Ultralight hard side popup camper build

Marterial Testing

The plan is to utilize a 2" carbon fiber composite board (CC) for constructing the roof, while opting for 1" CC for other panels to achieve insulation without excessive bulkiness. Additionally, we can explore the possibility of incorporating thinner side panels to further reduce the overall weight.

Test 1: 1" XPS foam + 1 layer carbon fiber

Carbon Fiber Sheet 2x2 Twill Weave-3K/220g

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXLJTYGN?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Glaze Coat Clear Epoxy Kit

https://www.homedepot.com/p/FAMOWOOD-1-qt-Glaze-Coat-Clear-Epoxy-Kit-5050080/301826159

I just have this left form my previous project, will upgrade to UV proof marine grade epoxy in future.

1" XPS Board foamular 150

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-FOAMULAR-NGX-1-in-x-2-ft-x-2-ft-R-5-Project-Panel-XPS-Rigid-Foam-Board-Insulation-9WE/315401957

This is the most common pink board from Home Depot, foamular 150 means 15psi.

Single layer, hand lay, core has sharp corner, you may notice the fiber are hollow at corner.

Test piece dimension 6.5" x 13", failed on 125lbs. CC board bended.

Partially delaminated.

Peel the carbon from CC, mostly ok, but bottom-right corner need more epoxy.

Test piece weight 89g, double side, single layer of 220g carbon fiber.

Core weight 37g

Test 2: 1" XPS foam + 2 layer carbon fiber

Test piece survived under 125lbs.

Test 3: 9mm Nomex + 2 layer carbon fiber

Dupont Nomex 9mm 1/8" cell honeycomb core

2 layer of carbon fiber

96g of 6.5" x 13" test piece. Please ignore the ugly looking, I do not have peel ply, so use a wax package paper instead.

Test piece survived on 125lbs weight.

The Nomex are flame resistance, I throw a small piece into my BBQ stove, the carbon fiber burn out, but nomex structure still good.

Plan

1. There is a local supplier who has 2" foamluar 600, which is 4 times stronger then the pink foam in above test, will be perfect for roof core.

2. The nomex in local store are very cheap, but not sure if they can find more, $20 for a 4'x4', but extremely expensive on internet, should be $100+. I will prefer to use this guys for side panels.

Question

How can I deal with the edge, both for XPS and Nomex honeycomb?

Thanks for providing the BOM and CAD file from KIT camper. It has helped me gain a clearer understanding of my ideas:

1. My plan is to construct the entire popup system and roof using carbon fiber composite board, which will significantly reduce the weight of the camper.

2. The use of aluminum profiles allows me to break down the big project into smaller, manageable tasks, enabling me to tackle them one by one.

Based on this concept, I have created a simplified 8020 frame based on the KIT CAD file. Since I am still learning to use Fusion 360, I have utilized tubes instead of the exact profiles, but I aim to improve this aspect in the future.

Highlights of my design include:

1. Retaining the 1030 rail mount from the KIT design, which I find to be a clever and thoughtful idea compared to a more conventional 1020 design.

2. Utilizing 2020 as the main frame, as opposed to KIT's use of 2040 for the tent base, since the roof will be much lighter than aluminium frame.

Below is a simplifed 80/20 Frame, it's demostrate all the aluminum profiled used in this project:

With this frame, I can split my work to small project (microservices in software develop): 1. Popup roof

2. Bed tube

3. Side Panel

4. Rear Door

5. Front Panel

POC1: Hiatus with a Amazon box

POC 2: Hiatus with 3mm wood

POC 3: 8020 + XPS + Solar Panel.

My cat Spark love this version, the camper name will be named "Spark"

I'm specifically looking for an overland-style pop-up topper. Requirements:

Yes: Topper design No: Slide-in configuration

Yes: Pop-up feature No: Full-size overhead cab

Yes: Same width as truck rail No: Wider than the rail Better: Hard side Okay: Soft side

Side dinette floor plan in the best floor plan for me, though I am aware it has balancing issue since most heavy stuffs are on driver side.

(photo from FWC Hawk) Candidates: FWC Project M

Pros:

• Reliable: 50-year history

• Reasonable price

• Lightweight benifit from aluminum frame

Cons:

• Non-removable structure bench

• Soft side

• Wider than truck rail

Hiatus Camper

Pros:

• Innovative hard side design

Cons:

• A startup with much higher price lable than FWC

• New company, build quality unknown.

ORU Design Bruin

Pros:

• Simple structure

Cons:

• Hard side connected with canvas

• Build quality

Rossmönster

Pros:

• Full hard side

• Huge window in front and rear

Cons:

• Popup too tall due to truck bed storage

• Lack of insulation

• Rear/front window are not easy to setup

Kit Camper

Pros:

• Aluminium extrusion profile frame, highly customizable, DIY friendly

Cons:

• Soft side

• Not confident about seal, risk of leaking

• Have to DIY everything.

Decision is a mixed DIY:

1. Frame: from KIT, aluminium extrusion profile.

2. Popup: from Rossmönster, two piece side wall.

3. Dimensions: from FWC no brainer.

Hi Pearce!

This is a phenomenal idea! I look forward to seeing your build progress and helping in any way that I can. If possible, let's try and emulate something like ripcords forum posts - https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-diy-wedge-camper.604686/

Please let me know if you have any other questions! I am super excited for this!