Thanks for making this video, legit would be frustrated with the new design. Rear view is cool at least. I like the mulgo design personally. Cruisininator also seems interesting.
Mulgo was on my list for consideration. It’s a great conversion but I just feel like it looks a bit outdated, just the aesthetic design of it is what put me off. If I had an old troopy I might have gone with it. The cruisinator is by far the best roof conversion I’ve seen as far as practicality and functionality but you have to be cool with your troopy looking like it has a boat attached to the roof.. aesthetics is obviously important to me.
I noticed that both Alu-cab and Alu-innovations used the same latches. These can break (our alu-cab latches broke twice on this year's Africa trip). They are a pain to replace. Alu-cab were really good and organised replacements in Nairobi and then gave us the updated, much stronger designs in Lusaka. So beware these latches if you are doing outback travel. We used strong ladder ties to close the roof until we could replace them.
Cheers for the insight. Definitely the most streamline and best looking conversion. I want the old style hatch and bed hinge from front. Hopefully they go back to the best version. I will buy one then. Be interested to see the spec sheet of weights, bed width, length and vehicle height increase from original roof line whilst closed.
Wow…. Just came across your channel and loving your honesty. New sub here 🫡 A mate of mine has the same issue and he is planning to remove and bin it and get a headspace camper.
thats a bummer man, especially when it costs that much but I'm sure it'll still serve you really well. Thanks for the honest review! I have the hercules and the biggest downside nobody every talks about is the extra wind noise you get with it up there.
Fair and honest. I don't know why they don't add 30mm to the height so you can get a decent mattress in there. 70mm foam is ok occasionally but every night with no time to recover itd feel flat as a pancake
You can fit a slightly larger mattress in as long as it’s soft enough to compress down. I’ve managed to close it with a mattress topper and blanket in there easily enough.
A very timely review. I am going down the same path as you. Thanks for the honesty. I agree with you, Sean is a top bloke and goes out of his way to help others. He will have a solution for you such as retrofitting the pre-upgrade internals. IMO the key thing with these conversions is the person you get to cut your roof off and bond a clam shell tent in replacement. Not a small decision.
Yeah I agree with you there. I’ve already spoken to Sean and he’s working on something. There may actually be potential to make it even better than the original version and if he can pull it off then the Kronos will be a great option
That sux that the updated version seems like a step in the wrong direction. I'm with you in that I'd prefer a bigger living space when the bed is up. and would prefer the small hatch to flip up independent of the main bed in the opposite direction. A quick way to solve your radiant heat problem coming from the roof is to cover the flat portion of your roof with white vinyl automotive wrap, or paint it white (or use white Plasti-Dip to make it temporary). The flat part of the roof is not really visible from the ground anyway, plus once you fit solar and carry gear on your roof, it will make it even less visible.
Very interesting video mate, thanks for your honesty! I’m about to order my conversion for my Troopy & had pretty much settled on the alu innovations for alot of the reasons you mention….now with the “updated” design…. Not so sure. It’s worth not as well that if you look for any of this sort of information on alu innovations website it doesn’t exist!
I know alu-innovations were working on a different design to address this since I dropped this video. I received some images from Sean at mission 4x4 showing some changes but haven’t heard anything since and have zero information on weather or not any permanent changes have been made.
Interesting that you like it but don't love it! I went AluCab. I pretty much love it. Negatives are that the space for bedding is insufficient, so you can't close it up with pillows up top, so you have to have a place in the back for 2 pillows. The mattress wasn't terrible, but I got a memory foam 'bamboo' topper mattress from Kogan (about $60 I think) and that has improved things a lot. Also, they are not very wide, so not a lot of space for 2 people. Oh - and no red lights for sexy time :{
I get what he is saying. Personally as one with an AC I love the roof line of the AI, but the quality of the AC is better. AI seem to just through many aluminum panels as cover plates which will become rattle issues in the future.
@@troopyinafrica I’ve had no issues with rattling so far but time will tell and from what I seen with the AC it definitely had some quality issues as well however I was torn between the 2 and almost went the AC. Had I known I was getting this “new version” I would have definitely chosen the AC
What a strange change to make! I’d have been furious in your position. (Am a happy AluCab owner). I do wish the Hercules came with pockets already in the roof, as well as an orange option for the lights and USB ports built in to the light stems. I wish I had gone for a black one as well for looks, but living in the sunny UAE, white was probably the better choice.
I forgot to mention the USB ports! I was too focused on how upset I am about the bed hinge change.. you’re right, it’s a very strange change to make. I’m keen to hear from alu-innovations about their thought process behind it.
Solid review mate! Thank you, I’m in the market for a pop top at the moment too. Looking to go headspace campers. Wondering if you had heard of them? They currently only do defenders but will be doing troopies as of January.
Love the honesty man! I definitely agree on this being the best looking conversion, but their instagram influencer "update" kinda ruined it. I hope I can still order the old version next summer
This video stirred a few things up with their customers on order and they have now altered their design to be the best of both worlds. Upcoming models will be improved and they have offered to replace my bed platform with the newer fixed design. I will do an updated video when I have more info but for now it looks like alu-innovations actually care about their customers and seem to be doing great things. Also Sean from Mission 4x4 has been very helpful and pro-active with the whole thing
@@aussieadventurenerd8137 oh thats actually awesome to hear! Not that many companies would care or listen to feedback like that. What is the price of their roof conversion actually? I'm trying to plan a little ahead, but couldn't find a price yet. And do they only allow for shops to do the conversion, or can you order just the conversion itself and do it yourself? I'm a mechanic myself and love to do stuff like that myself aswell
Solely out of curiosity. What was the reason you didn’t got with the mulgo? Also thanks for the video mate. Thought it was great and hope Sean and you come up with a solution. Surely something can be done 👍
Sean’s got quiet on me now but he did promise some solutions. I didn’t like the external aesthetics of the mulgo and also the light colored canvas makes it too bright inside as well as my concern of showing shadows from inside when lit up inside at night.. I prefer darker canvas for both looks and practicality
ALU cab. Can't the rear fold ups. Be split and each fold to the opposite side of the car. This will inturn expose the rear window adding a fan to the under side would give you a fan in the RTT if one side was folded up into the open position. You have to bring your A game guys . Stop making us pay for your experimentation. Bring the product we want and need at a cost that is reasonable. Not astronomical. This is for all the unemployed alcoholics out there. Good on ya bud
Great vid mate👍…. What a bloody odd “upgrade”, any chance they can retrofit anything to make it like the original? … you didn’t get what you were expecting and it’s not like it’s an odd sized shoe or something, that’s bloody expensive, and permanent
There’s definitely things that can be done to potentially modify this to be even better than the first version and I think people are working on it. I will update on it as I know more
Heya mate, Can you also tell me what the head room is like from the drivers seat? I read the ceiling on this is lower than the Alucab, I’m 186cm (6’1) so not sure what the headroom to the ceiling and console are like? Cheers Aaron
Yep, sound like the new version is a "NO"!!!! Sad you had to find out but thanks for the heads up. I also would rather the interior room instead of the rear windows view. Mate if they want in ya vehicle, they can just smash a windows. For my a $13,000 tent is just over rated
With countless owners of both the AluCab and the Alu Innovations complaining about the terrible mattress… why don’t the manufacturers listen to what the customer wants?
Wow! I just did a comparison of the AI & AC and they already changed it! Brilliant honest review Dude 🤙.
Love the honesty mate! Exactly what we all needed to know. Love this from a TH-camr.
You have my sub sir
Thanks for making this video, legit would be frustrated with the new design. Rear view is cool at least. I like the mulgo design personally. Cruisininator also seems interesting.
Mulgo was on my list for consideration. It’s a great conversion but I just feel like it looks a bit outdated, just the aesthetic design of it is what put me off. If I had an old troopy I might have gone with it. The cruisinator is by far the best roof conversion I’ve seen as far as practicality and functionality but you have to be cool with your troopy looking like it has a boat attached to the roof.. aesthetics is obviously important to me.
I noticed that both Alu-cab and Alu-innovations used the same latches. These can break (our alu-cab latches broke twice on this year's Africa trip). They are a pain to replace. Alu-cab were really good and organised replacements in Nairobi and then gave us the updated, much stronger designs in Lusaka.
So beware these latches if you are doing outback travel. We used strong ladder ties to close the roof until we could replace them.
Yeah it will be interesting to see how long they lay
Cheers for the insight. Definitely the most streamline and best looking conversion. I want the old style hatch and bed hinge from front. Hopefully they go back to the best version. I will buy one then. Be interested to see the spec sheet of weights, bed width, length and vehicle height increase from original roof line whilst closed.
They have changed the design since I released this video and it’s a lot better. I am working on an updated video that will be dropping soon!
Wow…. Just came across your channel and loving your honesty. New sub here 🫡
A mate of mine has the same issue and he is planning to remove and bin it and get a headspace camper.
thats a bummer man, especially when it costs that much but I'm sure it'll still serve you really well. Thanks for the honest review! I have the hercules and the biggest downside nobody every talks about is the extra wind noise you get with it up there.
Fair and honest. I don't know why they don't add 30mm to the height so you can get a decent mattress in there. 70mm foam is ok occasionally but every night with no time to recover itd feel flat as a pancake
You can fit a slightly larger mattress in as long as it’s soft enough to compress down. I’ve managed to close it with a mattress topper and blanket in there easily enough.
A very timely review. I am going down the same path as you. Thanks for the honesty. I agree with you, Sean is a top bloke and goes out of his way to help others. He will have a solution for you such as retrofitting the pre-upgrade internals. IMO the key thing with these conversions is the person you get to cut your roof off and bond a clam shell tent in replacement. Not a small decision.
Yeah I agree with you there. I’ve already spoken to Sean and he’s working on something. There may actually be potential to make it even better than the original version and if he can pull it off then the Kronos will be a great option
Well, it sounds like your innovations with Sean will benefit all of us. Thanks for sharing this.
That sux that the updated version seems like a step in the wrong direction. I'm with you in that I'd prefer a bigger living space when the bed is up. and would prefer the small hatch to flip up independent of the main bed in the opposite direction. A quick way to solve your radiant heat problem coming from the roof is to cover the flat portion of your roof with white vinyl automotive wrap, or paint it white (or use white Plasti-Dip to make it temporary). The flat part of the roof is not really visible from the ground anyway, plus once you fit solar and carry gear on your roof, it will make it even less visible.
Very interesting video mate, thanks for your honesty! I’m about to order my conversion for my Troopy & had pretty much settled on the alu innovations for alot of the reasons you mention….now with the “updated” design…. Not so sure. It’s worth not as well that if you look for any of this sort of information on alu innovations website it doesn’t exist!
I know alu-innovations were working on a different design to address this since I dropped this video. I received some images from Sean at mission 4x4 showing some changes but haven’t heard anything since and have zero information on weather or not any permanent changes have been made.
Interesting that you like it but don't love it! I went AluCab. I pretty much love it. Negatives are that the space for bedding is insufficient, so you can't close it up with pillows up top, so you have to have a place in the back for 2 pillows. The mattress wasn't terrible, but I got a memory foam 'bamboo' topper mattress from Kogan (about $60 I think) and that has improved things a lot. Also, they are not very wide, so not a lot of space for 2 people. Oh - and no red lights for sexy time :{
I get what he is saying. Personally as one with an AC I love the roof line of the AI, but the quality of the AC is better. AI seem to just through many aluminum panels as cover plates which will become rattle issues in the future.
The sexy time lights are a bit of a luxury 😂 it’s hard to love something that’s very different from what you were expecting to get.
@@troopyinafrica I’ve had no issues with rattling so far but time will tell and from what I seen with the AC it definitely had some quality issues as well however I was torn between the 2 and almost went the AC. Had I known I was getting this “new version” I would have definitely chosen the AC
I have the Ai v1 and have done 25k klm around aus full time and havnt had issues with rattles or build quality at all.
What a strange change to make! I’d have been furious in your position. (Am a happy AluCab owner). I do wish the Hercules came with pockets already in the roof, as well as an orange option for the lights and USB ports built in to the light stems. I wish I had gone for a black one as well for looks, but living in the sunny UAE, white was probably the better choice.
I forgot to mention the USB ports! I was too focused on how upset I am about the bed hinge change.. you’re right, it’s a very strange change to make. I’m keen to hear from alu-innovations about their thought process behind it.
Solid review mate! Thank you, I’m in the market for a pop top at the moment too. Looking to go headspace campers. Wondering if you had heard of them? They currently only do defenders but will be doing troopies as of January.
I have seen headspace campers but know very little about them. I’d be very keen to see details of a troopy conversion if they have one in the making!
Love the honesty man! I definitely agree on this being the best looking conversion, but their instagram influencer "update" kinda ruined it. I hope I can still order the old version next summer
This video stirred a few things up with their customers on order and they have now altered their design to be the best of both worlds. Upcoming models will be improved and they have offered to replace my bed platform with the newer fixed design. I will do an updated video when I have more info but for now it looks like alu-innovations actually care about their customers and seem to be doing great things. Also Sean from Mission 4x4 has been very helpful and pro-active with the whole thing
@@aussieadventurenerd8137 oh thats actually awesome to hear! Not that many companies would care or listen to feedback like that. What is the price of their roof conversion actually? I'm trying to plan a little ahead, but couldn't find a price yet. And do they only allow for shops to do the conversion, or can you order just the conversion itself and do it yourself? I'm a mechanic myself and love to do stuff like that myself aswell
@@aussieadventurenerd8137 That's good. I'd be very interested to see what the outcome of that is, and what the "best of both worlds" update it is.
Solely out of curiosity. What was the reason you didn’t got with the mulgo?
Also thanks for the video mate. Thought it was great and hope Sean and you come up with a solution. Surely something can be done 👍
Sean’s got quiet on me now but he did promise some solutions. I didn’t like the external aesthetics of the mulgo and also the light colored canvas makes it too bright inside as well as my concern of showing shadows from inside when lit up inside at night.. I prefer darker canvas for both looks and practicality
i need this
Thanks for the video! doing the roof conversion, is it okay to keep the rear bench seats? or do they need to be removed?
Should be fine having the rear bench seats in there
what a bummer mate. That bedlifting is stupid as. Thought about getting the kronos as well. thanks for the info!
Check the updated video!
ALU cab. Can't the rear fold ups. Be split and each fold to the opposite side of the car. This will inturn expose the rear window adding a fan to the under side would give you a fan in the RTT if one side was folded up into the open position. You have to bring your A game guys . Stop making us pay for your experimentation. Bring the product we want and need at a cost that is reasonable. Not astronomical.
This is for all the unemployed alcoholics out there. Good on ya bud
Great vid mate👍…. What a bloody odd “upgrade”, any chance they can retrofit anything to make it like the original? … you didn’t get what you were expecting and it’s not like it’s an odd sized shoe or something, that’s bloody expensive, and permanent
There’s definitely things that can be done to potentially modify this to be even better than the first version and I think people are working on it. I will update on it as I know more
Heya mate,
Can you also tell me what the head room is like from the drivers seat? I read the ceiling on this is lower than the Alucab, I’m 186cm (6’1) so not sure what the headroom to the ceiling and console are like?
Cheers
Aaron
Yep, sound like the new version is a "NO"!!!!
Sad you had to find out but thanks for the heads up.
I also would rather the interior room instead of the rear windows view.
Mate if they want in ya vehicle, they can just smash a windows.
For my a $13,000 tent is just over rated
Does it hinge at the front for sitting up in bed?
No, the bid lifting up is for creating living space below only
@@aussieadventurenerd8137 I mean the back section. Does it hinge so you can sit up in bed instead of needing lots of pillows.
@@Daniel_Grey no it doesn’t. The back only has a lift up hatch for access in to the top from inside
With countless owners of both the AluCab and the Alu Innovations complaining about the terrible mattress… why don’t the manufacturers listen to what the customer wants?
Good question
The only reason I’m going to include the mattress with my purchase is because I need it for a template… then it’s getting thrown away!
FYI - a soft 120mm thick mattress will fit if you don’t plan on keeping any bedding up top when closing the roof.