Check Out Our Shop
Page 514 of 522 FirstFirst ... 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 ... LastLast
Results 12,826 to 12,850 of 13028
  1. #12826
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Back in Seattle
    Posts
    1,399
    Spitball crazy ideas but this seems like a good place for feedback. We have a 20yo Coleman tent trailer that is great from a towing perspective but cheap in all senses. We used to have an escape which was well built but harder to tow and store.
    With the coming EV push it seems like there would be a market for a well built hardside pop up. On the rivian forum a standard travel trailer gets <1mi/kwh and someone with a trailcraft popul was getting more like 1.5mi/kwh which is a huge range difference.
    I’m thinking of a fiberglass model version of a hilo camper with modern systems (lithium, solar etc) probably 25’ and 4-5klbs or so with a powered lift system could be made for $60k and would be awesome for towing with an electric.
    Obviously the devil is in the execution but am I crazy on this as a business idea?

  2. #12827
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Fraggle Rock, CO
    Posts
    7,928
    I thought the new rvs that were meant to be pulled by electric vehicles were gonna have their own batteries and motors cuz towing anything with an ev is fool's errand
    Brandine: Now Cletus, if I catch you with pig lipstick on your collar one more time you ain't gonna be allowed to sleep in the barn no more!
    Cletus: Duly noted.

  3. #12828
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Rasta Cruz
    Posts
    174
    Quote Originally Posted by evasive_MT View Post
    I think there’s a 3rd type. The last 40 years have seen a major transfer of wealth (widely reported in other contexts) and one of the results is a lot of 20-somethings with the family money to have whatever they want. And playing outdoors has become attractive to more people than in previous years.
    Wow. I own a Sprinter and don't fall into any of these categories. Stereotypes are so fun.

  4. #12829
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Eugenio Oregón
    Posts
    8,653
    Quote Originally Posted by carlh View Post
    I’m thinking of a fiberglass model version of a hilo camper with modern systems (lithium, solar etc) probably 25’ and 4-5klbs or so with a powered lift system could be made for $60k and would be awesome for towing with an electric.
    Obviously the devil is in the execution but am I crazy on this as a business idea?
    You’re only crazy if you think anyone is going to get rich off of this idea. I think it has its place … and there are definitely people besides Lightship who have been working on lightweight hardside popups. And while EV TVs would benefit, there are a lot of people who tow things with their Outbacks, Explorers, Rangers, etc, who really don’t understand tongue weights, weight distribution, transmission temperature, etc. - and should really be towing a popup and not some 9 foot tall or higher box, even if it is a semi teardrop shape.

    I don’t know all that much about the RV industry, but as a former product manager and manufacturer myself, I know enough to be able to confidently assert that the whole industry is decades behind other manufacturing industries. I could be wrong but I am highly skeptical that there is a single domestic RV manufacturer with concepts like Standard Work, kanban, takt time, red cards, root cause countermeasure, etc.

    So let’s say you design a great product, figure out a streamlined supply chain and manufacturing process … then you get to deal with building a brand, building a national distribution infrastructure, channel sales, support network, etc. on support … RV shops are way behind - walk into any independent or dealer affiliated shop and you will probably hear many incorrect things about lithium, solar, etc. And at the tail end of it all is 9/10 customers not even understanding why it’s important to strip and seal all perforations and joints on a semi-regular basis, let alone complaining that their electrical system shuts down when trying to run a Keurig in their rig with the air conditioner also running. Not a great market setup for investing in and launching a next gen product!


    Quote Originally Posted by Cruiser View Post
    I thought the new rvs that were meant to be pulled by electric vehicles were gonna have their own batteries and motors cuz towing anything with an ev is fool's errand
    It’s actually not as bad as you think. Rivian suspension is very well regarded and the folks who tow with them say it’s a better experience than towing with their diesel trucks, save for only having 70-100 mile towing range. On level roads most of the load is wind drag, not trailer weight. A hardside popup seems like a better first step solution to me than some kind of inertially guided propulsion system that no RV shop is going to have axle parts for.




    I took this pic this last weekend actually! Based on the advertising on the side of the R1S I knew this guy was only towing his Xplore unit 30 miles each way. No hookups at this specific site. But I think most RV owners actually camp at hookup sites, not at dry sites - so recharging a tow vehicle via 50A hookups would be super easy.
    _______________________________________________
    "Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.

    I'll be there."
    ... Andy Campbell

  5. #12830
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    5,435
    This guy goes pretty deep on towing a camper with his Rivian

    https://kootenayevfamily.ca/why-an-e...k-why-the-r1t/

  6. #12831
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Back in Seattle
    Posts
    1,399
    Will do more reading. My thoughts are a business model like escape in Canada all factory direct and at that premium but not airstream price and quality level. I agree the mainstream campers are all hot garbage. We tow our Coleman with a Honda Pilot and obviously the gas car benefits from the low drag too, it just an extra 50-100 miles of range has a much bigger trip impact than a gas mileage hit so that seems like the business opportunity.
    Comparing our past escape to our current Coleman or modern stick campers is night and day and no one is currently selling a popup in that niche.
    The self propelled trailers seem crazy instead of chasing efficiency. A popup with some streamlining and a smooth underside seems like a much better solution.
    Well understood this is not a get rich quick scheme but it seems like if you could sell 100 per year it would be a nice business that enabled comfortable living.

  7. #12832
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    296
    Quote Originally Posted by carlh View Post
    Will do more reading. My thoughts are a business model like escape in Canada all factory direct and at that premium but not airstream price and quality level.
    Bigfoot also makes trailers. More $ than Escape but much less $ than Airstream
    https://bigfootrv.com/rvs/travel-trailers

  8. #12833
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Was UT, AK, now MT
    Posts
    14,082
    Welded up a new receiver hitch three place bike rack that fits for my bigger truck camper. Swings out like typical production models. Bought three relatively cheap Amazon “one-up” rip offs that seem bomber to hold bikes.

    Name:  IMG_2527.jpeg
Views: 1426
Size:  171.6 KB

    Name:  IMG_2528.jpeg
Views: 1421
Size:  185.5 KB

    Name:  IMG_2529.jpeg
Views: 1429
Size:  157.4 KB

  9. #12834
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Eugenio Oregón
    Posts
    8,653
    Wow nice work TH!
    Nice work on those gussets.
    Looks like you didn’t put any stabilizing features into the shank - do you have an anti rattle clamp there?
    _______________________________________________
    "Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.

    I'll be there."
    ... Andy Campbell

  10. #12835
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Was UT, AK, now MT
    Posts
    14,082
    Yeah receiver anti rattle is on it doesn’t budge.

    Going on a 2600 mile road trip next week. We’ll see if it holds up

  11. #12836
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    My armchair
    Posts
    4,905
    Quote Originally Posted by Trackhead View Post
    Going on a 2600 mile road trip next week. We’ll see if it holds up
    We'll see if you hold up tweaker
    "... she'll never need a doctor; 'cause I check her out all day"

  12. #12837
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    9,325
    If he's tweaking there should be no stopping him...

  13. #12838
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Was UT, AK, now MT
    Posts
    14,082
    Quote Originally Posted by Xover View Post
    We'll see if you hold up tweaker
    I’m old as fuck, but I still twitch harder than you ever have, bitch

  14. #12839
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Was UT, AK, now MT
    Posts
    14,082
    Name:  IMG_2555.jpeg
Views: 1184
Size:  170.2 KB

  15. #12840
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    9,325
    What's your route?^

  16. #12841
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Was UT, AK, now MT
    Posts
    14,082
    Pioneer Mtns this weekend …

  17. #12842
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Posts
    9,325
    Fire and brimstone motherfukers.

    Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

  18. #12843
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Posts
    296
    Nice unit reasonably price Cdn $. Bigfoot 250 is their best for winter. https://classifieds.castanet.net/det...amper/5023723/

  19. #12844
    Join Date
    Mar 2022
    Posts
    1,144
    Saw this thing on an electric F150 in the parking lot the other day:
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_3210.jpg 
Views:	160 
Size:	554.4 KB 
ID:	494337

  20. #12845
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Eugenio Oregón
    Posts
    8,653
    Quote Originally Posted by singlesline View Post
    Saw this thing on an electric F150 in the parking lot the other day:
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_3210.jpg 
Views:	160 
Size:	554.4 KB 
ID:	494337
    Classy AF, and it looks like it might not cut the range in half!
    _______________________________________________
    "Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.

    I'll be there."
    ... Andy Campbell

  21. #12846
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    truckee
    Posts
    2,542
    My friend is selling this sweet rare Tiger 4x4 rig in Truckee

    https://reno.craigslist.org/rvs/d/tr...754593521.html

  22. #12847
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Location
    DownEast
    Posts
    3,595
    Somebody go get this…

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_2002.jpg 
Views:	147 
Size:	432.3 KB 
ID:	494714

  23. #12848
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    On a genuine ol' fashioned authentic steam powered aereoplane
    Posts
    17,074

  24. #12849
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    on the banks of Fish Creek
    Posts
    8,444
    the price is low, if thats what you're asking. but if really were a "good" deal, i don't think it would have lasted 8 weeks on marketplace. still, probably worth checking out just in case.

  25. #12850
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Sun Peaks Resort
    Posts
    884
    Quote Originally Posted by Whiteroom_Guardian View Post
    Isn't this a pretty good deal for one of these?

    https://www.facebook.com/share/zDJ1k3SsnWXDAtaL/
    ^^^A good deal at twice the price unless there is some sort of flaw/leaks.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •