Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

While you could deflate and store folded, it’s a pain to reinflate the pad. Too much hassle.

 

@tyfoon11 was right, I wasn't done after all. The Drifter is about to get a lot more... drifty. In a good way, of course.

 

Any one have the dimensions and photos for the bed extension? What was the cost?

 

I finally pulled the trigger on an awning. OVS 270 awning should be here Tuesday and brackets from Vagabond hopefully around the same time.

Anyone moved their lid latches to the back themselves? I assume it's as simple as drill out rivets, fill holes, mount latches on back side with new rivets. I also figured the awning brackets would help cover the old latch holes. Anything else I should know?

 

the bed extension is 12 inches, not sure on cost. i haven't actually used this yet, but im stoked on it, of course you lose 12 inches to the open area which is a decent amount on a short bed

 

I would highly recommend the bed extension. I didn’t get it and wish I did. I’m 5’8” and was parked on a slightly head high spot and kept sliding down to where my toes would touch in the wedge. I was able to pull a small gap on the sleeping platform and slide the mattress back which solved it but being DCLB, the extension would be better.

 

I use the extender as a top shelf for water, flashlight, guns at night while sleeping. I put my heater up there if I'm ever camping when its 15 or below out. My buddy at Sherpa Equipment just build me a mini rack that goes in front of the drifter. I mainly wanted it as a wind fairing, not for storage. But you could totally mount a set of traction boards etc on it. Still doing some testing so its not quite available yet but It was a great addition to the rig especially with those massive headwinds driving across Utah.

 

I was able to get a bed extension after the fact. I went with the 10" version. Paid 100 bucks plus S&H. Works great for us.

 

I also recommend the bed extension... I made my own 12" version. Used 80/20, had some left over from the cabinets. Much, much better sleeping.

 

hey man shoot me a Pm and let’s arrange a meet up in bend. I’ll buy you a beer if you give me a tour of the camper. I’m expecting to get mine in December or so

 

The latches are pretty basic so you’re spot on, looks like you’d drill out and re align on the back and re drill/rivet and fill the old holes.

 

If you miss @SoCalTacoTruck, we'll be in Bend next weekend (7/3-7/5).

 

Aw man I’m in NorCal now! Sorry I missed you brother

 

I live in Bend and can show you my camper pretty much anytime, just lemme know

 

I've been offline for sometime, but dang those mounts look great Joey. I also noticed some Gullwing insulation in there...I've been testing some stuff but we should compare notes.

 

Thanks Garrett! The mounts didn't take long. Just some aluminum bar stock and C-channel cut, drilled, and filed by hand, then painted with Steel-It at the same time I was doing my bumpers and sliders. I need to trail test them still - they seem solid but I haven't yet taken a trip where I'd need the fuel.

Yes, I roughly insulated the doors. My Merlin solar panel came with three panel-sized sheets of really nice flexible foam... so I used that for various parts of this project, including the door insulation. Not sure what it is actually called, I'd have to dig around a little.

 

On the bed extension subject, is anyone using the extension for a modular option to create a seat in the lower section? I saw someone doing this with a previous version of the bed extender but someone mentioned it has changed since then.

If anyone is doing this photos would be awesome!

 

For those interested in the baby build status. Our, nearly, 11 month old has outgrown the original setup with a mattress on the lower platform and collapsible bed rail. She now sits up in bed all the time and she's gotten too tall to fit between her mattress and the platform. She hit her head on the underside of the platform a few times. Also, she decided she didn't wanna stay in bed at one point and so she squeezed herself around the side of the bed rail and eventually fell in to the galley way in the middle. We woke up to a loud crash and screaming, thankfully no permanent damage was done.


I'm updating the build so that her mattress will now be on the floor and the walls of the cubbies will serve as her crib walls. That'll keep her better penned in and also give her plenty of head room to sit, or stand, in bed.

 

I still haven’t really settled on how to Cage our little animal but since she’s only shy of 2 months I got time lol. For now she will be in our little packable co sleeper with mom up top and I’ll slum it on the bottom bunk. I had high hopes for building a platform extension type set up that our little bassinet could Sit on but it would make it pretty awkward for us to get in and out of bed

 

We kept her in a co-sleeper up top with us until around 4-6 months, when we moved her to a crib in her own room at home. The good news is that she started sleeping through the night, for the most part, around that 4-6 month range and so we no longer needed ready access to her in the camper. It did become much more important to be able to make the camper as dark as possible for nap time (and late summer sunsets) though.

Whatever build you settle on, keep in mind that between 6 months and a year she'll go from just being able to sit up to becoming a fully independent and active human that has no idea what can hurt her. I seriously did not consider how capable she would become in such a short period of time. I'm now planning on just a temporary solution and not investing too much time/effort since I expect I'll have to rebuild again soonish.