Open Source Pop up camper design/build

[bahndo]

Joaquin- No offense taken- I have been questioning the thread title myself the more I think about it. I have to say that for the most part most of the build threads on this and other internet forums are basically open source unless the OP has finished the build and is posting up the whole thing after the fact. The other challenge with a purely open source build is everybody wants something different. For myself and my family I want a pretty bare bones minimalist setup- basically an insulated tent that I don't have to setup or take down.

I hear you on the larger base vehicle and I have looked into it a little but for right now I drive the truck everyday and I don't really want a 3rd vehicle if I don't have to have one. I need to look at the numbers again and see how heavy I need to go but I don't want to haul tons of water and I don't want a black/grey water setup anyway so that frees me up a little.

Hadley- Like I said before, I go back and forth on the XP shell.

The most important part of this thread is flushing out a bunch of ideas and getting lots of opinions before I get committed to anything. Thanks for the help!

[TomH]

I am not sure how far it is from Hood River to Chehalis, WA, but I would greatly recommend a trip to Alaskan Campers there. They build pop ups for both pickup beds and flat beds. Go to this link, and explore all windows and sub-sections in the .org .com and .net pages. You will find floor plans and lots of photos of custom builds they have done. I don't think it would be wrong to go there to get ideas, after all, you might decide to buy their product.

http://alaskancamper.org/

It can be difficult to locate their photo galleries, so this next link will take you to them. Note that the link to Page 2 is at the top of P1 and can be difficult to see, also that it's easy to miss the 4th column of pics on the right.

http://www.alaskancamper.org/Desktop.html

[bahndo]

I've looked at the Alaska stuff and I have to say that I just can't stand the look of them. They are bit on the bulky side for me. If I was going to buy an off the shelf unit I would go with the XP.

I have been reading over the build threads again and again and trying to really wrap my head around what I am going for. I am right in the middle of putting some finishing touches on a friends Sprinter that is headed South next year but as soon as that wraps up I will get some sketching done and post it up for some feed back.

[ed604]

Hello Bahndo,

To answer your question, my model is the cxt by Provan. I am not sure but I think all the layouts are similar. The pictures that I have don't show the interior as good as the ones on the website do. On a side note about the top I actually don't like how the pop up system works, its a little heavy to lift by yourself. However the interior layout is perfect for me and my family ( two kids and wife ) And the pop top does help with not catching wind, I got 15-17 mpg at 80mph coming back from the states.

I am sure you can find lots of pics and maybe some floor layouts if you google Provan Tiger.

I quite like the layout as I have already said.

can't comment on much else as far as your shell goes. Good luck with the build I will follow along.

Ed

[bahndo]

I will start a new thread on this build as it becomes more of a build but I thought I would post some pictures of what I have in mind:
PS View.jpg
Here is what it will kind of look like on the truck- I don't have photoshop nor have I ever used it so I have not gotten rid of the bed and replaced it with a flatbed- I will be picking up my flat bed in about a month. the highlight blue section is the pop up section. I am not sure yet if it will pop straight up or be hinged at the front.

Here are some shots of just the shell. I have not done any work on the pop up section yet but something else I would like to do is make the entire rear of the camper a door as well so I can load bikes/sled/etc. in a la toy hauler style. You can see two fold down kids bunk on the back wall (just the frames) that will be able to fold up flush with the rear wall(door).
ISO DS View.jpgISO PS View.jpg

Obviously there is a s*** ton of work to do but this is basically what the outside is going to look like. The inside will be layed out much more like sprinter build from outside van then what I normally see in the camper builds here and on the interwebs.

[pods8]

I will be picking up my flat bed in about a month.

Same here, you coming up to Kent to get it? Touch base if so might be able to cross paths.

I ordered a 7.5' long bed with the chopped front board.

[bahndo]

Indeed I'll be coming up to Kent to pick it up/install it. I also went 7 1/2' which is about a 1' longer then the stock bed. I would have already had it but at the last minute I added the trundle drawer. I'll def. let you know when I'm headed up as soon as I know- I'd love to check out your project.

[pods8]

Right on, I'm thinking I'll pick mine up and likely install it up at my place, hope I don't regret it. Other than the longer bed and shortened front I basically went plain jane so I can get the bed on and soak in what I'd want to do about storage under/around it. Also what kind of bumper modification/replacement I'd like to do longer term since I don't want the bumper behind the protrusion of the flatbed.

You're welcome to check out my build, just keep in mind I'm about 40mi north of there. Fire in zip code "98204" into google maps, I'm right in that area.

[LakeLBJ]

I will start a new thread on this build as it becomes more of a build but I thought I would post some pictures of what I have in mind:
PS View.jpg
Here is what it will kind of look like on the truck- I don't have photoshop nor have I ever used it so I have not gotten rid of the bed and replaced it with a flatbed- I will be picking up my flat bed in about a month. the highlight blue section is the pop up section. I am not sure yet if it will pop straight up or be hinged at the front.

Here are some shots of just the shell. I have not done any work on the pop up section yet but something else I would like to do is make the entire rear of the camper a door as well so I can load bikes/sled/etc. in a la toy hauler style. You can see two fold down kids bunk on the back wall (just the frames) that will be able to fold up flush with the rear wall(door).
ISO DS View.jpgISO PS View.jpg

Obviously there is a s*** ton of work to do but this is basically what the outside is going to look like. The inside will be layed out much more like sprinter build from outside van then what I normally see in the camper builds here and on the interwebs.

Have you seen this from XPCamper?

522689_409091992452397_1065869262_n.jpeg522689_409091982452398_1788238268_n.jpeg

[bahndo]

Lake-
I have seen the XP line up and they are close to what I am looking for but if I am going to spend that kind of money I want it to be exactly what I want.

The idea of having a fixed height rear section allows a few things that I think are important for my build. First is the entry door is a fixed height and at ~5' should make entry/exit easy even if the pop up section is not up. Second is it allows some space/height for moving around inside if the pop up section is not up. Third is it allows for a large rear door that can be opened up for loading bikes and such for weekend trips with the boys. I'm still chipping away at the concept drawings and I'll post some more soon to try to show the main adavantages/features I am going for.