Jeep Wrangler Habitat Official Release

kb7our

Explorer
Hey kb7our,

I'd love to hear any more of your thoughts/opinions on the habitiat when you've given it a complete go-through.

Thanks!
-Dan

Dan, it's already being shaken down and mods and suggestions have already begun. My preferences and wishes may be different than others and mods are at one's own risk but here are a few initial updates after some use in cold (30's) conditions...

Insulated mattress or something similar is a necessity in cold as the shell overhanging the hood acts as a conductor and gets really cold. I love the Nemo Cosmo "Insulated" stuffed into the pillow top then I have a 12V trucker's mattress cover you lay on tucked inside which makes for a terrific setup. No cold passes through.

Lots of tent material closed up in a small space so mattress needs to be deflated - easy enough. Working on a solution to strap it in so it always stays in place as it will fit without over compressing top if deflated. The challenge is adhesion of some kind of mounts to the gelcoat but I have some ideas and will get to a solution hopefully before heavier summer camping. Would like to avoid drilling in some footman's loops if possible.

If you are super picky like me, make sure all the latches and front bumper catches are installed straight and/or symetrically. Cosmetic only but to me it's the fine touches that count.

To close by myself, I've rigged a self locking pull strap with a small carabiner on one end that fits right over one of the latch points on the rear upper cap, then hooks under the actual latch bracket attached to the lower shell. This enabes me to pull the top closed within a foot or less so I can walk around to tuck in the sides, pull off the strap, then pull the top down to complete the latching process. Works very well.

I keep the two ceiling panels off which saves maybe 25 lbs?? and having to remove them when camping. I run a wide flat bungee strap attached to each side passenger roll bar to help hold the tent material up and just store the two hood supports above that front to back in the middle of the opening. Works bueno.

Would be ideal but more costly to have the tent 3 poles be slightly adjustable a notch or two for fine adjustment of tent variations in mounting, etc. I may take it upon myself to shave a tiny bit off the bottom of each of the 3 U shaped poles as my fabric is very taught. Let it wear and streatch a little to see what happens first. Yea, I'm that picky.

Added a billet grab handle above the tailgate glass which I really like and also a Smittybuilt "beaver step" to the receiver which provides a secure step near the bumper when working the top. Also added the AT flip up water fill/mixer connect for the water bladder and heater - mounted on the right side near the back and I put a 12V outlet up top in the area of the front passenger side roll bar bolt that holds the top down and will add another on the opposite side for other accessories.

Looking forward to getting the zip on awning when AT has them ready hopefully soon.

Mattress security straps/bungee system are the next priority. Need to be careful that nothing interferes with the poles when closing. The square zip tie fastener points might be the solution with small key chain ring material slipped through the slots for a bungee mount location and possibly putting them on the floor instead of the sides might keep them out of the way. I want to be able to park, pop the top, inflate mattress, toss a sheet and down comforter on the bed and that's it. Reverse to be simple as well.

More fun stuff later.
 

will

Adventurer
I've had one RTT in the past and it had elastic bungie cords that are hooked in place inside the tent on opposite walls. When you closed the tent the cords would help pull in the sides of the tent. One time I forgot to hook up the bungies and it was a PITA to tuck everything in. Perhaps a system like this can be used?
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Dan, it's already being shaken down and mods and suggestions have already begun. My preferences and wishes may be different than others and mods are at one's own risk but here are a few initial updates after some use in cold (30's) conditions...
Thanks for the awesome reply. It sounds like you and I are similar in our quest for perfection.

Insulated mattress or something similar is a necessity in cold as the shell overhanging the hood acts as a conductor and gets really cold.
I wonder if some of that really thin shiny insulating aluminum stuff under the mattress would help? I don't plan on camping anywhere too cold, so it shouldn't be a problem for me.

Lots of tent material closed up in a small space so mattress needs to be deflated - easy enough.
Does it come with a mattress at all? Something like high density foam I imagine?
Is there enough room to leave a matress like that, and a comforter up top when you close it, or do you have to take everything out? (I hope I can leave the bedding as-is)

If you are super picky like me, make sure all the latches and front bumper catches are installed straight and/or symetrically. Cosmetic only but to me it's the fine touches that count.
For that money, I expect it to be perfect.

I run a wide flat bungee strap attached to each side passenger roll bar to help hold the tent material up and just store the two hood supports above that front to back in the middle of the opening. Works bueno.
I'd love to see a photo of those bungee straps you're describing.

a Smittybuilt "beaver step" to the receiver which provides a secure step near the bumper when working the top.
It's a shame that thing doesn't hinge up for crawling.

Have you had it in the pouring rain yet? I'm very interested to know how water logged it gets and what the options are (not many, I think)

Thanks again!
-Dan
 

kb7our

Explorer
A few pics of current setup:

Beaver step would be ideal if it had a hinge to flip up but still works great.
Billet handle has a solid backer bar for added strength although shell is pretty thick in that area (might change to black handle).
Bungee strap probably not necessary to hold up tent material but it helps hold the two front bumper bars in place.
LP holder is for a 10G tank.
Anyone need a kids Ikea loft bed? :D (you can spy it in two of the photos)

habitat_1.jpgHabitat_2.jpgHabitat_4.jpgHabitat_5.jpgHabitat_6.jpghabitat_7.jpgHabitat_8.jpghabitat_9.jpgHabitat_10.jpg
 
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Ursa Minor

Active member
poles

Would be ideal but more costly to have the tent 3 poles be slightly adjustable a notch or two for fine adjustment of tent variations in mounting

The #001 prototype had continuous poles, but #002 started out with adjustable poles to compensate for variations in the tent. The adjustment range allowed the tent to be tensioned up, but the impact on the stability of the tent was significant. The poles wobbled at the adjustment point and the side to side movement in the tent was very obvious. I didn't pursue an adjustment system after that. We replaced the poles on #002 with continuous poles when the production tent was installed. When the top is open, the tension in the tent is set by the the poles AND the front supports, both are finalized at installation (by AT in your case)

In comparison, we did an (unintentional) failure test when building #001 by dropping the cap to full open position when there was no torsion bar spring in place (just a couple bolts at the pivot points.) The tent/poles held.

The solid poles can be dialled in to the tent to reduce tension as you mentioned by removing material from the end, but go light - it does not take much to be visible in the tent.
 
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kb7our

Explorer
The #001 prototype had continuous poles, but #002 started out with adjustable poles to compensate for variations in the tent. The adjustment range allowed the tent could be tensioned up, but the impact on the stability of the tent was significant. The poles wobbled at the adjustment point and the side to side movement in the tent was very obvious. I didn't pursue adjustment system after that. We replaced the poles on #002 with continuous poles when the production tent was installed. When the top is open, the tension in the tent is set by the the poles AND the front supports, both are finalized at installation (by AT in your case)

In comparison, we did an (unintentional) failure test when building #001 by dropping the cap to full open position when there was no torsion bar spring in place (just a couple bolts at the pivot points.) The tent/poles held.

The solid poles can be dialled in to the tent to reduce tension as you mentioned by removing material from the end, but go light - it does not take much to be visible in the tent.

Thanks, John! I can see your point on stability with adjustable poles. Will take your advice on any trimming...a little goes a long way!
 

DingusKahn

Adventurer
That's the initial plan through the summer. Time will tell....it's VERY tight.
Very tight means the wind won't make as much noise. Mine is too.
Going back this week to get the texture mess fixed. Mario says he has the fix for the torsion rod so I can close it easier and a couple of other minor tweaks. Learning process for all. But I look forward to lots of use this year.
 

brian90744

American Trekker
Fold up step

Dan & kb7our.
Here's a fold up step, purchased many moon ago. pic is on front of my truck, however I use on the rear normally.
brian
 

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kb7our

Explorer
Very tight means the wind won't make as much noise. Mine is too.
Going back this week to get the texture mess fixed. Mario says he has the fix for the torsion rod so I can close it easier and a couple of other minor tweaks. Learning process for all. But I look forward to lots of use this year.

Good luck on the texture fix DK.

I can tell you my torsion bar is pretty darn close with the weight of a a dual Nemo mattress stuffed into their pillowtop stored up top. Mario said he would tweak it again (removing tiny amount of material) if needed but so far so good. The bar is massive compared to a full sized Flippac I saw last week.


Yes, taught on the tent fabric is good unless it's pulling up on the aluminum extrusion a little too much like near the center where the rivets are intentionally left out for this reason??? The center U pole seems a "tad" long. Not going to do anything right away....let the fabric stretch out a bit and examine how it all works together. Could be dialed in a little better.
 
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kb7our

Explorer
What texture fix is needed? Something with the fiberglass lay-up?

Na, DK was looking for a factory textured paint look but as it turns out that look is part of the factory mold so difficult to duplicate apparently for the painter. I saw DK's top and it wasn't "bad" but more of a tiny "pimple" look than textured so it sounds like the guys might have something up their sleeves to try and get things smoothed out. UMV said they are going textured so not sure how their painter is doing things. I would have preferred factory texture look (although newer factory paint matched tops seem to be smoother) but decided on the smooth look until all this gets worked out.
 

will

Adventurer
Interesting. I would prefer smooth, but to each their own.

On a different note, what is the base mattress like vs the Nemo system? Curious what the main differences are.
 

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