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

...oh. Really? Why is that?

 

I believe it is to create a better seal between the metal truck bed and the bulb seal. The plastic cap is textured for traction which prolly wouldn't be the best surface for sealing.

 

See, this is why I'm glad I asked! I imagine they wouldn't have been very happy on install day if I glued them down like originally planned, lol. I probably wouldn't have been very happy either, with shop time being something like $100 an hour

 

lol, yeah.


Here's a pic I stole from @Helitaco.

I think you can actually see one of the holes just past the habitat next to the tailgate. It fits a little different on my 2nd Gen, not quite as much tailgate is visible.

 

Yeah, I had been wondering how well the hatch seals against the tail gate since everything I've seen shows the Habitats not having any kind of overhang for water shedding, unlike my old fiberglass topper.

 

Mine does overhang at the tailgate. There is a bulb seal that hangs down at the bottom of the hatch. And I can't open my tailgate without opening the hatch. Maybe If I pulled crazy hard I could...

 

Yikes, makes me worry about security... Guess that lock on the tailgate isn't as pointless as I initially thought, lol

 

Maybe some of the 3rd gen guys or gals in here could fill you in on how that works. If you can open the tailgate with hatch shut, etc. And maybe any diff between how it sits on 6 or 5 foot beds, as images I've seen show more tailgate visible on the 6 foot than on the 5. *shrugs*

Do you have 5 or 6 foot bed on yours, @MacFly ?

 

I don't think you could open the tailgate on mine with the hatch closed, at least not easily like @YF_Ryan said. Nonetheless I have a lock on my tailgate now too, since I added a backup camera.

 

Well I'm definitely glad you guys stopped me before I sealed the truck, lol. Just got off the phone with the installer, they said they've mounted with or without the rail cap, it's mainly about getting everything level. But it's nice to be able to take it off to install certain components. They also said that making sure everything is water tight is part of the install, so they'll seal all that stuff for me. Also, sounds like my Habitat is built, just have to set up shipping now! SUPER excited

 

Mine rarely leaks. But just like most people, if it does leak, it's at the front corners, just behind the cab. And I don't have a bed rug or anything that would soak up the water and get moldy or anything, so even it leaks a lil, like it has, i'm not too worried about it. Now if I use it over winter and start getting tons of water intrusion, I might try and figure something out.

 

I really liked my bed rug, but I do have first hand experience with a mold horror story. Left my truck parked outside in Kenai for a whole summer while I was working back home, forgot to ask my fam where I stored the truck to check the back hatch seal, and I left up curtains which mad it nice and dark... every inch of everything I had left in the back was covered in mold. Took me a week just to clean, disinfect and dry everything, since it was winter when I picked up the truck.

 

Yes. I have had a a 43qt Edgestar fridge in the back of my truck for going on two years. It runs for almost a week on 2 Trojan T105 golf cart batteries. I throw a couple 100w flexible solar panels on the roof while I'm at the office, and it will run forever. I bought the fridge for $459, which is less than a big Yeti cooler. Camping is fantastic. No more soggy crap. No more $3.00 bags of camp ground store ice. When I'm not camping I usually keep lunch items in there, it's like having my own personal food truck and I'm not spending money on garbage fast food trips.

 

That looks like a winner. I was thinking of Gorilla tape, but that is definitely better suited for the job. I just call Mule Outfitters
, but they are new to the game. He is going to contact AT to see what they recommend....more to come

 

Have they installed any Summit's or Habitat's yet at Mule? Been awhile since I was there, they hadn't yet sold either.

 

Expecting their first delivery and subsequent install within the week. I think mine is the second shipment first week of December. Kinda apprehensive now, seeing that waterproofing on the install is a major determinate to my future happiness

 

I wouldn't worry. Unless they damaged the bulb seal when installing I'm not sure what could happen. Not saying it won't leak a little, just saying it probably isn't the installer's fault. Just the way they are made it can't be perfect.

 

Oh yeah... and don't ever open up the Habitat in the rain with the truck pointing up hill The water pools in the "lid". Found this out seasoning the tent!

 

Only leak I have is/was between the tent base and the walls. There is a joint that bolts the “topper” to the tent itself. I just put a bead of ultra gray rtv in there. Should be good enough.

 

Hey all,
I've been reading through this forum the past few days and had a few questions about the Habitat.
My use for the Habitat would be a mobile camping setting, setting up and tearing down everyday. It sounds like there is essentially zero space in the tent when folded. Is there enough room to leave a couple of sheets, a down blanket and some pillows or would that all need to be stowed when the Habitat is closed?
Second big one. Most of my camping will be in the winter months. The places I frequent never really get colder than 10 degrees but do occasionally snow and get winds up to 35-40mph. Does the tent shed snow pretty well or is it sturdy enough that it wouldn't collapse from snowfall (3"?)? How obnoxious would it be to clear snow out/off of the tent for closing the Habitat or could I get away with the tent being pretty wet and caked for a day? With the wind, is the tent tight enough that I won't be awake from flapping or will it shake the unit too much because of the cantilever?
Lastly, sleeping suspended looks a little precarious to me. I understand it's rated to support 600lbs and the truck acts as a HEAVY foundation but does the Habitat feel strong? Does it sway or teeter with weight at the end?
I think those are the main ones racking my mind at the moment. All of your builds look amazing; huge inspirations for what I'd like to do for myself!

Cheers!