Hondo Garage's New Thing

Unlike an RTT on a rack, when you open the floor, the upper and lower are one space. You get in and out through the bed, not by climbing a ladder. Just like in a westfalia van.

 

He mentioned on post #21 that the overhang clears the sharkfin by about 1" so it seems like it should clear the cabrac but it would take away real estate from the rack

 

@NeonHeights you might like this similar to a Flipac


@tacoma16 maybe an alternative to the flat bed?

 

And the overhang extends to just behind the front doors on both AC and 4-door.

 

Are you the vendor?

 

I'm the designer and manufacturer. My company, Hondo Garage, teamed up with our neighbors (Aerocontinental) who build expedition campers. We formed a new company just for this project (Go-Fast Campers) but I designed the thing and my shop will be making most of the parts.

 

Coolio.. innovative product, nicely done.

I bit pricey for me too, but you know what isn't? Unholy ram ball tablet mount goodness!

 

This is exceedingly awesome...

 

Its a nice concept, no word of a 5' bed model though.

5000 seems like a lot for what is provided, considering you can get a used flippac in great shape for around $4000-5000 USD. Although I get that this camper is in a different category and made to be light weight and such..

To me it seems a little excessive to sell basically a stripped down skeleton of a camper shell like a flippac/habitat for the same price as one. Maybe im being overly critical?

Also if someone was to go this route, I dont see why you wouldnt just do a bed rack, soft top and RTT. Cheaper to get a mix of those and its basically the same thing if not better

 

It’s more comparable to the Alu Cab Expedition Gen 3 RTT if you search TW for that.

 

Right on, very similar in style. Even so, why wouldn't you just go with a RTT and have way more room for significantly less money?

Im not a RTT guy, I'm looking for a flippac because I like the huge amount of room you get, and the look of it both closed and open. I cant see a whole lot of benefits over something like this or even the Alu Cab Exp gen 3 vs a traditional RTT

 

Here are the trucks we'll be supporting initially:

• 1995-2018 Tacoma, all models.
• 2015-2018 Colorado/Canyon, all models.
• 2009-2018 F-150, 5.5 and 6' beds only.

With a rack and an RTT you don't have living space down below. And you can't get in and out through the bed. With this it's just like a flip-pac except you get a lighter more durable unit and a tent that has a hard roof. And it's faster to deploy/stow.

 

The biggest benefit is it's more stable in the wind due to less fabric and takes literally 5 seconds to put up or down. Depends on your use case, but if you drive to a new spot every day, the speed of deployment makes a big difference. And having a popup that doesn't extend beyond the body lines makes it easier to use at rest stops and parking lots. And with a flip-pac or RTT, you can't leave bikes or surfboards on the rack when you pop it up. With this one you can.

 

Living space is a definite plus, the pictures show just the skeleton but the website shows a covered version. Is the final version going to be a shell or a tubed-skeleton like what is seen here? No doubt this would be significantly faster to deploy/stow than a RTT, but you also dont have nearly the same amount of overall space inside the tent as a habitat or flippac.

Not meaning to bash this at all. Theres potential with this and im sure you'll make modifications to the design and such as you continue with the prototype build to appeal to more people.

For me personally, the current price would play a big impact on whether or not I would purchase it, regardless of the benefits it may have. $5000 is a lot to ask for something like this, as I said if I had $5000 I would drop it on a Flippac or similar model which provided me with: Better view inside the tent looking out, more tent space, safer/more secure cap, better aesthetics (although I know your current model is a prototype so I cant comment on this too much yet). Cons of the flippac would be overall weight which you have fixed in this scenario.

Pros Vs Cons like this are one of the reasons why its so damn hard to find used flippacs or similar campers like wildernests, and why there will always be demand for that style of tent/cap.

 

Following for sure. Currently running a shell and RTT. This would be pretty awesome.

It also looks like it would clear the Prinsu cab rack also.. definitely be pretty close. Have you guys thought Of what designs would be going in the bed area? Or would it still be all cleared out like how a regular shell is?

 

The final version is the tube space-frame wrapped in either a canvas or a removable .090" aluminum skin. The lower half will be significantly stronger than an alu-cab shell or the flip-pac. And the aluminum skin version will be just as secure. The photos that aren't the rendering just show our test mule we've been using to test out various concepts. The production version will look like the renders.

it's definitely meant for someone who prioritizes light weight, foul-weather performance, setup speed, and roof rack capacity over interior space. That said, it has way more interior standing room than a flip-pac and sleeps two 6'6" people comfortable laying in either direction.

 

This looks pretty awesome, one question I have (maybe I missed it) will the rear operate like a canopy? Can I open the tailgate and rear "window" to move things in and out?

 

Depends. If you get the canvas sides the rear will zip open and roll up. As will the sides. If you get the aluminum sided option then the rear will lift open like a regular canopy. So yes the entire rear will open up just like a leer or a soft topper would.

 

Right on, I am excited to see more photos of this thing in action (maybe a video?). Definitely subbed and need to start saving my loose change....

 

What rack system and hard roofed rooftop tent can you buy for less than 5k? Let alone a rack that has solid sides like a topper? Most quality hard shell RTT's are 3500+.

Plus, the flippac is no longer for sale, and a habitat is 8500.