DIY hard-side rooftop camper build (INTRO)

[@bafmey]

Please keep posting your progress! Looking forward to see how it turns out. Maybe I'll follow your steps and build myself one in the future!

[@Benson4A52]

Great project, can't wait to see where you go with it. If you can make your plans/models available in the future, that'd be awesome.

[@DIY_Davy]

That's the plan!

[@swidahooverlanding2867]

I build foamies which are teardrop trailers made of XPS foam and canvas. My 4'x8' body's with OSB Floor (54lbs), manufactured door (30lbs) and window (10lbs) come in around 130lbs. You can make canvas a live hinge. I am currently making a bicycle trailer 3'x7" that I am experimenting with a foam floor with. The body without windows is 35lbs, I am shooting for under 50lbs total.

[@DIY_Davy]

Thanks for the info. Yea I definitely need to change the materials, it’s just too heavy. Using canvas as a live hinge is super interesting, I’ll have to look into that. Thanks!

[@shekteddy]

Excited for this! I've been eyeing RedTail's Skyloft for a while.. waiting for them to update with more info.. if this project pans out, DIY would be a great option for me! Thanks for doing this!

[@KStewart629]

I just saw they are priced around $30k

[@shekteddy]

@@KStewart629 Redtail’s Skyloft is definitely pricey.. but this DIY option would be way more affordable and customizable to my needs.

[@Adv4x4]

Looks great man! Excited to see how this comes together. I’m also in VA have built a few overland trailers on my channel. DIY is the way!

[@caseynowell3704]

This is awesome! You should make more videos like this

[@DIY_Davy]

More to come!

[@SchlenkAir]

Very cool! I have been thinking about a similar idea for a van, I like where you are going with this.

[@TwistedOmYoga]

Very cool. Keep at it. Stoked for you 🎉

[@DIY_Davy]

Thanks! Will do!

[@ЕвгенийСтен]

Good job Mate!

[@kellstat]

I don't know what your original weight was on rtt, but seems you might need to add 60-80lbs at most. Looks like a pretty good DIY. Hard sides makes sense for lots of reasons. Just to be able to lean against it would be a gamechanger.

[@Vanrchy]

Very cool! Subbed to see it built.

[@salmansaifi2993]

Good job👍

[@ProneToRome]

@diy_davy I see you have already planned your build. My thoughts are… Why build a hard shell that has been done already. You seem like you have ingenuity in spades. Take what you know and make something more similar to roofnest sparrow with all 4 wall being hard. Your top could be solid with a skylight (sunroof) type opening. I think you could actually save weight due to all four sides being triangulated. You could also increase your useable space by 30%, at-least. Just a thought.

[@DIY_Davy]

I appreciate the feedback! Not really trying to innovate here just trying to tick the boxes of what I’d like in my own roof camper. Definitely trade offs for wedge vs box although it may also just be me liking how a wedge looks better haha!

[@ProneToRome]

@@DIY_Davy that’s fair. I have the same shirt bed and don’t want a tent overhanging in front or back. I’ve been toying with the idea of a box style hard wall that has a fold out floor for larger footprint open and 5’ bed footprint when collapsed. It’s a tall order for sure. Your work looks awesome. Can’t wait to see cost and final weight.

[@DIY_Davy]

@@ProneToRome yea i can definitely imagine a design like that being pretty successful if done right!

[@Beardinc]

Maybe consider VIP (vacuum insulated panels)panels for insulation. You cannot drill or puncture them but the insulation value is insane.

[@vagibondremix101]

have you considered foam-filled honeycomb sandwich panels instead of the tubing?

[@DIY_Davy]

Yea they would definitely be ideal but they’re just so expensive, I’ve now shifted my thoughts towards making my own carbon fiber, xps sandwich panels

[@vagibondremix101]

@@DIY_Davy i'd love to know how that goes, I've dabbled in small carbon bits, but never tried any panels larger than about a sq ft

[@eclecticcustoms]

Those tubes in the walls are going to cause cold areas of they go the full thickness of the wall? What about channels instead?

[@DIY_Davy]

They’ll certainly be a source of thermal bridging, thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into channels but I think the difference in surface area and subsequent heat conductivity since the wall tubes will only be 0.5 square tube would be negligible. Also the live rendering while working in fusion 360 sometimes shows certain assemblies passing through others if the material is thin enough so they wouldn’t actually be the full thickness, I wish I caught this artifact earlier because it’s definitely misleading. There is a more accurate depiction fully rendered picture on my Instagram if you’re curious what I’m talking about. The inner hdpe sheet on top of the tube should provide minor insulation and at least protect against condensation.

[@alexk6444]

Looks sick, can't wait to see it finished. Is that last clip driving out of winterpark?

[@DIY_Davy]

Yep up Berthoud pass

[@AdamBurgess-p3g]

Aluminium is going to create moisture on the inside. Which is why the sky loft is carbon fibre inside and out. But who can afford one of those!! I’m hoping you can pull this off and get a good outcome.

[@DIY_Davy]

@@AdamBurgess-p3g I finished this over a year ago now and it works exceptionally especially in the cold I get practically 0 condensation inside even when it’s sub 0 temperatures. Aluminum does have a high heat transfer which is what creates the condensation as the aluminum gets cold. Luckily since only the outer frame is aluminum this doesn’t really matter as the surface area of interior aluminum is pretty negligible.

[@roboteen]

Holy hell, how didn't I see this earlier! I'm just starting to design my own hardshell wedge rtt. I'm aiming for something super light (it's going on a mini countryman, I want to get the weight savings in while still having an rtt). I'm also aiming for a strutless setup, but we'll see how that goes.... I'll be making mine out of rmax 1" foam board insulation, and cover it in either carbon fiber or a canvas. I'll be using a hung system similar to yours as well. I'm excited to see your progress on this. Just one question so far, what cad program are you using?

[@DIY_Davy]

Sounds cool, I’ve actually redesigned since this video and my most recent video show the latest iteration and build where I used 1 inch and .5 inch foam for most of the build and laminated it all with carbon fiber. Total weight is around 170 lbs. Honestly it would be pretty tough to save much more weight on top of that for those dimensions but for something significantly shorter and more narrow I’m sure you could bring the weight down quite a bit. And I’m using Fusion 360 it’s free for hobby use

[@WestonOakeson-fr1pi]

I’ve done something similar already. Don’t recommend the poly living hinge on sides. I found when the tent is collapsed that hinge is laying on top of itself and it will warp if you rivet it.

[@DIY_Davy]

Thanks for sharing, Im actually planning on switching to carbon fiber for the wall and floor panel and using vhb tape to bond the hinge and panel. This should eliminate any warping between either surface. I’ve had some warping issues with rivets in other polypropylene parts myself.

[@JopDeMan-ql6km]

How did you get the redtailoverland pdf info?

[@DavideArzarello]

Very cool project and super design ! look forward to see the implementation by the way is the fusion 360 cad file available ?

[@DIY_Davy]

Not yet, I’m still further refining but everything will be made available after I finish the project in the next few months

[@chendavid8391]

@@DIY_Davy 你好我是David Chen 我來自台灣 , 超高興看到你的作品 , 希望有機會裝在我的SUV (BMW X5 2003 4.6is)

[@ToniPLay-xs8pw]

@@DIY_Davy Will the project be made available?? Any link to download? By the way, excellent work! one more subscriber!

[@jjsto7]

Are you going to post plans?

[@DIY_Davy]

Yes they’re on my website diydavy.com It includes the cad model to make any changes you’d like, written instructions with the technical drawings, parts list and pictures and the materials list

[@angeldortiz2512]

Where or how do you get the layout for the retail Patent No. 11,130,437?

[@carlosmaia2618]

Great job I'm really anxious about the red tail project, I'm interested in doing one of my own, where you find the red tail project? If you do can you please send the link? Because I don't think they will ever ship to my country and if they do it will probably costs a lot more than my car.... Lol 😅

[@KStewart629]

The redtail skyloft is around $30k USD

[@NerminLeto]

2:34 software name ?

[@DIY_Davy]

Fusion 360

[@nasus.r5141]

1:57 from where to download that PDF file.. is there a link you could share with us mate 🙏

[@DIY_Davy]

US Patent #11130437, belongs to Redtail Overland

[@Абейсекара]

Hello bro i need a little help from you

[@GratefulMurphy]

Carbon fiber?

[@DIY_Davy]

Yes, I actually finished building this quite a few months ago now. I wound up using carbon fiber for a large portion of the project.

[@lemonte9807]

the way i see it when it comes to patented stuff.. you can copy and use them as long as you are not selling them. for personal use only unless you're a Chinese manufacturer. 😂

[@laynepipe5760]

Lay your own carbon fiber over fiber glass square tube. Use 1' reflextix foam as a insulation....bam ...saved you 150 lbs bro!

[@DIY_Davy]

I’ve now since (mostly) finished this project. While I didn’t use fiber glass tubing because it’s extremely expensive I did use carbon fiber over aluminum with an epoxy barrier between the two and the whole thing weighs about 170 lbs

[@IndieBuildie]

Forgive me, but this seems like there's a lot of mental/tech/digital stroking going on here. Just because you CAN do all of this in CAD, doesn't make it all that practical. Kinda defeats the DIY aspect at the price point too. Smart kid though. Less overthinking, more building dude.

[@DIY_Davy]

I was hoping to give others inspiration and technical insight into how a hard-side camper could be built during the time it took me to build my own which as of now is almost identical to my original CAD design as I have completed the majority of it now. I wouldn't expect most others to use CAD to design all their projects first as I do and clearly, the video isn't a lesson on how to work with CAD software, however as a college student DIYer it's much more cost-effective and thus more in the DIY spirit to design virtually to test feasibility before spending thousands of dollars on materials in hopes it will all work. The next few videos will be the actual fabrication/build of the camper if that's more your speed.

[@michaelarchangelthehammer]

What is the program you use to 3d it?

[@DIY_Davy]

I use fusion 360, it’s free for hobby use.