Hondo Garage's New Thing

To be fair, anyone that’s been married for any amount of time knows a woman isn’t happy unless she has at least one thing to complain about.

 

Just got my payment in... How many DCSB 3rd gens have paid up?

 

I’m paid, 2017 DCSB Off-Road, keep in mind i think there’s quite a few orders that came off ExpoPortal that may or may not be on here....

 

Also realize that the Base and XL platforms are in the same order system. So, there will be some orders delayed/skipped (being XL platforms starting in May/June). Probably not a ton of XL's, but figure 10-15 sprinkled in throughout

 

What sort of wind load can the tent endure while open? I know it can support 75 lbs on top lifted...to me this says it can support 75 lbs of any load, including wind load, and you could have significantly more pushing on it in a good storm (front of truck parked into the wind). The fear would be the gas struts compressing or a connection failure under wind load and the roof clamping shut on you! Is there anything else supporting the top open besides the strut (ie at the end near the screen door)?

Same question for the uplift on the roof...if you park say, at the beach to get a view of the sunset over the ocean (tent door into the wind), and strong gust comes in, seems like it could fold it back over the cab, ala that one time I failed to push down the hood fully latched on my car and it came slamming back over the roof at 70 mph. Granted, in this position, you have not only the gas struts in tension, but also the tent fabric in tension to prevent this mode of failure.

Not questioning the quality of the build, it's obviously top notch, just camp thoughts from an annoying due-diligence engineer by trade.

 

I'm guessing that I'm in the first couple of production lots - but I'll probably be letting my spot slide until I can get over and pick it up.

 

I thought they said they had a support inside when tent is in opened position so you don't 100% rely on the gas struts. Perhaps they will chime in when less busy making units.

 

75lbs is what the struts can lift and support. Force applied by wind is a whole different animal, and unless it's miraculously directed right into the direction of the struts' movement, it will be applied onto different components of the tent.

I would imagine that if the tent's wedge is facing into the wind, you won't have problems with anything short of a hurricane.

 

Yeah if this is the case it would help immensely. I thought I recall there being something else as well.

 

All good questions. None of the prototypes have had them, but we'll have some sort of lock-out device (most likely some carbon rods) to offer redundancy to the lift struts. The 75 pound load isn't the max the struts will lift, it's the max they'll lift and still keep sufficient tension on the tent fabric to resist things like wind. Naturally all these factors come into play. The more you have on the roof the less wind loading, etc. As for the tent flipping backward, both the fabric and the struts will prevent that from happening. The fabric is designed so that it's the first limiting factor in how far the upper frame will lift, that way the fabric stays under tension. It's not a hurricane shelter but was designed to be good in the wind.

 

Thanks for the response!

 

65 pages of reading convinced me. #111. Hopefully by the time my number is called I'll get to see more of the different configurations and add-ons before I have to make a final decision. Definitely see a trip to Montana in the future. Keep up the good work GFC.

 

still concerned with water/dust proofing, maybe its a first gen thing... we are a dusty bunch in our hilux...

 

You're in Kitsap, I'm up in the Hood Canal area at least every other weekend in the summer and possibly opening a biz in Bremerton, you can check mine out when I get 'er

 

Read all pages, your site, blog, and the other forum - great information and great design! I've been looking for something like this and I'm so happy to have found it. Got my deposit in.

This has all been brought up, but wanted to add a vote for the following:

• Side windows in aluminum panels (please) - 1. I think I'll be sitting inside hunkered down when its blowing hard in Baja (happens a lot) and that means the side doors and the back are closed due to blowing sand/dirt, so side windows would be great to see out when you're sitting inside all day, hopefully on the couch set up. 2. Regarding weight, I love light weight and the durability is huge, but being able to see out the passenger side to change lanes when driving on the freeway all the other days of the year (planning to keep this on full time) is big for safety and less stress. A longer window common on truck shells would be great and I'm wondering if there is enough space for this? I'm thinking I'd like to add it later if you don't make it an option, but I'm wondering if there is even space (1/8") for a longer window between the aluminum and the frame. Could overlap the bars and I'd just tint the glass a bit. Possible? I'm thinking others are going to want this in the future as well. Its not a lot of weight, it provides functionality and it would look good too. Could this be made an optional add on?

• Ladder from the side - For those with kids sleeping downstairs in the bed of truck, it would be nice to have the option to be able to get out at night or in the morning without climbing over the people downstairs (I wake up early). A ladder on the side would be better than the back because it doesn't block the tailgate if someone below wants to get out at night. Can I get into the big window/door on top with a ladder on the side? Any chance of making a side access as an option for those using upstairs and downstairs for sleeping?

• Windows on the front and back of the aluminum shell - Here's another vote to make the front window openable to be able to put long things (pipe, 2x4s) through to the cab on your way home from the hardware store.

Thank you guys for coming up with this design (light, functional, wind resistant, strong, versatile and rad looking). I'm thinking about GFC all the time and constantly feeling excited like a kid before Christmas.

 

for your first remark.. Ive had a snugtop rebel shell with the better half of two years. it has windows, but it still never helped me switch lanes or do anything for actual driving. I actually like the aluminum sides. Out of sight, out of mind.

I love the ladder idea. Great idea if we do expect guests in the truck bed.

And yes, also love the idea of the front for window for hardware. But i guess thats what the roof rack is for?

 

• Right now making side windows work just isn't in the cards. That's not to say we won't have it as an option at some point in the future though. And since the panels are all easily replaceable they could be retrofitted in the future. But side windows at the moment aren't on our development list.
• When we release the RTT version there will be a ladder and an access door on the driver's side. So both of those features can be added to the camper once we make them available (estimated mid summer). I should also mention here that keeping these things on the road is really important to us, so we plan to sell replacement parts with minimal markup. It's not part of our business model to profit from repairs. What I'm trying to say is that if we add a feature down the road (panel windows or side access tent, for instance) those parts will be reasonably priced if you wanted to upgrade.
• To make an opening front window would require us to design out own sliding mechanism, as off-the-shelf sliders interfere with the tube frame. Right now we don't have the bandwidth to do that and get all these campers made If you have roof rack bars, those are perfectly capable of handling long items like 2x4s, pipe, etc. We do have a sealed boot on our list though. So rather than a slider in the camper, there'd just be a hole with a flexible gasket that attaches the the cab around the truck slider. This won't be a compression gasket, but a fabric gasket that attaches to the window hole on the camper and glues to the truck window perimeter so it won't squeak or rub paint away like a typical topper donut. This too will be an easy retrofit. It's on our development list but doesn't yet have a timeline assigned.

 

Morning Wiley,

Will the fan option and thicker (denser, upgraded, whatever) mattress, roof racks, awning brackets? be available before these start to actually ship? I’m happy to be in the first few dozen orders, but i don’t want to miss out on the upgrades i want because they won’t be built right away. I understand the insulated sides won’t be around until winter. (Makes sense). Thank you

-Yota

 

My experience also with my DCSB. Maybe I have poor flexibility and/or poor peripheral vision, but the passenger side window in my shell is completely in my blind spot. And with the tint and screens, I can’t see much out the window even when I’m hunkered down inside it (yes, I actually curl up and sleep in my 5’ bed).

 

The firm mattress, cross-bar roof rack, fan, and lighting options will be available by the time we start shipping. Awning brackets for ARB awnings and hopefully the Alu-Cab Shadow should be done by then as well but might be pushed back until May. Even so, all of these options can be added later.