The Official Unofficial Super Pacific X1 Camper Thread

That’s about right plus some height for the rubber gasket. Should be in the thread a few times on earlier pages.

 

I’d call it 29”

 

Yes. That was the idea, as Spencer said he was working on something like it I just went for it. It didn’t help as much as I had hoped so I just use one in the center and leave this one in the garage.

 

I might test just using one. I didn't like how the tent hangs down when there are no panels in there, but maybe just using one will solve that!

 

Thank you very much!!

 

Agreed, it's pretty close to 29" on mine as well.

One thing to note is whether your parking garage has level flooring or if it has changes in grade close to any low spots. When my truck is level in my garage I have about 3.5" of clearance. My townhome complex has garage doors opposite each other with a driveway in between, and the driveway slopes down from each side with a drain channel in the middle. When I back in the combo of front tire dropping into the low spot and the upslope on the driveway raises the back passenger side corner so there is only 1.5" clearance. I posted a pic top of page 132. Something to watch out for!

No need to remove the shark fin on 3rd Gen, plenty of clearance.

 

I’ve been leaving the battens tightened (open) on the side vents, as well as the back door unzipped, and I don’t have any fluff while closing it. The fiberglass battens look fine so far too, no issues with pinching or bending

 

Oh. Right. Actually that’s a good point.

 

I must be trippin, just saw on GFC's insta this morning that they shared a story with a pic of a Super Pacific haha

 

Hahah they did. Honestly, GFC feels like how GoPro very quickly changed into a media company. They are just pushing the influencers, reposting content and making sure they have name recognition.

 

hah, and they responded to me...

I guess “imitation” needs to only consist of putting a rectangular shaped object with a bed on top of a truck bed and not a completely different and better design that just happens to also use extruded aluminum and other materials available on the market...

 

That's ironic, because I'm rather sure there were other wedge campers out before theirs too.

 

Yep. BUT NONE WITH A "SPACE FRAME".

Anyway, back to SP, whose doors won't rip off and hit you on the head during a trip, leaving all your gear exposed for the rest of the trip

 

Honestly, it's been very funny to see how the industry has grown over the past five years or so. I actually came across this thread in 2015, and started planning how I could also DIY/proof of concept my own based on his plans:

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/tacoma-aluminum-pop-up.137366/

It seemed like there were simultaneous thoughts from others as I watched Iggy and Vagabond start up, GFC shortly after, then a bunch more camper companies. The reality is that beyond a slide-in format (which also had wedge-style versions for like the last 30-40yr), the above guy is the "first" that I've seen online and at it's core still has basically all of the same features as a GFC. It's a shame he didn't realize what he had built as he could have locked in some patents instead of just blasting it online for everyone (but alas now we have tons to shop between, so the consumer still wins).

The reality is that innovation in general is usually someone copying someone else with just enough variance to claim that they are unique. GFC is seemling a victim of this just like anyone else and it's funny to see how they have since also followed suit on a number of things SP created in V1 with their V2 "innovations".

 

Yep, I love that build. I had an ARE Commercial shell like the basis for that camper and was thinking of doing my own build like that as I was living with two welders at the time.

Another housemate was one of the first to put a deposit down on the GFC when they opened up the presales/discounted campers. I was closely following the V1 Vagabond from Phil & Iggy because I didn't like how the GFC blocks side access with their SPACE FRAME as well as how you have to disassemble the bed to get in and out of it.

The rest is history.

 

fun fact, looks like the OG one is for sale:
https://santabarbara.craigslist.org/cto/d/santa-barbara-2007-tacoma-trd/7293983450.html

 

I sure hope their response was tongue in cheek. If not they are some delusional bastards. There were a ton of homemade and low volume commercially made things like this before them and there will be after. GFC and Super Pacific really aren't even that close to the same product. They are about as similar as Outback, Hiatus, ATOverland and others are that you have an aluminum shell and a roof top tent/pop up attached to it. That's about it.

These are proving to be so popular since America is the land of the pick-up truck that 10 more companies will pop up (heh heh) and succeed in the next few years. It's simply too good of an idea for so many of us who need a truck bed but want to sleep when we're out doing whatever it is we do with our trucks.

I'm quite sure that GFC is just a little butthurt because at first glance it looks like a copy of their product but it has a dozen improvements. Guess what? The next new brand will have a dozen improvements over SP. It's called progress. I hope, and think, that SP won't get all uptight about it. All of these guys need to realize just what good problems they have. They simply can't build them fast enough or charge enough for them.

Hell, I'm butthurt too because I'm in the wrong business! If I lived in Colorado or anywhere west coast I guarantee you I'd be in this business somehow, or converting vans for the #vanlifers, who I've come to hate since I was doing it way before Instagram, but it's hard to fault anyone for getting in to a game where you can make so much cheddar and have fun doing it.

 

Dude that's the truth. 6-12mo lead times are pretty wild from a consumer perspective. I don't think this market is close to saturated yet - until someone figures out how to bring in containers of these suckers from Asia.

 

wait, is it supposed to be offensive that GFC shared a photo of a SP..? is there bad blood between GFC and SP? i don't instagram, so maybe i'm just not utd on that hot goss... from my perspective it seems quite harmless, in good spirits, etc.

i mean, it's not like anyone is poaching clients when there's like a year waitlist for every single company — some even two(!!!). everybody's making their money, and if they're not, it's not the competition's fault!

 

No, the point was that whomever is running the GFC social media account is just reposting any and everything they see to continue to build their brand and name recognition... but they didn't even realize they reposted a competitors (superior) product.