How do I get more details about competing for the North Fork exclusive manufacturing license?

Submit a one-time, non-refundable payment of $500.00 to Tentaluma. Tentaluma will then contact you personally to discuss the competition details. To protect your market competitive interests, all communications regarding the license competition will be kept confidential. The payment does not commit you in any way to Tentaluma or Con Underwood Consulting, LLC, its parent company (or vice versa). The non-refundable payment does not guarantee that you are registered for the competition. It only guarantees that we will contact you to answer your questions and provide details of the competition, and the North Fork camper. We require the $500.00 non-refundable payment to limit the responders to viable camper or T-slot aluminum manufacturers. We have a small staff. We (1) want you to get answers to your questions quickly, and (2) don’t want to be overwhelmed by too many unviable responders. By the way, our website host’s procedures require us to use the term “donation” in our payment pages. Please disregard the word “donation”. Your transaction is a one-time, non-refundable, access payment.

Will manufacturing the North Fork camper make me money?

Yes. We designed the North Fork because we personally need a camper like it. It is for people who are serious about working and playing outdoors, but can’t spend a fortune on habitation. The North Fork is for wildfire fighters, oil rig workers, hunters, fishermen, young families, seasonal workers, and military personnel. Frequently their only options are to sleep in the bed of their truck, a 2-person tent, or on the ground. We reviewed the data on sales volumes of competing camping solutions. The North Fork’s competition includes (1) rooftop tents, (2) 2-person teardrops, (3) slide-ins, and (4) rigid camp trailers. The 4 x 8 North Fork’s unique features compete well against them, and generate significant estimated revenues and profit margins.

Can I buy a North Fork off-grid camper today?

Thanks for the question, but no, not today. Tentaluma has designed and built a rugged, fully functional prototype of the North Fork. We intend to license the design of North Fork to an exclusive manufacturer, who will then manufacture, market, sell, distribute, and support it. Tentaluma is currently using the prototype for field testing. The prototype is also helping us conduct a competition to pick a manufacturer who can produce the North Fork in the quality and quantity required to satisfy all retail customers. Please keep an eye on the Tentaluma website to find out when and how you can purchase a North Fork off-grid camper.

How does the North Fork off-grid camper compare to a teardrop or rooftop tent?

We studied roof-top tents and 2-person teardrop trailers. We concluded we needed a different compact camper solution - something inexpensive, like an aluminum tent. We want to spend our money on something we can also use while we are not camping. We don’t want to have a camper sitting in our yard, not being used the majority of the time. So we designed the North Fork to have the following capabilities:

1. Standing room inside for 6-footers

2. Cooking and eating inside for 2 people

3. Two integrated outside tables for good-weather dining

4. Stowage for two lawn chairs inside the camper

5. Easy removal from a standard, versatile 4 x 8 utility trailer

6. All-aluminum construction, so it will last a long time

7. Easy entering and exiting - no climbing ladders or crawling to get in

8. Easy to load - food, refrigerator, potable water, grey water and power bank load through large access doors from the outside

9. Comfortable bed for 2 people

10. Easy to repair with minimal tools, because all utilities are exposed, accessible, and use hardware store components

11. Minimal electric appliances - only the refrigerator, LED lights, and fan are electric

12. Big propane heater - stay cozy in winter

13. Use of the car for exploring, while the trailer remains fully set up at the campsite

14. Composting toilet for use outside in a compact privacy cabana, or inside, in bad weather

15. Easy, infinite customization of features such as lights, fans, storage bins

Our prototype testing has proved that, because it has the above characteristics, the North Fork off-grid camper is more suitable for our needs than 2-person teardrop micro-campers or roof-top tents.

Who is Con Underwood Consulting, LLC, and what is their relationship to Tentaluma?

Con Underwood Consulting, LLC is a product design and management consulting company. We provide services in the aerospace, energy, software, automotive, outdoor equipment, and food industries. Our specialties are product design, human factors engineering, safety and environmental regulatory compliance, and software development management. Tentaluma is a brand in our product design area. Our designers create innovative products and license them to manufacturers for production and distribution. The North Fork off-grid budget camper is one of these products. We are convinced that a strong, untapped market for durable, flexible, low-priced outdoor habitation products exists in the U. S. today. In the case of North Fork, we are looking for a successful trailer or camper manufacturer who wants to expand the budget end of their offerings. Another potential source for our exclusive licensee is the T-slot aluminum fabrication industry. T-slot aluminum fabricators will recognize that an innovative, budget micro-camper, made from T-slots, is a prudent way to add a commercial side to their existing industrial business.

Do you have larger models of the North Fork?

The 4 x 8 is the only complete design and prototype at this point. Prior to designing the 4 x 8, however, we completed conceptual design studies of larger models. Our intent is to scale up and diversify the North Fork in future licensing projects.

What are the military applications of North Fork?

Many military and government operations involve communications or maintenance. Many military operations are combat-related. The North Fork camper has applications in both sectors of military activity. North Fork offers a low-cost, rapidly implemented, crewed transport and habitation solution. Government procurements are increasingly considering COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) alternatives in their efforts to dramatically reduce costs while increasing effectiveness. Military customers of North Fork need many of the characteristics that civilian customers need. Among these needs are: (1) field repairability, (2) ease of customization, (3) low cost, (3) durability, and (4) light weight. We designed the North Fork using T-slot aluminum, a material that is widely implemented in the manufacturing industry. T-slots are strong, lightweight, and easily reconfigurable, using specialized fasteners, and no welding. When specialized fasteners are not available, reconfiguration is still easy, using widely available conventional fasteners and woodworking tools. This flexibility is vital to real-world operations in remote or developing areas. The North Fork uses a simple nautical-style rope and cleat system to restrain equipment throughout the structure. Rope and cleats provides rock-solid, quick, infinitely adjustable restraints. Rope is universally available, unlike webbing, bungees, or cabinet hardware. The North Fork camper uses no fabric. Fabric is subject to tearing and deterioration in extreme conditions. North Fork’s all-aluminum structure gives it the durability, light weight, and low cost that is essential to remote operations. These characteristics make North Fork a powerful solution for military reconnaissance, special operations, monitoring, logistics, communications, and maintenance.

Why did you design North Fork to be removable from the trailer?

We designed it to be removable to maximize its value for the target market. By enabling it to roll off an off-the-shelf 4 x 8 utility trailer, we provided the customer many use cases that are not possible with existing campers. The customer can use their trailer in the woods, while camping in the sleeping module. Typical trailer uses include transporting ATVs, or game carcasses. Customers can remove the sleeping module at home, giving them full use of the utility trailer for other tasks.

How are you going to pick the competition winner?

We are requesting a simple written proposal from the competitors that summarizes their capability to produce the North Fork in quantities, and at rates that will make it financially viable. To protect our prospective bidders’ market competition interests, all communications with prospective bidders will be kept confidential. Simultaneously, we will get to know the competitors personally, to assess the likelihood of their becoming successful manufacturers, marketers, distributors and supporters of the North fork product. Most importantly, the competitors will get to know us. Understanding how Con Underwood Consulting, LLC operates will enable competitors to accurately assess whether this venture would be a fit for their operation.

Why did you name it “North Fork”?

The north fork of the Payette river in Idaho is one of our favorite whitewater rivers.