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

yea. that's not gonna work. it'd be simpler and more robust to use a sliding bracket on the lid and on the habitat body.

 

Whew, that is a lot of pages but well worth it. Been looking at the habitat for a while now. Sleeping under a regular fiberglass cap worked okay, but it was pretty tight and now that I'm installing a fridge in the bed the space issues get worse. Ground tent camping for now, but the space a habitat offers is really attractive. Had a few questions for y'all if anyone is inclined:

1. Any regrets on the functionality? These have only been around for a few years and it seems like a large % of the people in this thread who bought one have sold it or are looking to sell - at least 50% maybe? Concerns about camping in the cold, about it being a pain to deploy often (I usually move each day, every two at most), etc... Would you still buy one in retrospect?
2. Concerns re: long term reliability? Pretty new product still, and for the price you would really want it to last the better part of the life of the truck with care, but already we have cracking corner welds and leaks and lifting seams and... well, you see my point. Unfortunately I don't get out often enough that a Habitat would pay for itself in a year or two, I'd need to still be using it in at least 5-7 years to feel like it justified the cost. Does that seem reasonable, or are there real long term use concerns here?
3. What options have you found worthwhile vs regretting in the long term? Are there any you wish you would have sprung for but didn't?
4. This is just an aesthetic thing, but am I seeing correctly that even with the $1300 paint match option the side hatches aren't painted? That seems... tacky?

Thanks for any/all input. The Habitat looks very attractive but trying to avoid my usual "Ready, Fire, Aim!" method with this much $$$.

 

No regrets. Quick and easy setup and a ton of interior space. It’s about 3 minutes to setup and 5 to pack up.

the expedition overland guys have one of the first ones and are still using it today. I figure if it survives for them, I shouldn’t have any issues. I did have a river pop on one of my support poles and AT had new ones in the mail that day.

mine is about as bare bones as you can get. I got a sleeping platform but doing it again I’d just build my own. They are stupid expensive and heavy. Having just the one (50% of opening) is great for a table but pretty skinny for sleeping.

I didn’t paint mine or get side doors.

 

1. Functionality - I think it does what it looks like it'll do. Huge amount of space inside. I don't plan on selling any time soon. I try not to camp too much in the cold, but I've been down below freezing. I think heating the Habitat isn't worth it, since there is no insulation. We simply use good sleeping bags with 0 rating (-15 for my wife). I was comfortable down to around the low 20s. We fired up the buddy heater for a couple minutes before getting outta the bags so we could change clothes or whatever before we get out of the Habitat. Heats it up quick, but soon as you turn it off the temps drop like a rock. I'm more concerned with rain. Mine leaks a bit at the seam pretty much above your head while sleeping. It's where the bar and seam meet. There was a little too much tension on the tent, so I shortened the bar, but still haven't seam sealed the tent. Hasn't been priority since we are usually fair weather campers.

2. I don't wheel my truck very hard compared to a lot of folks using these, no cracking here. I haven't had any issues that concern me on reliability. My biggest complaint is prolly the zippers. They seem pretty cheap/light duty. They sometimes zip incorrectly, but just rezip and it's good. Part of this may be due to the overly tight tent, mentioned above. I might shorten the poles a little more in the future. And worth noting, I'm about 1.5 years in, only 30 nights total, so obviously not spending every weekend in it.

3. Only option I got was the roof rails. I didn't want to have to drill a bzillion holes in the lid and hope I did it correctly. Only thing I wish we would have done was the carpeted walls, but mainly cause we've been lazy about it. We bought the carpet a year ago, and still never installed. But that's a moot point, seeing as how that is standard now on new Habitats, I believe. All the wiring for 12v and USB Ports I've done myself with help from a friend. FAR cheaper to do yourself.

4. No experience here. I have a silver truck and the raw aluminum looks good to me. I did not go for any hatches or windows either. I didn't want anyone able to see what was inside, as I leave mine loaded with most of our camping gear 100% of the time. I quickly got used to the lack of visibility, and it's forced me to get much better at using my side mirrors and keeping track of traffic around me so I know when I can move left or right, especially since I am usually towing a 16 foot open car trailer.


Here are my questions for you: Is it JUST you, or will you have a significant other, friend, animals, or kids with you? You already said you plan to move frequently, so do you plan to spend your time in the Habitat, or outside of it most of the time? for example my wife and I spend very little time in the Habitat other than sleeping. We spend majority of our time at the truck under the awning on the side.

 

Oh right. I did get the roof rails. For the same reason. I use it mostly for hanging things at camp.

The new ones have carpeted walls standard.

 

I did move two of the cross bars close together and put my maxtrax between them. Hold them down with some friction/kayak straps. Just don't walk into the treads when you walk under the Habitat when it's open... it hurts. Other than that... yeah, I hang stuff on them while camping, haha.

 

I guess that’s one good thing about mine being so tall, I couldn’t walk into it if i wanted to lol

 

Normally not a problem, as I'm short, but I was parked on a good down slope and parked front of truck on some big rocks to level out... didn't even think about it til I was clutching my forehead in pain and cursing.

 

Ahh

Ive definitely scraped my back going through the door before. That feels real good.

 

Been there done that! I added some plastic edge guard that came as packing material on something I think. Definitely helps, but still painful!

 

Thanks for the input folks!

Sometimes just me, sometimes me and one other. No plans for additional little passengers at the moment of the furry or non-furry variety, but over the life of the truck... who knows, bigger surprises have happened. I'm a pretty big dude, so even on my own I'm not regretting all the sleeping space or the high capacity of the cantilever- I'm not comfortable putting a heavy RTT plus even just myself on top of my existing shell. The space is also a real selling point for duo trips. I try to do one or two longer trips a year, and a little discomfort/inconvenience for 10-14 days really adds up more than it does over a weekend.

It terms of being inside the Habitat, would be mixed. In good weather, would prefer to spend most of my time at camp outside under the (effective) awning off the back - handy to have that space for cooking - or by the campfire. In wet weather, or in the times of the summer when here in California we're under fire restriction, it would be handy to have the slide-in bed platform as a working space in the evening where I can sit up or even stand.

 

I just wanted to say if space wasn't an issue, like if it was JUST you all the time, I'd probably lean towards a Summit topper. But otherwise, yeah, the interior roominess of the Habitat is awesome!

 

That was the primary reason I got one. They and having all the gear enclosed and locked away. Moving from rtt I’d say it’s about the same amount of time to open and close the habitat. With two people it’s even faster. But I defiantly am concerned about longevity of the unit / fabric

 

I also like that it doesn’t draw attention. Most people think it’s a contractor cap / work truck. Keeps things secure, dry and dust free

 

Yeah, I thought about this. I'm alone often enough that the Habitat *is* probably a bit overkill. But looking at the Summit I'm not sure what the advantage is offhand? Less space inside, more futzing with sleeping platforms, no natural awning... same weight and same price? A bit easier to pack/unpack? Tradeoffs just didn't seem worth it at a glance. If it was much lighter or much cheaper maybe worth looking at.

Unless I'm underestimating the pain in the ass of setting up/stowing the Habitat, that is. From the thread it looked like the interior push open and some of y'all's innovations + the thinner tent material made the process not too bad for one person.

 

That’s why I went with the habitat. For the same price and weight, I’ll take the habitat.

having the built in awning is super nice and the interior space is great during inclement weather.

I pretty much use my habitat solo and I’ve timed it a couple times. I can pack up in under 5 minutes. It’s quick and easy.

 

Well I'll tell you what you guys are definitely not talking me OUT of spending five figures of cash money.

 

I think the main advantages of the Summit would be the increased insulation and sturdier roof (when popped up vs. the Habitat tent). As i'm not planning to camp in the snow or when temps are well below freezing I'm more than happy with the Habitat. Just wanted to make sure you thought about. It's a LOT of money to spend and not love it!

 

I originally wanted a habitat but talked myself into other things instead. After finally getting one, I should have gotten it from the beginning and not wasted 2 years with other junk. I went to Prescott to pick mine up

 

Also the summit is longer than the habitat so you’ll have more cab overhang. On some trucks it looks real funky.