Anyone heard of Wildernest Campers?

[kcowyo]

An important consideration indeed. Thanks for the tip Roseann.

I'm trying not to jinx the deal till I'm sure it's going to happen, but I'm looking at getting a used unit from a private seller. If it happens, we'll be the only gorillas installing it!

Did your Taco require rear suspension modifications for the additional weight and the type of roads you were taking it on? I'm strongly considering an Air Lift airbag system for a non-permanent solution since I won't have it on the truck all of the time.

But I'm getting ahead of myself....

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

We had Air Lift bags on both our trucks that carried the Four Wheel camper, and they worked very well, especially when combined with an adjustable shock like the Rancho 9000.

You need to check them periodically, however: On our 2000 Tacoma one of the lower brackets walked off its grip on the spring U-bolt.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

Dave, welcome, and thanks for the great detail information. Your truck looks almost identical to our '92 with its Wildernest.

We did use those rings for tie downs, and they did seem to help, as you suggest, in winds up to 25 mph or so. But beyond that the tent got unhappy. We actually modified our fiberglass wands; the originals were too short and slightly longer ones gained us some canopy tautness.

It would be great if someone would restart the company and address a few issues. I was intrigued by the flip-up model they showed just before going under.

 

[kcowyo]

Awesome info Dave!

We've spoken before on another board and I really like your truck and Wildernest combo. After reading your post I can now tell that you're not just a fan but an afficianado of the Wildernest. I think they're really unique outfits, it's a shame someone is just sitting on the patent.

Here's a new listing on eBay for one in Littleton -

 

[paulj]

When a lid hinge of my Wildernest rusted through I tore out the tenting, since I no longer trusted a key structural component. I still have the tent frame in storage.

I also have the fiberglass rods (plain ends), which never gave me any problems. If I recall correctly, it helped to install one side first.

The white gell coat of the camper matched the white of my 1988 Chevy S10 pickup pretty well.

paulj

 

[paulj]

The 'Nest was built in Broomfield, Colorado, which is in Boulder County, by (or through) Lowe Alpine. The patent was held by a company called Expandable Van Tops in Canada I believe.

I may have seen a van camper based on this Expandable Van Tops patent, see post:
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11668&postcount=50

The EVT patent, by Jack Lange, is 4462631, 1984, with a continuation 4993773, 1991. The former is expired, the later may still be in effect. However with any patent, the details of what is covered, and what is not, requires detailed study, and potentially litigation.

paulj

 

[Martinjmpr]

Those are nice pictures. When I bought my carpet kit in March or April the guy also had a wildernest he was trying to sell. However, his truck was a 'pre-tacoma' (a 94 Hilux) and it wouldn't fit on my truck (and I already had a shell anyway.)

I'm a little disappointed that only Flip-Pac remains in this market. Seems to me someone could find a way to make Wildernests popular again. Of course, there are a million good ideas out there, it's making them profitable that is the tricky part. The dilemma of something like this is that the kind of people who might want a Wildernest probably can't afford it (don't know what the price would be but I'd be very surprised if it was less than $3500 new, seeing as how a basic, cab-high fiberglass shell is nearly $1500 in most markets.) And the people who can afford to drop that kind of money on a shell would probably prefer a full camper (or a hotel room!) anyway.

 

[elportodave]

2wd 1988 toyota pickup

Hello,

Great Posts! Great Info and i am so pleased people are still posting. Does anyone know if adjustments are going to be needed to compensate for the extra weight of the Wildernest on a 1988 Toyota Pickup regular cab? I just got a sweat Wildernest in great condition, but i am not sure if i am going to put too much strain on this little pickup of mine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[paulj]

I put a Wildernest on a 1988 S10 pickup, and the fit was near perfect. Since the Chevy/GMC lineup was the most popular pickups at the time, it was probably sized specifically to fit them.

Since my S10 had the 6' bed, the Wildernest had that distinctive bobtail cut.

My guess is that Guidon molded the shells for them, using standard molds. Then in some order, reinforcements were added on the inside, and the lid cut off. In the short bed case, the tailgate opening was cut off, and a new flat panel glassed in place. The lid was reattached with the hinges. Finally the tent was added.

paulj

 

[erod]

Hello,

Great Posts! Great Info and i am so pleased people are still posting. Does anyone know if adjustments are going to be needed to compensate for the extra weight of the Wildernest on a 1988 Toyota Pickup regular cab? I just got a sweat Wildernest in great condition, but i am not sure if i am going to put too much strain on this little pickup of mine. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

well, your lucky to have one of the foremost experts on WN's here on the forum (Dave)...thought i might as well add .02 while i am here. first off congrats, awesome unit, i NEVER would have sold mine if i would have had a feasible place to store it (thanks again dave)...it just was too much to have after i bought the FWC. so many good times in the WN and mine too was in really great shape! my one big complaint was winter camping, during consecutive days of snowfall...i could never get things dried out...great the first night but once i collapsed the tent everything was wet. although, setting it up and running mr. heater's portable buddy (love that name) inside helped...pretty much the main reason i went with the fwc (and i found a great price on one in really good condition)...winter camping. also, its a little more feasible to "live" in an fwc full time than the WN, IMO (never know when your out a place to live...like now . with that said your stoked!

like Dave said earlier i would recommend beefing up the rear suspension...add a leafs didn't get me where i wanted to be so i went with OME leaf packs and was happy with the stance...unloaded. i have 2 dogs and tons of gear and with everything i was still sagging a little so i also installed firestone ride right air bags...problem solved! enjoy the Nest and be sure to post pics! ahh, looking at these gets me all choked up ...cheers!

 

[paulj]

I noted early on that my S10 leaned a bit toward the right rear corner. For years I though it was because the Wildernest, when open, put extra load on that corner. But then I learned that front torsion bars were user-adjustable. I tweaked these, and leveled out the truck.

Even with the Wildernest and a full load of camping gear, the pickup still felt tail-light, especially on washboard gravel roads. This was the 1988 with 4wd and 'sports package'. That included a limited slip diff, but I don't think the suspension was beefed up.

paulj

 

[skullbecca]

I need a new rear door for my wildernest

Does any one have any idea what I can do to replace the back door hinge of a wildernest camper shell? I live in the Denver area, but work in Nevada
Thanks for any advice

 

[paulj]

I'd ask at any shop the deals in camper tops. Parts like the door and windows appear to be off the shelf items. If I recall correctly the door hinge is just a piano hinge attached with pop rivets. I'm working from memory since my son now owns the truck and Wildernest.

 

[T.Low]

AnY X cab Tacos looking for Wildernest?

Found this link about tires. Turned out to be nada, but apparently he's selling the Wildernest too. Not affiliated with sale at all, just thought if anyone is out ther looking, this may be a lead.

Good luck.

http://bellingham.craigslist.org/pts/1022790207.html

 

[gwittman]

I know this is an old thread but I thought I would revive it because it has a lot of good information about the WilderNest and I though I would add little more to it.

I had two brothers that worked for Guidon in Kansas when they were building the WilderNest. One brother worked specifically on the WilderNest and was the guy they sent out for any problems the dealers had. He came to California in 1989 for some repair work and gave me a brochure on the WilderNest. It was exactly what I was looking for to put on my new 89 Ford Ranger. They built it with a custom gel coat color to match the off-white of my Ranger. It now resides on my 2002 Ranger and has been painted red to match.

The downfall of WilderNest was basically due to the high price of the unit. From what I understand, the marketing company in Colorado pulled the building of the unit from Guidon to a local shop in Colorado in an attempt to reduce manufacturing cost. It did not take long for them to find out how difficult it was to reduce cost and eventually stopped production.

I think Guidon eventually bought the rights to WilderNest but could not achieve a workable agreement with the man that fabricated the tent. Apparently he had the rights to the tent and would not let go of it. The two parties could not come to terms, so the WilderNest could not be revived.

My brother that was directly involved in the fabrication of the WilderNest eventually left Guidon to work for another topper company that was starting up in his home town. I am pretty sure Guidon ultimately shut the facility down because my brother went to an auction there and bought a couple left-over tents as spares for me.