Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I think gear noise depends more on the install than the gears themselves. I have nitro and have some noise when I let off the gas (which can be expected due to the finer teeth) but no noise otherwise.

 

If anyone is interested to see our second prototype build, we are headed to Utah from Washington later this week. Itinerary is listed below.

Our first prototype was of cheap plywood. The second is of 1/2” Baltic Birch that looks really nice and is quite light. Unfortunately, it has already warped in a couple key places. So there will be a final prototype at some point. I have a busy that is a cabinet maker, and he has given me some great ideas and helped me get a high quality build.

It would be great to meet anyone along the way and get ideas for our build.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/drifitng-away-where-are-you-headed.651581/page-2

 

Why is it a rip off? They aren't made of paper.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like that they made one for the drifter and was even one offering my truck for their testing but at the price point and what it covers you might as well save an extra 100$ and just buy a full size one (third gen mainly). You're getting 1/4 the rack for almost full price. It just doesn't add up to me personally.

 

The perceived value is relatively low for how small the rack is. It's essentially a glorified wind deflector for me since I wouldn't be putting anything on top of the rack.

I will likely DIY with some 80/20 knockoff and a larger fairing piece so that it actually acts like a fairing.

 

It is exactly a glorified wind deflector. I will never mount anything there. But I wanted something beefy just in case I needed to mount or carry something. It works great for me

 

I think the others covered my point well. No reason to pay the price of a full rack (can get a Martin rack for less I believe) for 6 inches of usable space and a fairing. The Cost of material for this is so low that Sherpa selling it for what they are is pretty laughable. Plus I was hoping that they would have a larger fairing to really help with wind deflection over the drifter.

 

The quote I got from Martin is right on par with Sherpa's price. As far as I know, you can't get a rack like this for cheaper unless you DIY it.

I'll probably buy one of these racks, but it'll actually be usable since I have a DCLB.

 

It would be a different story for me if I had a DCLB and it was usable. It’s just too bad that it’s really just a wind fairing on the DCSB.

 

I always keep a Damp Rid thingy hanging in the camper. Bought it before a month long trip and had no idea if it worked...

2 months later and this is the amount of moisture it’s collected! Just swapped it out for a new bag.

 

You can mount your overpriced maxtrax that you've never used up there!

 

I used 1 1/2" from 80/20 for a rack in my build and honestly I think I would have been fine with 1". I have a horizontal cross bar that acts as a step to climb up into the bed. It has worked out great. I added plastic pegboard that I got from U-Line for sides and top inserted into the extruded aluminum channel and so far I am very happy with it. The pegboard gives me some options on mounting and secruing some things and the top of the rack works as a nightstand/work area if needed. I think you can save some money and go with the 1".

 

I’ve used mine three times. One to get a stick dodge out of the snow. One to level the truck at camp. One to get my friends giant LMTV out of the snow.

 

I torn between 1" and 1.5". Definitely going to use 1" for the kitchen drawers/counter but for the couch/dinette I was thinking 1.5". Anyone found one of those weight deflection simulators for the t-nut extrusion profiles?

 

I bought two tan ones with the metal inserts. Can't wait to get my Nomad so I can hang my expensive decorations on the side. Probably never use them but wouldn't want to embarrass myself by getting stuck in the mall parking lot and not being able to get out.

 

1 inch is pretty strong, plenty adequate for this application

 

I've had zero problems with my 1"-structure cabinets. I sit on them, step on them, etc. And my paneling choice doesn't really add much in the way of structural integrity, so the majority of the load is borne by the extrusion.

 

Hey,
I was hoping you guys could help me with an electrical question.
Im running a 12v battery system thats being charged by solar. All my electrical components are coming into the battery through a blue sea fuse block.
I want to set up some sort of kill switch between the fuse block and my battery to make sure nothing is drawing power while the camper is not in use. Any advice or suggestions on what I need?

 

I used a BlueSea resettable/manually-trippable circuit breaker. That said, I've never used it, or had it trip automatically... none of my accessory loads appear to draw any significant current at all unless they're in use.

 

Something l

something like this?

$17 Blue Sea Systems 7210 A-Series White Toggle Circuit Breaker, Single Pole, 15A

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Sys...locphy=9061079&hvtargid=pla-569028679889&th=1