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Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Discussion in 'Bay Area Metal Fabrication' started by MTNHABITOVERLAND, Mar 27, 2018.

  1. Oct 25, 2021 at 8:15 AM
    #5901
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    ARB if you don't want a room off the back.

    CVT 55" if you want the option of putting a room back there:
     
    MJonaGS32[QUOTED] likes this.
  2. Oct 25, 2021 at 9:23 AM
    #5902
    MapJunkie

    MapJunkie Well-Known Member

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    I installed the Smart Touring brackets on all three sides. That way I can move the 2.5m awning to the back if I need it. I have found that in the PNW rain, a 4” awning wouldn’t help very much. The rain just blows in.
     
    tacomgee and rob1208 like this.
  3. Oct 25, 2021 at 9:31 AM
    #5903
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    I also recommend this. I have a 4' ARB unmounted that I just set on the roof with it extended to gauge the usefulness of it and it just happened to start pouring rain. Unless you have side walls or drop the far end way down, the rain blows onto the tailgate. Great for shade, not great for rain.
     
  4. Oct 25, 2021 at 9:39 AM
    #5904
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    SILLY LOAD CARRYING QUIZ

    So, I've got a 2nd gen short bed. I need to carry one sheet of 4x8' ply in good weather about 10 miles, including one section of 60mph.

    What strapping/binding ideas do you have to carry this on a completely bare Drifter roof (no L-Track, no cross bars, no fan)? I'm thinking fold a tarp or blanket over the front overhang like a taco to keep wind from picking up the front of the plywood and then… Not sure how to secure the sides near the rear or keep it from shifting front to rear without just ratcheting down around the overhang really tight.

    My backup option is to just unzip the tent and remove it and put the plywood inside where the mattress normally lives, but what's the fun in that?
     
  5. Oct 25, 2021 at 10:14 AM
    #5905
    snwbrdr852

    snwbrdr852 Well-Known Member

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    If it was me, I'd probably just go overkill with the straps... One around the forward part of the overhang, one at the very rear of the overhang which you could then use that strap as a forward attachment point to go straight back and down to the hitch, and then you could also do a couple straps wrapped diagonally - like around the front center of the overhang and then back diagonally in opposite directions, then probably under the upper latching points in the rear so that they're captured with the roof latched.

    You could also lay down something like shelf liner underneath the ply to help keep it from shifting.
     
  6. Oct 25, 2021 at 10:43 AM
    #5906
    joeydurango

    joeydurango Nightfall Overland

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    My suggestion is... borrow a friend's truck :D :D
     
    axulsuv, Sinner2, BZ4X4 and 2 others like this.
  7. Oct 25, 2021 at 11:02 AM
    #5907
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    That's not a fun thought exercise.

    I could also empty out the bed and put the ply in angled and have it stick out, but what's the fun in that?
     
    snwbrdr852 likes this.
  8. Oct 25, 2021 at 11:38 AM
    #5908
    socalexpeditions

    socalexpeditions IG: @socalexpeditions

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    Rent a trailer for $19.99

    Strap it to the roof

    All good ideas haha. Not worth taking out the tent material
     
  9. Oct 25, 2021 at 11:57 AM
    #5909
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    Ok, this thought exercise is over. I was hoping for some interesting solutions or maybe some crazy ones like "how to carry 12' lumber under the truck by ratcheting to the sliders".

    I'm just going to stick it in the bed with the tailgate closed on top of my fridge/bins. It's a short enough distance and smooth roads that this will work fine and I don't have to empty out the truck bed.
     
  10. Oct 25, 2021 at 12:13 PM
    #5910
    cobes

    cobes habitual line-stepper

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    How much are those STS brackets, and are they easy to install or should I have Vagabond? I like the idea of having some on 2 sides. I dont think I want a room, but will try to rig a removeable wall to one of the sides for windy days but not super worried about that
     
  11. Oct 25, 2021 at 12:51 PM
    #5911
    socalexpeditions

    socalexpeditions IG: @socalexpeditions

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    If they are the same as what's used for the OVS 270 awning, I paid $250 for the brackets + install on the camper
     
  12. Oct 25, 2021 at 1:35 PM
    #5912
    kalieaire

    kalieaire i didn't know they stacked sh*t that high.

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    yeah, i just have it sticking out the back of my truck sitting on top of the tire on the swing out.

    sure my brake light is obscured, but it's only for a few miles.
     
  13. Oct 26, 2021 at 3:05 AM
    #5913
    migx333

    migx333 Well-Known Member

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    Do you have a metal sheet instead of a cab window?
     
  14. Oct 26, 2021 at 11:50 AM
    #5914
    Kclamer

    Kclamer Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I requested a solid wall without a window.
     
    migx333[QUOTED] likes this.
  15. Oct 26, 2021 at 12:24 PM
    #5915
    SenatorBlutarsky

    SenatorBlutarsky Well-Known Member

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    I did this just this past weekend. Gotta leave the rear window up but the sheet hardly moves. It's easy to throw a strap around the sheet as well and tie to something inside the bed, just in case.
     
  16. Oct 28, 2021 at 1:03 AM
    #5916
    migx333

    migx333 Well-Known Member

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    Has anybody mounted their maxtrax to their gullwing door?
     
  17. Oct 28, 2021 at 4:30 PM
    #5917
    TomHGZ

    TomHGZ Well-Known Member

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    Partial list: Vagabond Drifter 3rd Gen OR rear axle 4.30 gears Bilstein 6112s and Tundra 5160s.
    What have people done to make the Vagabond better suited for rain?

    Specifically, has anyone done anything to address the huge amount of water that dumps onto the front seats and carpet from the corners of the camper when it’s pouring outside?

    Any other cool rain mods?

    sincerely,

    The entire PNW.
     
  18. Oct 28, 2021 at 6:40 PM
    #5918
    JasonLee

    JasonLee Hello? I'm a truck.

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    I mentioned before that my idea was a custom roof rack on the truck cab that is wider than traditional… front has an air dam and the wider body catches and redirects the rain.

    https://youtube.com/shorts/Q6D_5nIqUoQ
     
    TomHGZ[QUOTED] likes this.
  19. Oct 28, 2021 at 7:17 PM
    #5919
    TomHGZ

    TomHGZ Well-Known Member

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    Partial list: Vagabond Drifter 3rd Gen OR rear axle 4.30 gears Bilstein 6112s and Tundra 5160s.
    the air dam would thus need to terminate under the camper, which would greatly reduce its function as an air dam? Also, consider the considerable up-down movement of the camper when the frame flexes offroad. You’d probably want at least an inch of space (or a really flexible fairing).

    I just bought some aluminum plate to cut and mount “canards” to the underside of the front corners, extending the leading edge to each side by three inches, using the existing torx screws for a mount.

    I also bought a suction-cup-mounted roof bar and a Thule air dam. Finding a fairing that is as wide as the Drifter for under $400 seems pretty difficult.
     
  20. Oct 28, 2021 at 7:31 PM
    #5920
    kalieaire

    kalieaire i didn't know they stacked sh*t that high.

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    This might be obvious to just me, but do you guys just leave your doors and windows open when it's raining outside?
     
    surfjones and SliMbo4.0 like this.

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