The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

Time for that sewing class.

 

Just a hunch but I think he can handle a little bit of sewing

 

Outed!

 

Well its been fun being part of the drifter family and the last year and a bit were filled with great memories (the drifter had been all over the SW/west coast of the US, all across Canada, north to just shy of Alaska and countless other spots, kept me warm in frigid temps -25c last time I camped in it over the xmas break on my way back out west from my folks and I spent about 70 nights in it in that time, over 21 days straight last xmas when I quit my job). We parted ways last week to a lovely couple from southern California. Was hard to let her go and was something I had been debating for the last 2-3 months. My heart is set on decreasing the weight of the taco and having a setup that is not tied to a specific vehicle as I am not sure how much longer i am going to stick to the midsize truck market (probably go back to a tundra/titan) as I miss the room of a larger truck.

Kind of feel bad about letting it go to be honest, like I cheated on my GF or something. Anyways, she has been passed on to good people who will love and care for her and probably have lots of cool adventures in the Southwest. She wasn't liking the frigid Canadian winters and I could not handle the pressure of being the only drifter in Canada anymore. Thankfully two others have stepped up to the plate and are bearing the burden one in Manitoba which was just delivered and the other I believe is in Vancouver or soon to be if I am not mistaken. Hopefully they kept the tradition of delivering Canadian booze to the hatchery which is customary for us Canadians to do, and keeps in line with the prohibition days when we supplied or southern brothers/sisters with proper booze.

Phil/Iggy, keep up the great work on the campers and producing an amazing product, really glad I bought one of your campers instead of the other brand that keeps blowing the doors off their campers (literally) with all their sales apparently. Glad you guys are not following suit with the instagram/giveaway bs they are doing and you are taking care of your paying customers and being true to your word

I'll be back down your guys way here sometime in the new year as I am planning a trip with a bit more serious off roading in the Norther Cali/Southern Oregon area, provided I can squeeze it in before the crazy construction schedule kicks off here towards the end of April. Now to find a decent camping setup again (sadly I sold everything), that works with what I have in mind or get a small camper trailer I can base camp from. I'll make sure to pay homage to the hatchery and drop some more delicious beers off to keep you guys stocked for about 15 mins!

To the rest of the minions I met with drifters and those whom I have not, I look forward to seeing you guys in the wild. I'll be the big bald Canadian(guy who's head flaps like on south park) waving at you, with a blue heeler named Zoeythat likes to bark at people who are not petting here Andy/Nicole(new owners) can attest to this as she was going nuts when we changed over the drifter in Bend the other week.

Oh and to answer some of the questions over the past few pages:

- yes it fits with a prinsu, no need to chop it down, had mine installed for a year, zero contact with the rack and yes the truck was off roaded (death valley, Anza Borega, Mohave Preserve, numerous Back Road discovery routes and the list goes on) and will continue to be off roaded.

-Dual swing outs are not an issue, unless you make them one. I had the awning for sun protection, sure it would be nice to not have to step out and around the tyre swing out, but in hind site, I rarely spent much time under the awning. we were either out hiking, exploring or if I was under it it was in the rain and my buddy would have his awning tucker under mine so we had a large area to stay out of the rain in.

-put the awning passenger side it works with the vast majority of the camping setups here in North America as we pull up to them or stage on the left side as we driven the right hand side of the road. Ultimately whatever works for you is best, but most have passenger side in my experience.

Couple of Random photos of the adventures of the drifter with the dog for the cuteness quotient.


Day 1, loading up on some goodies at the local store outside of San fran on the way back home


random snow camping trip(temps were low if I had a fire going, I normally do not have one)


The dog enjoying the bed (couldn't find her one camping trip, thought she took off, turns out she figured out how to climb the steps, hop up onto the fridge and into the drifter)



Somewhere in Death valley, think this was right after the steps in deckedara canyon (spelling?)

 

Great writeup! So if you buy a bigger truck, will you buy another drifter? What is the hatchery? Gotta love the dog.

 

Good luck Steve, thanks for repping VO! Can’t wait to see what setup you come up with next

 

Steve, you have been an inspiration for those of us that want to travel in the cold white north. Let’s hear it for Canadians (I am also married to one)! You have shown that the Drifter can be a four season camper. I aspire to build mine out to handle the cold like you have. Good luck on your next adventure.

 

Great write-up Steven! We'll be sure to take good care of your old Drifter. Thanks for adding so many useful posts and information to these threads. Good luck on the hunt for the new setup. Something tells me you'll definitely have another awesome setup sooner rather than later.

 

Hi all, for those currently deep into your wait time and getting antsy, be patient! I am thrilled to report I picked up my Drifter yesterday. The entire Vagabond Outdoors team did a great job with my build, and their attention to detail is second to none. Their product is a reflection of an intense devotion to innovation, testing, and user experience. The pickup/delivery experience was super easy and took a bit more than a half day (I imagine this wait time could vary significantly based on your options and their current workflow). The team went to work immediately when I arrived. During install, I went down to Downtown Benicia for a few hours, then worked / read in their adjacent waiting room. Phil answered all my questions and made some great recommendations that I will benefit from as I get out in the wild.
I am very happy to say that the loyalty they have inspired in this forum and on social media is an accurate reflection of their business. Please hang in there with your build, they're doing amazing work, and you will not be disappointed.

 

Steve, Thank you for all the answered questions and for sharing your experience here. Best of luck in your new endeavors, wherever they might take you!

 

Pics or it didn't happen

 

Probably not, if a buy a bigger truck,

nothing to it, just do it. you need a lot less then what you think.

Couple of tips for camping in them in cold weather:

-highly recommend this teton sleeping bag for the drifter. You will not be able to close the drifter with it in, but just pull it off and flip it down. I have slept in -25C with just this bag and in some long johns oh an a 50lb heeler snuggled up to me. https://www.amazon.com/Fahrenheit-Sleeping-Comfortable-Compression-Included/dp/B07MF3GFC8. I've ownedexpensice bags from all over and have them all sitting in storage or been sold. This is the best car camping bag I have ever used, warm and toasty. I tested it in northern Alberta in -30C and slept in the bed of the truck. I was plenty warm provided you wear decent long johns and a winter hate/Balaclava
-At the front and back of the drifter string a piece of paracord across on a carabiner. get an old army wool blanket and drape it across to create a thermal break on the drifter, big help with keeping the cold out.
-At first I was a big proponent of heat sources, tried diesel heaters, candles and buddy heaters, stopped short of buying a propex. the buddy heater was by far the best. the biggest help was buddy heater, however I just went without after awhile. Worst comes to worst fill a hot water bottle up wit hot water and get a dog or significant other to cuddle with.
-Nothing you can do with condensation in the winter, it is going to happen. you breathe out about 1L a night in moisture, it will freeze on the roof. Get an plastic pot scrapper (lodge sells them) or old credit card. Lay a towel down in the am and gentle scrap the ceiling to remove the frost. do no use a day to day ice scrapper they are to sharp and tend to grab material at the corners
-The struts are pretty much useless in cold temps, nearly broke my arm one day with them. The oil will not dampen after it is about half closed and the roof fell on my arm while I was hauling it down. Becareful, on that note, you will have a hard time putting the brace rod in place. The fabric is tight or was in mine and we had issues with the brace rod being installed from the get go.

Hope that helps some of you peeps out there!

Steve

 

Hatchery is Drifter headquarters where our babies were born and brought into this world. I have called it that from day one and it comes from my rebreather diving days when I would go back to the factory to get repairs done and we started calling it the hatchery.

Not sure if i get a bigger truck I will. My next truck I buy will be completely bought and built right from the get go. I like building trucks, but I seem to have all my free time stuck in building a truck instead of enjoying it. I would love have a company like AEV or something just build me what i want I hand them a cheque and walk away with a truck that is pretty much done and proven to work. As I get older I realize that I am not saving any money, I spend it in my time running wires, building wiring harness, etc. That might be something i look at, although it is fun to tinker.

Right now my thoughts are leaning towards the following:
-Tear drop trailer setup (although the pricing on these is super crazy for what you are getting)
-standard camping setup (hammock, etc),
-oz tent

Time will tell though, right now i m in the middle of sorting out an electrical issue in the truck (my switch pro 9100 failed again, the potting material let go from the power module and it appears this affected the wiring, guessing it stretched/snapped a wire as it just stopped working) and dealing with an issue with y red arc bmp not charging my batteries in freezing temps, RED arc is aware of this and all future bms being sold in the future have the sensor 3 which will charge lead acid down to -25C is being included.

Sorry bit of the drifter topic there.

 

Congrats! What was your order number?

 

It's ok, we hate everyone equally, you're in good company.

Could you use some touchup paint?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn6nPky0HGs

This should give you an idea of how much elbow grease you'll need if you want to get OCD about the touchup paint.

 

pleasure meeting you yesterday, looking forward to some pics of your journey.

safe travels!

 

Best of luck on whatever you do next Amigo!

 

What's your build number?

 

What was your build number?

 

Anyone got a spot for sale? Or a used 6' Tacoma Drifter? My Dad wants one now after annoying him with trip photos with mine