Stoked for incoming Travois Expedition

misteremanca

New member
Hope your engine swap is going well, and that the build process is coming to a satisfactory conclusion for you. Am very much looking forward to pictures.

I’m interested in knowing more about your experience with Travois. I’m considering using them for a custom build as well. They’ve impressed me early in our talks, having gone the distance with them, would you recommend them to someone starting iut? [emoji16]


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Hope your engine swap is going well, and that the build process is coming to a satisfactory conclusion for you. Am very much looking forward to pictures.

I’m interested in knowing more about your experience with Travois. I’m considering using them for a custom build as well. They’ve impressed me early in our talks, having gone the distance with them, would you recommend them to someone starting iut?
The new engine is installed and the vehicle ready for Travois. As of today I don't know if they have picked it up yet, but considering the stormy weather they may not have. So at this point I can't comment on their finished work, only the ordering experience.

We actually signed the purchase agreement with Travois last April but had several set-backs so that we missed delivery for last year and re-focused on Spring of 2019. Production of the Expedition conversions started a couple of weeks ago and they tell me their stalls are all full. Frankly, I'm not sure what that means for us. I expect to hear more once they pick up the van.
 
Received some good news from Travois. I can understand why our spot on the production run was given to another (lucky sod) as they couldn't have a crew waiting idle for the new engine to be installed.

Appreciating this, main man Daniel is coming out of the office and donning his coveralls to lead an extra team on our build. Thats what I'm talkin 'bout :clapping:
 
Exciting Developments for BLITZEN

The van has inherited the license plate "BLITZEN" from our previous Mercedes E500 and I think it suits her well.

Work starts next week with the exterior protection being installed; side rails with steps, transfer case cradle, skid plates, wheels and tires.

The following week should see windows and their nifty flooring system, with a start on cabinets.

A couple of weeks and the Canadian-spec pop-top roof will go in. I'm hoping to have pictures (maybe even video) as the stages move along so stay tuned...
 
A big decision on tires

So we've spec'd 285/75-16 tires on steel rims over Travois' standard expedition set-up of 265 tires on Fastco alloys. Aside from a slight bump in ground clearance, I'm counting on the ability to air down and tackle more difficult terrain. Also hoping to benefit from meatier sidewalls, plus at least it is possible to bang out a dented steel rim if needed.

The Terrawagen Sprinter 4x4 fender flares should keep all that rubber under cover! Here is a stock photo...
 

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I Spy

on Travois Facebook page, some shots of BLITZEN on the shop floor next to a similar colour Metris. They were hosting Mercedes reps from MB USA, MB Canada, and the new South Carolina Sprinter factory.

The silver Sprinter provides a good illustration of their pop-top installation. They are also drawing attention to their seat/bed system with track-rail flooring.
 

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They must have moved to a different facility. I was all through their shop when there last June. Those photos most certainly were not taken inside the shop i was in.
 
They must have moved to a different facility. I was all through their shop when there last June. Those photos most certainly were not taken inside the shop i was in.
Well I haven't been there at all. I know they moved from Quebec last spring, maybe you were at the old shop? The pics match others posted earlier from the same place and one's they've sent showing our build progress. Take a look at their FB page and tell me what you think...
 
Hmm. Just curious. The shop I was at was in L'Original Ontario. Nice shop but vastly smaller than the pictured one. They did mention to me that their order load was huge and I recall thinking that the shop space they had wouldn't long support such demand.
 
We're All Wet!

One of the fascinating aspects of our build has been the running changes that occur as Travois constantly improves their builds. Recently were were advised they would be incorporating a sit-shower/bathroom in the low roof pop-top vans, adapted from their high roof models. Our previous arrangement had no shower and a cassette toilet that slid out of a cabinet in the galley area. My wife is doing the happy dance...

The attached photos shows both versions; high roof in raw aluminum before painting, and the cut-down model powder-coated in a custom green. Standard colour will be off-white.

On a side note; we'd previously planned to shower outside using a nifty device we found on Kickstarter called the Geyser System, which heated and pumped water from a small portable unit. Despite the fact they reached their funding goal, the developer flaked out and is now looking for more money at Indiegogo. At least with that platform the investor is protected, while Kickstarter contributors are not.
 

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Travois

New member
I thought that I would pipe in regards to our facilities; the L'Orginal facility was originally to be the production site, but it became quickly apparent that we would out grow it quickly, so we have a very large production facility in Ottawa and our original location is used as office, parts storage.

All production takes place in Ottawa, we are ISO9001 (2015), National Safety Mark and MB up-fitter certified, so this literally ties our hands threefold. So it with this news, and the strict new changes to MB Up-fitter as of March 20, that we will be focusing as of Sept 2019 on our standard production vans, our Conestoga High roof and Low roof will share the same floor plan now, and our Metris will streamline down to one model, with the Jacques Cartier pop-top model.

So as of Sept, our production vans will start to roll out of the shop, and as always, we will continue to improve where we can on a continuous bases. Ironically we find ourselves becoming a boutique builder, small enough to react to your needs, but large enough to meet demand.

Sadly I find myself much less active then before on social media, but I can always be reached via our website. Incidentally, we are hiring at our Ottawa location, so if you are looking for a career, drop us a CV.
 

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The flight to Ottawa is booked for next month, then we have a 3500km drive back home to test out our rig. The build spec has pretty well stayed the same since the last update, except we are reverting to a Webasto diesel cooktop over an induction stove to reduce battery load. Will help us stay off-grid longer.
 
Here are a few pictures I've been hoarding of the poptop installation - no turning back once the roof has been cut!

Once we have the unit, perhaps I should start a new thread? We can review the features and our first impressions.
 

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