude! Hope you get one sooner than later! I heard Mule Outfitters in Washington might be trying to get a few in for inventory, but no clue when that might happen. WA is in between Alaska and Idaho

 

True, but it's not between CO and AZ And while not "necessary", it sure would be nice to have for this upcoming trip down south. Guess we'll see!

 

I do think waiting for a new model with the solid walls is smart. Worth the wait for the extra piece of mind IMO.

 

Yeah, if I had gone with the display model I thought about just riveting a solid panel over the whole side, but I'd still be worried about eventual leaks... I think waiting for a new one is my better bet, even if I end up having to wait longer than expected

 

How deep did you need to drill to make the Rivnuts fit? And did you use a drill bit with a stop on it to keep you from going too deep? And sorry if you said this before, but are those 4 foot tracks?

 

You don't need to go any deeper than just drilling through the outer layer of aluminum... A stop on the drill bit would be a good idea, but I was just careful not to push to hard otherwise you may dent the other layer. Yes the ones on the interior and exterior walls were 4' lengths.

 

Thank you

My wife really didn't want me drilling into the Habitat, but I think I've got her convinced this will be the best way to mount an awning on the side. And eventually maybe i can put a rotopack on the other side too.

 

Yeah, it makes for a really nice place to mount stuff. I have a ~8 gallon water tank and hoses on one side, along with a mount for my shower setup, and the other side I have 2 4 gallon rotopax, and an 8' awning, there is still room for more stuff but I have been loving how it is setup now. Just really nice getting that sort of stuff out of way and still have easy access to it. The rotopax are right above my fuel door, so when I need to top off, I use a shaker siphon and don't even have to move the tanks.

 

I was just looking at your track and awning mounting since I just got an Eezi-Awn Swift, but now I'm second guessing that it will be strong enough. Just thinking about how the weight will be pulling on the l-track laterally and that there isn't much surface area to support it, if any of that makes sense. Also I have the old canopy design with the cutout.

 

Yeah, I've definitely liked what you've done. Eventually plan to have all the water, propane, and water heater on a swingout (no tire) when the $$$ is available. Keeping that stuff out of the bed will be great. Hot water and awning with room are the next thing on the priority list though.

 

How heavy is your awning? I looked at ARB 8 foot and it's like 37 pounds or so. And what looks to be about ten bolts through the L-Track and another couple mounts up front it seems like the load would be pretty well spread out. I know you'll have some torsion/leverage with the awning sticking out the side, but I bet @excorcist 's woulda ripped out by now if that was going to happen.

 

Yeah, it says on Equipt's website the swift is 34lbs, so maybe I'm just being paranoid. I'm just having visions of riv-nuts ripping out of the side of my Habitat. I'm at least going to use the angled L-track if I got for it, since at least that has a little wider footprint for side loading it.

 

You mean when the awning is packed away and you are driving? Or worried about it when the awning is deployed? If you were closer and could have a look for yourself I think you would see it is plenty strong, but Im not sure if your particular awning or habitat design would have an affect on the strength in that area. I have done a LOT of off road miles this year, and we are talking some of the rockiest, most washed out, washboarded roads you can imagine. Because of that I make a point to watch for stuff loosening up. The awning has been solid.

 

That's reassuring to hear from your experience, I'm was more concerned about driving with it packed up, even though the swift is designed to be free-standing without wind, but it does have legs too. I guess I should just get over myself and go for it, I am really excited and eager to get this thing mounted.

 

Make sure to post up pics once you do!