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Capri Band announces their 2018 updates and reveals their broadcast building, centralized scales, and an absurd build-your-own website system. Introducing the coolest advantage amalgamation anytime conceived for barter band – The Works!
Pete and Tyson D’Acosta are accepting way, way too abundant fun active Capri Campers. Every time we allocution with this ancestor and son aggregation they’re absurdly blame advanced with new artefact ideas, assembly ability initiatives, and cardinal plans.
As a aftereffect of their active efforts, every angle of Capri Band has accomplished atomic growth. And aback we say growth, we’re demography 40 to 50-percent year-over-year growth! It’s no admiration that Pete and Tyson accept told us abounding times, “We’re accepting so abundant fun active Capri!”
Why does it bulk that the D’Acosta’s are accepting so abundant fun active their company? Aggregation pride, affection control, and artefact advancements are all brought advanced and centermost in their aggressive ambiance of accelerated growth. We saw this aboriginal duke aback we visited the Capri branch beforehand this year. From what you’re about to read, this advanced drive has alone accelerated.
In accession to their 2018 artefact updates, Capri has a account of absorbing account items including an broadcast building, the accession of centralized scales, a new options package, a arresting build-your-own website system, and more. If you’ve anytime capital to apperceive what a growing barter camper aggregation looks like aback they’re battlefront on all cylinders, this is it.
For the central angular on Capri’s 2018 updates and news, we talked to Pete and Tyson D’Acosta, President and Vice President of Capri Campers. Hang on.
Above: A Capri Retreat in white and chrome
TCM: How has 2017 been for Capri Campers?
Pete: We’ve had 40 to 50-percent advance for four afterwards years. Through the aboriginal eight months of 2017, we are already up 50-percent from 2016. It’s been a abundant year.
TCM: That’s incredible. Has the accelerated advance been a challenge?
Pete: We are managing our advance so it doesn’t get abroad from us, but we’re at a crossroads. We are attractive at growing from 150 band per year to added than 500. To do that we would charge to decidedly change our infrastructure.
We appetite to abide the claimed blow and absolute acquaintance with our admirable customers. We charge to booty a big footfall afterwards accident that. We accept a lot activity on strategically.
Above: Personalizing your camper is allotment of what makes Capri unique
TCM: Why do you feel it’s so important to accept that claimed and absolute contact?
Pete: What absolutely separates a aggregation is how they handle problems. Aback our barter call, we never apperceive if they’re activity to say they adulation their camper, or if they charge advice with a baptize pump. We consistently acknowledgment our calls and never contrivance the problems.
We accept in blockage with our barter all the way through, and acceptation what we say. We put a lot of time and activity to advice barter aback things go wrong.
TCM: That’s auspicious to hear. Accept you spotted any trends with the way barter are acclimation Capri Campers?
Tyson: A few years ago we didn’t action a array arrangement and abounding added amenities that added barter camper manufacturers offered. Our barter told us they capital these amenities to acquiesce them to affected off-grid.
Today, about 80-percent of our Retreat models are loaded with a array system, refrigerator, and more. If there’s a trend, it’s for added off-grid able amenities and features.
Pete: As we accretion added exposure, we’re additionally accepting added barter alfresco of Texas. That’s been addition important trend for our company. It’s fun aback addition discovers us and says that a Capri is what they’ve been attractive for.
Above: The autogenous of a loaded Retreat
TCM: What’s been the best affairs Capri Camper in 2017?
Tyson: A loaded Retreat is our best agent for sure. Added and added barter appetite a loaded off-grid camper. One guy went to Canada to ski in -16 bulk Fahrenheit acclimate and couldn’t accept how balmy his Capri Retreat was with the catalytic heater.
Above: The autogenous of a abject Cowboy
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Pete: We additionally advertise a lot of Cowboy models, but that chump is not an RVer. Our Cowboy barter appetite a adequate abode to sit or sleep. I bet we’ve awash as abounding Cowboys as Retreats because you can buy a Cowboy for beneath $10,000 and still accept aggregate you appetite in it.
A chump alleged me bygone during his cafeteria breach from Kansas. He bought a Cowboy for his assignment breach so that he can accept cafeteria and watch television. Bodies are acumen the accessibility of a baby camper to booty a breach at work, or tailgate at a antic event.
Tyson: We’ve awash eight band afresh to traveling doctors and nurses who are on call. They booty breach in their Capri camper. They’ve got a queen admeasurement bed to booty a nap, cabinets for snacks, a refrigerator for algid food, and a television. There’s no end to what you can do and the bulk is almost small.
TCM: We are actual aflame to see that Capri will be including LP detectors, CO detectors, and smoke alarms for 2018. Are these assurance items now accepted beyond the board?
Tyson: Yes, every camper we body now has a LP detector, CO detector, and smoke alarm.
TCM: The change to red and dejected PEX accouterments seems like a analytical update. Acquaint us why you fabricated this change.
Tyson: The primary acumen is for maintenance. If article in the accouterments curve were to break, the chump can calmly see the algid against the hot line.
Pete: It additionally helps our assembly aggregation with affection control. We bent a accouterments botch already that would accept been abhorred had the accouterments curve been blush coded. The blush curve are addition footfall advanced in our refinement.
TCM: In the advice you beatific us, you declared a, “new accession adjustment with allurement doors and turnbuckles”. Can you explain what this change is about?
Pete: The old accession arrangement consists of bolting the camper (four 6” hex bolts) bottomward to the bed of the truck. That is the safest and cleanest adjustment of accepting the camper to the truck. We still action to do that for those barter that rarely, if ever, abolish the camper from their truck.
The bolt-down arrangement however, has one cogent drawback. Getting the camper off the barter is easy, but putting it aback on the barter and analogous up the bolt holes is not consistently easy. It can booty some time and is a little arresting for some customers.
Above: The allurement doors are on the basal larboard and right.
So we came up with a new arrangement that includes turnbuckles and allurement doors and it is abundant easier.
Above: Camper tie-down brackets
We now install four able rings and brackets (manufactured by a bounded welder) beneath the wings of the camper. There are four analogous allurement doors with abundant assignment latches and acclimate stripping.
Above: The allurement aperture accessible (left) and bankrupt (right)
When it is time to install, we admeasurement the customer’s barter bed and match-up four eye-bolts that we install into the barter bed. Application this approach, aback we accelerate the camper into the truck’s bed, you artlessly ability into the allurement aperture with a turnbuckle, ability up to the camper’s angle and bottomward to the barter bed hook. Then, you bind the turnbuckle. The adorableness is that an alone can do it in fifteen minutes, and there are no arresting straps or turnbuckles from the outside.
TCM: For 2018, Capri Band is alms an addition 10-inch by 10-inch window in the rear door. Is this the aboriginal time Capri Band accept been accessible with a rear aperture window?
Tyson: Yes, it is. Our aperture architect would never accede to put a window in the door. We assuredly assertive the architect to put windows in. Now you can get a aperture in atramentous or white, with or afterwards a window.
TCM: Is the addition aperture window bright or frosted?
Pete: It’s 10-inch by 10-inch anchored bright glass. A aperture window is accessible for both the Retreat and Cowboy. A blackout window adumbration is additionally accessible for aloofness and to block the light.
Once bodies apprehend about the window aperture offering, they adulation it. Our black-out window shades are additionally functional. If you accept the black-out shades absorbed while driving, the camper stays comfortable.
TCM: What’s the advantage bulk for the aperture window?
Tyson: It’s $125 for the upgraded aperture with the window.
TCM: Acquaint us about your new bore faucet. What were you application before, and why is this new faucet an upgrade?
Pete: We accept been attractive for an RV faucet advancement and ordered some RV faucets to try out. They ranged from $10 artificial faucets to hundreds of dollars. In the end we activate a high-quality Kensington stainless steel, chrome argent faucet advised for calm use. It’s absolutely nice.
RV faucets tend to be cheaply built. There are alone a scattering of appearance and accessories in a Capri Camper and we appetite them to be aerial affection articles from acceptable cast names. That will abate the bulk of aliment our barter acquaintance bottomward the road.
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TCM: That is actual true. Allocution to us about the new gas struts for the cabinetry.
Tyson: It was generally a affliction to get things from our high cabinets because you had to use two hands; one to authority the chiffonier aperture open, and the added to get what you needed.
To fix this, we added gas struts to every chiffonier that opens upward. There are magnets on the cabinets that accessible to the side. Either way, our cabinets now accomplish with one hand.
Above: Addition scissor steps
TCM: For 2018 you’re alms the advantage of scissor steps. Which architect are you using?
Pete: We are application Brophy scissor accomplish that arise with brackets. The four accomplish are 22-inches wide, like our camper doors.
As an alternative, we additionally action a able architect arbor that doubles as an access footfall system. You do not charge the scissor accomplish if you adjustment the architect rack.
Above: The addition able architect rack
Some bodies will aloof footfall on the brawl block or the bonanza to access the camper, but we apprehend that can be a climb. Abounding of our barter us a simple $20 footfall stool from Walmart, Lowes, or Home Depot. There are a cardinal of access footfall solutions for Capri Campers.
TCM: For 2018, Capri is alms an addition a alike arise bore with bottle cover. What can you acquaint us about this new sink?
Tyson: The new alike arise bore is from Dometic. It has a faucet that, aback not in use, will bend bottomward beneath the bottle awning giving you a collapsed apparent on the counter. It’s a $195 option. It looks great, is able-bodied built, and keeps the kitchen blueprint apple-pie and simple.
TCM: In the accomplished you’ve offered the Primary and Premium packages. For 2018, you’re introducing a new package; The Works. What’s in The Works?
Pete: The Works is new and based on chump orders from this accomplished year. We accept had absolutely a few barter who accept asked us to put aggregate in their campers. That’s why we developed The Works.
Above: The Capri Retreats we advised in the Blush customizer. Many added options are possible.
TCM: Readers are activity to accept a lot of fun with the new online exoteric blush customizer on the Capri website. For those who may be new to Capri, what are the blush choices?
Tyson: The attending of a Capri Camper is one added affair that sets us afar from added brands. We do not accept the accepted white filon siding. Our barter can accept whatever blush aggregate they want.
We aloof congenital a camper breadth two abandon were blue, the aback was black, and the roof was grey. You can accept fun with the colors, and again band it how you want.
The customizer on our website, on the Retreat and Cowboy pages aback you Body Your Own Camper, allows you to comedy about with altered blush combinations. Picking the colors and stripes is a way to accomplish your Capri Camper your own, aloof like with the autogenous choices.
Above: The Capri Cowboys we advised in the Blush customizer. Many added options are possible.
Pete: On the phone, barter sometimes accept a adamantine time allotment a blush combination. The customizer gives the barter a advertence to accomplish their decision. It additionally gets our barter creatively cerebration about their blush choices, and aflame about their camper.
There are six anchored panels on the right, left, and aback of a Retreat camper and four anchored panels on a Cowboy. Barter acquaint us what blush they appetite on console 1, console 2, and so on. Luckily we accept not congenital any band with the amiss colors.
Tyson: We try to accomplish our website user friendly. You can accept an account or a amalgamation and see a account of every item. You can additionally see the attic affairs to see what they attending like. Our website is actual interactive.
Pete: We accept pricing, the alternate blush configurator, pictures, attic plans, and bristles accessible accomplish to adjustment a camper. Last anniversary we aloof started a new camper architect for the Retreat and Cowboy where you get to body your own camper. The abstraction is to accord you aggregate you charge to apperceive to adjudge if a Capri Camper is appropriate for you.
Tyson: We additionally aloof added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tab. The FAQ has answers to best of the questions we get asked all the time.
I am additionally alive on videos for anniversary attic plan. Added than seeing the pictures and attic affairs on our website, you can watch a video and get central the camper. You may admiration what’s central a cabinet, so I booty you through that in the videos.
TCM: That’s a abundant idea, Tyson. What are some of the standout blush combinations you’ve seen?
Tyson: We aloof congenital one that was all orange like a pumpkin. That was an absorbing look. My admired colors are a atramentous camper with red stripes for Texas Tech.
Above: Tyson’s admired blush aggregate is atramentous and red for Texas Tech
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Pete: I anticipate the solid chrome camper is arresting because it’s like an Airstream.
Above: Pete brand the solid chrome look
It doesn’t attending absolutely as acceptable already it rains and gets bugs on it. We can’t accumulate white, atramentous and chrome in stock. Those are our best accepted colors.
TCM: Acquaint us about your new centralized calibration system. How has that formed out?
Tyson: Barter Camper Magazine keeps allowance us to improve. Afterwards the Capri Retreat review, we ordered the Intercomp SW500 E-Z Counterbalance Calibration Arrangement you recommended.
Before we aloof advised anniversary archetypal abandoned and loaded and fabricated a assumption on the weight in between. We are actual aflame to now accept authentic weights for every camper we build.
Above: The Capri Retreat pictured aloft advised 1,659 pounds dry with options
Before anniversary camper gets installed on a truck, it goes through final testing and gets weighed. The Manufacturers Statement of Origin (MSO) has the VIN number, weight, and appellation for the camper. It’s all done afore the chump arrives. Every weight goes into the customer’s file. I additionally accept pictures of anniversary camper on my computer.
TCM: That’s fantastic! Thank you for demography the action to acquirement the calibration arrangement and counterbalance every camper. That advice is invaluable to your barter and their safety. Can you accord us a contempo archetype of belief a Capri?
Tyson: We aloof delivered a adequately loaded Retreat continued bed with applesauce beds and a array system; about the heaviest camper we can build. That assemblage was 1,860 pounds with jacks.
Above: This Capri Cowboy with no jacks advised 743 pounds dry with options
TCM: Was that weight in band with your expectations?
Tyson: Yes, the scales accept accepted what we were thinking. Some were maybe 50 to 60 pounds off, but the ambit is what we were expecting. Now if we advancement or change accessories in a camper, we accept added authentic information. The new scales accept been great.
TCM: You completed accretion your ability anon afterwards our branch tour. How has this new amplitude helped with Capri’s production, quality, and circadian operations?
Tyson: With the added allowance we can adapt aggregate so abundant better. The plumbing, propane, and aluminum trim all accept specific places now. Everyone knows breadth to get what they need. It’s additionally easier for me to accumulate clue of account and ordering.
The new amplitude has absolutely accustomed us to access production. Aback we took the genitalia out of the capital assembly breadth we were able to accessible up added accolade to body added campers. The abutting part, which we haven’t finished, is acclimation the copse and paneling. Again we’ll be able to add alike added amplitude for production. We’ve additionally assassin two added workers back you were actuality in April.
TCM: Any changes to your camper appraisement for 2018?
Pete: Prices are activity up November 1, 2017 to awning rapidly accretion actual and apparatus costs. All of our camper appliances, like baptize heaters, accept jumped significantly. Our aluminum supplier has aloft prices on us alert this agenda year. Both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma accept all southern builders and manufacturers anxious about amount increases and account availability, abnormally lumber, as Texas and Florida activate rebuilding.
Tyson: A loaded Retreat with the works is still alone $18,590. I don’t apperceive of addition adamantine ancillary camper out there with all those options in that amount range.
Above: A video airing through of a Capri Retreat barter camper
TCM: Any new models or attic affairs in development?
Tyson: I am activity to accelerate you a video airing through on a new barter of a continued bed attic plan. The battery is on the right, and the refrigerator is abaft the shower, sink, stove and closet area.
The average is a sitting area. The top bed is cut off to 40” advanced (40 X 80) and the added 15-inches in the adenoids was adapted to cabinets. It was advised to beddy-bye two adults taller than 6’ in two abstracted sleeping areas, one aloft and one below.
Pete: This chump and his wife are now on their third Capri. Back he’s 6’4”, he capital two 40-inch advanced beds in the camper. One is in the adenoids and is one beneath so the bedmate and wife both accept room.
We put the refrigerator on the driver’s ancillary bank appear the door. They admired it. Again we army the television breadth the refrigerator acclimated to be located. It was a absolute set up for the two of them and it looks good.
TCM: Is there annihilation abroad you appetite association to apperceive about Capri Band or your affairs for 2018?
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Tyson: We now accept new autogenous beanbag options including faux gator bark and ostrich. They’re vinyl reproductions of the absolute thing, and they attending neat.
For added advice on Capri Campers, appointment their website at CapriCamper.com. For a Capri Camper brochure, bang here.
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