About Aegis Adventure Tops: Sleek, Durable, and Lightweight Truck Campers

aegis

noun

/ˈējəs/

In ancient Greek mythology, an aegis was something that offered physical protection. It has been depicted in various ways; a magical protective cloak, a shield, or a breastplate, specifically of Zeus and Athena (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aegis)

The Aegis Adventure Top started like many ideas… with a desire for something better.

Something sleek, lightweight and durable that would have minimal effect on fuel economy. The ability to use the truck for work during the week, hauling tools and materials in the box, but always ready for a last minute weekend adventure or extended road-trip. The typical fabric pop-up portion of lightweight campers and rooftop tents had to be upgraded to eliminate wind noise, provide protection and insulation from the elements, and allow the sleeping area to be packed up when wet or raining without getting the interior wet.

To meet all these requirements, a unique hard sided, composite intensive design was created. Prior experience building surfboards, kiteboards, downhill skateboards, and a composites-focused MASc. provided the foundation for developing a composite based product. Thermoplastic composites specifically seemed ideal. The characteristics of extreme toughness, low weight, and its capacity to be formed, welded and recycled all lent themselves to the Aegis project. Several years, challenging trials, and design iterations later the current Aegis Adventure Top was born.

The mission is to create an amazing product using top quality components. Many are manufactured domestically, some just down the road from the Aegis shop. The cradle-to-cradle philosophy, described as the safe and potentially infinite circulation of materials and nutrients in cycles, plays a large influence within design. Aluminum can be recycled many times without any loss in quality, and thermoplastic composites are also recyclable. While there is a large difference in materials that are theoretically recyclable and ones that are actually recycled, Aegis is excited to announce we are now using a composite product that can be recycled in the existing waste streams! At Aegis all scraps and off-cuts from the manufacturing process are collected and recycled.

The design is constantly being refined and improved. New options and extras, based on personal experience, as well as customer’s desires and feedback are continuously being added. Aegis strives to keep the cost of a basic camper envelope low for people who want just the minimum, but can also outfit you with a completely overland ready package.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed learning a little more about Aegis Adventure Tops. Please reach out via the contact page!