Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

That's kinda my train of thought, especially if I'm doing solar on the Vagabond. Gives me a chance to keep everything under the hood stock and super clean. I'm going to do a cabinet build out and I'm planning on leaving it under the Nomad 100% of the time. I'm thinking about buying a small utility trailer for when I need to do more typical truck duties.

 

Sorry I should have elaborated more. The Blue Sea fuse panel can handle up to 30A each, but you have to factor in what you’ll be powering up and their respective fuses. For example, I have 15a fuses in each slot, thats 90a total. So I have a 100a circuit breaker between the fuse panel and aux battery (circuit breaker mounted close to the fuse panel).
Hope that clears it up

 

@ns7i,
I am a big fan of a house battery in the Drifter for a couple of reasons.

1) You lose a lot of voltage running from the hood to the bed and from the panels on the roof to the battery. Lots of people complain that their Solar panels never get anywhere close to their rated output. This is often because their solar run is too long for the size of cable.

I installed my battery in a removable bench seat module. See my build thread with some photos below.



I used Anderson connectors so I could quickly disconnect and remove the bench seats from the bed.

2). Extended battery life. I am running Lithium batteries, so I also like the Drifter bed to keep the heat down. Lead batteries also have better lifespans with cooler temps. If you ever plan to use Lithium, I would recommend the bed option. Lithium batteries are lots more sensitive to heat than lead-based chemistries. If you spend $1000 for a lithium battery to last 10 years, you probably don’t want it under the hood where it’s lifespan will be much shorter.

That is my two cents.

 

I recently installed the Strawfoot rear window cover. We absolutely love it and I thought I would post some photos.

We wanted a way to feel like we had some privacy when in the Drifter and Strawfoot cover seemed like the best option. I will walk through the install process and point out features I like.



The cover uses magnets on the window and in the cover for attachment. Since the rear hatch is made of aluminum, you have to install some magnetic strips on the window itself.



If I were installing again, I would pay more attention to sticking these down. Note the small gap between the edges of the hatch and the magnetic strip. This is a source of light leak at night that I don’t know how to resolve.



There are big gaps at the corners. I used some black electrical tape to seal up these corners. My goal is to be able to have the light on inside the camper with the top down and stealth camp.


I also sealed up the gaps around the third brake light.



When the window cover is installed, the magnets in the cover stick to the magnetic strips on the glass. It sticks so well that we have driven some very rough roads and it doesn’t slide, at all. We chose a lighter color for the interior color so that it would feel too dark inside.

Here are some closeups of the perfect fit that the cover makes in the hatch window.








As you can see, from the outside the black side of the window cover makes it look like it is tinted.


Of course, the proof of the pudding is the night shot. Can you tell that the light is on in this photo? You can see a little spec of light near the third brake light. The spot at the bottom left is the tailgate gap. I am planning to install a tailgate seal to eliminate this point of light leak. From a distance, you couldn’t tell any light is in inside.


Best of all, the cover folds down into a storable size. The internal magnets cause the cover to stick to itself, making the Velcro strap redundant.

Overall, I am very impressed with the quality and precision of the Strawfoot window cover. It is fantastic to have fellow Drifter owner @belloinsella
building such quality accessories for our product line.

 

I'm 90% done with my 2nd battery Redarc install and what left to do is the easiest part but seems like the hardest part. Running two 6AWG wires to the back of the bed. I am not exactly sure where these two wires should enter the bed for a clean sealth look.

What is the best location to drill a 3/4" hole in the back of the bed? I am thinking of drilling here but I am having a hard time finding a 3/4" OD grommet that fits in this location (see pic).

Any suggestions and recommendations appreciated!

 

I used this guy, but I had like 4 4ga cables to pass through.

$15 Daystar Firewall Boot Single 3/8" to 1" Diameter Wire Bundles

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004K2285E

 

I saw that when looking. Unforuntely that grommet is a little too big for what I want. It requires a 1 1/4" hole. In the pic above max I can do is a 1" hole. I'm looking for a 3/4" hole just to pass through two 6 AWG wires.

 

If you can’t go small maybe go classy? Something like the weatherproof ones for the roof? Quick google search showed this so maybe you can find smaller?
https://www.hodgesmarine.com/seacg3...MI2a2C482e6wIVchh9Ch3Q9QfgEAQYFCABEgKJcfD_BwE

 

FYI I think those magnets go around the metal base on the top.

 

Yeah, or something like these. That's what I used for the solar on my roof.

$9 Hilitchi 30 Piece Nylon Plastic Waterproof Adjustable 3.5-13mm Cable Glands Joints Cable Gland - PG7, PG9, PG11, PG13.5, PG16

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MDTUIIA

 

I used one of the factory drain holes up in the front of the bed, closest to the cab. I used a plastic wire protector and then caulked it.

 

Thanks for all the helpful replies about aux battery in bed vs engine bay. I think especially when considering LiFePo and/or solar it makes sense to put it in the bed.

My next big question is around "base plates." Do you all typically take out the plastic bed liner before putting down a base plate? Do you do anything to fill the channels in between the base plate and the bed?

 

I would remove the plastic bedliner from your Tundra. I don't think it is necessary to fill the gaps along the long lengths of the ribs, but at the tailgate and maybe near the wheel wells where the base plate is unsupported - IF you are going to be walking on it, maybe add some support underneath.

 

Iggy, I changed the design from the one you have. I like how it lays flat against the glass. I can make either pattern.

 

Good to know!

 

This is super cool. Can you easily remove the platform upon which the bins sit? Our DCLB is long....for around town in the city, but I love the instant kitchen setup and the extra space it affords.

 

X2 on the bed drain holes, I used those as well to get power from my house battery to the fuse panel in the drifter I did open it up a bit though

 

The hitch extender on which the rack is built has a bolt on pin so its really quick to remove (as easy as removing a bike rack). With the bins removed the rack is really compact and can hang on a wall.

 

Installed the MaxxFan Model 4401M over the weekend.

When I purchased my Drifter I did not know I would be able to fit in the garage with the fan installed. Phil had a genuis idea that he can put in a top laser cut metal plate to cover opening and he will give me the fan in a box so I can install myself at a later date if I decide to. All electrical, extra bracing already pre installed.

IMO anyone that does not want the fan should at least purchase the fan with the cut out and metal plate covering it. So if at a later date you decide you want a fan its a 1-2 hour max install. I honestly think this should be an option on the website.

Onto the install!

Unboxing the fan and familizing myself on how to install the thing.



Removing the laser cut and color match plate. They use butyl sealent tape which is really soft/watertight. I purchaed the same for installing the fan.

$16 XFasten Butyl Sealing Tape, Gray, 1/8-In x 3/4-In x 30-Foot, Plumbers Putty, RV Sealant, Rubber for Boat Sealing, EDPM

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D9CNB3H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Cleaning up the existing butyl sealent. Its really easy to remove you just rub it off with your fingers. No tools needed.





Removed interior panel to expose the newly installed fan.





All done!!



So no install is without any hiccups. I installed the fan and it was not getting power. Uninstalled it and no 12v at fan plug. hmmm.. Started to dissect the Vagabond electrical and diagnose the issue. There is a electrical plug at the corner of the wedge. Unhooked it and I was getting 12v on the female connector, hmm.. Plugged it back in and still no power at fan plug. Unplugged connector again at the wedge side and was not getting any continuity at the postive wire. Pulled on the positive wire closest to fan and the positive wire came out... F**KKK..

There is abosultely no way to fish another two wires through the roof. Super hard. The fan wires were running through slip loom wire protector. I tried to fish two wires 14awg. No go, got hung up 1/4 into the run. I went to the store and bought some 16 awg wire, and it worked! Was super happy. Phil told me the top panel is not removeable so I took a big risk trying to fish two wires through the slip loom. Glad it worked out.

Seemed the wire was somehow damaged and cut from the factory.

Tomorrow I will paint the wind fairing white and install it.

 

Thanks for the update and options. I’m on the fence about the fan and this adds an in between option for me to at least consider.