Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

Regarding snowboard rack convo: love my set up recommended by another Kimbo owner in CO. Just use the holes for the jacks if you aren’t using em’!
SUPER cheap set up as well. all you need is an old ski rack (drill some holes in it), four 6inch 3/8 bolts and some nuts and you’re good!

 

No worries. Here are a few pics from the last trip. The rack has room for a board and skis or possibly 3 pairs of skis.

It was a crazy 10hr drive in some of the worst conditions I’ve driven in. Leaving Denver the snow was that slick snot crap where only pure winter tires were not slipping, everyone was sliding a bit. The Toyo AT3s did very well though. The weight of the Kimbo I believe kept me from sliding too, no issues. Normally a 6hr drive. Pictures were taken when going about 10-15mph. The Million Dollar Highway was the icing on the cake at 2am. No pun intended, but as the plow drove the in front, a layer of ice shined through the snow. But the morning was perfect and had the wood stove going all night. Made some coffee and headed out for a hut trip. Great weekend. Dry roads all the way to Crested Butte and back home.



Million Dollar Highway:



Opus Hut at 11,600ft:

 

Gents, thanks for the inspiration, I’ll probably go Voltrons route with the ladder mount. That way is a little more versatile. Voltron, what’s the measurement of your ski rack? Looks like it perfectly matches the spacing of the ladder rungs for mounting.

were you skinning out there or does someone provide a cat/sled service for ya? Awesome photos!

 

Let me know what measurements you need, distance apart? It tightens down on the vertical bars and rests on the horizontal rungs. Used some spacers in the mounts between the bars. The spacing has worked just fine with both my pairs of different lengths and binding mount points.

Yeah we were skinning out about 3miles I think to the hut. Once out there you have access to just about anything depending on conditions. The hut it self is really nice. We had hosts that cook for us and a wood burning sauna right below.

 

This was from 2020, last group in right as the pandemic hit the US. We had no clue what was going on. More snow that year but great conditions still.

 

Couple questions for y'all.
Anyone with the 600 btu Toshiba AC option receive a remote for it? Mine was not included but listed in the Toshiba manual as something that comes with the unit.
What cleaning products do you recommend for the various surfaces? Was thinking of using a mixture of water, vinegar and dawn to spot clean as needed. Then thoroughly drying the surface after cleaning. Don't want to mess up the laminated wood surfaces in the Kimbo.
Thank you!

 

I didn’t realize you had it mounted to the vertical bars, but that makes sense and answers my question.

unrelated question: can’t really discern how the metal baskets come mounted from the factory, but it looks like you could swap the retention piece that’s used to hold up the insulation with a bigger washer to hold a basket to the wall. The only place where I see drilling and your own hardware required would be on the bare metal strut where the “pantry” is. Is that essentially what they did? I’d rather install my own than pay $90 for a single basket…

 

Yup, exactly - steep labor charge

 

Yep, they may add some extra rivet spacers to screw into for the baskets as part of the package, but without that option I was able to put up 7 baskets. Three are at the foot of the bed, Three on the outside of the closet space, and one above the bench seat. You can fit more depending on how you build out the kitchen, just have to find the right distanced spots. I forgot the thread type, think it was 10/32nds and then add the washers. I did this in the parking lot of the closest Lowes to Kimbo when I picked it up. Collin gave me the measurements. Always appreciated how helpful he was during pickup for the DIY projects I wanted to do.

 

Did you have to drill to mount those on the outside of the closet space? But sounds like you can do it! Gracias

 

They were already there. Although if you had different size baskets you wanted to use you could easily drill different holes. This is where you will want to keep your heaviest items since you don't have to worry about the rivet spacer bending. I haven't had any issues but just a precaution. It would be an easy fix if anything happened.

 

Yea, I had some large sweet potaters hanging in my basket above the sink and the weight of it completely stripped the anchor and my basket would not stay in place. Cole mentioned that when he was on vacation, the team started adding plastic anchors for the baskets instead of aluminum (to prevent potential freezing) which he knew would be a bad idea...Anywho, we replaced mine with the traditional aluminum anchors when they installed my internet.

PS, I am not a handyman....they might not be called anchors lol.

 

I was shown the type of spacer and rivet they use if I ever wanted to add more "anchors" to the inside or replace one. Would good to know how to but haven't had the time or need yet. Some steel weld epoxy is used on the inside around the base so pretty bomber to begin with. Now that I have drilled and mounted various things to the inside, I would probably just use a robust bolt and spacer for future projects.

 

Not to gossip, but apparently Mark is VERY stubborn about making ANY changes to the layout of the Kimbo. I guess they have a design team that throws ideas at him almost every week and he tells them time after time that the kimbo isn't changing for years to come....examples were changing the AC unit, power / battery setup, adding larger sink, etc.

except for potentially adding more vents to the bottom of the kimbo to help with air circulation. Apparently they are experimenting with the small circular ones found in the new scouts. Moisture on the bottom panels from my snow boots and gear has been an issue with the suede-like material. I wish they used the more dense waterproof pads found inside the closet instead. Very hard to keep that dry, for me at least.

 

I'd imagine. I would have plenty of ideas too. Although with so many on the road now and in different environments, I think checking in on some of the owners would be wise to guide the changes if any.

 

Yeah, there is likely a business plan to release the initial product and keep it for a set amount of time to gain momentum. Any change will inevitably create at least a moderate cost increase that would be difficult to pass along to the customer, I think it was smart to have a few options but keep it super simple and standardized as much as possible.

A brand new startup has incredible pressures on it from all sides - I'm super impressed they are able to continue to offer the Kimbo at all during a time when so many small businesses are shuttering.

I do agree that the suede material is not optimal in the winter (my fabric is beginning to release from the insulation in spots on the ceiling) but the dense waterproof panels are not nearly as insulative...so that is also a consideration.

 

Maybe those engineering folks can share their ideas anonymously on this forum??

I'm trying to understand how moisture has been a problem on those bottom panels for you. Are you saying that the snow melt off your pants and boots is getting trapped down low due to poor ventilation and seeping into the insulation (I saw the photos you posted a little while back)? Is that with your gear being stowed in the little locker or just on the floor next to the bench area?

 

Yea it’s just from coming in and out of my rig when at the mountain. Snow melts and then disperses to the edges of the wood (which is why there’s moisture all the way around). I do my best to wipe my feet but when it’s dumping out, it’s inevitable. I was also was throwing my snowboardings on the ground before I had my rack set up which could have made it a little wet.

another thing to consider is that it’s below freezing nearly every night here in Central Oregon so it literally has never had the time to dry out.

 

Pulling the trigger on this shower option tomorrow when I get my REI dividends. It’s pricey but will help keep water usage down (only uses a gallon at a time) which will also help keep my weight down #TacomaProblems. Also great for washing dishes in freezing temps!

Other than the Joolca, what other shower options are people using out there?

Link to Geyser Water System: https://www.rei.com/product/167941/geyser-systems-portable-shower-with-heater

 

Thanks for the reminder about the dividends! The geyser looks cool, but I got some other stuff to get first. Let us know how it works!