My old camper setup and my new Alu Cab Canopy Camper

couple of pics from last summers western adventure

 

That looks sweet, man

 

Enjoyed this thread, thanks for sharing and updating. Interested in a Wedge, leaning towards a Vagabond but really like the Alu-Cab also. Nice work!

 

@EZE - i liked the vagabond as well but timing as well as desire to have more vertical sides for more interior room was the reason for the Alucab. Have been really pleased so far

 

I really like the side lockable storage, wish the buld times were not so long on these campers.

 

Thanks for this thread @Flyguy01 ! Very informative and wish I had your talents for building things. I’m really liking the Alu Cab and trying to do my research.

 

Thanks for the thread! I am picking mine up in a couple of weeks, exact same as you have. I kinda questioned the awning since I am 6'5"...but, I figured if it was crappy out, I can duck! I am really impressed with what you have done...far more than I expect to do. I can see building a small fold down table on rear door to hold small stove, coffee pot, etc. Otherwise, I see me living out of bins, and I will probably be grumbling a lot looking for stuff. I am stoked that you find the roof can support that much weight, and still pop up. I think specs call for 100lbs.? I am very interested in your wind diverter(?)...did you engineer that? I have the Prinsu rack also...same truck. I am glad to see I should be able to use that. Where did you get that bumper sticker?

 

@Tahoe1965 - Yeah you might bump on the awning- but i think sometimes the awning is what makes the canopy camper so awesome- We use it always because so easy to open and close and stable even 25+ mph winds. I think the specs for the roof has to be 100KG- because it will take all of your effort to close it when you have nothing on top. My kid at 180lbs had a hell of a time closing it with nothing on it- shocks are beefy. Last summer we spent a month (slept all 4 for a week- no problem) and had a much simpler kitchen setup- this set up is built in and will continue to change i just like doing it ( this is my third iteration on this truck wildernest first then the ARE with ez-lifts and now this one and interiors are always changing) and this truck is strictly a play vehicle at this point. Wnd diverter is hand crafted by me out of aluminum sign material, and some 80/20, then added flexible solar panel to trickle charge the house battery( ~3 amps in good sun- kept battery fully charged and my fridge at 34degrees for over a week with vehicle just facing south in idaho but also running a spart charger hooked to vehicle altenator for when driving). AS for the prinsu rack- if you have the full size one AND have the table/shower add on (camper)- not sure it will fit be really close- this is the version for cabovers.
As for the bumper sticker it is so old i dont remember- but it certainly gets a lot of likes
scott
ps- if interested in having me make you a "fairing kit" like mine for your rack send me a private pm- but also would recommend the "beauty panel"(filler panel to eliminate the c-channel from catching all the wind on the front of the camper) as well if you want to help on mpg.

 

Hey man love your build. I am really considering a alu-cab. Do you pay any attention to your payload capacity? Doesn’t look like you have too much stuff.

 

Awesome setup I just bought an access cab so I can have a longer bed so I can do a four wheel camper or an alucab and have some room

 

@2ski4life7 - i dont worry about payload too much but will admit that i am over gwvr when i have all the toys, gear and people in the truck. To compensate i do have an add a leaf as well as individual adjustable airbags. I have been really happy with the quality and features of the alucab and i would certainly recommend it- even though i will probably be selling mine sometime next yr (starting a van build in january) Feel free to ask any other questions

 

I will definitely plan a suspension upgrade. My main concerns are the payload capacity(as I typically haul 3-6 MTB bikes plus gear and 4 people). Then also not being able to use the truck as a truck but everything else checks the boxes other than going to a van build. After build out though its looking like 15-16k.

 

@2ski4life7 - the canopy itself with awning is ~550 lbs, and then add my camper build out for the lower side (missing good pics) and yeah it is putting smoe strain by the time you add toys but really i only ever notice it when braking- tacoma leaves a lot to desire when it comes to braking and the extra weight is certianly noticable. As for 15-16 thats probably about right or even a little low depending on what you add (i have a full power system for shower, fan, cpap, and fridge- using a 100 ah agm that is mounted behind the rear seat. and yes you are right as far as removability- once on it does nto come off easily- upside is it is virtually water and dust proof. Again i would still recommend over anything else i have seen other than maybe the ovrlnd build and then if you want the same specs price is about the same. Need to decide are you looking for a camper or are you looking for a nicer roof top tent- ie gofast. at least in my mind

 

Oh so its 550lbs with awning. I was finding conflicting information on that and thought it was 550lbs base. While the awning is cool, not sure if I'll get it. My build out desire is basically a camper like yours. I think it's the best solution while not spending 70K+ on a 4x4 van buildout. I'd think id also do a tundra brake upgrade if I did go this route.

I initially started looking at the FWC project M but still dust/water issues with that setup and almost a 2 year lead time where I've been told 6-8 weeks for the alu-cab(best lead time I think for these types of setups).

Have you done any cold days in it? I want this primarily for winter use and would plan to get the heater option.

 

Reaaaaally awesome build. Love all the thought that goes into these projects. I have an ovrlnd camper so always looking for inspiration. couple questions...
What is the fairing made of/can you post more pics? did that fix the wind noise? what do you mean by beauty panel?
When you had the previous ARE cap, how did you like the full hatch back? I am having a lot of problems with dust on the ovrlnd that is all due to the tailgate on the F150 which is the most porous thing in the world so am planning on removing and adding a full vertical hatch. how did it seal around the area where the tailgate used to be? is the alucab dust free? Do you like the horizontal big door vs the old vertical?
Sorry for the barrage of questions, just want to make sure it's gonna work to remove the tailgate and build this hatch as it's a pretty big investment in aluminum to make the full hatch.

 

@bgraboyes - sorry for the delay have not been online lately so heres your answers:
1. fairing- is made from sign material that is aluminum on both sides with extruded poly in the middle (brain fart cant remember name of it but i bought a sheet f it from a sign shop) yes fixed wind noise as well as got me another 1.5 mpg
2. beauty panel is specfic to alucab for tacoma i think the cab comes with spacers that make the front of the camper (behind truck cab) into a "C" which then catches all the wind so i just added a piece of sign material (same as fairing) to close the "c" so that the wall facing the wind does not catch the wind so much.
3, tailgate dust- buy a seal - look up tailgate seal on Amazon
4. alucab is definetly dust free the ARE hatchdoor not so much
hope tht helps
s

 

@Flyguy01 noticed you mentioned about selling your alucab this year to start a van build. I was just wondering if you were still thinking about doing so, and if this is the truth, I would love to contemplate buying it off of you! Thank you so much for the awesome thread by the way!

 

The time has come- I am near completion in my van build and my beloved taco is going up for sale. I will be posting a for sale ad hopefully this week on here and expedition portal. Still trying to figure out a price- any helpful input would be appreciated. Mileage is ~280k and i am the original owner so i do have the full history and it has been taken care of:
Quick specs of truck:
2005 crew cab 6ft bed ~280k miles
top half of engine was rebuilt at ~220k (blown headgasket so rebuilt top half- bottom half looked fine)
full frame replacement in april of 2019 which included:
new steering rack
all new body and engine mounts
new bilstien shocks all around
replaced catyltic converts

camper specs
alucab canopy camper with full lower build out for second bed or dining table setup, includes 270 awning, water pump for outdoor showering, ctek charging system (altenator and solar) with 100 ah agm deepcycle battery. and a whole lot more.
I will get pics and maybe a video up soon.

the bad- recently hit a deer at 75 mph on the interstate and crushed the aluminess bumper- it did its job 100% and only issue other than bumper was broken headlight mount on passenger side (headlights have been replaced and are fine, bumper has been pulled but probably needs to be replaced)