How to: DIY Wedge Camper

I have a roofnest sparrow xl on the way already

 

Damn, this is wild! Great work!!

 

You plan on reinforcing these or covering/sealing the edges?

 

This is a general question for anyone, your picture just made me think of it haha..

How does the honeycomb stuff hold up to point loads? Aka kneeling on the stuff so all your weight is on one or two small points.. Any issues?

 

I have added a hall of fame to the 1st page!

If I missed anyone, let me know. And i'll try to stay on top of all the others in process as they complete them to add to the list.

 

I’m going to put some 1/16” aluminum channel around the edges to cover up the exposed honeycomb and sharp edges. A secondary effect is it’ll add some additional stiffness as well.

These are walkable cleanroom ceiling panels. They still have the certification stickers on them and each bare unsupported panel is rated for a concentrated dynamic load of 250lbs (like someone walking). I tried to find the ASTM standard to see how they define concentrated but didn't have any luck - might be an old standard.

But I weigh 225 and was able to stand on my toes and bounce on one supported by just a 1” square tube on the outside/short edges with no substantial deflection and zero denting/damage.

VERY concentrated loads can dent the face sheeting but the composite as a whole is crazy strong/stiff. Originally l was alittle nervous about getting 3/4” instead of 1” thick but after handling it I’m confident these will be plenty strong for 2 people laying across 2 or 3 of these panels and a fixed signboard section at the very front. Plus the price was right.

LOVE THIS!

 

Cool info, thanks!

 

Canvas is on.

 

Anyone mount on top of the bedside covers? How did you seal off the cab side gap? Thanks.

 

Alot of people leave the covers with camper shells and tonneau covers. Normally they just use a taller bulb seal on the front to make up for the height difference.

 

Has anyone had any luck with removable sections for the bottom of the clam shell?

 

Just got back from a 12000km trip and 30+ nights in the tent. Couple things I've noticed:

- The tent IS NOT water tight when closed. If you drive during a storm water will get in. Even with the extra gasket I added around the corner connections water gets it from several places. Water also gets in around the screws that hold the floor and ceiling to the extrusions. The sections of gasket in between the screws is not sufficient, especially since the gasket is in sections to make space for the channel nuts. I will be redoing this with 3M double sided tape + the screws around the entire frame. However this will make my floor and ceiling pretty much permanently attached to the frame, which is why I didn't do the 3M tape in the first place.
- The hinges in the front need adjusting often to maintain a tight seal between the frame and the bulb seal.

No water issues while the tent is open. Sheds water well and dries quickly.

I will post updates for these changes once I get around to them.

Anyone else having issues with water?

Here a some more details of the tent.

 

Thanks for the shakedown report!

I've used this tape (

$49 3M 4412N Sealant Tape Roll - 2 in. (W) x 15 ft. (L) Translucent, Pressure Sensitive Acrylic Adhesive Sealing Tape. Zero Curing Sealant

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y7CLHM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) before on a previous camper and it works wonders. It'll be what I am using to seal everything, especially between my wedge frame and old topper frame. One sided and helps seal screw holes because it sticks to the threads as they pass through the tape.

 

Nice ill look into it! Ive used this sutff at my job for sealing LED outdoor displays and its great, but pricey. https://www.uline.ca/Product/Detail...ZUiLoF2XQisT12gFpDRoC8OsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

I'm getting really OCD here but I'm making my final tweaks to my cut files to order my panels on Monday. I'm adding the hinge holes to be CNC'd with the rest on the panel but cant decide on exact placement vertically on the panels.

Are you guys mounting the top edge of your hinges flush with the edge of the panel? Or are you leaving some of the hinge pin exposed above the edge of the panel? If possible a pic or two would be super appreciated.

I know I'm overthinking it but figure it doesn't hurt to ask since there's starting to be more and more of these in the wild.

 

Do you guys think this combo bit would work?

 

^^^ that's exactly what I used

 

Finally mounted up!

Panels are getting cut and then a Roofnest Sparrow XL gets mounted on top. @Ripcord thanks for all of the info. Super excited about my version of your build!

 

Wow..amazing! Hopefully some day I have time time and energy to make one.

 

Did you run a regular tap down in afterwards?
Just picked one up and it doesn't tap deep enough.