Hondo Garage's New Thing

Yep! It'll still cure with water present on it. They stressed more that you limited the panel open/closing the first week or so and then everything will be golden. Keep in mind I only had ~2 days cure time on mine when it was delivered. So far it's been fantastic. Haven't had time to camp in it yet though, but as a day to day topper its done great. I did have to readjust the positioning as it was off on one side, but not a big deal.

 

I stand corrected. Good info!

 

Thank you. I can drive to Belgrade, get the work done, avoid hotels and have a nice extended exploration of Glacier, Yellowstone, etc.

 

Based on that, it sounds to me like they are allowing it to fully cure to ensure quality before they leave.

 

From their site.....

Orders placed starting 2/28/19 have a base price of $6450.

XL Orders placed starting 2/28/19 have a base price of $6950.

**Due to large order volume, camper orders placed today have an estimated start date of June 2020.

 

Yea mine are aluminum too.. have had zero issues with them. Powder coat is holding up well.

 

11 campers completed this week; might be a new record. I'm one of 42 ready for production. Feeling a little rush -- Christmas in June -- I hope.

 

Curious if anyone knows the distribution between 5 ft and 6 ft campers? I still can’t make up my damn mind if I want to lock myself into a long bed down the road or not if I were to order one for my access cab right now.

 

Just saw this today and I am definitely intrigued. Read and watching everything i could find about it. For $6500 though, there a few things I would want done differently. First are the black rubber strips that join the side walls at the top seam, looks super hokey. I would rather have solid aluminum sidewalls that do not open and do not have a seam at all, nice and smooth contour all the way around. I get the concept, its cool, its useful, just not good looking.

Second thing is that all the doors look like they are fiberglass or something similar, it just looks cheap no matter how well you paint it. Aluminum sidewalls as an option maybe? A skylight option? Prep for solar option?

I love the top portion, everything about it, the workmanship is top notch. I think the top is your specialty. Tent is simple, functional, looks good. How it unpacks and packs is amazing.

The bottom is just not fitting with the top, quality and materials do not match in my opinion. Im gonna keep watching this project to see how it evolves and improves. Would drive out to Montana to get it installed if it met my needs, right now Im still planning on coughing up 10k for an ATOverland Habitat which is way overpriced but meets what im looking for.

 

You've got options ...And one of them is pretty much exactly what you're describing.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/wedge-campers-assorted-oddities.538935/

 

thank you sir! i just went from 1 option to 2 to 10.

 

A few notes on that. Side panels are all aluminum and powdercoated to your choice of color. Standard colors are black, grey and white. As for not having them open they aren't going to change that at all, so if that's a deal breaker then probably it isn't for you. As for usefulness, don't knock it till you've tried both concepts. I'd suggest going to an expo to see both and compare what you like and don't like. If you are looking more for a camping setup without any flexibility for it being used daily as a truck the vagabond or AT Overland is probably better in that regard. But if you want to maintain a setup that's geared for daily use, off roading and camping the GFC is a lot more flexible. The side panels opening out are invaluable for grabbing gear out the side when you are deep in mud and trenches on odd angles.

 

All the panels are aluminum, the textured powdercoating is there so light damage won’t be so obvious. Personally I think bare aluminum would look cooler even when scratched, but then you’d have galvanic corrosion with the steel fasteners. The top is translucent; clear sounds cool but I’m not sure how scratches, clouding, fading, UV damage won’t make it look horrible over time. The seals, I can’t say that there wasn’t a certain level of disappoint seeing them after all the initial cnc aluminum, extruded aluminum, etc.... but then it dawned on me that’s how auto manufacturers basically handle openings; everyone from Kia to Bentley. I’m pretty happy they are neither visible nor do they see much if any UV when closed on the windowless versions.

If we’re really nitpicking, I’m not in love with the rivet solution on the strip where the panels meet the tent. I’d also rather the space frame was aluminum or better yet, the entire unit be made of titanium. Motorized panels and a flushing toilet (not trying to be an ass) would be slick too. But well frankly, beggars (myself being one of them) can’t be choosers. I’d much rather pay $6000 for this than $60,000 for the perfect one. For me personally, I think they cut corners in all the right places. Look at the other campers on the market at the 6k pricepoint, pay particular attention the the hinges and latches. Complex, quality, low production stuff is going to be expensive.

Fwiw, I really dig the GFC tent, but we really wanted something where we could stand or sit sheltered from the rain. Being able to go potty without going outside in the wind, rain or when it’s 13 degrees out is a huge plus. We were eyeballing the AT too!... us being cheapskates was what sealed the deal.

 

I looked at at the Vegabond last night and I think that would meet all of my nit picks, not knocking on the GFC as its fabulous. It is just too renegade for me!

 

Different strokes for different folks..

I don’t think there’s anyone in this thread that would claim the gfc is perfect for everyone.

 

You are correct. It was pretty good too. Good food and beer. But, they have a three beer max, hence the growler to go. Keep that in mind.

 

Here are some shop and install pics. More to come.

 

Couple more from the shop and back at home.

 

Interior with the sheets. Well worth the extra money. They are awesome.

 

The last few I took so far. The new seals look great. They will definitely not be any water intrusion issues at the top of the panels.