Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I am looking to buy an AluBox to use as a step with the Goose Gear plate. What size box are all of you AluBox fans using? The 60l is 13” high, which would make a nicer step up. However, the 73l is 15.5l high, which could mean more storage, but a larger step up.

Any opinions? Thanks in advance.

 

60 liter is the most common used for a step. Goosegear sells a bed lined lid for the top of it as well to keep the top from beingcrushed. (Cheaper to make your own)

 

The door itself does not, but Strawfoot @belloinsella is developing covers for them if you wanted to insulate the doors

I wouldn’t drill into the doors but they are assembled using bolts and nyloks so feasibly you could undo a couple bolts to attach something to the door as @Anderson brackets will I believe.

that being said modifying the doors themselves would likely require you having to upgrade to heavier struts and also nullify any warranty on them

 

#facts

 

Blue Taco, 3rd gen, drifter w/o windows, Sunset Hill? Saw you on my morning run. We're neighbors! Reach out if you're interested in sharing builds....from 6 feet away of course.

 

That was probably me. I live in WS but I have a boat over at Shilshole and spent the morning out on the water.

 

Phase 1 is done, next is making the fridge slide with stove,pantry & sink.
Back up sleeping platform for an extra person/stealth camping when the vagabond arrives.

Platform:
Used 1"x1" 8020 extrusion and 1/2" baltic birch plywood for the platform
Cheap $35 mattress from Amazon but surprisingly comfortable

Kitchen Slide:
(5ft.) 2"x2" aluminum angle for the base
60" lockable drawer slide to rest ontop
1.5"x1.5" steel angle for the base of the kitchen slide.

 

Does anyone know how many amps the 12v plug will deliver in the Drifter? I seem to remember a conversation on this in the past, but can’t find it now.

Is there a fuse I the Drifter panel, or do I need to wire it to a fuse box?

I have my solar panel and charger installed, now am moving to the house power. I have been taking a lot of photos and will post them on my build thread once I get them organized.

Thanks.

 

Looks awesome! I’m going to be making something very similar. I’ll be attaching my 8020 to a DIY Goose Gear style wooden bed baseplate.
Is the 2x2 L aluminum necessary?

Can you share links to the drawer slides?

Still on the fence on buying a fridge slide or making one.

 

Ive offroaded with mine and its a 1"x1" extrusion and its held up pretty well. I think the 1x1 should be sturdy enough.

I would say build your own if you're trying to include something else on the slide, like a stove / pantry / sink.
But if its just a fridge youre putting on there, might as well just buy the slide. Its still a lot of work to drill the perfect holes and piece everything together yourself.

drawer slide: https://www.ovisonline.com/60-Heavy...PHxoegbajEnAIDP1Ksd87qxGDzgB0KvcaAuGDEALw_wcB

but these are 60" slides, so its the entire bed of the truck

 

Please get some Raptor liner on that plywood.

 

For sure!
I’m going to replace that OSB all together with some of this super nice 1/2” Latvian birch plywood I have and cover it in clear epoxy.
Like my steps below.
I think this picture was taken with just the sealing coat on. I was going to wrap the stairs in fiberglass and epoxy but I don’t think it’s necessary. They’re plenty strong as is.


I did thicken epoxy for filets on the right angles. Also the uprights rest in 1/8” deep dados.

 

Those stairs look great!

 

Thanks!
I think I’m going to suspend them from inside the camper via a cable and swageless cable anchor.
In the meantime I’m using blocks of wood or foam to rest the door on.

 

Wanted to share my new camp kitchen setup with you guys.

I spotted Overland Gear Guy at the Salt Lake Offroad Expo in February. I recently stopped into their shop thinking I'd walk away with one of their "generic" bags and just make it work. Come to find out, they sew everything in house. So Rob snagged the dimensions I was looking for and threw together this camp kitchen. Fits perfectly in the side space, comes velcro backed, loops on corners, and I requested a top handle to hang off my rear bumper when in camp. I have yet to test it out in the field but I'm looking forward to it. Was fun to collaborate with him!

Rob is rad guy! If you want a custom detail, size, or color, he can make it happen (which is really cool). They're not mass ordered from China, so the options are endless.

Or here is the link to the one we came up with. https://overlandgearguy.com/collections/overland-vehicle-gear/products/wasatch-utensil-organizer

 

Those look pretty cool. How secure are the items? I definitely dont drive as fast as my friends, but I can still picture those all over my truck bed during a trip.

 

Things fit very snug, especially the spices. Even the things in the pockets. I think you'd have to get pretty damn rowdy to knock the stuff out. But Rob can also make the kit roll up to put away if a hanging option doesn't appeal.

 

Just curious to see how people are storing their chainsaws? I’m still waiting for my Drifter but would like to see what options there are to mount on the outside (to a swingout etc.) as I’d prefer not to have a chainsaw inside the Drifter where I’ll be sleeping.

 

I've noticed that as well. More options seem to be emerging lately. UBCO is coming out with a lightweight moto bike. As much as I like the idea of a 132lb scout machine, the Zero FX's street legal and solid build is still the more appealing option to me.

I think I am going to charge off the alternator. After looking at solar requirements involved it looks pretty cumbersome. With a 100Ah+ LiFePO4 aux battery capacity and a 1000W+ inverter the oem (off-road/tow package) alternator should be fine. The Zero FX has a built-in charger that is 600W, so a 5h drive would do most or all of the job, and leave me with some small capacity at camp if needed.

If you already have a panel and system setup, you can also slowly feed the battery bank as well. I figure 50 miles is about what a modern electric bike will do comfortably and that is plenty of riding over a couple days.

 

Good to know. That area in my Drifter is empty and could totally use something like that for storage.

Remember when I asked about your cabinet lids having a latch? Before I put in latches on my cabinet lids, I was on a trip in the Mojave and after the first run there was olive oil and spices all over my cabinets. Was not fun cleaning up

I'd also like to see other people's solutions on this. I had this scabbard attached to my bedrail when I had just the bed rack and RTT, but now don't have any idea where to put it so I haven't been packing the chainsaw on trips.