Let's see those Alu-cab setups

woodsman117 · Oct 6, 2020

Anyone have any experience using the shadow awning in the winter? Specifically how well it holds up to the weight of snow...

gmtech · Oct 7, 2020

what is the bed width x length on the canopy camper?

2ayne · Oct 7, 2020

gmtech said: ↑

what is the bed width x length on the canopy camper?
Click to expand...

https://www.alu-cab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Canopy-Camper-LR-New.pdf

2ski4life7 · Oct 8, 2020

Looking for any insight into the alu-cab canopy camper with a long bed. I am really thinking about purchasing one because of the lead time since all others are so far out. I like the FWC project M but at almost 2 years wait is crazy. But after adding up prices it'll be quite expensive for the alu-cab.

The long bed has a payload capacity of 1120. So at around 400lbs that isn't a lot of room for gear and people. Anyone have issues with that?

Is it difficult to add a fan on the roof? I didn't see an option for that on their website.

GladiatorNOT · Oct 8, 2020

2ski4life7 said: ↑

Looking for any insight into the alu-cab canopy camper with a long bed. I am really thinking about purchasing one because of the lead time since all others are so far out. I like the FWC project M but at almost 2 years wait is crazy. But after adding up prices it'll be quite expensive for the alu-cab.

The long bed has a payload capacity of 1120. So at around 400lbs that isn't a lot of room for gear and people. Anyone have issues with that?

Is it difficult to add a fan on the roof? I didn't see an option for that on their website.
Click to expand...

You might also want to check out the new Camp King canopy camper. Similar to the Alu-Cab but the mattress is much more comfortable which is a major plus when you actually have to sleep in one.

https://sloopimports.com/products/camp-king-industries-outback-series-integrated-tent-topper

1546 · Oct 8, 2020

Dude there's a bear in your trasharoo.

2ayne · Oct 8, 2020

2ski4life7 said: ↑

Looking for any insight into the alu-cab canopy camper with a long bed. I am really thinking about purchasing one because of the lead time since all others are so far out. I like the FWC project M but at almost 2 years wait is crazy. But after adding up prices it'll be quite expensive for the alu-cab.

The long bed has a payload capacity of 1120. So at around 400lbs that isn't a lot of room for gear and people. Anyone have issues with that?

Is it difficult to add a fan on the roof? I didn't see an option for that on their website.
Click to expand...

I added a roof fan to my GFC.
However I won’t with my canopy camper. The inside of the roof is insulated and all pretty and I don’t really want to mess that up. However it would take some thinking if you want to do it right. The roof is thin, most roof fans require a minimum 1/2” mounting surface.
I added a Sirocco II gimbal fan to one side of mine and the screen kit. I can leave a side door open and the smaller bed panel up and pull in fresh air all night. Blowing it in any direction. This fan also has a timer for 3, 6, 9, and 12hours. Barely pulls any power.

ORMarine · Oct 13, 2020

I

2ayne said: ↑

Why I chose to to part ways with my Go Fast Camper for a Alucab Canopy Camper:

The GFC has/had some well known hinge design flaws where they will fail long before their expected 1 million cycles and cause the side and rear doors to fall off.

In my eyes a lot of people saw this coming from the start. When the first several hinges failed GFC pretty much blamed the customers for misuse and assured all other current customers it was a freak thing. Well, after many more campers were produced and time went on more started to break. Even campers produced after the originals failed. It seemed to be a daily thing to see a failure on the forums and owner groups with only 600 campers in trucks. GFC still assured customers that their new sealing process was the cure and that some faulty manufactured hinges by their supplier might have been mixed into the batch and customers were not to worry. (Also not correct in most cases)

Besides that I noticed the door seals would seep some water at times which wasn’t a huge deal to me, it is a truck bed after all. My upper tent material (2nd Gen Tent) was very thin. Almost transparent at times. There were large gaps at the top and bottom of the tent between the snap buttons that held it in place that let bugs in. The 3rd brake light had condensation at times and the upper tent extrusion was starting to bow slightly. None of which I’ve seen reported from Canopy Camper owners on forums and groups.

GFC seems to be working hard to have corrected these hinges with a much more robust style that are now coming fitted on new campers. GFC has some damn good customer support and I think they truly care about all their customers and products and they want to do well which I believe they are. They might not have originally expected their market to take flight as fast as it did. They are making a huge effort with their PIT crew to come to you and repair/revamp every single camper that someone wants them to across the country. That’s huge!

Long story short, I didn’t want to have a failure on a trip and have to make my own repairs. My time alway from work with family and friends is too precious to me. I also didn’t want to take my camper from Ohio to Montana for repairs and didn’t want to wait a year or so for them to come to me to repair if/when the problem accrued. I did not have a hinge failure. I also treated my doors like a ticking time bomb being held by a newborn baby puppy. Which I thought I shouldn’t have to. I shouldn’t have to tell my girlfriend she’s not opening and closing the doors correctly with equal force.

With all that being said, I still love GFC’s and their company, campers and employees. I think they’re going to have an amazing product once they get their bugs settled out.
It just wasn’t for me.

Some of the other difference in campers:
-You cannot leave pillows or bedding in the GFC that amount to anything. You can leave a person in the Canopy Camper with bedding and close it.

-You have to crawl over the tailgate and under the rear door to get into a GFC. You step into a Canopy Camper.

-Alucab has a endless list of aftermarket products for their setups that just work. (View their webpage)

The amount of tracks and mounting points are endless. Everything is so well thought out and designed it just works.

-The Alucab comes with a wiring track all the way around the enterior and 7 lights with USB Ports and 12v sockets already installed and pre wired for solar on the roof. They took out half the work for me.

-The ease of getting into bed and out by simply lifting one panel that is on struts is unmatched. I can sleep with the smaller panel lifted and see the dogs below. I can also get out of bed without disturbing my partner to piss at night.

-The Canopy Camper has the ability to mount a propane bottle outside the camper, mount a spare tire on the back door and a spot for a full blown electrical panel to be built. No space is wasted in a 5’ truck bed. No more cluttered floor or having to fab up stuff to work. Even tho I love building campers out and working or more truck probably more than camping it’s just so easy to have a dialed setup.

I’m trying to keep this short as possible but the list could go on for days on the differences. They’re really not even the same concept.

A few more things to note however is the Canopy Camper base weight is probably around 200lbs more than a GFC. That’s also a guess. I haven’t weighed either camper. Another plus for the GFC is it’s easily removed in a short period of time. The Canopy Camper is built to stay in the truck bed and it will take a lot of work to remove it and reinstall it. (Days probably)

Another thing is price. You’re looking at spending around $3k more for a base model canopy camper give or take. But with that you’re also getting a lot more features and a better build quality. If you were to order a GFC today, the earliest you would be camping would be camping in it wound be winter 2022.
I had the Alucab in 9 weeks.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions or concerns or ways to prove me wrong be sure to ask or tell. I don’t think all my decisions are always the best but I feel good with this one.
Click to expand...

I made the same decision, went to the GFC factory, talked with the people there, wasn't impressed. I read reviews of both campers and there was no way I was going to wait for 15 months to get a GFC. My Alu Cab Canopy Camper will be here in 2 weeks.

ORMarine · Oct 13, 2020

gmtech said: ↑

what is the bed width x length on the canopy camper?
Click to expand...

They fit perfectly regardless of long or short bed, you buy a vehicle specific mounting kit with it and it fits perfectly on the sides of where your tailgate would normally be.

2ayne · Oct 14, 2020

ORMarine said: ↑

I

I made the same decision, went to the GFC factory, talked with the people there, wasn't impressed. I read reviews of both campers and there was no way I was going to wait for 15 months to get a GFC. My Alu Cab Canopy Camper will be here in 2 weeks.
Click to expand...

Congrats! You’re gonna love it!

ORMarine · Oct 20, 2020

Curious to what AluCab owners did to upgrade their suspension to deal with the extra weight of their rig? Would also like to know if adding the AluCab had an impact on your Sirius radio?

Thanks!

2ski4life7 · Oct 20, 2020

Do you think one could add jackstands to the side and it can be taken out easily that way? Just wondering.

Bigmo · Oct 20, 2020

ORMarine said: ↑

Curious to what AluCab owners did to upgrade their suspension to deal with the extra weight of their rig? Would also like to know if adding the AluCab had an impact on your Sirius radio?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I added the heavy duty dakar leaf pack and it helped a bunch. As far as the radio I don't use the Sirius radio but navigation and all other radio works fine sorry I'm no help on the Sirius.

2ski4life7 said: ↑

Do you think one could add jackstands to the side and it can be taken out easily that way? Just wondering.
Click to expand...

As far as jack stands I personally don't think that would be an option. It's more of a permanent camper than one that would be easy to remove. Just my opinion.

2ayne · Oct 20, 2020

ORMarine said: ↑

Curious to what AluCab owners did to upgrade their suspension to deal with the extra weight of their rig? Would also like to know if adding the AluCab had an impact on your Sirius radio?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I’m running HD Dakars. Don’t use Sirius radio. I thought it died anyways, haha. Regular radio works fine.

tacosamdb1 · Oct 22, 2020

tacosamdb1 said: ↑

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Is anyone is looking for an expedition rtt, I’m contemplating on selling it. Same changes came up and we won’t be camping as much.

not sure how much these go for used. Missing mattress. Also comes with two cross rails for mounting additional accessories.

Located in Tacoma, Wa.

Sean303boards · Oct 25, 2020

Xmas came early in Colorado! Pretty pleased with the silver on silver.

2ayne · Oct 26, 2020

Sean303boards said: ↑

Xmas came early in Colorado! Pretty pleased with the silver on silver.
Click to expand...

Saw this on insta the other day. Silver looks awesome. Nice rig!

Sean303boards · Oct 28, 2020

2ayne said: ↑

Saw this on insta the other day. Silver looks awesome. Nice rig!
Click to expand...

Thanks man! I was so torn between colors.. silver was gonna be hit or miss. Can’t wait to start the interior build.

Wackyhacky · Nov 3, 2020

Greetings Folks! I had a little trouble finding the Alu-Cab thread on TW, (The GFC & VO Drifter threads seem to get all the activity..ha ha) but I think that is going to change with the amount of these hitting the streets now. Either way I just wanted to introduce myself & share my build as it comes to fruition and keep tabs on what everyone else is doing to make their camper's their own as well. I had been waiting for a Drifter for over a year thanks to CV19, but we recently just defected to an ACCC, so I am in full preparation now to take delivery at the end of the month. I couldn't believe the wait to get one was only a few weeks, and so far everything I have seen has impressed the hell out of me in regard to this camper.

Wackyhacky · Nov 3, 2020

Sean303boards said: ↑

Thanks man! I was so torn between colors.. silver was gonna be hit or miss. Can’t wait to start the interior build.
Click to expand...

I like it! I chickened out & went black. (my truck is also silver)

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