Habitat Owner's Thread

DingusKahn

Adventurer
Any pics and/or thoughts you guys have from winter camping in your Habitat, I'd love to see and read....

Yea I have a thought. Don't do it.... jk. I don't like winter so I don't. But it would be warmer than a tent on the ground. I have a piece of carpet in mine permanently screwed down to make it soft to crawl around but mostly for insulation. Bottom insulation is more important than what is over you because of direct constant contact and increased heat transfer. I have the little forced air heater that AT sells and it blows hot air right into my sleeping space. I guess if its really cold you could start your jeep and run the heater for a while, if you have one or both of the hatches out.
The Habitat tent doesn't let any air in if sealed up but it doesn't hold heat in. What I do is run my heater at night while I'm getting ready for bed. I like to read a little while and unwind. I string the heater thermostat near my bed so I can turn it off and on from there. I have tried running it all night but it's just not worth it. Too noisy for sleeping well and it only last 4 or 5 days on my 10lb can. I turn it off before falling asleep then I turn it on when I first wake up in the morning. I let it warm up a little before I climb out of the sack and get dressed then shut it off before leaving. It works for me and I don't use a lot of propane. with that method I can go 2 weeks on one tank, including cooking all meals with the FANTASTIC Partner stove out the back.
I have slept comfortably at temps down to 21. I have a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer that I take up with me. It was 22 degrees warmer in the tent with minimal heater use.
 

TenaciousTJ

Explorer
Excellent info, I appreciate the detailed reply! I have the partner steel stove/combo slide set up as well, and I most definitely agree. Good info on the Propex heater too, that's what I'm going with, cause I'm a little school girl when it gets below 40 degrees out. Kinda sucks because I live in WA and it's almost always either raining, or freezing cold out, or both. Not having a heater is not an option. Obviously I'd do some insulation and good quality sleeping bags as well.
 

Yuman Desert Rat

Expedition Leader
Running the PROPEX heater keeps condensation down as well. :) epsecially if you have it set up to recirculate the tent air vice heating the cold outside air which also uses less propane. ;)
 

TenaciousTJ

Explorer
I was also wondering about the condensation issue. It was my understanding that propane heaters actually significantly contribute to condensation on fabric tent walls. Not so much.....?
 

DingusKahn

Adventurer
I was also wondering about the condensation issue. It was my understanding that propane heaters actually significantly contribute to condensation on fabric tent walls. Not so much.....?

No. It burns propane which does not put off water. Kerosene puts off lots of water and co2, making it about the only fuel safe to burn indoors. This thing is just like the forced air furnace in most houses. My nose is drier than a popcorn fart right now because of it (in my house.)
 

DingusKahn

Adventurer
Running the PROPEX heater keeps condensation down as well. :) epsecially if you have it set up to recirculate the tent air vice heating the cold outside air which also uses less propane. ;)

YUP. In either this post or the one buy Adventure Trailer guys I posted the pictures of the frame I made to mount my heater just under the new floor of the top way back in the driver rear corner. So my hot air vent is up in the tent and the return is in the main cabin of the Jeep, which recirculates the air. Only the flame intake air and exhaust are routed outside down through the floor.
 

TenaciousTJ

Explorer
I'd do the same set, but I'd probably mount the Propex onto the AT interior cargo shelf round tubing, using a Fourtreks tube clamp style mount. I'd also like to route the exhaust and intake out via holes in the Habitat top, likely just beneath where the propane tank will mount on the outside corner on the AT bracket.
 

Healeyjet

Explorer
Thought I would update this thread as it was getting buried pretty deep.
Here is an example of why we bought our Jeep Habitat. The large rigs couldn't get in to the area we were camping in. They weren't far away in this case but were crowded in like cord wood. If you are looking for a vehicle to get you off the beaten track the Jeep equipped with a Habitat is a great way to go. Took this photo a couple months ago on the Forest Trunk Road in western Alberta.



Ward
 

Keyne

Adventurer
Great shot showing the benefits. I love the small footprint and wonder how comfortable one would be for two people over a long period (weeks not weekends). One of those on an AEV equipped Jeep would be awesome. I was thinking a Habitat plus an expedition tent (e.g. like a Kodiak) could be a great setup. Use the main interior for quick camp setup and sleeping, and for extended stays use the tent for more space.
 
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Healeyjet

Explorer
Keyne, we use ours for extended trips as well. Longest being about 14 days. We got a hotel room for two nights to scrub the funk off as we were in northern California and with the drought a lot of the campgrounds didn't have showers and we weren't set up for showering. If you had a supplemental ground tent for inclement weather I believe you would be all set.

Ward
 

Ursa Minor

Active member
Limited Membership

ANNOUNCEMENT: the JK Habitat has now been discontinued.

Ursa Minor built the last unit and shipped it off to Adventure Trailers in January. AT and Ursa Minor reviewed the sales and are amicably going different directions, focusing on other products and projects.

Since the launch at SEMA in 2010, a total of 26 campers were built, with peak sales in 2013. Unit 001, the original prototype mounted to Overland Journal's J8, was scrapped quite some time ago, leaving 25 campers out roaming the world. It was fun product, and we learned a lot in the process about building fold over campers. While the torsion bar was a learning process, to date we have not had any failures. Ursa Minor retains a batch of them in reserve just in case.

As ownership of these unique campers changes hands, I hope new owners will post up and old owners will continue to share their adventures. The unit serial number for each camper is embossed in the base shell, and can be seen when the camper is open. If owners have any questions, or need parts or service, the first point of contact should be Adventure Trailers, the installer of all US delivered units, and providing the serial number will help ensure accuracy.

Will a fold-over Jeep camper ever be available again? Ursa Minor remains busy shipping 2nd generation J30 pop up campers and continues to build our experience with Jeeps. Any fold over Jeep designs will await the new Jeep JL, and the potential JL truck, hitting the market.

Cheers,
John
 

eskimoquin

New member
After reading through a thousand posts and dreaming for years about the JK Habitat, this news is such a sad ending. It was for the JK Habitat that I ever even considered the JK. Hopefully it is not an ending but the story will be continued.
 

Healeyjet

Explorer
AT Overland already showed the future of the JK Habitat at Expo this year. It is a rear facing version that mounts to a rack, removable and moveable to other JKs. We have #17 of the original run and still love it. The ability to enter from the inside of the Jeepbwas what originally sold us on it.
Ward
 

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