Stoked for incoming Travois Expedition

The addition of side flares was a running change to the specs which was a pleasant surprise as you don't often see them on standard roof models. In fact, I combed through Google Images but couldn't find another example. Sideways sleeping will give us more interior space, and that's a good thing!
 

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Four more sleeps until we take delivery! Flying out tomorrow am and will enjoy our anniversary celebrations at the Chateau Laurier :cheers: before Daniel from Travois picks us up Monday morning. We are thrilled to have Webasto's diesel-burning Evo 6 water heater/furnace unit and their X100 cooktop.

Following this on Tuesday we are going to connect with the great people at Cornwall Freightliner for a familiarization session on the Sprinter's mechanicals and systems. Then begins the long drive home.

Aside from visiting a few relatives along the way, one stop I'm insisting on is at Rouleau, Saskatchewan. Anyone else a fan?
 

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Sorry for the delay in reporting back to those who are following our story, but as of now we don’t have our van yet. Received an email at the airport between flights to Ottawa that they wouldn’t be able to meet our delivery date, mostly due to their evolving specs and the extra time required to sort the changes. Too late to turn back so we proceeded onwards and took advantage of a Travois loaner to have a mini holiday in Ontario, visiting a few relatives along the way. It appears we should have delivery in a couple of days now, so we’ll wait it out in a hotel.

Although there was initial disappointment at the delay, the improvements done by Travois to the Conestoga pop-top package seem beneficial for the long run. Plus the week spent driving and camping in their bright red pop-top 4x4 Sprinter has been a valuable learning experience. Fingers crossed that all goes well and we get a well-sorted van in a couple of days. Our first official trip will follow to Alaska and Yukon shortly after our return home.
 

Onefin

Well-known member
Disappointing, but based on my SMB experiences: I’d prefer an honest delay in completion versus a rushed attempt that causes problems long run.

Hoping they complete it and deliver it in top condition.
 
Disappointing, but based on my SMB experiences: I’d prefer an honest delay in completion versus a rushed attempt that causes problems long run.
That is our thoughts as well. We continue to get good vibes from the people at Travois and Hovey Fabrications in Gloucester where the work is being done. Makes no sense to plan this project for over a year then get impatient for the most important conversion process.
 
Our Travois dream has come to an end :-(

Our Travois dream has come to an end and we are really gutted. Having driven our Conestoga Sprinter conversion home to Alberta we are now arranging for its return to Travois. With a substantial investment of time and money behind us we really wanted it to work out but there are just too many fit and finish problems to rectify this far from their facilities in Ontario.

It's not helpful to go over the issues on a public forum and I can only speak for our project, so I'm not implying that similar issues are present in other Travois units. We continue to be fans of their lightweight design concepts, and the Sprinter 4x4 is an awesome platform, but execution was the culprit here.

I won’t presume to speak for Travois except to say we have been assured they have instituted significant changes to supervision on the production line and their pre-delivery testing process so future customers won’t share our experience.

Also to their credit, Travois acted quickly and without hassle or recriminations once the scope of deficiencies was realized. It was first suggested we could use the vehicle for the summer and return it for a rebuild over the winter, but we weren't comfortable with that proposal, so a full refund was offered and accepted. We are just waiting for the arrangements now.

Meanwhile we are scrambling to adjust our travel plans for this summer. Does anyone have experience with rooftop tents?
 

CanuckNewbie

New member
Trail Talk,

I'm so sorry to hear about your situation; it must be very frustrating. Were the main issues with the rooftop or were there any issues with the other systems (electrical, water, EVO, etc) ?
I also heard that Travois had implemented a pre-delivery testing process to prevent unfortunate situations like yours from happening.
As a current Travois customer (Conestoga 2018 Sprinter 4x4 high roof), I'm certainly keen to hear more details if you feel confortable sharing them on this forum. Thank you and best of luck with your alternate travel plans for the summer.
 

CanuckNewbie

New member
Trail Talk,

I still haven't taken delivery of my van yet but it shouldn't be very long now. So yes, I'm a little bit concerned at this time. If all the issues were related to the fact that you had a pop top, it would make me feel a little better. However, I suspect that there were more issues than just the pop top.
 
Just to close the story of our summer travels, here we are a few weeks ago at Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean. Saw a few Sprinters on the Dempster Highway but mostly truck campers and car-campers with SUVs.
 

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OneNiner

Adapt and overcome.
Just bought a 2019 Sprinter 144 4x4 converted by Travois using the Innova interior kit.

So far, we are impressed with the finish and functionality of the conversion. The layout is suitable for two adults and comfortable and very quiet (no rattle, clinks, etc.). Way better than the 2020 Revel!

Issues so far are:

1. Corian counter has two cracks at each corner perhaps because there is no clearance between the cabinet wall and the counter overlap. Travois has offered to replace the counter and we accepted;
2. A/C is not working (MB chassis issue; covered by extended warranty);
3. Inverter is a little underpowered if all devices are working at the same time. Requires proactive load management; Perhaps an upgrade to 3000W would provide the necessary margin;
4. Water tank level sensor showing 60% when full. It needs to be recalibrated;
5. Water valve lever underneath fridge is broken; being replaced by Travoid; and
6. Grey water dumping valve is 1.5" bayonet fitting. Difficult to find a suitable hose with bayonet fitting on the after market parts. Called Valterra in California and it makes a hose for the New Zealand market that I hope fits. Will report when I get it. Perhaps Travois could include one with the vehicle?

Nothing fatal in the above so far and Daniel at Travois has been responsive.

This product is very promising and we look forward to enjoying it. We are crossing our fingers that Travois will become as solid a player in this market as Safari Condo.
 
Wow, forgot I was still subscribed. Congratulations on your Innova Sprinter :thumbup:. Curious about the 2019 MY, was yours a demo or? Also interested in your comments regarding the Revel, did you have one before? Please keep this thread alive with your ongoing impressions.

We used a couple of northern trips to refine our needs and finally ended up with something a bit different :love:.

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OneNiner

Adapt and overcome.
Nice rig!

With COVID, demand has gone up and supply has gone to the dump. It did not help that Amazon bought the entire 2020 North American Sprinter production (300,000+), which caused further disruption as well. so, the model year for converting outfits are falling behind.

We don't have a Revel but researched the model thoroughly and tried a couple of them in the past 3 months. Even had a cost estimate to build our own and, a production slot reserved with Yama van in Calgary. There are some features we liked about each vans and the choice was difficult in the end.

This unit was sold as a 2020 demo so to speak (it is an Evolve with the fancy Innova interior). This is an exchange of model back to Travois as the first client preferred to have a more rugged version for hunting, etc. We were looking for something more in the line of the Innova built but, with the Revel's offroad capabilities. It worked for everyone in the end.

I knew what we were getting into re: Sprinter issues and a converted van. No real surprise so far.
 

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