Outfitter Camper for Overland Expedition

[geovalue]

We finally have taken possession of our specially designed pop-up overland camper made by Outfitters for us. We wanted a camper that is light weight, rugged, compact, has storage galore and is affordable. We also wanted to be able to live in the camper without the pop up roof having to be raised, in case of emergencies and really bad weather. It also needed to be able to fit into a high cube shipping container. Having completed over 80,000km across Africa in a Land Cruiser with a rooftop tent we were ready for a pop up camper and after much research we realized that we needed to find a manufacturer that was prepared to work with us to customize the camper. Outfitters did a superb job, the camper is exactly what we designed.
We are planning to drive across the Americas our next 80,000km

http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/wOFside_IMG_7014.jpg

[washington taco]

More pictures please! Interior, exterior and what is custom difference from the factory?

[Token]

Good choice on that Titan.. I've got a 2wd Crew cab for a work truck.. That V8 is a freekin BEAST.. Hemi ain't got nothing on it..

There's a spot down the road from my house, you go through the light KNOWING that the right lane ends and merges into the left lane.. At the light the right lane is actually turn only.. Everyone is always trying to get around traffic by going straight in the turn lane.. Was at the front of the light in the left and I notice a car pull up on my right and NOT turn.. Light goes green and we both take off.. He's slowly pushing trying to get around me and I'm just keeping pace slightly ahead of him.. I hear him get into it, so I lay on the gas and he's way behind me.. About that time I hear the blurp of a siren and realize I've just blown away one of Memphis' finest in his 6.1L Hemi Charger off the road in a work truck with two ladders strapped to the rack..

[geovalue]

More pictures please! Interior, exterior and what is custom difference from the factory?
I promise photos soon but here is a description of the differences
Our main concerns were to keep the camper as light weight and as compact as possible, but rugged enough to survive 1,000miles of off road and harsh conditions. For us functionality and flexibility are more important than luxury. Our biggest challenge was getting the storage space we needed. Anything that was standard which we did not need was not added such as the CD player with FM radio.

The body frame and exterior was reinforced. The sides were strengthened so that equipment such as sand ladders could be attached to the sides of the camper.
A step down transformer was installed (220V to 110V) to handle international power supply differences
Regular fridge was replaced with an Engel fridge.
3 plate stove replaced with 2 plates to save space.
Heavy duty flooring to handle mud etc
Replaced regular window screens with seeum screens for added protection against tiny biting insects.
Additional lights on outside of camper.
Porta potty
Custom built recharging console for cameras batteries, sat phones, computers, flashlights etc
The interior was designed with storage and flexibility as key. We can fit 6 large ammo boxes inside the camper, which gives us all the storage we need in the camper. These are the same ammo boxes we used for Overlanding across Africa and they worked extremely well. In case of an emergency these boxes can be stacked in the aisle in the camper and the sitting area converted into a double bed, which allows us to sleep without having to raise the pop up and Tom can stretch out fully.

Other features which we added include 2 solar panels, roof rack, outside shower, furnace, water heater, back up camera, and awning over door. We found that having an awning over the door great when it rain, you do not get rain in the camper when the door is opened.

We have Google sketches on our website Blog www.AdventurouSpirits.com (http://www.adventurouspirits.com) of the design but I will post interior photos as soon as I have them


Picture of back with awning
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/wOFback_IMG_7013.jpg

[HMR]

:drool:

[Northern Explorer]

You will love having a pop up camper. I'm guessing that's the Caribou 6.5 model.

[haven]

The camper specs sound great! Maybe Outfitter should offer a "GeoValue Edition" camper.

You wrote, "...we were ready for a pop up camper." When you have a
moment to write, I'd like to hear more about the features of a camper that
attracted you after your extensive experience with rooftop tent camping.

Chip Haven

[Christian P.]

Congratulations on the camper.

It's really interesting as I am going through the exact same process right now.

We are heading down to South America in the near future and I want more a bit more comfort. It looks like you have designed the perfect truck camper.

Do you know how much is the weight of the camper?

thanks!

[Christian P.]

The camper specs sound great! Maybe Outfitter should offer a "GeoValue Edition" camper.

You wrote, "...we were ready for a pop up camper." When you have a
moment to write, I'd like to hear more about the features of a camper that
attracted you after your extensive experience with rooftop tent camping.

Chip Haven

Haven,

I can't answer for Tom's but one main reason to go away from the roof top tent is that the climate is really different in Central/South America than Africa.

In Africa you live outside most of the time, but in South America with temperature more similar to North America, you will want something that you can live in a bit more.

Furthermore, a roof top tent is really inconvenient when it rains.

[Christian P.]

Congratulations on the new website - it looks fantastic!

[geovalue]

The camper specs sound great! Maybe Outfitter should offer a "GeoValue Edition" camper.

You wrote, "...we were ready for a pop up camper." When you have a
moment to write, I'd like to hear more about the features of a camper that
attracted you after your extensive experience with rooftop tent camping.

Chip Haven
Christian is right one of the main considerations was weather especially living in Canada and we are planning to do more travel in N America. But we loved our rooftop tent and spent over 500 nights in it. However we were caught in several really bad storms that had us either wet or getting the tent down before it ripped. This is also a reason we wanted to be able to live in the camper without having to raise the top. We are planning to be on the road for 2-3 years so felt we needed something we could live in and not around. For shorter durations or warmer weather a rooftop tent is fantastic.

[geovalue]

Choosing a camper was a difficult as we had so many criteria of which weight, size and the ability to live in the camper without the pop up raised was critical. There are lots of excellent camper manufacturers out there, so it was a tough decision. Our camper is estimated to weigh about 1100 lbs our Nissan Titan Pro4X4 has a payload of 1850 lbs. Power to weight ratio was an important consideration.

We had a very clear understanding of what our storage capacity needs to be after our previous overland expeditions. It is cosy inside but it meets our living and storage needs and considering the size of the camper it is amazing.

Tom Sitting inside camper at table work area
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/w1_IMG_1753.jpg

Sitting area with 6 ammo boxes for storage
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/wof4_IMG_1763.jpg

Sitting area converted to emergency sleeping area with pop up down
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/wof3_IMG_1756.jpg

Stove, Engel Fridge and sink
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/wof2_IMG_1754.jpg

Janet at table with pop up down.
http://i338.photobucket.com/albums/n426/Geovalue/wof5_IMG_1766.jpg

[Doin_It]

Lookin good you guys............to bad your so far away across the city or I'd pick up Jan and come have a look. Maybe we should anyway.

Warren

[dzzz]

Looks great.

The charging station is a good idea.

[washington taco]

With the top down what is the interior hight? I guess around 60"?

[geovalue]

Lookin good you guys............to bad your so far away across the city or I'd pick up Jan and come have a look. Maybe we should anyway.

Warren
Give us a call perhaps is time to have a Calgary get together and BBQ

[geovalue]

With the top down what is the interior hight? I guess around 60"?
Yes the interior height is about 60" It is great for those quick stops, to get the think you forgot in the camper, make lunch, use the porta potti etc. We can prepare food, work and have a quick nap without having to raise the top. We can't stand up fully but it is no problem to work and move around

[CanuckMariner]

Lookin good you guys............to bad your so far away across the city or I'd pick up Jan and come have a look. Maybe we should anyway.

Warren

I agree!


Give us a call perhaps is time to have a Calgary get together and BBQ

Janet/Tom: Give me a call when you are free so we (Warren & I) can set up a date/time and place. I am off to Oregon on March 18 so hopefully between now and then.

Nice rig up, would love a tour in person! and explanation about all your thinking on this.

[Colby Jack]

Could you post a pic or two of your charging station? Where are you storing the porta potty? In all interior pics of the Outfitter pop-ups, I see the white bars running along the sides-- can you help explain their function? Did you consider/ talk to Hallmark about making a camper for you? Were they unwilling to customize? How are people mounting racks and the like through the membrane roofing on the Outfitter?

Lots of questions... Love your camper and your website!

Colby Jack

[geovalue]

Could you post a pic or two of your charging station? Where are you storing the porta potty? In all interior pics of the Outfitter pop-ups, I see the white bars running along the sides-- can you help explain their function? Did you consider/ talk to Hallmark about making a camper for you? Were they unwilling to customize? How are people mounting racks and the like through the membrane roofing on the Outfitter?

Lots of questions... Love your camper and your website!

Colby Jack

The white bars are part of the electrical lifting system for the pop up roof. The charging station is located in the overhead cabinet above the ammo boxes. Inside the cabinet are multiple AC and DC outlets for various devices, batteries, equipment etc that require charging. On our previous trips we always seemed to have wires everywhere and juggling with outlets trying to keep everything charged. We also found that it was hard to keep everything connected on rough roads. Now we have sufficient outlets and can leave battery chargers etc permanently strapped in and out of the way.
The porta potty is located under the seat. When needed it is pulled out into the passage
Yes we did consider Hallmark but did not approach them to ask if they would build to our specification because of the of the weight of the campers and weight was a big issue for us.
The roof itself is not made of rubber, nothing is attached to the actual rubber membrane.
Perhaps photos would be better I will post some if you want.
Pleased to hear you liked our website.