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Matt Ward of Hallmark RV debuts the new 2010 Hallmark Nepal, a Hallmark designed for the extremes of expedition and overland travel. Goodbye pavement. Hello off-road!
As you read this, Matt Ward and his brother Andy are at the 2010 Overland Expo in Arizona showing off Hallmark’s state-of-the-art off-road, off-the-grid, expedition/overland truck campers. Matt’s truck features the Hallmark K2, Hallmark’s first camper targeting the overland market. Andy’s truck features the new 2010 Hallmark Nepal.
Before heading out from Colorado to Arizona, Matt sent us a few photos of the new camper and talked to us about what makes the Nepal the new off-road benchmark for Hallmark.
2010 Hallmark Nepal floor plan
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Matt Ward's original bumper drawing
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The new Hallmark Nepal
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TCM: What was the original vision behind the Nepal?
Matt: I wanted to take what we had learned last year from producing the K2, including the built in cassette toilet, and take it to the next level. The result is the Nepal. We are very excited about the Nepal and have even more ideas in the works.
TCM: Was the cassette toilet feature in the K2 a hit with your customers?
Matt: Yes, it was. Since we debuted the K2 with the built-in cassette toilet, more and more of our customers have requested that feature. It allows them to use their camper in the winter and not worry about closed dump stations.
TCM: Tell us about the design and development process for the Nepal.
Matt: I started developing the Nepal by sketching on napkins and graph paper. Then I sat down with dad and we started formally engineering the design and bringing it into reality.
TCM: How is the Nepal different than the K2?
Matt: Essentially, the Nepal is a K2 floorplan that’s moved around slightly. The first thing you’ll notice is that we shrank the kitchen by twenty-seven inches and the dinette is now against the front wall. These changes give the Nepal more sleeping and sitting space. The goal was to make a more functional camper in a smaller package. I think our customers are going to love it.
TCM: On the K2 you really pushed Hallmark in some new directions for materials. Did you explore any new materials for the Nepal?
Matt: The one place where I’m pushing our design with the Nepal is with a rear aluminum bumper from Aluminess. Right now the Aluminess bumper is part of the prototype Nepal and isn’t ready for the public. Over the next few weeks I look forward to testing the bumper with the Nepal and hope to make it available soon.
TCM: What led you to integrate an Aluminess aluminum bumper into the Nepal?
Matt: I saw a Truck Camper Magazine article with truck campers in Iceland. They had aluminum storage boxes on the rear bumpers and it got me inspired in that direction.
TCM: Any other big changes?
Matt: Yes. We used stainless steel for the countertops in the Nepal prototype.
TCM: Isn’t steel a heavy material for a counter?
Matt: The steel we’re using is so thin at an eighth of an inch that it does not add too much to the weight of our campers. We like the material a lot and think the public will like it too. Now we need to figure out if stainless steel counters are feasible for production.
The Interior of the Nepal
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Andy Ward and the Nepal
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Television cabinet in the Nepal
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TCM: We understand that your brother, Andy Ward, was also involved in the Nepal.
Matt: Yes. As I started getting the Nepal going, Andy put his own input into it. He wanted to see a television integrated into the design, so he developed a television cabinet that comes out of the rear cabinet. Andy also has a good decorating eye and gave us a lot of good direction there. He’s putting the prototype Nepal on his truck for the Overland Expo.
Jody, our Production Manager, has also been great on this project. Once again he’s been positive and has come up with great ideas like the flip-up counter extension on the kitchen side. He’s also been very patient with me and my crazy light fetish. Jody is a great part of the Hallmark team.
TCM: What kinds of options will be available for a Nepal?
Matt: It will be optioned very much like a Milner. There will be no hot water heater available but, if you want hot water, we have a solution. You can screw in a hose and have an on demand hot water system. We are excited about on demand hot water heaters for winter campers because, if they don’t want to use it, they can leave it at home.
The Ecco Temp on demand hot water system
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Cassette toilet with a light
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Some of the exterior features of the Nepal
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TCM: What is an on demand hot water heater?
Matt: The one we’re using is made by EccoTemp Systems. It’s a portable hot water heater that’s already used in cabins. As long as you have a water hose with a high pressure pump, you have instant hot water. For safety, you have to keep it away from your vehicle. The Aluminess bumper has a place to hang it. The bumper works as a workstation for the EccoTemp heater.
TCM: Have you tried the on demand hot water system yet?
Matt: Not yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ll let you know how it goes after our trip to the Overland Expo.
TCM: Does the Nepal feature Hallmark’s carbon fiber roof?
Matt: The carbon fiber roof is standard on everything we build now. The rubber roofs have been discontinued. The carbon fiber roofs add to the initial cost of the camper, but they will save our customers money in the long run. We did a cost analysis and our carbon fiber roofs not only work better, but will last many years longer than our rubber roofs.
TCM: Are you upgrading older Hallmark campers to the new carbon fiber roofs?
Matt: We usually have two or three carbon fiber roof upgrades per week. We can’t upgrade some of the older Hallmarks to the new roof so customers need to call us.
TCM: What does upgrading to the carbon fiber roof cost?
Matt: Carbon fiber roofs usually cost in between $4,000 and $5,000. That includes a new soft wall. A soft wall by itself runs in between $1,500 to $2,000. Some of the cost is labor and we use really good materials in the soft walls.
TCM: Did you need new fiberglass molds for the Nepal?
Matt: For the Nepal prototype, no. When production of this camper takes off, I will need to adjust the mold a bit on the driver’s side. Dad is not ecstatic about the new molds. They are very expensive.
TCM: What is the propane and tank capacity of the Nepal?
Matt: The Nepal has a twenty-seven gallon fresh tank and a five gallon cassette toilet. You have three choices for propane for the Nepal. You can get the traditional twenty-pound, two twenty-pound, or one thirty-pound tank. On the prototype Nepal, the Aluminess bumper will be carrying the propane tanks.
TCM: Isn’t mounting the propane on the rear bumper potentially dangerous?
Matt: If the propane is done properly, it is completely safe.
TCM: Where are the batteries on the Nepal?
Matt: For batteries, you have dual six volt AGM batteries on a slide-out tray. We have lowered these to the floor to lower the camper’s center of gravity. We put them in the very front of the camper under the front dinette. There is an exterior door in the front of the camper to service the batteries.
TCM: Can you access the batteries while the camper is on the truck?
Matt: No, you cannot access batteries when camper is on the truck. The battery compartment is vented to the exterior and not into the living space. The venting really isn’t necessary as we use sealed AGMs.
TCM: What does the Nepal weigh?
Matt: The Nepal sits around 1,200 pounds dry base weight. The prototype Nepal is around 1,700 pounds with all of the options we added. It’s very well suited to a three-quarter ton short bed truck, which is a good back country vehicle.
I focused on putting everything possible into the Nepal prototype. Obviously, that makes the camper heavier. If you don’t put all the options in, the Nepal will be a lot lighter. It actually weighs less than the Milner. If you take even more out of the Nepal, it would be lighter than the La Veta.
TCM: What could you take out to make it lighter than a La Veta?
Matt: Remove the jacks, battery, and the heater and you’ll get there. There are pop-up camper companies that survive based on the fact that their campers are so light. Just like the products from those companies, every option adds weight. In the end, the customer is really in control of the weight of the camper. That goes for all camper brands.
TCM: What will the Nepal cost?
Matt: The base cost will be $18,000 nicely equipped. The prototype build with all the options brings up the cost to approximately $27,000. There are a lot of things you can change and add to the Nepal.
TCM: Is there anything else about the Nepal that you want our readers to know?
Matt: The camper features 100% LED lighting inside and out. I used a rock light system by Vision X that runs off a wireless remote control. Vision X lights are used a lot on Jeeps. I like the fact that you can use it at night to see suspensions, jack points, and under the cabover. We’ve attached the remote to the flood lights on either side of camper. It’s a fun system!
Vision X high powered lights are also on the rear bumper. When you swing open the bumper, it’s super lighted. There are also lights in the cassette area, so you don’t have to go in the dark. The lighting in the Nepal is truly extreme.
Another thing to know is that both available refrigerators, like the K2’s Dometic 2354 model, are absorption refrigerators. I incorporated a solar fan where the refrigerators are installed to help alleviate the heat build up against the refrigerators in desert climates.
The other two fridge options are compressor type fridge options. The WAECO / Dometic CF 40 cooler fridge compressor unit or we have a 3.9 cubic foot RS Series Fridge by Dometic, which is also a compressor unit. All three refrigerators are available throughout the Hallmark truck camper line. We recommend a solar panel when choosing a Dan Foss compressor refrigerator.
And finally, we have been working with a local guy to develop a solar charging system for the Nepal. It’s called a Rogue charger and it’s very similar to a Blue Sky charger. We like working with someone local and the Rogue charger offers exceptional value.
The Nepal with aluminum Aluminess bumper and boxes
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The 2010 Hallmark Nepal and the 2009 Hallmark K2
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Looking into the Nepal from above during production
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TCM: What are your plans for the Overland Expo?
Matt: We are really looking forward to showing the K2 and Nepal at the Overland Expo. The K2 and Nepal are really focused towards that market. My brother, his wife, myself, my wife, and three kids will be attending the Expo. We’ll be heading out soon and we’re going to make a vacation out of it. We’ll also go to White Sands and Santa Fe, New Mexico as well as Mesa Verde and Four Corners.
TCM: Is Hallmark moving more into the overland expedition market or do you feel you’ve always been there?
Matt: I think we’ve always been there. In fact, I think the whole truck camper industry has always been there. Whether it’s a Hallmark, Lance, Northstar, or whatever, a truck camper rig naturally lends itself to being off-road. Like your Truck Camper Magazine motto says, truck campers can go anywhere, camp anywhere, and tow anything.
It’s funny to me when looking at the Overland market leaders like Earthroamer. These guys all started with pop-up truck campers. Their original ideas came from our industry. They may have a lot of money to spend on their vehicles and make them more exotic, but their vehicles are no more off-road or off-the-grid capable than an equally equipped truck camper.
The overland market leaders were dreamers who used truck campers and wanted more. Along the way, they have taken themselves out of the loop for normal people who can’t spend $100,000 to $400,000 on a dedicated expedition vehicle.
The Turtle Expedition is a great example of this. They started with a simple Four Wheel Camper pop-up on a modified Ford truck. They took that truck camper rig across Siberia in the winter and all over the world. Then they came back and built an overland rig that most of us could never afford.
TCM: Thanks for telling us about the Nepal. We’ll be at the Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Rally on the same weekend you’re at the Overland Expo. Good luck at the event.
Matt: You’re welcome. I’ll send in some photos from the Overland Expo for your readers.
TCM: Thanks Matt!
For more information about Hallmark, visit their website at www.hallmarkrv.com.
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