FOUR WHEEL CAMPERS THREAD

Here's a pic of our Grandby. I bought it about 10 yrs ago and lived out of it when working away from home. Now it lives on the flatbed trailer and pulled behind the Tacoma.

 

Love this!

 

i know this is an old post but do you still have the camper? what kind of mileage were you getting?

 

Nice Campers, but they really should upgrade their windows to something like this: https://www.ternoverland.com/arctic-tern-window. Sliders are heavy and offer little in the way of ventilation. Really outdated design.

 

Not sure what sliders you're talking about. FWCs don't have sliders.
The big side windows are also emergency exits.

 

Some are sliders and some have small panels that crank open, but none have fully opening windows. That really compromises air flow. Plus, they are glass which is a heat sink and moisture condenser. I'm just saying that too many camper builders cut corners on things like windows, and it really affects the quality of life in these small spaces. Double pane acrylic is far lighter, 7-8 times more insulating (even more if the window has an integrated blind), and more than double the air flow of these partially opening windows. Changing them out later is not always so easy. It stands out to me because I have spent extended periods in campers and trailers in places as far flung as Moab in July and northern Maine in winter. Pop ups are not really meant for that kind of use, but even one night in extreme heat without the ability to move a lot of air can be miserable. I had a Scamp for many years that had Hehr windows, and they were terrible for all these reasons.

 

I never had a problem with heat in my Finch. Opening the door or the louvered windows and using the fan on top created good air flow.

 

Bump.

 

2018 Fleet ($28k) with indoor shower, furnace, insulation, solar panel & fridge upgrades on my 2015 TRD. By taking a loan against the truck, I saved 3% in interest over a RV loan. I average 13 MPG when fully loaded. I had to add a set of leaf springs for support. I've had it since February & it has served as my home, when I work out of town. So far so good.

 

Check out Wander The West for more of my photos.

 

I'm back. Lived out of our camper for a year and a half. It was the perfect setup for us. The only thing I'd like is if the rear cab window was a slider and the camper was a slider, so we could have a "pass-through". Love seeing all the rigs in this thread, keep 'em comin!

 

@Trowbocop what shower set up is that?

 

The red box is the Zodi Hot Shower, and the gray bag is a Nemo Helio

 

Trobo - please you MUST write up a narrative of your trip, trials and tribulations! wow amazing journey you've made.

What kind of suspension and wheel upgrades did you make to support the 4WC ? any custom cabinetry you put together inside ?

 

Haha, thanks, we pretty much kept it all to our Instagram account: @yourlocalnomads for the day to day adventures & pictures. I should for sure have done a thread here, hindsight eh?

I installed OME nitrocharger sport shocks, 883coils, Dakar’s + AAL, in combination with firestone ride rites/daystar cradles.

The cabinetry was built out by the factory, but we added 2solar panels, 400w inverter. The Yakima tracks & racks, fantastic fan were also additions we made. We also stuffed in 2” memory foam pads into the bed pads so we could have a comfy sleep setup. A few other upgrades we made are the 8’ awning & new reinforced mounting brackets. That’s all I can remember as of now, but the original owners got it pretty set up by the factory, then maybe only slept in it 7x. So ours has been pretty much brand new to us, even though it’s a 2007 model.

 

Just ordered a Fleet and it should be delivered in Feb-early March. Trying to determine how to "extend" the AC outlet from the bed on my '16 AC-OR. Anyone done this for either in the cab or in the camper?

 

Are you planning to power the FWC from the outlet? If so how do you plan on protecting the main battery from being drained by power use?

If you have the small cubbies over the wheel wells you can run power to a connection there. That is what I did with a three prong marine connection. My camper wasn't on my truck full time and I could connect the power to the camper before lowering the camper to the bed. The power was hooked to my 2nd battery. If you search on Wander The West you should be able to get other insights on how people connect their campers.

 

FWC will run the three prong marine connector during the install.

 

The FWC will be wired as Drainbung stated above. It will have a secondary battery as well as solar. I want to have access to the 110 outlet in the bed of the truck for a secondary option as I like to charge my Dewalt batteries and camera batteries directly from the truck's inverter while driving. It is my understanding that the AC outlets in the FWC are only powered while plugged into shore power. Am I wrong?

 

I had a shell model so not sure how the electric system comes from factory. What about putting in an extension cord from the AC outlet into the camper via the flap doors for the turnbuckle access?