Custom Phoenix Pop Up - Toyota Tacoma

[B. Eagle]

Hello All,

So much good information on this site. I couldn't help but try to contribute to all the good will out there.

It seems quite a few folks like to post stories about their new camper. In the spirit of the modern day narcisism I am stoked to finally have one of my own and then tell the world about it. I recently picked up my new Phoenix pop up camper that I had built for my Toyota Tacoma. It is one heck of a solid rig and we're excited for two extended trips in the near future out to California from Colorado.

I spent 3 years looking at sites like Wander the West, Expedition Portal and others to determine what I wanted. It was between FWC and Phoenix. Both had their unique qualities but I chose to go with Phoenix. I was not dissapointed. Cari and Rob at Phoenix were terrific to work with and literally put up with my fifty thousand or so questions in addition to the countless reworks of the plan before finally deciding on a build.

I've attached a photo. I hope to add more in time. If anyone wanted to know any specifics just let me know.

BTW, no idea how to spell check on this site, sorry.

 

[Overland Hadley]

That is an impressive cabover.

Would be great to see some photos of the interior layout.

 

[simimike]

Sounds like they've improver their product and customer service. This is good news. The more competition the better products will become. Welcome to the forum and keep us posted on your travels.

mike

 

[DanoT]

I plan on ordering a camper from Coyote RV so I too would like to see some interior pics. Also do you know if the floor and lower side walls are insulated?

 

[B. Eagle]

Hey All,

Sorry for my delays. I've been out of town and forgot about the site (are we able to be notified by email?). Attached are some poorly/quickly taken pics of the inside by your's truly. I took more but I failed to set the image size down so the first few are huge. These don't do it justice. In addition, we're prepping for a California road trip so it's ready for camping (see sleeping area). I will include more pics from the trip and of the inside. Again, my apologies. BTW. If anyone has tried to take a pic of a camper on the inside, it's damn near impossible.

1. Main cabin - We have linoleum that looks like Hardwood flooring. Awesome, can't really tell the difference.
2. My wife chose light wood. I would have preferred dark.... I lost.
3. The bedding area is a full Queen bed area. I will add pics later that show the storage area under the bed (about 4 inches by whatever "queensized" demensions are. The bed does not need in any way to slide out into the cabin area. This makes it very easy to put in an actual mattress or in our case a double sized memory foam topper (4 inch mattress). Our camper bed is more comfortable than our home bed.

I'll address the customer service aspect first. I cannot speak for the past but I can tell you I had been in on/off conversations with Coyote for about 3+ years. Each and every time they were gracious. I have to imagine they worked up 10+ quotes and designs over that period of time only for me to bail and say "I need more time". No problems. The customer service at Coyote/Phoenix was terrific. I think what everyone needs to keep in mind is that it is a family run business, which means they wear many hats. My experience has been very positive. With the utmost of respect, Rob is a nerd in the cool way. He likes building stuff and coming up with new ideas, but if you're looking for someone to be Joe charismatic on the phone (if that is what you consider to be important) then you may not get what you're looking for. However, if you get to talking about designs and build, gear, setup, etc then Rob perks up. Cari is very easy to speak with and she was very practical in helping me make decisions on what was important or not.

Regarding the camper lining, it is a three layer lining. There is the typical grey exterior with an insulating later that I can best see (Rob could tell you better) that is a lite thinsulate type lining. There is then a third lining on the inside (the white lining). This is all integrated. There is no need for a second winter package type of lining.

I do not believe the floor is insulated. Minor details (we have a heater). Speaking of heater, it's kicking on about 5 times a night but we keep it really low since we don't mind sleeping in 40 to 50 degree temps.

I utilized a CDOT weight station and loaded with the happy jacks (see: heavy as hell) I came in at roughly 1250 pounds. Take off the happy jacks and you're right around 1000 pounds camp ready (18 gallons water, full propane, etc).Mileage has been very minimal.... maybe 5 percent hit but largely unnoticed once I took the HJ's off. With them on the hit was about 15%.

More to come. Better pics from the trip. I'll be out in Central California on the coast and then at Yosemite and Sequoia if anyone is in the area.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[DanoT]

Thanks for the reply and pics. I just sold my house so I will probably be ordering or at least contacting Coyote campers some time in November.

 

[knobbytracks]

B. Eagle

Very nice rig you have. You mentioned taking the jacks off the camper and getting better mileage. Do you think this is due more from decreased wind drag or weight, or 50/50 the combination of both? Also, when you (or anyone else chime in) remove the jacks, how do you lift the truck in the event you need to change a tire? Thankfully I have not had to do this but if I do, I would use the camper jacks along with the OEM bottle jack to change a tire. I have not tried the OEM bottle jack for my Tundra but am assuming it won't have the "oomph" needed to lift the back end with the camper loaded. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[BSS]

That's a sexy lookin' rig right there.

And is there any storage under the bed? That's the one thing I dislike about my 4WC. That little space is SO valuable.

 

[DanoT]

I'm not sure if there is storage in the "nose cone" or if it is just for aerodynamics, but there is storage under the bed of a Phoenix camper. BTW I've ordered a custom 8.5 ft Phoenix for delivery in mid Jan.

 

[ski3pin]

BTW I've ordered a custom 8.5 ft Phoenix for delivery in mid Jan.


Congrats on the camper order! Looking forward to photos, trip report on the maiden voyage, and an evaluation on how it works for you. Hope I'm not asking too much!

 

[Overland Hadley]

Congrats on the camper order! Looking forward to photos, trip report on the maiden voyage, and an evaluation on how it works for you. Hope I'm not asking too much!


x2

 

[DobleTraccion]

That's a really nicely-sorted, good-looking setup.
I had a friend with a Phoenix on his Tacoma, and it did quite well off road, construction-wise.
I really like the neutral interior colors; so many campers have the "Grandma's parlour" theme you see in RVs,
with cheesy hardware, etc.
Congrats on a your solid platform.