Flip-Pac Shells

Yes i've been on that site before. I was just wondering because I plan on taking a lot of baja surf trips and was just wondering if it was possible to mount surf racks on it.

 

I believe Wasurf and Tacodoc both do surfing trips. Pm either one and find out.

 

So, what makes AT's version more beefed up for off roading than the stock? I am buying one this winter and cant really see any difference. At's website doesnt really give details as to why theirs is more than $1,000.00 over the factory price.

 

There has been considerable debate about differences between the FRP Flippac and AT flippac. There is no difference even though AT states theirs are different. Several people, myself included, have talked with the folks at FRP where all the shells are manufactured and they have expressly stated there is no difference. Now if you choose no side windows/windoors of course it will be stronger.

I love my flippac. Heading to Utah next month. Can't wait. This year I have already done several trips.

 

Those Flip-Pac's look pretty neat, I like the fact that you have quite a bit of room in the bed when they are closed.
For the money though, has anyone considered the slide in campers that pop up.
I had one for a while and like having a kitchen, table etc.
Four Wheel campers look like they have some nice ones.

Shawn

 

If I had the coin and a place to store a slide in like Four Wheel Campers version I would have one. They are awesome. I have camped with a guy who has one and everything is built in. They are pricey. Two guys on Expedition Portal have done some very nice builds with flippacs. So for the money you can't beat a flippac. Now there would be some competition if Wildernest came back on the market. Unfortunately there is no news in the Wildernest world.

 

After I posted, I checked out Four Wheel Campers. Your right, I didn't realize how expensive they were.

I had an older slide in camper from another manufacturer (see photo's). I sold it for $1500.00 it was in great shape. Guess I should have asked for more!

Anyways, sorry for getting off topic, back to Flip Pacs!


Shawn

 

It looks really cool but I need to go camping more to justify it. Going on my first camp trip next weekend in my truck, but we just gonna sleep in an air mattress under the camper shell.

 

If you have a shell already it will be difficult to justify the price of a flippac. I had a tonneau cover and a sleeping platform. If I had a shell I might not have had such a great desire to get a flippac. I don't really like shells per se. Having a flippac is awesome though. Even If I slept in the back with it closed there is a lot of headroom. With it open you can stand up and change clothes, etc. Once you start going on a couple trips you will begin thinking of more and more places to visit.

 

I posted to this thread several times last year, then bailed. Sorry.

I have not personally seen an AT Flippac, mine is from FRP. I've had mine on some pretty rough trails; Elephant Hill and Bobby's Hole at Canyonlands, Baja, etc. Not just forest roads. Probably have a dozen trips or more. The only problem I have with mine is that the top, flip open portion has shifted over slightly at the back. It still closes and latches and seals properly though. I think this is from some very steep, rocky descents with no sway bar on the truck. Other than that, nothing. Don't know why they would need to be more heavy duty, thicker walls, what? I have very nearly laid my rig on it's side, run it under low hanging branches, all the usual trail stuff and the only damage I have is from low clearance in my garage.

 

I also surf in Baja from time to time. I have not figured out a good rack system. There is very little clearance between the top of the truck and the bed of the Flippac when its open. I usually use a soft rack and strap my board to the top of the unit with the strap going completely through the shell. The board has to come off before you can open your tent anyway. If anybody has a more elegant solution, please post up some pics.

I'd go to Baja to surf more if I could caravan with another rig, or just had someone to ride shotgun. I live in New Mexico, so its not just a hop over the border for me and other surfers are kinda nonexistant.

 

I have this problem too. Not sure if the whole shell has shifted a little bit or if part of the opening mechanism has shifted. I think it is the latter. One time when I was closing the top, the left side caught up against the clasp and tweaked the fiberglass a little bit. Now I always shut the right side first. It doesn't seal well on the left side either.

There is a guy called viking vince on the EP website. He mounted a small rack on his flippac. The problem is that the torsion bar is only rated for so much weight. Even with an empty rack when you open the flippac it puts more stress on the bar and can cause failure-cracking! I don't suggest you do it.

 

My problem is exactly as you describe, slightly shifted at the rear and just barely clears the the latch. I also close one side first. That said, it has self corrected a bit. Maybe a bump to the other side? I also always suspected the trouble was at the front but there is no sign of any damage. Anyway, its not really a problem.

I haven't tried to put on any sort of rack for the same reason. The space available to build any sort of rack is a little less than three inches as I remember. Whatever gets built will have to be on some sort of quick disconnect 'cus it's all got to come off whenever you want to flip the top anyway. I'd like to be able to put a surfboard and a kayak up there for Mexico trips, but just haven't put all that much effort into it yet. Let me know if you come up with something.

 

An inflatable kayak is on my list. That way just deflate and throw it in the back with the rest of the camping kit.

 

Awesome set up but my only complaint is it's so damn ugly all packed away

 

Yes they are super ugly. Function over fashion.

 

Hey fellas,
Okay, so I just got my Adventure Trailer flip-pac installed on my 09' mag grey DBL cab. And for the record, It is awesome! I totally love it! And here's what I know about the difference from FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Products) and AT (Adventure Trailers). First off, Adventure Trailers does a better job sealing all of the seams between the bed rails and the shell as well as the seams where the lid of the shell and the top of the shell meet when the flip-pac closes. Also AT has much better options for lights with far better LED's, outlets, fuses and so forth. I have heard that they double the wall of there fiberglass but I'm not totally sure about that as I have not asked AT or FRP about that. I also think that AT has a much more bomber rainfly, but that might be another thing to check with AT to confirm as I don't know what FRP uses. So those things may be worth it to you or maybe not. But here is the main thing that you pay for with Adventure Trailers...... Customer F-ing service! FRP doesn't have any idea what that means! They are absolutely terrible at it! I mean complete and total crap! In my experience at least. And Adventure Trailers is awesome in this regard. So when you order a flip-pac, AT pays FRP "in full" their share of your payment to build the fiberglass foundation and material of your custom flip-pac. So FRP basically doesn't give a crap when they finish it because they already have all of your money. The timeline that I was given was from the time of order placed with AT was 8-10 weeks until completion and install. But Adventure Trailers told me in person that FRP is known for delays and it may take a little longer, so I prepared myself for that. So months went on and Adventure Trailers did a great job of keeping in contact with me about how they are urging FRP to complete their portion of the build. Martyn at Adventure Trailers has the daunting task of calling FRP on a DAILY BASIS and urging them to finish on there target timeframe. And the way it sounds to me is almost everyday he calls, no answer and zero callback from FRP. If you browse Expedition Portal forum you will see this same behavior from FRP in regards to fixing any component of a flip-pac from quite a few customers. So in my opinion, dealing with FRP directly is to be avoided at all costs. So all and all it took (21 weeks) double the projected timeline for FRP to complete their portion of the build for my shell. And the day it was finished Adventure Trailers drove from Arizona to California, picked it up and brought it back to Prescott, Az. Installed AT's better lights, and fixed an FRP light location error and had it installed on my truck in 3 hours! So in short, Adventure Trailers, worked their butts off and FRP were very unprofessional and incompetent in hitting their timeframe BUT!!! Here's the good news, the AT version of the Flip-pac is well made and really great! So, the combined finished product from FRP and AT is worth the long wait, but be prepared that when you order, there is no telling when FRP will get around to finishing their portion your shell. And yes, once I figure out how, I will definitely put up some pics.

Lastly, I wanted to say that I'm sorry if this post comes off really negative and maybe some folks have had really great service from FRP but I certainly did not, so I figured it was worth mentioning.

 

My experience with FRP was different. They told me six weeks, I set up a day and time for install, and it was all good. They knew I was driving out from New Mexico to Riverside though. However, I agree with cc tacoma, FRP's customer service sucks. Call them about something and thy either are too busy to be bothered to give you a decent answer, or they don't return your call. Forget email. Flippacs are not their principal business, maybe that's why.

The stock light supplied with my FRP Flippac was junk. Just some cheap camper light and installed in a spot that'd be hard to get to with any camping gear in the back of your truck. But I had planned to put new LEDS in several places in the shell part, and 12v outlets, and LEDs up in the tent, and new switching, so that was a wash for me personally. My water pump switch, second OBA switch and other stuff were planned to be back there as well so mine was to be modded before it even got used.

I don't know what differences there are between AT's rainfly, and the one supplied by FRP. The one I got from FRP needed some extra grommets put into it around the edges. These are big rainflys, on big tents and unless they're tied down pretty tight, they get noisy in really windy conditions. Mine is a blue plastic over canvas (or something) affair that's fairly thick. It's never leaked and is not difficult to put up. It's been rained on, hailed on, and snowed on and has kept me dry, even in howling wind. Someday maybe I'll get to see ATs version and compare. But if it ain't broke...

There is a very wide, three tube seal on the bed rail of my truck, supplied by FRP at install. It's never leaked, and believe me, it's been tested. Same with the seal of the top to the shell. A couple of minor little leaks that got dirty water on spots on the tent about the size of a dollar bill. But that was in a serious, driving rainstorm. Still, it's a leak I guess.

My FRP Flippac has seen a fair amount of abuse and has served me well, and continues to do so and shows no stress cracking anywhere. I hear great things about the AT ones too. But worth the extra cash? I don't know. If the torsion bar fails and I have to deal with FRP, maybe not so good. But if one of these things looks good to you, go for it. For the right person/situation, they are just the perfect solution. And yeah, I have to admit, pretty they aren't. But at the end of a long day, when your stuff is set up in a couple minutes and everybody else is still dragging stuff out of the back of their rigs, they look really, really beautiful.

 

My truck before and after AT flip pac.

 

This website is new and seems to keep a good list of Flip Pac's that are for sale


http://flippac-owners.com/forum/index.php