Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

For 33s? Don't do higher than 4.56. Trust me that is what I have and you don't want any shorter gears for 33s. I'm at 7000 lbs loaded up.

 

I know if you have a 3rd gen with AT people recommend 5.29 I'm guessing the 4.56 is for 2nd gen.

 

Ahh you might be right. Don’t shit about 3rd gens.

 

This is probably a 2nd/3rd gen difference.. . In 2nd gen I wouldn't enjoy 3000 rpms at 70mph.

3rd gen has 2 overdrives in 5th .69:1 and 6th .58:1 (which is crazy)
2nd gen has 5th at .72:1

so 4.88s w/33s would put you at 2000rpm @ 69mph, which is about what 3.73s(stock)/33s feel like on a 2nd gen
if you went 5.29, 2200rpm @ 70mph, which is probably why they are recommended.

 

Love your build, mine's just getting started but plans are very similar to what you have.

What MPG are you getting with that weight and 4.56?

 

Thanks. I get ~12.5

 

Ditto.

 

pretty sure @MJonaGS32 is a manual, @Anderson are you auto or manual?

asking since I'm still on stock gearing with 33s and ~6500lbs+ and getting around 12mpg. but i do drive like grandma everywhere. was thinking about 4.56 when I regear but 4.88 and 35s sounds so tempting.

 

I am an autobox. Rollin 35’s on stock gearing(for the moment). This summer I will be upgrading to 4.88’s. I drive the Taco like a grandpa on the pavement. I’m the asshole in the slow lane doin “Overlander” speed. 60mph.

 

Got inspiration from @alldownhill for my bed build for my 2006 Tundra.
Got the frame part done, just have to cut some corners and make minor revisions.






Planning to make a pull out kitchen like this underneath the bench with a cook partner stove + sink + dometic CFX3 55im
a total of 50.3 INCHES. I have a 74 inch bed so I can still fit more stuff. Haven't decided what else to put back there but I wouldnt want to waste it on a big water tank.



Instead of this water tank ^
I was thinking of doing this PVC type grey water storage to completely utilize the area above the wheel well. Has anyone done a type of water storage like this?

 

we rock the ARB 47L/50QT for perishables and a pantry tote for anything dry if we do need to bring a cooler we have a 40L but its overkill and with the fridge we only use it for BIG group camps (mostly because others don't have a cooler) if your doing drinks we just do the reload so we have 4x cans of whatever in the fridge and if we take one out we put it back kind of thing. We found keeping a few cans of cold bevys helps keep the fridge cooler longer and makes it work less.

average trip on pantry and fridge set up 5 days
average trip on just fridge 2 days (and its pretty much packed)
old cooler size with cryo packs / ice was a 60L and that would only work for 2 maybe 3 days depending on how much ice / cryo packs we needed.

hope that helps

 

Staying home and thinking has been potentially dangerous to my wallet...

What is the most solar people have installed? I am considering 4x160W Renogy panels (since they are a good dimensional fit evidently) for 640W. If I could get 800W even better. I want to be able to charge a 3.2kWh battery in a day, including inefficiency from an inverter and solar losses.

 

Also interested in solar setups, but also smaller setups. I’ve got a blank slate with no L-tracks and am not sure how most people are mounting panels / running power.

 

At least you in the right lane tho

 

Depends on what food you like to take, how much needs refrigeration, how much beer you drink etc. I prefer fridge over cooler... stays cold better, no messing with ice, frozen hands, soggy food and less weight without ice.

Some prefer smaller ones to save space - eat more dry food and rotate the beers in to chill them.

I have a Dometic CFX 65 which is more than I need for sure but I have a long bed so space isn’t an issue. I’m also lazy so like that I don’t have to cycle in beers - I can pack 75 beers, some water bottles and food for a couple days in it no problem.

it comes down to personal preference, no one perfect solution for everyone

 

I’ll have to dig some up. I ordered some 500# drawer slides online and then build the frame out of aluminum angle and bar, all bolted together

 

Wow! You have an appetite for power. I am planning for a 320w design to allow me to work nomadically with a laptop for longer periods of time.

I just installed my first 160w solar panel in the L-track. My plan calls for two total. With the factory fan, I can only fit two. See design below. My plan is to put a Front Runner roof rack above the fan area, so the the space will get used.

Since the L-track is 96”, you can only fit 3x Renogy 160w panels (without fan) as they are 26” wide. That would also allow for a bit of space between them, which improves airflow and access to MC4 connectors. With the L-track, I also need around 4” between solar panels for my bracket.

DM me if anyone is interested in a STEP file of this design.

 

Where are the Baja photos? Glad you made it down!

 

Thanks for sharing this! I've scratched the heck out of the aluminum on the bottom of the sliding platform taking it in and out, and also had it drop on me a couple of times while pulling it out. I'm going to tackle this in the near future.

 

Campfire beers definitely make it harder to work the sliding platform.