Wedge campers information and comparisons

Enter. Leentu!

$10K for the fiberglass composite shell. $15K for the carbon fiber. It's selling point is the 150lb target weight for the fiberglass composite version and 100lb target weight for the carbon fiber version plus a low profile design for minimal impact on fuel efficiency. Tacoma only though.

Their Instrgram has more interior and exterior shots of the prototype and concept photos.
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Round one. Fight!
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Just seen this on FB this morning.
 
It's an apples/oranges comparison, but looking at the Lee-n-Tu model, I question the separation between the cab of the truck and the camper over hang. My question comes from my own set up where I have a little over an inch of clearance between my camper overhang and the cab of my truck. In flexy areas of a trail, the frame on my Dmax will flex enough that the top of the cab and the bottom of the camper overhang make contact. OK, maybe this is an apples/artichokes comparison, still something I would consider.
 
It's an apples/oranges comparison, but looking at the Lee-n-Tu model, I question the separation between the cab of the truck and the camper over hang. My question comes from my own set up where I have a little over an inch of clearance between my camper overhang and the cab of my truck. In flexy areas of a trail, the frame on my Dmax will flex enough that the top of the cab and the bottom of the camper overhang make contact. OK, maybe this is an apples/artichokes comparison, still something I would consider.

Agreed, with the partially-boxed Tacoma frame, it's going to flex a whole helluva lot. Even if they weld in boxing plates and/or a X bar themselves on the rear, on any rock crawling trail where being able to flex is king, that camper is likely to rub through cab paint to bare metal.
 
Agreed, with the partially-boxed Tacoma frame, it's going to flex a whole helluva lot. Even if they weld in boxing plates and/or a X bar themselves on the rear, on any rock crawling trail where being able to flex is king, that camper is likely to rub through cab paint to bare metal.

Indeed. It looks neat when closed, but that’s where it ends for me. Frame flex is guaranteed in a Tacoma. BTDT ;)
 
It's an apples/oranges comparison, but looking at the Lee-n-Tu model, I question the separation between the cab of the truck and the camper over hang. My question comes from my own set up where I have a little over an inch of clearance between my camper overhang and the cab of my truck. In flexy areas of a trail, the frame on my Dmax will flex enough that the top of the cab and the bottom of the camper overhang make contact. OK, maybe this is an apples/artichokes comparison, still something I would consider.

Prototype problems that I hope gets worked out because I really like the idea, but, yeah.
  • The antenna fin sitting at the back of the cab on my 2018 would be completely useless.
  • As mentioned. Frame flex and contact with the cab's roof when off road and popping open the camper on uneven terrain. Especially with the tailgate removed.
  • The tent setup looks cumbersome. I can't imagine setting it up in high wind.
  • What is that top going to do in high wind?
 
Agree on the top. Kill the rear overhang and it makes more sense. I'm not a fan of the tent fabric either...in most of the pics it looks slack...slack in the tent and wind = cracking and popping noises = an unhappy camper after a sleepless night.

My fin antenna is on the front edge of the roof, I forget about some trucks having them on the back (stupid design flaw from the OEM for any truck to have anything important mounted on the roof).
 
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In wiring a customers 3rd Gen Tacoma shell rack lights/cab rack lights, I thought I had accounted for the flex, leaving about a 3-4 inch slack between the two racks. He still managed to pull the wires from the plugs on both sides. There's a serious amount of flex in the Tacoma.
 
Agree on the top. Kill the rear overhang and it makes more sense. I'm not a fan of the tent fabric either...in most of the pics it looks slack...slack in the tent and wind = cracking and popping noises = an unhappy camper after a sleepless night.

I'm more concerned with a large flat object with what looks like very little structural support in the prototype and a underside exposed to the wind. The tent walls and ceiling only attach to the pop-top at certain points and can direct wind to the underside as well. Assuming that the roof is 80" x 56" you have a surface area of 4,480 sq inches. If air moving across that surface creates an average of a net 1/10th PSI difference across the entire area on one side you have a 448lb load on the pop-up roof.

I assume lots of things about the prototype are also proof of concept. That the tent fabric will be fully attached along it's edges to the pop-top. Can't really tell from the concept renderings though.
 
^^^^All of that math gave me a headache first thing this morning!:cool:

True on the proof of concept, from the pictures ks like they have a number of prototypes, have to give them props for that.
 
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https://www.instagram.com/habitatlife/
 
The one just above has got to be a new wedge-like Habitat given the lack of struts, because that's the Adventure Trailers building in the background, or at least appears to be.

And the vagabond... Meh... So much more thought has been put into the construction of the Go Fast. Locking mechanism is awesome, the hinging looks nothing like the hinges on my bathroom door, the aluminum extruded sides that allow easy attachment of awnings, mounts, etc, is just ingenious.

I'll soon have my wiring hands on a production model vagabond. And if it's anything like their previous construction that I wired, I'm not going to like it. No thought put into how auxiliary wiring would be done, making it very difficult to hide wiring and mount accessories. Even their own wiring left me concerned.
 
The one just above has got to be a new wedge-like Habitat given the lack of struts, because that's the Adventure Trailers building in the background, or at least appears to be.

And the vagabond... Meh... So much more thought has been put into the construction of the Go Fast. Locking mechanism is awesome, the hinging looks nothing like the hinges on my bathroom door, the aluminum extruded sides that allow easy attachment of awnings, mounts, etc, is just ingenious.

I'll soon have my wiring hands on a production model vagabond. And if it's anything like their previous construction that I wired, I'm not going to like it. No thought put into how auxiliary wiring would be done, making it very difficult to hide wiring and mount accessories. Even their own wiring left me concerned.

Hi,

I’m Phil, co-founder of Vagabond. I understand your frustration wiring Jon’s camper, or my old one. Concealing wire with a tube frame is difficult. That camper is really well built though.

The Drifters do have simple hinges. We wanted field- servicible hinges that someone could easily replace if damaged on a trip, or in a foreign country where machined parts were unavailable. They are stainless steel, and definitely not Southco’s prettiest looking product, but they are stout.

We went through about 7 sets of latches before arriving at this one. Not the fanciest, but again, easily replaceable and functional. And easily adjustable. From my experiences, the tent is sometimes harder to close in cold weather when the fabric and bedding is stiff. Or if you pack the bedding wrong, or have a thicker sleeping bag in winter. I found myself adjusting them on my first 4WC, the Flippac, the 2nd 4WC, and my V1. There are way cooler hinges that Southco or Sierra Pacific manufactures. But none of them were adjustable. And the ones that were adjustable, and looked cool, required an Allen key. Also wanted to make sure they wouldn’t freeze shut and are operable with snow gloves on. So we ended up back where we started with the latches. They just simply work.

We hope you appreciate the wiring track on the Drifter. Each corner brace has a removable panel. The concealed wire track runs around the upper perimeter of the camper and you can drop wires into each corner. All you see are the heads of the button head cable ties from below. And fully concealed while standing in the camper.

It’s definitely understandable how refinement sometimes looks like simplicity. But everything has been thoroughly gone through in our campers for the sake of strength and functionality.
 
A couple points I hadn't considered, but the hinge comment wasn't directed solely at the Drifter. Perhaps others chose it for the same reason.

I wasn't aware of the improvement for wiring. I did say IF it was the same.

Internet marketing... So many people will see it, yet not really truly see it. Sometimes practicality without attention to perception will cost you an impression or two.
 
A couple points I hadn't considered, but the hinge comment wasn't directed solely at the Drifter. Perhaps others chose it for the same reason.

I wasn't aware of the improvement for wiring. I did say IF it was the same.

Internet marketing... So many people will see it, yet not really truly see it. Sometimes practicality without attention to perception will cost you an impression or two.

Missed the “If” in your sentence. I saw the wiring you did in Jon’s camper and appreciate you perspective. My business partner Iggy takes wiring seriously. Here’s a pic of some of his tools. The upper unit is a wire measuring device he made years ago before getting the lower unit.
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That’s our optional Bluesea corner panel. The standard panel includes the wire connector shown at the bottom. Quick disconnect for the standard LED light and the 3rd brake light.
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We’re definitely working on our internet marketing! We went public only 5 weeks ago and are trying to keep up with the awesome response we’ve received.

Our website just went live this morning and we’ll add more details in the coming weeks.

We definitely want to hear your assessment of the wiring acceibility when you get ahold of a Drifter!
 
Very nice.

I like that you're putting some honest attention to detail in electrical accessories and wiring methods.

I've had quite a few trailers come by my business that are honestly at risk of fire straight from the manufacturers. Practices such as incorrectly wired battery banks, running a 10 gauge wire from the tongue box straight to a 100A-capable fuse block in the back of the trailer with no fusing at all for that feedline at the battery, no fusing on the charge connection at the rear battery from the trailer plug. Wires run through frames and pinch areas without any regard for chafing or shorting. The trailers themselves are very nice, obviously designed and built by craftsmen, but their wiring skills are flat out dangerous. Either hire a wiring guy that knows what he's doing, or simply avoid wiring and let the customer worry about it.

Good luck in your new venture. Three different companies coming out with very similar products, yet different enough to be appealing in their own ways, has some odd timing for sure.
 
My order is finalized and delivery/install is scheduled the 3rd week of June. They will be coming to SoCal to install 4 campers, this should turn into a show-and-tell Q&A time with the builders. I will post up more as it approaches, should be a good chance to check the platform out in person!

Oh, and I will clean up this thread soon to make this a GFC specific thread. Other system related posts will be moved to a new comparison thread.
 
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