alu-cabin installed!

Initial impressions: it's amazing! Really stoked. The guys at Tiny Rig Co. did a great job on the install. day 1 photo album

Tomorrow I'm planning to finish building and installing my electrical system. Thread for that here.

I need to figure out how to get my backup camera installed. I have one I think will fit well right between the 3rd brake light and the alu-cab door. If anyone has experience or advice on that, I'm all ears. Not really sure what to do just yet. I have this Kenwood CMOS-740hd camera. I was hoping I could just use the existing wiring from the camera integrated into the tailgate handle. Initial look around and I can't figure out what happened to those wires when the tailgate was removed.

I think I'd like to get a roof rack over the cab at some point. Both for practicality and because all that dead space looks weird. I'm also pretty interested in the slide out table sold by alu-cabin. It hangs from the overhang of the alu-cab above the truck cab. It's not available for doublecab trucks yet though. And then there's that big wedge between the cab and the alu-cabin. Seems like it could be put to really good use. Any ideas?

This shell has so many t-slot rails or whatever they're called. I'm going to need to become proficient in working with it. Really exciting because it gives so much flexibility. I think I'm going to keep everything very minimalistic and industrial. Everything mounted to t slots and unistrut.

I added the awning last minute and I'm really happy I did. It's a lot of money but it's so damn easy to use. I just need to figure out how to rig up some tarps as walls when I'm planning to be somewhere for an extended period.

Didn't notice any wind noise or effects to the overall driving experience. It's probably in my head but the ride actually felt a little better. That could definitely be credited to finally getting my accutune'd rear kings shocks loaded correctly. They were calibrated for the weight of the camper so they've been underloaded I guess technically.

 

I’m in the process of installing an alu-cabin. (2018 Tundra CM). Work is being done by OK4WD in NJ. I’ll get the part number but they are putting the backup camera above the door. I too am totally pumped. Here is the initial build out. Got the heater, solar, slide table, and 50L water tank. Would love to connect on other options you’re considering. Im planning on adding a fridge/freezer. Also looking at dash/rear camera as well as a ham system that can be mobile/mobile-base. Any and all suggestions welcome.

 

Any new pics, updates?
How are you liking it so far?

 

Beefy looking setup. Another member just posted about their bed pinch welds fracturing after install of one of these heavy bed rail Mounted cabs. May want to check the status of yours and reinforce if needed.

 

Completed a road trip - started in NJ on 6/15 and returned on 7/10 - the map is the trip out.
The Alu_Cab (and Tundra avg 11-12 MPG avg HW speed 80) performed great! I traveled west with my brother and two 60lb dogs staying in MS for two nights to visit my cousin.

In Bozeman, my son put in very good wood flooring. He has his own fine finishing company so let me know if you want his contact if you're in the area. Next time I'm out there we are going to build cabinets.

I opted to get the two rear storm flaps/screens and one for the rear door. Ample enough airflow. I had no problem with bugs.

I also got the 50L water tank that I did not need on this trip and did not need the extra weight. I will use it for extended trips when I'm back out west. Loads of places to play.

The fireplace was a good addition. Since having it in April I had to use it about 8 times - 4 times getting used to the cabin in the early spring here in NJ and 4 times on the road trip. On the Madison river one night - it dipped into the 40s. Also one night, the temperature dropped and things suddenly got really damp. The fireplace dried things out in short order.

Let me know if there are any questions - I'll try to answer them.

I have some pics in my media file but cannot seem to be able to post them - new to this forum any help would be most appreciated.

 

Been a while and not sure if OP is following this thread, but any updates?
Seems like you would have some experience with this by now curious if you could share some pros and cons you have noticed so far and how you like it so far after more time with it.

 

In the ~9 months I've had the alu cabin I would guess I've spent a total of at least 50+ nights in the canopy. Quick overview of my trips:

• Grand Canyon South Rim
• Sedona (Schnebly Hill)
• Petrified Forest
• Moab / Arches / Canyonlands / Capitol Reef
• Alstrom Point
• Palomar Mountain

I've also been to at least 4 different camping/music/yoga festivals.

I've seen a pretty huge range of temperatures and experiences in my first ~year. From sweltering summer days around Arizona to below freezing nights in Jacumba, CA. As far as sleeping and comfort, surprising no one, the cabin is pretty dang comfortable regardless of the heat. It doesn't do great in the cold. I have a really bare boned setup though. No insulation. No heater. In some ways I feel like I'm actually colder in the canopy than I would be in a tent. I think that has to do with the ground being a good insulator. The below freezing nights were pretty miserable even in sleeping bags, full thermals, beanie, etc. That's really just cold camping so I don't think it's a downside of the alu cabin necessarily.

A few people said beefy... that's fair. It all feels incredibly solid and sturdy. I don't think I'll ever have any issues with the construction of this thing. One of my convenience outlets 'upstairs' went out and alu cabin sent me a replacement (via Tiny Rig Co.). Haven't replaced yet, but seems easy.

One thing I didn't really understand up front, and it's only a minor annoyance, but there are at least three different sizes of the slotted rails on the camper. That was one of the huge selling points for me (the slotted rails everywhere), and it's frustrating to have a whole plan based on the assumption that X rail will take the same size fittings as Y rail, but then it turns out it's different.

On the aesthetics, sometimes it looks absolutely badass. Sometimes I think it looks kinda lame. Lol. The overhang just looks odd with the Tundra cab. I really want to create a custom rack/storage solution in that overhang area above the cab. If I had all the money and time in the world I would love to remove my rear window and install a custom metal panel of some sort there that has tiedown points, etc. for things like recovery gear. And if I was realllyyyy going all in, to put like a locking gate/door type thing on this area.

I also installed the water tank and the awning from alu cab. Later I purchased the annex walls. The water tank is great. Right now I don't have a very permanent setup. I have a pump/accumulator rigged up in a small box and just strap all the piping together when I want to use it. The awning is amazing. I have put it through some seriously tough winds. One night an adjacent easy up was thrown 20 ft in the air by a rogue dust devil. Completely mangled it. Someone had attached their string lights between my awning and that easy up. My alu cab awning was the anchor point for that easy up during that whole thing and it left no lasting damage. Really impressive. Everyone that sees it is blown away by how easy it sets up and how sturdy it is. I am not a huge fan of the annex. In one of my colder weekends of camping at a festival it was really nice to have a place to get out of the wind. But it just takes foreeevver to set up and take down. Two people working full time on the annex will take at least two hours. So many attachment points, tie downs, guy-lines, etc. Bare minimum use case to be worth the effort is 3 days. And even then don't expect a tight seal. Snow, rain, dust, will all enter pretty much freely. Every intersection is wide open aside from the points you've velcroed it to your attachment point.

I've questioned this whole project more than a few times to be totally candid. The alu cabin is awesome. The tundra is awesome. But living in San Diego is not a convenient place to own a truck. And the majority of the trips I've taken I haven't needed the offroading capability of the Tundra. Further, while super convenient relative to a tent, the alu cabin is still much more work intensive than a van. A minimally built out Ford Transit AWD would have yielded more overall convenience in comparison. I have probably only gone 2-3 places an AWD Transit on 33s couldn't have made it. And if you consider the $5-10k I've spent on shocks, tuning, new leaf springs, underbody protection... Well I probably could have had a van that would have been able to make those climbs... Buuuut then I remember how much fun it is to drive my Tundra. And how badass it looks. And how I *never* question whether or not it is going to start or finish a trip. And then I remember why I went this route instead of a van.

I have definitely been wanting to get some bed stiffeners. I'm kind of waiting to see how my build progresses so I don't install one that interferes. I don't have big plans for a buildout. But I would really like to permanently install my water and power. The power system is all stored in one of those 27 gal storage bins. It's nice and secure and really could live there forever, but it probably uses about 15% of my total floor space, and really could be installed under the water tank such that it takes virtually none of my floor space.

Here's a little imgur album of some of my festivities and travels in the camper! https://imgur.com/gallery/42Jw5Rj

 

Nice read...thanks for sharing! I thinking about buy Alu-cab, as well. Just like yours & have been doing a lot research since seeing one at the Alabama Hills- off hy 395!
Now, I just searching to find a used one! Reply if you hear of one!

 

@W3agle - a couple comments and a question....

I appreciate the honesty and offer some feedback on your note about relative tent convenience vs. a van. Backstory, I had a taco in many various sleeping setups (bed platform with a softopper, bed platform with a RSI smartcap, and full GFC camper). I needed something bigger because of dogs and boats and all the things, so I sold the taco and built a Sprinter. I currently have a 4x4 sprinter on 34s with all the fixings. For sure, you can't beat the convenience of pulling up to a spot and be camping in 3 mins or less, but there's a lot of inconvenience to it, too. It gets real small, real quick when you have another person and a couple dogs. Cleanup is constant...there is no "just throw it in the bed for later" mentality. You have to be meticulous on where things are stored or they fly across the van on every bump. Prepping the van go move (taking down window covers, readjusting the swivel seats, stowing canopies, etc) doesn't get much quicker with the van than it was buttoning things up with my GFC. Lastly, despite what all the Youtubers say about awesome offroad suspension from Vancompass or Agile, handling on the vans sucks. I have 10k into my suspension and it still rides like shit (though, way better than stock). It's nothing compared to a well tuned truck for off road.

Long rant short, after only a year in my van it is currently for sale and I'm moving back to a truck. The van is great for a lot of things, but I've settled on the notion that the full cost isn't worth the realized benefits. Hope that helps.

That said...my question, since you're honest...how well does that Tundra/Alu-Cab pair as far as payload and power on the highway? When I put a GFC on my Tacoma it killed all the enjoyment of driving it. The 5.7 on the tundy is a totally different story. What are your thoughts on drivability?

 

Can the window be open (where the back roll down window of the truck is,) so long items can be slide through?