This is interesting. Inflatable bed topper.

[Langwilliams]

I think I'd prefer a soft topper. It would be great if they made a soft topper that when you lowered the supports it worked as a soft tonneau.

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[khyros]

It sounds like others echo my same sentiments... cool idea, but niche product at a high price. The way I see it, the value add of this product over a traditional topper is the ability to 'easily' take it on and off. Both from a space savings point of view (though it looks like it takes a lot of space even deflated), and from a weight point of view. However, it doesn't seem like it's particularly quick to install, so it's going to be for a person that wants it one way for the week, and the other way for the weekend. But I'm also not quite sure how well it will seal to provide a weather proof solution. And it's definitely not theft proof at all. And from my experience with kites, it will slowly deflate, so you'll need to keep topping it up... All of this comes together to say that it's designed for occasional short term use. And then that $2,000 price tag comes into play... and I can't see the majority of people paying 5-10% the cost of their truck for an occasional short term use accessory. Though as I say that... I just plopped 1k+ on a winch that I hope I never use, so there's that ...

 

[Markubis]

Hmmm...thats one way to keep the new Bronco 4 Dr squatch under the GVWR....

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I see few takers at $2k.

If it were less expensive than a normal topper I could see some taking a chance on it.

But an inflatable topper with unproven durability/longevity that costs the same as a fiberglass topper? Hard pass.

 

[D Fresh]

I think I'd prefer a soft topper. It would be great if they made a soft topper that when you lowered the supports it worked as a soft tonneau.

Not quite how you're envisioning it I think. But that's what my FasTop does.

https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/fas-top.11296/

 

[FLATED Guy]

Hey Guys, New to the page, but saw a bunch of traffic from this conversation. I helped invent these products and can totally see the skepticism. I'm probably opening myself up too much here, but am around to answer any questions. Ryan

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Hey Guys, New to the page, but saw a bunch of traffic from this conversation. I helped invent these products and can totally see the skepticism. I'm probably opening myself up too much here, but am around to answer any questions. Ryan

The fact that you are willing to field questions from this unruly bunch speaks volumes about your faith in the product.

Welcome.

I was going to say Welcome To The Thunderdome, but they're actually a good bunch of folks.

Mostly...

 

[Langwilliams]

Hey Guys, New to the page, but saw a bunch of traffic from this conversation. I helped invent these products and can totally see the skepticism. I'm probably opening myself up too much here, but am around to answer any questions. Ryan

People will be easy on you unless you invented the tailgate damper. If you were in on that LOOK OUT!

 

[UnregistredHypercam2]

Late to the party but that's quite a lot of money for a less robust camper shell you can't mount anything to and provides the same security as a soft tonneau cover...

It is a good idea, but I cannot justify the cost compared to a fiberglass shell

 

[D Fresh]

Hey Guys, New to the page, but saw a bunch of traffic from this conversation. I helped invent these products and can totally see the skepticism. I'm probably opening myself up too much here, but am around to answer any questions. Ryan

I think it's cool of you to put that out here. I'm sure there will be plenty of questions.

 

[khyros]

Since we have the inventor here... I'm always curious behind the motivation of the invention.

What was the pain point you saw in the community that you looked to address with your product?
Who is your target audience for your product?
Under what use conditions do you see your product being the best option available?
Under what use conditions does your product not make sense?

 

[myothercarizahearse]

@FLATED Guy what's the weight of the midsize topper? can 1 person handle removal\install? what kind of warranty is offered?

 

[FLATED Guy]

@FLATED Guy what's the weight of the midsize topper? can 1 person handle removal\install? what kind of warranty is offered?

The weight is about 50LBs and is quite easy for one person to install.

 

[FLATED Guy]

Since we have the inventor here... I'm always curious behind the motivation of the invention.

What was the pain point you saw in the community that you looked to address with your product?
Who is your target audience for your product?
Under what use conditions do you see your product being the best option available?
Under what use conditions does your product not make sense?

Ok. I'll give a bit of backstory here. My business partners/ cofounders/ co inventors and I all worked in the Surf/ Paddle board industry for the past 15ish years. We were a big part of bringing inflatable SUP's to the market. In that industry the inflatable option solved so many problems we were facing trying to promote and sell 10-14' epoxy paddle boards. Inbound shipping, Domestic shipping, Warehousing, durability, etc. In the beginning everyone thought they were stupid, Called them "pool toys", thought they were over priced for "something you blow up", and questioned the performance. Well, today probably more than 80% of the SUP's sold worldwide are inflatable.

"What was the pain point you saw in the community that you looked to address with your product?" I've personally always been a truck guy/ outdoor sports junkie. In my early 20's I always had an open bed on my truck and was into motocross at the time. Then I got a new job where I had to carry expensive samples in the back of my truck in Colorado/ Utah and was forced to put a Fiberglass topper on my truck. Very quickly I found the benefits of having a topper, started using it to camp in, could bring more gear etc. But the downside was the fact that I could no longer put my Moto's in the back. In the past few years, I realized I really only wanted a topper for road trips, hunting season, and some camping trips.

Target audience = People that generally don't want a topper on their truck, don't have space to store a topper if they take it off, and people that don't like Topper yard art.

Best option available? Well its the only option on the market right now that requires no tools to install. No rails attached to your bed. It has more head room than the other soft versions, and deflates and stores in a back pack when you don't need it.

When does it not make sense? Well, probably in areas of high crime/ theft/ Vandalism. Anywhere you would not leave your soft top jeep parked overnight. Probably not for the guy that wants a perfectly matched/ fitted topper to match his truck.

Like I said before, we realize it's not for everyone. For many a fitted fiberglass toper is a better solution. But we have spent years developing it, testing it, refining it, and its been well received. We sold out of our first container of inventory in less than two months of being online. We just landed another container and it is selling out quickly, so we are focused on making some improvements, and making some new sizes to accommodate more trucks.

I can answer more later but have to go test a new sample I received and have a nice weather window here in Montana.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Nifty idea, but the price tag...

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