Wedge Life

Yup that’s 100% one of my camping spots

 

I feel like this applies to all wedgies. People always ask if you can still do "truck stuff" with the camper. Today I moved over a thousand pounds of dirt and it was actually made easier with the camper, compared to a standard shell, because I could stand up inside to dump the wheelbarrow or shovel.

I still think if you want to do "truck stuff" you either need a 1/2 ton long bed or a trailer or both, but that's not the point here.

 

people always ask me if i 'use the snorkel'.......i mean its permanently attached to the air intake.....

 

Love the pics man, thanks for sharing.

 

Have the canvas installed. Now need to wrap it to be the same color as the truck.

 

While I do miss my second gen I have to admit that my new to me third gen is pretty damn nice.

 

What am I looking at here? Is this your own build? I don’t believe I have seen this yet.

 

DIY.

 

Well hell yes! I love it. A friend of mine who owns a LC resto/ Toyota Offroad shop here in Ga, are looking to make a camper.
We are building out a couple HD teardrops that are more of an AU/S African style build in which the camper can be removed for flatbed use.
The wedges are killer, although I did get in an Atlas and the extra room at the end was nice.
I think we will build out a wedge. I love the simplicity.

 

@Built2Ride thanks.

 

At least they aren’t asking if it’s your exhaust.

 

i mean, im not saying that hasn't happened......

i'm from New Zealand - where every other 4x4 has a snorkel....

 

Would love some input on a wedge camper issue we had this weekend. Our campsite was stolen. We stayed at a lovely disperse camp spot by a river in Mt Baker, WA area Thursday night, got up early to beat the heat on a hike and left behind a table, red wire cord from one tree to another, an orange bucket and a note saying we'd be back with Friday's date. We don't leave anything of high value due to risk of theft.

When we got back some campers had moved our stuff and taken our spot saying that camp sites can't be reserved . Uh, WTF? We had left stuff and left a note explaining we would be back. They claimed we didn't have the spot because we didn't leave an actual tent and that we were trying to 'reserve' a spot which was not allowed (this was in national forest land). Of course our tent is on our truck so we can't leave it behind. We left a note saying we'd be back, what more do people want?

So, what do you all do to "mark your spot" so others do not take it? It would suck to bring and put up a tent just to ward off such assholes.

 

Pee on it and carry a 12 gauge? Okay, okay - that's my once-a-week juvenile American male moment. Sorry.

Something tells me that if the various gear and the note weren't enough for them, then an empty tent wouldn't be a deterrent either... although either would be plenty to make me look elsewhere.

I have been physically threatened before by redneck tourists who thought that putting a 2" diameter stick on the ground across the opening to one of my favorite campsites meant they had "saved" it. I didn't think anything of it while setting up camp - after all, in the forest, 2" diameter sticks are, you know, kind of everywhere. But they were sure pissed when they came back an hour later.

I pretty much just assume that if I leave my camp spot in the truck, it is up for grabs. I try to camp in spots where I can hike/ride directly from the site... not feasible in a lot of places, I understand.

In summary, I guess I don't have a very good answer to your question. I think what you did was plenty, honestly. Bad apples are everywhere.

 

I normally take a similar approach and put out a couple of chairs to mark the spot. A cheap $30 tent might not be a bad idea in areas that have easy access (kind of ruins the whole ease of setup and tear down that the wedges offer though). Unfortunately, not all campers play by the rules.

 

Sounds like you ran in to some assholes. A table, chairs, or really any item that is obviously not forgotten would be enough for me to move on. The note should've been the cherry on top. I read my wife the story and it made her "livid!" Sorry to hear about this, it would ruin my weekend!

 

That is extremely lame to hear that they would completely disregard your stuff and note.
Unfortunately there are shitty people everywhere. Hopefully you were able to find another, better spot.

Its a weird situation trying to hold a spot with a Drifter. I don’t want to leave anything of value but i also don’t really have anything to leave that other people wouldn’t mind “finding” and make it their own.
I like the idea of throwing i small cheap tent to throw up if leaving and hoping that would do the trick of holding a spot. But also wouldn’t be totally brokenhearted if it got stolen.
I just assume people suck and are just going to steal whatever is around if no one is around to stop them.

 

So I'm torn between a Habitat and wedge camper. Drawn to the Habitat given you can sleep 4 up top, but a wedge seems more elegant and simple. In the end, my wife and I are drawn to a camper now because it will allow us to get our boy - but a few weeks in this world - outdoors with minimal effort. We are dedicated paddlers and are quite comfortable humping 3 weeks of kit over portages between lakes and rivers and otherwise living under a lean shelter.

But now we're looking at converting our 3rd gen DCSB into a camper, since it will be a few years before our son takes up paddling like his his folks. We'll have our hands full enough we like the convenience of a camper and overland looks more in the cards than travel by canoe.

For those with little ones (i.e. 5 months and up to say 6-7 years), how is a Vagabond for sleeping 3?

Where do you sleep you little one in a wedge?

What happens when the little one is joined by another?

I read on Expedition Portal of a fellow who built a platform for his 4 year old to sleep across the rear of the bed. good use of space, but still takes up a good 20-25" inches of space across the rear of the bed, and I'd imagine it could be a little dark "downstairs" unless your camper has windoors or otherwise to get light inside.

 

I built out a drifter to support a few small kids (at the moment). I've had the drifter for 18 months and my youngest was ~2 when she first started camping in it. I built a platform across the front of the bed for one of the kids (currently 3 and 5) and they both can sleep comfortably on it. There is the front window so it gets light, although I think dark is better for kids. As far is it taking up space, I think it's a positive. It makes loading stuff in the back easier as you have two levels so stuff isn't as stacked. Additionally, with the drifter, I don't find myself folding the bed out of the way so that space in the front of the bed is better suited for the bed platform and storage. I think it's best not to think of it as a "live in" camper, maybe as a single person but it gets cramped quickly.

I'm not sure if I would build anything permanent for a <18month old. Things change so quickly during that time. Co-sleeping or a mini-pack-and-play may be your best options.

As far as habitat vs. wedge, I considered the habitat initially and am glad I have the wedge. In my opinion, it's better for more occasions. I pop the top up more often and in more places that a habitat would be awkward. It sleeps 2 adults perfectly, 1 adult and 2 little kids really well, and 2 adults 2 little kids "okay". If we need more space, we just setup a tent. Also, I do about equal family trips and solo trips. The drifter makes every trip easier but the solo trips are especially easy.