Hondo Garage's New Thing

The panels all lock. My tailgate doesn’t lock but the tailgate can’t be opened with the rear hatch shut. If someone wanted they could pop the top and climb down through but they could also take 30 seconds with a prybar and pop the sides open like any other topper with doors/windows.

 

Poor 4Runner.

 

Using your line of reasoning it would a waste of time and money to install any locks. Might as well leave your truck unlocked all the time rather than risk the damage a thief would do breaking in. Do you bother to lock your GFC when you park in a large mall parking lot at dusk? You know, don't you, that thieves commonly go through a lot checking for unlocked vehicles because they're the quickest and quietest targets?

 

You misunderstood what I wrote. I didn’t say not to lock it, just that the locks won’t keep out someone who actually intends to get in. I lock my truck but still recognize it takes no real effort to break a window and steal from it.

I don’t lock my GFC at the mall because we don’t have one here. It is locked any time I’m not actively using it and don’t plan to be in and out of it.

 

Oh damn it’s well lit in there.

Well shoot, that may be an issue for me...Even though my body is wired to wake up at 4:45 a.m.

 

We're talking probabilities here. You're less likely to get ripped off if you have locks and use them. Even an armored truck can be broken into quickly with strategically placed plastic explosive. I should've said would you leave your truck unlocked at a large urban mall. Breaking windows is noisy, attracts attention and the heat.

 

You’re digging way too far into what I said. It has locks. I use them. I’m also well aware of how easy it is to break into it if someone wanted to do so.

 

Hahahahahahahahaha

 

If it lets that much light through it has to let heat through. How could it not?

 

I’m guessing a combination of color (white reflects all wavelengths of light and therefore absorbs less heat), composite material (transfers less of the heat energy) and thickness (more heat energy dissipates before passing through the panel). Light transfer does not equate to heat transfer.

 

I have no idea but I can't sleep in light - I wakeup immediately. It's super lame. Maybe I should get one of these

 

I wish we could go back to arguing about locks.

 

Up there in Fairbanks I suspect you worry more about bears than burglars.
I've never been that far North, been through Anchorage though, on the way back from tendering herring in Bristol Bay.

 

I'm waiting for a lock for the top too. My trips will likely be a combination of camping and hotels, and I want it locked up when I'm at the latter. Locking the panels is worthless if someone can just open the top and steal my gear. Nothing will stop a crowbar user or a window breaker, but why make it simple and obvious for the opportunists? Just seeing a lock might be enough discouragement. In my mind the locks have nothing to do with anything when I'm in the camper, but are only there for situations when I'm away from the truck. Even though you could get into the cab with a rock, I still lock my doors when I park the truck in public areas. Why wouldn't you do the same in back?

 

Most people that I've shown the shell to are confused about how the latches on the lower panels even work. Many don't even realize that the side panels can be opened. When you tell them the top pops up they don't get it at all.

If someone is thinking about stealing something out of the truck they're going to pry the rear panel open and not waste their time fiddling with strange latches up on the roof they have never seen - clawing their way up into a tent they will have to unzip - and then figure out how the sleeping panels work to get down to the goods.

Understand that BadMan isn't keeping up on the latest trends in "Camper Couture" and is going to hope you have some power tools back there because it looks like you may work as a plumber. He's going to treat it like any other camper shell.

 

Actual camper content!

Made this little power center with ciggy 12V, USB, and Power Pole connections. I also put a blue sea fuse block behind the panel with circuits for lights. It's all fed from my aux battery under the hood with 8 gauge wire.


Also found some 90 degree aluminum led channel/diffuser that fit perfectly between the space frame and the lip for the sleeping cushions. It runs down both sides and across the tailgate area.

More in the works.

 

This would be easy to fab up your own solution. However, idk why anyone would want their bike to stick out that far and have the handle bars like that. That is just stupid.

When I was messing about with mounting bikes I did this.






Just rotate the damn handle bars. haha

Never finished the mounts but would be simple enough to make something.

 

Looks good. I'm almost done with my 6gang with voltmeter, dual USB, and 12v.

 

Approximately how big is that space where the channel is? Just curious