The following is an interview with Greg Tucknies, National Sales Manager for Adventurer Manufacturing, about the 2012 changes to Adventurer truck campers.


TCM: What has changed at Adventurer for 2012?

Greg: Adventurer is the number one selling truck camper brand in Canada and has been for many years.  Since our move from Canada to Yakima, Washington in the Spring of 2008, we have become a prominent truck camper manufacturer in the United States as well.  Due to lower property costs, labor rates, and a more favorable situation with the exchange rate in the United States, we were able to reduce the costs of our campers by 11-15% across the board. 

For 2012, we have made even more progress in our efforts to be a value leader in the truck camper marketplace and to reduce the weight of our products.  Practically everything in our campers has been significantly improved for 2012.

Above: The new Adventurer graphics for their 2012 models

TCM: What has Adventurer changed for 2012 on the exterior of its campers?

Greg: The first thing people will notice is our new graphics.  While the new graphics are not as bold as some other manufacturers, they give the Adventurer line an updated and appealing aesthetic.  It’s a very nice change.

We have upgraded our ladders to TopLine’s Phat Ladder for all Adventurer truck campers except for our small eight foot models.

Above: The new camper guides for their 2012 models

Perhaps a more exciting innovation for 2012 is our new camper guides.  Our camper guides taper in to help you load a truck camper inside the wheel wells.

TCM: Are those the camper guides that Rob Rapose has been developing for a few years?

Greg: Yes they are.  They work well and are now standard on all Adventurer truck campers for 2012.

We also added a three-eighths inch rubber pad on the bottom of all 2012 models except for the eight-foot models.  The rubber pad is non-slip and helps to keep a camper in place.  Before you needed to add a rubber mat in your truck bed.  Now it’s built onto your camper.

After careful consideration, we have deleted the roof rack on all of our camper models.  We want to make our campers as maintenance free as possible.  Eliminating the roof rack eliminated a lot of holes in the roof.

Above: The nose wrap sealing process

Speaking of less maintenance, we also eliminated the front nose fiberglass cap for 2012 and now use a full nose G3 Fiberglass wrap for all models.

Above: The front nose with the new nose wrap

The result is a front nose aesthetic that is smoother, cleaner, and more automotive in style.  More importantly, we have added full insulation to the front nose and have employed major improvements to our front nose sealing processes.

We also have been able to reduce about 75 to 127 pounds from each model this year.

Above: The Lite Ply and standard plywood

TCM: Wow.  How did you take that much weight out of each camper?

Greg: It was a concentrated effort by the whole Adventurer team.  We changed to Lite Ply plywood, which is 40% lighter than three-quarter inch plywood and is a stronger structural material.  We often show identically sized pieces of Lite Ply and three-quarter inch plywood to guests who tour our factory.  The difference isn’t subtle.

Above: Azdel front and back

 

TCM: No, it’s not.  We’ve seen Lite Ply and it is impressively light in the hand compared to more traditional plywood.  Are you also using Azdel?

Greg: Yes, that’s another material we’re using to reduce the weight in our campers.  We are replacing the Luan plywood in our sidewalls with Azdel, a thermoplastic composite that is impervious to water.  We used Azdel in limited applications for 2011, but we’re using it across the board for 2012. 

Another advantage for Azdel is that it allows for a tighter bond with our TCC® lamination system.  With our change to Azdel, we lose about 60% of the weight compared to using Luan plywood.

Above: The Albus inserts are on the right and aluminum tubing is on the left

We also changed the pine or fir wood inserts in our anchor points to a wood called Albus.  Albus gives us stronger anchor point, and it gives us about 35% weight reduction.  Albus is a fast growing farmed product, so we’re not wasting natural resources.  Albus can be quickly replenished and replaced. 

TCM: Where does Adventurer learn about new materials and weight reduction techniques?

Greg: Dave Frampton, Adventurer’s Product Development Manager, and Dave Catron, our Engineer, are constantly looking at new products, materials, and techniques.  They look for the latest and greatest, but wait until it becomes price effective and refined.  We also do a lot on testing new products, materials, and processes before implementation.  We need to make sure the things we’re evaluating will last for many years to come.

TCM: How about the interior changes for Adventurer for 2012?

Greg: We have three all new fabric choices, camel, platinum, and creekside, with a two tone combination designed by our interior designer.

We changed the interior wood cabinetry color to be a little darker.  It’s a Melrose Maple, which is a medium maple tone.  In the past we’ve gotten comments about the wood color in Adventurer campers being too light, so we now have the Melrose Maple.

We’ve now added Ozite fabric to the ceiling and sleeper floor, which improves both insulation and sound absorption in the camper.

The stereo is also new for 2012.  We are using a Jensen AM/FM/CD/DVD stereo with a built in selector switch for the interior or exterior speakers.  It also has iPod connections and USB connections. 

We went from a fifteen inch to a nineteen inch twelve volt television.  Using a 12-volt television means  no  need for an inverter to use the television allowing longer battery life.  Jensen has set up a customer quality assurance program called “Peace of Mind” with twenty-four hour customer service.  If there’s a problem that’s not an adjustment or user error, they will ship you out a new stereo or television with shipping included both ways.  They’ve really put together a nice program for us.

Above: Kaper II LED lights on the exterior

TCM: That is a nice program.  At Five Star RV, we saw that Adventurer has gone to LED exterior lighting for 2012.

Greg: Yes, for 2012 we’ve changed to Kaper II LED lights on all of our exterior lights tail, backup, clearance and even our patio lights are now LED.

TCM: Kaper II?

Greg: Kaper II is a new manufacturer in the industry out of Kelso, Washington.  They are a close supplier for us and have different colors and tones of LED lights.  We get good pricing from Kaper II, and changing to LED lighting made sense for increasing Adventurer’s value.

Above: The LED lighting on the rear of an Adventurer 86FB
 

TCM: Are you still going through and updating the older (pre-move) Adventurer models or has that process been completed? 

Greg: This year we’ve converted everything to our United States build.

TCM: Any other changes to existing Adventurer models?

Greg: Our 80GS now has an electric slide instead of a manual slide.  It slides in and out easier and seals much better.  The electric slide on the 80GS has been a very nice addition for 2012.  Most importantly, at 1,466 pounds dry weight, there has been no net weight gain.  We were able to save weight through our 2012 material changes.

One of the past concerns with the 106DBS was that the dinette slide was not deep enough.  Now we have a deeper slide which gives you more floor space in that model.

In the 950B, our bunk model, we changed the dinette configuration.  Customers wanted a little more counter space and storage, so we also changed the galley design.  It’s now angled like the 86FB.

The thing I’m most excited about for 2012 is that we were able to hold our pricing.  On average, we only went up .8% (eight tenths of one percent), with all of these changes and the added features.

TCM: Since our first visit to Adventurer in 2007, the company has used both aluminum and wood framing in its campers.  Is that still the approach in 2012?

Greg: That’s correct.  With our TCC® lamination and construction process, the structure inside the laminated walls is relatively insignificant.  We don’t see the wood or aluminum being of structural interest or value.  The key is our TCC® process, not the framing material.  That’s why we offer the same three year structural warranty no matter how it’s framed.

TCM: Are you using CNC beyond just cutting your raw aluminum and wood materials? 

Greg: We’re still on the fence about the value of converting to CNC for routing sidewalls.  CNC has some benefits, but has significant cost factors as well.  When I worked at Western Recreational Vehicles, we had CNC routers.  The problem was that sometimes they would get tweaked and it would throw everything off.  We are looking at that technology.  We’re even looking at some robotics, but we are doing our due diligence first.  We need to keep our costs and our product costs down to remain a value leader in the marketplace.

TCM: Any changes to the quality control process at Adventurer?

Greg: Yes, our quality assurance process has changed quite a bit.  Brad Boyle is now our Quality Assurance and Warranty Administrator Manager.  Miguel Garcia, who you featured in our 2010 factory tour, is also still on quality assurance.  We also have a new guy who is being trained by Brad to cover our other production line.

Jim DeBord and I on the sales side of it are also out there routinely spot checking the campers and we are the ones responsible for setting the standards for quality assurance.  Our dealers have been telling us that each camper load keeps getting better and better, that’s the true gauge when the dealer and customer are making those types of comments.  We are striving to be the number one camper brand in both countries.

TCM: Are any models being discontinued for 2012?

Greg: The 90FWS and 85WS are the only two models that are discontinued for 2012.  The 86FB has been our best seller in 2011 and replaces both of those older models.  We are running thirty to forty 86FB campers at a time.  The 86FB totally hits the mark with a large wet bath and a face-to-face dinette.  It’s hitting the mark across the board.

TCM: It is a very impressive floor plan if you’re looking for a hard-side, non-slide, wet bath camper.  It’s certainly up our alley.  Is Adventurer hiring?

Greg: Yes.  We are hiring as many quality team members as we can find for our production team.  We have a very stringent screening process and background check.  Recently we’ve been hiring fifteen to twenty people a week.

I’m finishing up our sales projections for next year right now.  In 2011, if we don’t sell another unit, we will have a 39% increase with Adventurer truck campers.  Next year our projection is that we’ll be up another 43% over this year.  That’s just in truck campers. 

We’re growing and getting better.  I think Adventurer is the best kept secret out there. We’re really excited.  We are welcoming new dealers.  Come see us in Louisville at spot 1520.

TCM: That’s all good news for the economy.  We’ll see you in Louisville for more up close time with the new 2012 Adventurer product.  Thanks Greg.

Greg: You’re welcome.