Truck Camper News

2014 Adventurer 910DB

Adventurer Manufacturing announces the 2014 Adventurer 910DB, a nine-foot, hard-side, single-slide, dry bath truck camper for long bed trucks.  Check out the new Super U and California King.

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What would happen if the industry simply listened to what the consumers wanted, and built it?  This might seem like exactly what they should be doing, but a consumer wish list doesn’t have to take into effect the weight, cost, and overall complexity building such a camper might entail; never mind safety codes.

In our seven years of talking with the industry on this very topic, it’s clear that consumer feedback is a vital part of their new product development, but it remains part of a larger data model that includes a wide range of other factors.  It’s actually impressive when a company is able to translate and balance consumer feedback and produce a camper that hits the requested mark.

Which brings us to the all-new 2014 Adventurer 910DB.  Adventurer recognized a consumer demand for a nine foot truck camper with a dry bath.  This camper would be geared towards truck camper owners who tow, but want some of the luxury features typically found in larger truck campers.  With that wish list, Adventurer designed a camper that is currently unique in the marketplace; a nine foot dry bath.

To give us the low down on the 2014 Adventurer 910DB, we talked to Greg Tucknies, National Sales Manager for Adventurer Manufacturing.

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2014 Adventurer 910DB Specifications:

The 2014 Adventurer 910DB is a hard side, single-slide, dry bath truck camper made for long bed trucks.  The interior floor length of the 2014 Adventurer 910DB is 9’10”, the interior height is 78”, and the center of gravity is 51”.  The 2014 Adventurer 910DB has a 38 gallon fresh tank, a 6 gallon hot water heater, 31 gallon grey tank, and a 31 gallon black tank.  It can accommodate two batteries and has two twenty-pound propane tanks.  Adventurer is reporting the base weight of the Adventurer 910DB to be 3,156 pounds with no options.  The base MSRP for the 2014 Adventurer 910DB is $28,525.

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Above: The Adventurer 910DB, a nine foot, single-slide, dry bath truck camper

TCM: Does the 2014 Adventurer 910DB replace any older models in the Adventurer Manufacturing line?

Greg: The 910DB is a brand new floor plan for Adventurer.  While it doesn’t replace an older Adventurer model, it certainly fills a void in the Adventurer product line.  Specifically, we needed an innovative nine foot camper with a dry bath.

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Above: The dry bath in the 2014 Adventurer 910DB

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Above: Dry bath floor in the 2014 Adventurer 910DB

TCM: Why did Adventurer need a nine foot camper with a dry bath?

Greg: We work RV shows year round and listen very carefully to customer feedback.  Again and again, customers told us they wanted a nine foot floor plan for towing, but with a dry bath and other luxury features not typically found on nine foot floor plans.

Before designing the 910DB, we didn’t have a nine foot floor plan with a dry bath.  In fact, I believe the 910DB is currently the only nine foot dry bath model on the market.

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Above: The rear kitchen in the 2014 Adventurer 910DB

TCM: Was the Adventurer 910DB started with a clean slate, or is it based on another camper model?

Greg: The 910DB was designed from a clean slate like all of our new for 2014 models.  We started by asking our design team for a nine foot truck camper with a dry bath.  We then created a detailed wish list including the California King bed that’s been so popular in the 2014 Adventurer 116DS, the Super U dinette, and a quick release bunk.

Once the wish list was completed, the design team rendered the floor plan on the computer and were able to get almost everything we wanted into the camper.  In person, the 910DB is really roomy in the rear of the unit.  You actually feel like you’re in an eleven foot camper because it’s so open.

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Above: The mirrored cabover wardrobe in the 2014 Adventurer 910DB

TCM: What didn’t make it from the initial wish list?

Greg: We wanted to have a second passenger side window in the cabover, but we couldn’t fit it with the wardrobe.  Other than that, it’s all there.

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Above: California King bed in a nine foot truck camper

Greg: We’re particularly excited about the California King bed in the cabover.  This is the only nine foot truck camper with a California King bed.

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Above: The Super U dinette

TCM: After the first prototype was completed, were there any adjustments made to the design of the camper?

Greg: There are always minor adjustments after the first camper is built.  One adjustment on the 910DB was with the Super U dinette.  It was originally 66” deep, but we changed that to 60” to give the camper more aisle space.  There were also a few plumbing changes to improve flow.

It may seem incredible, but our campers are designed on the computer and need very little adjustment as they are assembled on our production line.

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Above: 2014 Adventurer 910DB campers coming down the production line

Greg: Our design and engineering team follow every new model as it goes down the production line to ensure that things go right from the beginning.  I’m always amazed at how well their designs translate from computer renderings to actual production ready campers.  Having lived through the days of hand built prototypes that took months to design and build, it’s remarkable how accurate and efficient our new camper production is today.

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Above: A seven-cubic foot refrigerator is standard in the 910DB

TCM: It certainly is.  Were there any new materials, components, appliances, or processes used in the development of the Adventurer 910DB?

Greg: All of 2014 model year changes that we talked about in the 2014 Adventurer Announcements article are implemented into this model including the high-gloss Lamilux 4000 exterior fiberglass, seven-cubic foot refrigerator, seven-way rear-mounted umbilical cords, improved all-LED interior lighting, redesigned tie-down brackets, and optional Heki skylight and Comfort Step with SeaDeck Teak safety tread.

Of course the 910DB is aluminum framed using our TCC construction system and comes with our three-year warranty.

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Above: Happijac steel rack and pinion slide mechanism in an Adventurer 910DB

TCM: What slide mechanism does the Adventurer 910DB use?

Greg: We use a Happijac steel rack and pinion slide mechanism on the 910DB.

TCM: Why are you not using the Schwintek wall mounted slide mechanism?

Greg: The Schwintek is a good system, but it only works if it’s all the way in, or all the way out.  It’s not designed to be used half way and can bind.  For this reason, we don’t build any dinette slides using the Schwintek system.

In contrast, the Happijac steel rack and pinion slide works no matter where you leave the slide.  This allows customers to put the slide out a little and use the dinette, which is something customers tell us they do from time to time.

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Above: Looking into the 910DB from the back door

TCM: Especially to access the bathroom.  Can you access the bathroom with the slide-out in on the 910DB?

Greg: Unfortunately, no.  There are not many slide-out truck campers that allow bathroom access with the slide-outs in.  In the case of the 910DB, the Super U dinette’s long leg makes it so you can’t get in the camper until you put the slide out a few inches.

The bathroom has a sliding door so you just need to have the slide out a little bit to get into the camper and use the bathroom.  You don’t have to fully extend the slide.

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Above: The sliding door (right) on the 910DB dry bath

TCM: What is the Super U dinette?

Greg: It is an incredibly big U shaped dinette.  We have seated up to eight people when we’ve squeezed together.

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Above: Eight Adventurer team members in the Super U dinette

Greg: The Super U dinette table is cut at an angle making it easer to get round and into the dinette.  The table is also adjustable.  I think customers are really going to like this new Super U dinette.  It’s neat.

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Above: Exterior storage on the 2014 Adventurer 910DB

Greg: The outside of the Super U dinette has two large-size doors that access the area under the dinette.  This gives the customer a full seventy-two inches of exterior storage.  From a storage perspective, the 910DB is great.

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Above: The Super U dinette makes into a 46” by 72” bed.

TCM: Those eight people in the dinette have to sleep somewhere.  Are the windows single pane or insulated thermal pane?

Greg: The 2014 Adventurer 910DB comes standard with single pane windows, but we use insulated gas-filled thermal pane windows for our standard build.  What that means is that most of the 910DB models on dealer lots will have insulated thermal pane windows.  If you want single pane windows, it will be a special order.

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Above: The eight inch tall basement which contains a 21” by 54” storage area

TCM: Is the Adventurer 910DB a basement model?

Greg: Yes, the 910DB has an eight inch tall basement which contains a large 21” by 54” storage area along with easy access to your heated dump valves.

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Above: Holding tanks being installed on the production line

TCM: Tell us about the size of the holding tanks in the 910DB and why Adventurer made the tanks that size.

Greg: The fresh tank is 38 gallons plus 6 gallons of fresh water in the hot water heater for a total of 44 gallons of fresh water capacity.  There is a 31 gallon grey tank and a 31 gallon black tank.  Those are the exact same tank sizes as the Adventurer 910FBS.  We used essentially the same basement design and adjusted it for the dry bath.

TCM: How many batteries does the 2014 Adventurer 910DB have, and where are they located?

Greg: The 910DB has two batteries located in a dedicated front PS exterior compartment.

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Above: Four season insulation is standard on the 910DB

TCM: What considerations are given for winterization; battery disconnect, hot water heater bypass, etc.?

Greg: We install a battery disconnect, hot water heater bypass and four season insulation package all as standard features in the 910DB.  We use closed cell block foam, like a coffee cup, which not only insulates better, but cannot be penetrated by water.

TCM: Can the optional air conditioner run on a portable Honda EU2000i generator?

Greg: Yes, it can.  We’re using a Coleman 11,000 BTU air conditioner on 2014 Adventurer models.  I have personally used a Honda EU2000i to run that air conditioner.  The trick is to start the air conditioner on low, then turn it to medium, and then high.  If you start the air conditioner on high, it will not work as the generator will not take the full surge.  Start the air conditioner at low, and it works well with the Honda.

TCM: Does the 910DB have a compartment for the Honda?

Greg: No, but some customers have stored their portable generators on the Comfort Step bumper.  I know a couple who built a tray on the Comfort Step and put locks on it for their generator.  It was really easy and convenient to attach it there on the bumper.

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Above: The optional Comfort Step with SeaDeck Teak safety tread

TCM: That’s something to consider with the optional Comfort Step.

Greg: The Comfort Step is optional, but it’s so popular that it’s also part of our standard build.  We actually build very few campers with the standard Super Step.

TCM: If it’s so popular, why not make the Comfort Step standard?

Greg: That may happen in the future.

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Above: An Adventurer 910DB that weighed 3,486 pounds with standard build options

TCM: What does the 2014 Adventurer 910DB weigh with standard build features?

Greg: The predictions were about 3,102 pounds.  The actual base weight came out to 3,156 pounds.  If you were to get a standard build 910DB, the weight would be about 3,414 pounds.  We welcome you to build your own 910DB on our website.  We have a Build-Your-Own system where you can pick out the options you want and our Build-Your-Own system gives you the camper’s weight and price.

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Above: Adventurer sent in this information graphic showing center of gravity

TCM: Is the center of gravity marked on the side of the camper?

Greg: Yes.  We mark every camper that comes down the line with a center of gravity sticker.  The 910DB that just came down the line had a COG of 51” which places it 5” to 6” in front of a long bed truck’s rear axle.

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Above: The center of gravity is marked with a red sticker on every Adventurer camper

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Above: The center of gravity at 51″ on the 910DB

TCM: What is the MSRP for the 2014 Adventurer 910DB with standard build features?

Greg: The base MSRP is $28,525 and the standard build MSRP is $33,394.  All Adventurer campers have a three year structural warranty.

TCM: We often hear from readers who wonder why truck campers cost what they do.  What’s your perspective on that?

Greg: I get that question at every RV show.  People will ask me why a truck camper costs as much as a fifth wheel in the next booth over.  The simple answer is that it takes more man hours to build a truck camper.  For example, it takes 225 main hours to build the 910DB.  To put that into perspective, it took 118 man hours to build a travel trailer when I was at Western Rec.  Those additional hours add a lot of cost.

On a travel trailer, fifth wheel, or motorhome you also start with a chassis.  Once the floor is bolted on, a dozen or more guys can work on the same unit at the same time.  With a truck camper, there’s no chassis to start, and only a few guys can work at each station.  This means truck campers cannot be built as fast, or as efficiently.

Without the chassis for support, the frame of a truck camper needs to be much stronger than towables and motorhomes, and made from better materials to reduce weight.  The fact that truck camper owners like to tackle more rigorous roads also necessitates a sturdier frame and construction not always required for towables and motorhomes.  Finally, truck campers often have most of the features and amenities found on their larger siblings.  It all adds up.

That said, Adventurer is always striving to be the value leader.  We offer hard side truck campers that start at $14,406.  It’s about having the RV that fits your needs and lifestyle, as well as your budget.  Truck camper people understand.

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Above: The 910DB from the rear with the power awning extended

TCM: When will the 2014 Adventurer 910DB be available?

Greg: The first 910DB campers was already shipped out to be in the Halifax show November 8th through 10th.  Barber RV, Fraserway RV, and Five Star RV will all have units arriving in the next few weeks.

TCM: Is there anything else about the 2014 Adventurer 910DB that you would like to add?

Greg: The dry bath is really the star.  I think it has more storage than any dry bath in the truck camper business.  It’s perfect for towing.  We also put a nightstand and outlet next to the passenger’s side of the cabover for anyone that needs to charge a cell phone or keep a CPAP machine running.  Check out our video walkthrough of the 910DB on our YouTube channel.  It takes you through the camper feature by feature.

TCM: Any other news to share from Adventurer Manufacturing?

Greg: We are moving forward with new and innovative products.  Weight and center of gravity are a focus of ours and we continue to make improvements.  We also continue to provide constant improvements to our website so truck camper customers can have a good place to get accurate information to help in making an informed decision.

For more information on the 910DB, visit Adventurer’s website at adventurercampers.com.

 

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