How to: DIY Wedge Camper

Using thin panels with riveted on stiffeners is much more weight efficient than using a thick panel by itself.

The stiffeners add a shit ton of stiffness. You would need a super thick panel to match the stiffness of the thin panel with stiffeners.

 

Another awesome build, Man are you talented!!

 

@Ripcord great build! I am thinking of making just a tent portion for my 80 series since a GFC is way out of my price range and had a question about the inside corners and front of the tent section where the hinges are since there is no pickup bed below I really need to seal this thing. I know you used the keder rail to hold the fabric to the frame but what did you do in the corners to keep any rain/moisture from entering? Also on the inside of the front frame did you add any material there? I see in your photos that you had the three main panels made but that "small" wall doesn't have anything

Thanks!

 

The front of the wedge doesn't need any fabric IMO. There is a gap produced when the wedge is opened, but it works great in combination with the vents at the top of the fabric to provide some air flow to reduce condensation. Unless it is literally raining sideways it would not be a problem.

But if you don't like that you could always just make the fabric wrap around the front too, not that hard.

 

Thanks for the input on the front. Makes sense since the top of the frame overhangs the gap. What about the corners though? Seems like it's tough to get that totally water tight. Is that why you have the "skirts" along the bottom edge?

 

Yeah the corners and the fact that I have the fabric mounted to the inside of the extrusions are the reasons for the rain skirt.

 

That's what I figured. When I make mine it will also be inside the extrusion so that will make it interesting to seal up. I'll likely do skirts as well. How are you liking the mattress? I have a megamat duo which I was thinking of using instead of memory foam since it's super comfortable and way lighter.

 

This mattress is the best part of the camper, hands down.

A lighter mattress would be really nice, but I can't justify the cost of something like the mega mat.

 

@m603holden

 

DO IT

(Ill help..)

 

BTW I did end up having some capillary wicking through the felt, though very minor. Mostly just the felt retaining moisture after everything else had dried.

Anyway I have amended the post with recommendations for a different gasket type material.

 

Looks awesome! I am starting to draw up plans for my own. Are you satisfied with the alupanel for the roof? How do you feel about the vertical space at the "front" of the wedge? That is the biggest issue (in my mind) with the wedge campers, and as such I am toying with the idea of a dual hinge system.

Thanks for the awesome build data, I hope you don't mind me copying it a bit.

 

You could always do a roof that moves purely vertically, like a roofnest or CVT hardshell tent.




Or a compound hinge like THIS GUY did.





I considered both of these options and stuck with what I did for simplicity. Been working fine so far, I just stick my feet towards the front.


And I wouldn't have posted this thread if I didn't want people copying it!

 

Appreciate it! Yeah, I am thinking about doing a compound hinge with 2 differently sized bars and a strut for support.

Here:

 

I'm personally not a fan of how much forward translation that hinge setup has. Turns the canvas section at the back of the truck into a slanted roof of sorts. And keep in mind you enter the bed area from the back and would want as much space there as possible, so this canvas leaning into that area would bug me.

Again just my opinion, the beauty of a DIY camper is you can make it how YOU want.

 

Good points, I agree with the forward translation being weird with the canvas. It's hard to see exactly how it will be until I can build a small scale version or something. I've slept in tents long enough that I'm not too concerned with canvas as a roof in terms of weatherproofing, just as intrusion in the cabin area.

Thanks for the information! I'll try not to clutter up your thread but I may PM you a bit if ya don't mind. Definitely some great knowledge on this thread.

 

Glad to help.

Like I said on a previous page: I've said my peace on page 1, so at this point its just a DIY BS thread.

 

Great writeup Jim! Thanks for sharing!
I am embarking on this journey later this year as I am planning on going to a larger tent(as i mentioned in my IG post earlier this week) and with this I will be building a spaceframe similar to yours but without the wedge tent.
I do have a question I'm curious about.
Is the shape of the spaceframe leaning forward a bit towards the cab? like a parallelogram? If so, is the angle in the front the same as the back?


Here are my sketches if it may help others to get some ideas



And yes, it is a Hilux

 

Wow, nice build! I'm obsessed with Spruce Mica right now too, your truck currently may be one of my favs so far. Would love to attempt something like this but lack the skills to follow through with a lot of it for sure.

 

Yes the profile when viewed from the side is a parallelogram. The top is just a few inches forward of the bottom, so a pretty shallow angle. Not sure if Hilux and Taco would be similar there though.

Thanks! Spruce mica sure is a unique color, Toyota doesn't do enough greens.