Hard-sided wedge style pop-up camper shell currently in development/testing in the mountains of Wyoming

WY_CC

Member
Concept: I'm working to develop a hard-sided, lightweight, wedge style pop-up camper shell designed to withstand the rigors of daily life, which will keep you protected in the middle of a snow storm or while relaxing in the shade watching the waves roll in.

2mb camper.GIF

Next Steps: Bolt and bond structural frame, fabricate and test folding triangular sidewalls, mount on the truck, throw a Wyoming winter at it and see what happens.

2mb camper side.GIF

Timeline: I plan to have the proof of concept camper on my truck by the end of February, test and iterate into the spring, and work towards a production ready version this summer. I will do the work to get this right, set as fair and honest of expectations as I can, and not waiver on my standards for high product quality and customer satisfaction.

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Thank you for checking out my initial post regarding the hard-sided wedge camper! If you now find yourself entranced watching endlessly looping gifs, by all means. And if you're skimming posts, thanks for giving this one a glance. Otherwise, feel free to read on below for more background and context as to what brought me here. (You can also skip ahead, reply to this thread, or email me at wycamperconcepts@gmail.com)



A Little Background......

I feel incredibly fortunate to look back on a childhood growing up in the mountains of Wyoming, exploring public lands and camping in every type of tent, snow-cave, hammock or camper that we could find. That rare opportunity was largely a byproduct of my grandfather’s adventurous spirit decades earlier, when he built his own camper in the 60’s and moved the family out to live and work in Grand Teton National Park. The move his DIY camper enabled has instilled in our family a love of public lands and dedication to protect them. I have long shared my grandfather's dream of building a camper, and I hope that my work can continue propelling folks to get out and explore.

Screen Shot 2020-01-22 at 4.56.25 PM.png
(My dad sits on my Grandfather's lap while they map out their trip across country with the homebuilt family camper. Summer of 1961)

A stroke of luck 10 years ago landed my first truck camper in the form of a $350 Wildernest on Craigslist. I’ve seen my share of campers, tents, trailers, and inspired DIY shelters, but the simplicity and grandeur of the space inside of a Wildernest Camper won my heart. A daily driver camper shell somehow mysteriously housed a structure inside of it which, when unfolded, extended into a vaulted space with room to stretch ones’ arms high overhead! The Wildernest also showed me how invaluable a lighter weight, low profile camper can be, but not without the trade-offs of battling wet tent fabric and the slow, steady deterioration of it’s other aging materials. The day that I watched the Wildernest drive into the distance, I resolved myself to forge ahead with my dream of creating a camper of my own design that I can share with the outdoor community.

Wildernest.jpg
(My '89 Toyota 22RE and the Wildernest. Taken the day those two became partners in crime when I purchased both on Craigslist; Summer of 2010)

Building on firsthand experience and extensive research, my first step has been to investigate the application of modern materials and manufacturing methods to create a hard sided pop-up that captures the spirit of my old Wildernest. Although Wildernests were a product of the 80’s, there’s a wealth of inspiration that can also be found by looking further back in time. After all, my grandfather built his camper in the 60’s, and a search of old patents and publications from that era uncovers original hard sided pop-up camper concepts that were commercially produced. Both Del-Rey and Amerigo campers utilized folding wall sections that enabled additional interior spaces to be popped out of the core unit. Contemporary designs can be practically developed through obvious applications of this prior work that is now part of the public domain.

Kamp-King-Sky-Lounge-2.jpg Amerigo truck camper.jpg

Stewart E. Gardner’s patent from 1968 describes folding hard sided wall sections being “hingably attached” that may be comprised of “triangularly shaped rigid panels” that fold out to form final walls “generally triangular in shape”. I am working to employ obvious applications of these concepts through iterative design and testing. Currently the first proof of concept camper is being assembled, as can be seen in the images included at the beginning of the post, and I look forward to putting it through its paces to improve the production model.

StewartEGardner_patent image.png

My hope is that introducing this concept to the outdoor community will lead to many years of positive collaboration, new ideas, and adventures aplenty. I will do my best to answer questions and keep folks updated in a timely manner as I have my sleeves rolled up in the workshop over the coming weeks. Thank you in advance for your interest and support while I develop the product and gauge interest in the broader community.

Please keep the ideas and comments flowing here in the forum, but also feel free to shoot me an email. You can reach me at wycamperconcepts@gmail.com

Cheers!
Beau


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(Thumbs up!)
 

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mobydick 11

Active member
Looks great,hope you keep in mind guys that have 8 foot box as well . I had a Rockwood 196 hard sided A frame camper for years ,and I loved it .Gave it to my son last year . You may be able to draw ideas and inspiration from that market .The new A frames have lots of pop outs that work much the same as your roof . I will keep following along ,best of luck
 

MuleShoer

Adventurer
Are you considering it as a slide in with bottom, or canopy style? Also sidewall material soft or ridgid
looking forward to see this development
 

WY_CC

Member
Looks great,hope you keep in mind guys that have 8 foot box as well . I had a Rockwood 196 hard sided A frame camper for years ,and I loved it .Gave it to my son last year . You may be able to draw ideas and inspiration from that market .The new A frames have lots of pop outs that work much the same as your roof . I will keep following along ,best of luck
You can count on an 8' version, and thank you for the reference to checkout the Rockwood A frames. I have had a great time exploring older popping, sliding and hinging methods that can apply here, and there's always more to learn! As far as bed/model sizes overall, my 6.5' bed is the test dummy, but I'm looking to build both an 8' full-size and 6' mid-size truck version as part of the first production phase... Thank you for following! I look forward to sharing more thoughts/ideas as the product develops.
 

givemethewillys

Jonathan Chouinard
I love your concept, it looks simple yet practical. I'm looking forward to following along and seeing where you take the build. Keep up the good work!
 

WY_CC

Member
Are you considering it as a slide in with bottom, or canopy style? Also sidewall material soft or ridgid
looking forward to see this development
I'm currently working on this version as a canopy-style shell that leaves the truck bed area open for day-to-day use. There will be the option to add modular cabinets and seating in the bed area, so the interior layout can reflect a more fully built-out camping rig when you want. My intent is to have rigid, collapsing sidewalls, but your question brings up a great point. The solid back wall that flips up to form the wedge adds impressive rigidity to structure and will be backed up by gas struts, so the sidewalls are principally weatherproofing. Either soft or rigid sidewalls could be employed. I'm pursuing the rigid walls initially to test their performance in windy, wet conditions, but you've definitely provided some great food for thought/inspiration. Thank you!
 

shade

Well-known member
Love this idea
As much as I'm pleased with my GFC, having a hardside camper would remove any campground restrictions in bear country, and should make for a warmer space in winter. We're fortunate to have this latest wave of wedge and full pop-up truck camper options to choose from.
 

WY_CC

Member
Where in Wyoming are you located? This might be exactly what I’m looking for
Snowed in up here in the NW corner of the state between Alpine and Jackson! Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to staying in touch as things progress... In parallel to the shell work, I placed an order today for the framing components that are needed for the first version of the interior seating. It's going to be fun getting a feel for the potential of the interior space while testing the overall camper's performance this spring. Onward!
 

Photobug

Well-known member
Snowed in up here in the NW corner of the state between Alpine and Jackson! Thank you for your interest, and I look forward to staying in touch as things progress... In parallel to the shell work, I placed an order today for the framing components that are needed for the first version of the interior seating. It's going to be fun getting a feel for the potential of the interior space while testing the overall camper's performance this spring. Onward!

Hoback? I am local and want to see it. I am probably going to add a popup to a trailer in the spring. I am interested in options for a smaller lighter truck.
 

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