[SIZE=10pt]Stokeme PM’d and asked me to post up some feedback since I’ve had my Ovrlnd for almost 2 years (in Jan '23):[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Bottom line is we love it, and would definitely do this again! Fits our needs very well and has had zero problems. I’ll mention a few specific areas and happy to respond on anything else. Build documentation is on Expedition Portal Ovrlnd owners thread, mainly in the first 3 to 4 pages, along with several others. Lots of good info there: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/ovrlnd-campers-only-post-your-ovrlnd-camper-build-here-or-a-link-to-your-build-thread-to-inspire-others.229680/[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Alternatives considered:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] We came close to getting a FWC, visited the factory, etc., but didn’t want to move to a ¾ ton truck. Wanted to be light as possible and maneuverable off-road as we were used to going nearly anywhere in a built Tacoma. At 6’3” with some back problems, I also needed the full length of the truck bed to stretch out daily for maintenance exercises. A Tundra double cab (6.5’ bed) with a similar build to our Tacoma fit the bill. The Ovrlnd weighs only 362 lbs (truck scales actual calculated) and with Deaver springs and compression adjustable shocks we can’t tell it’s there other than wind resistance, even heavily loaded. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Also looked at Project M, Go Fast, Sprinters, off-road trailers, etc over a 2 year period, and the Ovrlnd was the answer — cavernous room on a full-size, weather tight, no built-ins and appliances we didn’t want/need, and fully customizable.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=10pt]Durability/Strength: [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] No breaks, no drips, no errors. Really. We’ve used it for 51 nights (wife likes to keep count), 17,000 miles in heavy rain, high winds (45-50mph), long washboard roads run at high speed, rock crawling off-road (the Maze and other difficult spots), and nothing has gone wrong. There’s no gaps, shifts, loose fasteners, failing seams or welds, cracks, creaks or any other problems. Nada. I’m hanging up to 50lbs, maybe more, off my Dside rear barn door (trash, 5 gal extra gas, kitchen roll up back) with no drama. I watched Jay (the builder) hang off a barn door and he’s around my size. Handles wind very well popped up, no flapping or oil canning.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Build quality:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] Well, it looks industrial, but everything fits precisely. The frame is beautifully TIG welded 1x2x1/8” aluminum square tube. The skin is 1/16 anodized aluminum that is VHB’d to the frame and then blind riveted. The roof is crowned both directions with tapered support joists for full support. Some other shells like Drifters, PM’s, GFCs, look slicker for sure, and I’m sure they’re well made too, but we wanted functionality and toughness above all. Not interested in wedges due to my length and foot room. Roof goes up and down easily (nothing on it but a Maxxair fan and solar gland, but no panels), all the windows and doors fit and seal well with good gasketing. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Ovrlnd as a company:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] Jay Wellman, the owner, and his wife Maggie are highly responsive and great folks. We visited his shop in Flagstaff in July 2019, and again two more times and were impressed with him and the build process. Since then he’s expanded his operation twice into a real production shop to keep up and has really skilled and creative people helping build. Jay was very available, though busy, through our build and really helpful and great with questions. He will customized these to a fair degree, just talk to him and see what’s possible. Edit: My camper was #84. He's gotta be well into the 200’s now. Our last trip, we saw 4 on the road. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Design:[/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] Since our camper, Jay has moved to a formed/extruded aluminum single piece 8” wide C channel top rail/cabover support rail for his standard height. This improves the look a bit and simplifies the build. My camper has an (overbuilt) truss style top rail that allows for 10” cabover height. Jay will do either and my configuration allows for greater head room, with the camper down (can sit upright on bench at truck bed rail height) and in the bed with the camper up. Also allows for greater mattress and bedding storage. And . . . more wind resistance![/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]The camper is sized to fit exactly on the specific truck bed — a major difference with the Project M. There’s no shelf along the perimeter to eat up interior space as on the PM. There’s also no side-width overhang beyond the truck bed which was important for us on tight trails[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]It’s a full pop-up, with N/S sleeping. Our bed is 65”x 81”, so larger than queen-size (varies with truck brand and model). We have about 3’ of room to the tail gate to stand up at the rear with the bed slid out. Popped-up, I can stand up and stretch my arms out (edit: I mean UP) with my elbows slightly bent. The bed pullout floor is composite, which drops the weight and adds some insulation. On my mildly lifted Tundra with 34s the height clearance is 8’6”.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Jay also offers rear barn doors (both top and full). I have top barn doors with the tailgate, which we really like. Page 23 on the link above has discussion on various options and you can see my pros and cons there, as well as others’ opinions.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Overall, this design can be totally bare bones allowing for full truck bed usage up to nearly FWC level creature comforts depending on your desire to build it out or not. Most people insulate and wire their own, though Jay has been willing to insulate, for a price. Mine is sort of at the level of FWC shell model, with a Bedrug fridge/slider, Wave 3 heater, bench, cabinet, 100ah LifePo battery in a NL Powerpack, ability to cook in or out but no sink, no water tank/pump, no toilet (we use a foldable and wag bags). [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Things we like best:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]— Full use of truck bed sq ft without built-ins, if you want.
— No side hang over to catch brush
— Extra height
— Light weight
— Durability and ruggedness for off-road
— Customizability
— Reasonable cost[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Tradeoffs/Cons: [/SIZE][SIZE=10pt] I’ve mentioned mostly Pros, so …[/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]— You have to build what you want inside, though if you plan it ahead, Jay will do certain things. It’s a fair amount of work if you want a finished camper inside. OTOH, it’s been a great retirement project, easily taken in stages and useable from the minute you get it on. Post #2 on the first page of the ExPo link has two quite involved builds I learned a lot from. They’re worth looking at.
— The pop up canvas, while durable, is not multilayered or insulated in any way. There is a thermal pack available and it works well, but can’t be left in place (on my 2 y/o model, this may have changed). Typically gains us 10 degrees or so. We don’t use it much, but definitely helps.
— The back is more wide open than the door of a FWC. We solved that, sort of, with Velcro around the perimeter and a magnetic sliding door screen and a curtain for when it’s colder, or we’re camping around other folks.
— Insulate all you want, but the nature of a topper shell popup will be a little cold. We have a Wave 3 heater which works well, but rarely use it.
— I think it looks great, but it's not real glitzy (a pro for me) at least in my configuration. Some of the newer ones with black walls look pretty sharp.
— You will get questions anywhere you go! But, that leads to some great conversations and we’ve met some really nice folks as a result. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=10pt]Hope this helps. Happy to answer questions or show more of the build if desired. [/SIZE]
