Alu-Cab Canopy Camper Roll Call

[JWR_Explore]

Just picked my Jeep up after finally getting regeared (4.88).

it was drivable on 4.10, but goodness does it feel like a whole new Jeep now. Best upgrade by far.

Last weekend picture.

Why the regear? Just for the added weight of the Alucab?

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[westrollamo]

Why the regear? Just for the added weight of the Alucab?

37s were the bigger factor, but I’m sure it helps a bit with the weight.

 

[DR.]

Got a couple of small but important projects done today. Installed an 813 Designs table mount under the bed to hold the Alu-Cab table securely out of the way yet way to get to once we make camp. It was an easy install and my first opportunity to use a rivnut tool to attach the mounting brackets to the lifting bed frame.

And I replaced the push button locking pin on the propane mount with a toggle latch clamp. The pin kept wiggling loose. Expedition Essentials switched to this type of latch recently but this is an older model. I found one on Amazon and it seems much more secure. I tried to use the existing hole from the old mount, which was a mistake as the hole was too large. It holds but resulted in a bit of a crooked mount. Live and learn.

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

Got a couple of small but important projects done today. Installed an 813 Designs table mount under the bed to hold the Alu-Cab table securely out of the way yet way to get to once we make camp. It was an easy install and my first opportunity to use a rivnut tool to attach the mounting brackets to the lifting bed frame.

And I replaced the push button locking pin on the propane mount with a toggle latch clamp. The pin kept wiggling loose. Expedition Essentials switched to this type of latch recently but this is an older model. I found one on Amazon and it seems much more secure. I tried to use the existing hole from the old mount, which was a mistake as the hole was too large. It holds but resulted in a bit of a crooked mount. Live and learn.

Looks great! Glad the table mount worked out for you.

 

[JWR_Explore]

A few questions that may be scattered across this thread.

1)For those of you with an Alu Cab canopy camper, how many of you recommend and use the Shadow Awning? I am strongly considering a Mod Cap with tent along with the awning.

2) Will my stock suspension be an issue? I am looking at a minimal build for now, no accessories yet (Except for the possible awning as mentioned above and a back up camera relocation kit) ...just a good cover and place to sleep while I am on my Alaska trip.

3) How long did your install take?

4). Any suggestions / recommendations welcome.

 

[fourfa]

2) Stock suspension will definitely be an issue. Stock springs are going to sag, stock shocks are no match for the weight and are going to flop around. I also have a Rubicon and when I started, with only a dead minimal build, it was pretty bad. You need a plan for a suspension build-out

3) mine was 4 days at the installer with a busy shop and a queue. Maybe 4-6 hours with their 100% attention

 

[DR.]

1) The Shadow Awning is amazing. It's expensive but it's also the best one out there.
2) You'll need suspension upgrades. I'd do them before install.
3) Best to ask your installer, especially since you're getting a ModCap which is a different installation procedure.
4) Think about shower/toilet and consider a shower cube as part of your install. It's another great addition.

 

[cug]

A few questions that may be scattered across this thread.

1)For those of you with an Alu Cab canopy camper, how many of you recommend and use the Shadow Awning? I am strongly considering a Mod Cap with tent along with the awning.

2) Will my stock suspension be an issue? I am looking at a minimal build for now, no accessories yet (Except for the possible awning as mentioned above and a back up camera relocation kit) ...just a good cover and place to sleep while I am on my Alaska trip.

3) How long did your install take?

4). Any suggestions / recommendations welcome.

1) It’s excellent. Could be closer to the camper, but the gap has advantages as well.

2) You need stronger suspension. The springs in the rear sag significantly. Everything else re suspension is optional but recommended.

3) A week. But you have to get an install slot. TinyRig did good work for us.

4) Don’t take any interior extras until you KNOW how you will use it. TinyRig charged us MSRP for every piece and some I would not take again (mosquito nets since they don’t work with our furniture, water tank because I think it’s in a stupid place and gravity feed, …). The shower cube is great though.

We had TinyRig swap the door around and put the awning on the other side, it’s something I love but would not do again since it caused a long ripple effect with other things and forced us to design lots of parts ourselves. If you consider this, let me know and I’ll do a full write up of the consequences. Of course TinyRig told us nothing about these.

 

[Steven_B]

1)For those of you with an Alu Cab canopy camper, how many of you recommend and use the Shadow Awning? I am strongly considering a Mod Cap with tent along with the awning. I love mine, I just need to use it more. It's great when it's raining and I can deploy it somewhat near the campfire for rain shelter. Then it becomes the hangout spot for everyone camping. A few years ago my Jeep was in a booth at Overland Expo Colorado, it became a shaded hangout for all the dogs walking the show. I did not mind at all lol.

2) Will my stock suspension be an issue? I am looking at a minimal build for now, no accessories yet (Except for the possible awning as mentioned above and a backup camera relocation kit) ...just a good cover and place to sleep while I am on my Alaska trip. You will want to eventually upgrade. My father ran his on-stock suspension for a while and then swapped out the rear springs for some low-height, higher-rated springs. We still need to do more suspension improvements once the build is complete. Ideally, it's better to upgrade and fine-tune your suspension once the build (accessories installed) is near completion. I started with a basic AEV kit and then upgraded to high-capacity springs once the Jeep got a bit heavier. This is what I am currently running, minus the 8100s shocks and I also have Hellwig rear sway bar. https://trailrecon.com/products/aev-3in-dualsport-rt-high-capacity-lift-kit-w-xp8100-shocks-jt

3) How long did your installation take? I did the installation myself. The most time-consuming part is sealing everything up with Sikaflex. You might be able to ask the installer to do a basic install and that you will take care of the sealing and wiring.

4). Any suggestions / recommendations welcome. Enjoy the build process. I love tinkering with my configuration and coming up with new ideas.

 

[cug]

4). Any suggestions / recommendations welcome.

Oh, and don't check my build thread unless you are willing to spend another fortune and a massive chunk of time ...

 

[JWR_Explore]

2) Stock suspension will definitely be an issue. Stock springs are going to sag, stock shocks are no match for the weight and are going to flop around. I also have a Rubicon and when I started, with only a dead minimal build, it was pretty bad. You need a plan for a suspension build-out

3) mine was 4 days at the installer with a busy shop and a queue. Maybe 4-6 hours with their 100% attention

Thanks for your input.

 

[JWR_Explore]

1) The Shadow Awning is amazing. It's expensive but it's also the best one out there.
2) You'll need suspension upgrades. I'd do them before install.
3) Best to ask your installer, especially since you're getting a ModCap which is a different installation procedure.
4) Think about shower/toilet and consider a shower cube as part of your install. It's another great addition.

Thanks for the input.

 

[JWR_Explore]

Thanks to all of the inputs so far. It's very helpful to have real user input on these expensive and critical decisions.

 

[cug]

Just in case this is interesting for folks here:

Notes:

• We did not add any additional layer to the relatively thin aluminium skin of the camper. But I did design a brace the heater will sit on that attaches to the inside extrusions and has a hole for the heater outlet to go through and then sit on top of the metal. So, this should be solid enough. If this doesn't feel good when assembled, I will add a full on internal brace for the mounting points.
• There is a lot of air in the box that replaces the passenger side molle panel. We had the choice of using an internal tank there or include the silencer directly in the housing and went with the silencer - just less fuzzing around when using the camper and wanting the silencer in place. Also, there is still the option of going to the vehicle tank.
• Exhaust exits at the diagonally opposite corner to the air intake. Air intake also has a silencer attached.
• All recommendations regarding mounting where followed. The Webasto Air Top is okay with this mounting according to the manual.
• The box will get powdercoated in the next few days, we left it raw to drill all the mounting and pass through holes once the positions were figured out and tested.

And now I have a right side molle panel I can't use and probably will sell at some point in the future.

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

So here is my input. I had the Canopy Camper for approx 2 yrs and just swapped to the MODCAP camper.

1)For those of you with an Alu Cab canopy camper, how many of you recommend and use the Shadow Awning? I am strongly considering a Mod Cap with tent along with the awning.

The awning is the one accessory I that I would buy for sure. It becomes very useful when doing simple tasks by the garage, stopping by a lake to eat lunch, etc.


2) Will my stock suspension be an issue? I am looking at a minimal build for now, no accessories yet (Except for the possible awning as mentioned above and a back up camera relocation kit) ...just a good cover and place to sleep while I am on my Alaska trip.

Stock suspension will need to be changed. I also drove for a bit on just the Mopar 2" lift. At the very least, stiffer springs and the Hellwig rear sway bar is what I would start with. For me, I did not want the AEV, I almost changed to them, but decided to stick with Dobinson HD springs. The AEV springs are too tall for what I like. The truck gets heavy so I prefer to stay lower.

3) How long did your install take? / 4). Any suggestions / recommendations welcome.

For the first canopy camper, I did just as others have suggested, I asked for basic install and did all wiring, sealing and shower cube install myself. Install time will all be determined by what you buy along with the camper. The basic install was roughly 5-6 hrs. Now, for the MODCAP, I can tell you that install is about double the time since the camper requires much more assembly on the dealer side. The price is roughly the same as the Canopy Camper but more install time. I helped my local dealer install mine, so I am pretty familiar with the install. I would guess we spent approx 12-15hrs on the install. Install at that moment included the awning, shower cube brackets (a pain to do when the camper is already installed like on my first one) and some basic sealing. NO wiring.

My biggest concern when getting the new camper was "will it leak" since it is two-piece now. The seal that goes around the top and under the sleeper had a few light gaps showing on mine, so I sealed the entire area on the inside of the camper. There are also laser cut slot knock-outs where the sleeper bolts down to the lower canopy in the over-the-cab area. Several of those knock-outs are not used, so be sure they are sealed or water is 100% going to get in. I love several things about the MODCAP, but I liked the stronger structure on the side doors of the other camper better. If you never plan to change the sleeper top to the new 4 person sleeper later, I would suggest grabbing one of the Canopy Campers if you want to save some, install may be cheaper.

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