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Been mulling some ideas, of course, I don't have the space, nor the shop equipment to build this..but I can't help but think that there has to be a market for a compact SUV based RV campers...in the vein of the old VW Microbus campers or the Toyota 4x4 Previa campers..... and taking the idea from Land Rover Defender 110 Ambulance bodied models, along with the similar Mercedes Benz G-wagen box van conversions.........
Looking at the 2 door Kia Sportage and the 4 door I have, and since both are body-on-frame models, and can be had with 4x4 drivetrains.. I thought; why not combine the features of a small teardrop RV trailer, with the 4x4 compact SUV systems.......
I know for sure, my 4 door has roughly 5 feet of length from the front seat backs to the hatch opening, and roughly 4 feet space between the wheel wells... But the roof is not even 7 feet long, due to the angles involved, so a pop-up tent roof similar to Ursa Minor's Honda Element top or JK-wrangler is right out of the window.
Surely RV companies should be able to market a line of compact camper/rvs with 4x4 and body-on-frame construction, but the question is...are there any left other than the Jeep JK line?
Land Rover ambulance
Jeep JK camper conversions
Ursa Minor conversions, both JK and Honda Element
And the concept body shape that I would like to see... maybe a little longer, and not as an ambulance?
I have some sketches of what I'd like to see done, doesn't need to be a Kia sportage based vehicle but it's what I have and what I was thinking....
I know the simplest would be to remove the rear seats, build a bed platform, and jerry rig a pop up roof tent, although I don't think that's easily feasible due to the short roof and the angles involved... well, not as easy as just chop the back off a 2 door Sportage body and then weld up supports, then build a boxy rear body with aluminum or steel channel and skin it in either sheet steel, or laminated wood/fiberglass a boxy body would allow one to maximize space for stuff and make things so much easier to measure/cut/engineer around. This could be done with similar vehicles, say the Geo/Chevy Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick/Vitara, or any small 4x4 body on frame vehicles that had both 2 and 4 door lengths.... Not sure a Colorado truck is small enough for this.
Trend seems to be converting Transit Connects into campers, but I doubt they have any real off-road capability. Also noted that most of the compact "SUV"s are now crossovers based on unibody car/van platforms.
Looking at the 2 door Kia Sportage and the 4 door I have, and since both are body-on-frame models, and can be had with 4x4 drivetrains.. I thought; why not combine the features of a small teardrop RV trailer, with the 4x4 compact SUV systems.......
I know for sure, my 4 door has roughly 5 feet of length from the front seat backs to the hatch opening, and roughly 4 feet space between the wheel wells... But the roof is not even 7 feet long, due to the angles involved, so a pop-up tent roof similar to Ursa Minor's Honda Element top or JK-wrangler is right out of the window.
Surely RV companies should be able to market a line of compact camper/rvs with 4x4 and body-on-frame construction, but the question is...are there any left other than the Jeep JK line?
Land Rover ambulance
Jeep JK camper conversions
Ursa Minor conversions, both JK and Honda Element
And the concept body shape that I would like to see... maybe a little longer, and not as an ambulance?
I have some sketches of what I'd like to see done, doesn't need to be a Kia sportage based vehicle but it's what I have and what I was thinking....
I know the simplest would be to remove the rear seats, build a bed platform, and jerry rig a pop up roof tent, although I don't think that's easily feasible due to the short roof and the angles involved... well, not as easy as just chop the back off a 2 door Sportage body and then weld up supports, then build a boxy rear body with aluminum or steel channel and skin it in either sheet steel, or laminated wood/fiberglass a boxy body would allow one to maximize space for stuff and make things so much easier to measure/cut/engineer around. This could be done with similar vehicles, say the Geo/Chevy Tracker/Suzuki Sidekick/Vitara, or any small 4x4 body on frame vehicles that had both 2 and 4 door lengths.... Not sure a Colorado truck is small enough for this.
Trend seems to be converting Transit Connects into campers, but I doubt they have any real off-road capability. Also noted that most of the compact "SUV"s are now crossovers based on unibody car/van platforms.