Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Finally found some time to rebuild our interior to accommodate our growing daughter. She should now have plenty of room for a while since her bed is over 4 feet long. It also serves as a nice little couch if you open the little door.



With the mattress removed, there are some storage cubbies underneath and the center opens up completely if I need to lock our bikes inside.


The center platform slides out for bikes or to pull other gear in/out more easily. It also comes out completely and has folding legs hidden underneath so we can use it as a camp table.




I need to do some finish work like adding some carpeting and turning the tall cubbies in to little drawers for odds and ends.

 

Love the idea of that kids bed! mental note taken on that one. I was thinking of an optional bed but didn’t want to take up the bed but this is a great idea. Love the slide to table setup too.

 

I have been using a buddy heater as well and yeah the condensation is pretty bad. I usually crack the top hatch open and unzip the tent flaps partially for ventilation but even then I have to go through the tent in the morning with a towel and clean up the water build up on the walls.

 

Hahaha, I am in Minnesota and even with a 2kW heater going all night it is still chilly inside the drifter. So yesterday I was researching the heaters and I think I am going to settle on a 5kW gasoline heater from Webasto. I figured since my truck runs on gas and I carry spare fuel anyways it would be easier to manage than having to carry diesel.

If you watch a YouTube video from xoverland on how they prepped their Tacoma for a trip to the north of Canada you will see how they tested a propex heater and it didn't do much to raise the temperature inside the tent so they ended up with a 5kW Webasto diesel heater which I think has almost 3x the potential heat output. Also the Propex uses about 1lb every 3hrs so if you are camping you could probably do 30hours of heating on a 10lb bottle. Now the propex outputs about 2kW of heat max where's the Webasto at about the same heat output will run about 14hrs on a gallon of fuel so with a 2 gallon tank you can get about the same amount of run time and heat output.

I later talked with one of the guys that went on that trip in Canada and he said that when it was -35C outside they were able to keep their tent at 12C inside which is still not very warm, that's with a 5kW diesel heater running full blast. In Minnesota it gets down lower than -35C pretty regularly in the winter so this is one of the main reasons for going this route.

I will be installing the heater on the driver side utility cabinet, got all the plans drawn out on a napkin yesterday

 

Looking forward to see your install and experience with it. Take lots of pics!

My only reservation on the gasoline webasto heater is they tend to accumulate soot quickly if they aren’t “tuned” just right for your elevation. At least this is what I’ve seen from others that have had it. But if this is uncommon I would love to run a gasoline heater, especially if I could tee it into my factory gas tank.

 

Figured this was by far the best thread in terms of getting some suggestions on what kind of latches would be recommended for this application with all the build outs I have seen on here. I started looking at all the different Southco ones online and my head was spinning. I cut these two lids/access holes in my rear seat delete deck I am building and need to get a latch for each one to keep them secure. So I am looking for suggestions on the type/etc. that might work best.

The lids are going to rest on a ledge on each side of the hole, so the latch would be located on one end or both ends if needed. I think something that sits pretty flush is probably best.

 

I measure 51” center of track. Just get the Renogy 160w and it will fit perfectly across the L track. No need for cross bars.

I have some pics of my solar setup on my build thread.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/pragmatic-overland-build-vo-drifter.638732/

 

Does anyone know if I can sit on the new bed extension with my full weight? I tried out the new bed extension yesterday and noticed that it bows when I put weight on it.

I was hoping that I could use it at the rear of the bed platform, so I could easily tuck it under the bed to maximize space. This would mean that I put my full weight in it every time I get into bed. Is this not a good idea? (It didn’t come with instructions or warnings).

 

I received an email reply from Gage:

The drifter rack is $375.00 plus shipping which includes powder coating, (3) crossbars, and all stainless steel hardware. Let me know if you have any other questions!​

I'm still having a hard time paying $400 for two pieces of aluminum with one sheet metal bend and black anodized 80/20 that will probably turn purple after a year in a CO summer.

Nothing against Gage, I have the same gripes with the other options that are using anodized 80/20. Unless they specifically state that it has been anodized with UV stable or high resistance, I'd rather just hack out my own DIY rack.

 

I sat on mine which is the same style as pictured above without issues. I am 175-180 lbs.

 

I went camping last week and one of the nights the temperature got down to 7F. I had indoor/outdoor thermometer.

I bought a CO detector for $100 on Amazon to see the CO concentrations because I was curious how much CO my Mr. Buddy heater producted. To my suprise the CO warning light with buzzer came on after 30 minutes of using the Mr. Buddy. The concenrations were 28ppm. I had the fan open, and two cracks in the tent windows open. I got nervous and just heated the truck bed before sleeping. I think the buddy heater is okay to use at 28 ppm since you need 150+ ppm to do bad things to you. Needless to say I think the CO detector most likely reports high rather than low due to the safety aspects of it.

Any thoughts on this? Not sure anyone bought a good monitor and looked at the CO concentrations. Does anyone sleep with it on low setting all night long?

 

As someone who is struggling to have things made locally(or just made in the USA), doesn’t have the ability to manufacture products by himself, I feel your pain on the price point. However, I can tell you his profit margin on that rack is minimal. Things cost money to make. They cost more money when your volume is less than large companies and materials are high cost due to the shortage from the pandemic. Sure, we could have parts made overseas and prices would be lower. But, then we would have to deal quality control issues, not to mention the fact that you aren’t supporting your local manufacturer. It’s a thin tightrope to walk, trying to make things and still make a profit whilst still being able to service your local community.

And this isn’t directed specifically at one person. Just the comment of high prices. This also isn’t a well thought out response. It’s just the frustration of trying to get my own, personal projects out into the world without bankrupting my finances.

 

Is that with 15% BF discount?

If you want to pay sub 300, sherpa has their Black Friday sale with 15% off on the bare rack. I'd you use code 'tacoworld' you get another 5% off for a total of 20 making it 264. Taxes though...they bring it up just a bit lol

 

Southco Inc SC-62025 Lift-and-Turn Compression Latch Grip Range .63 to 1.02 Pawl Forward - 1.81 to 2.20 Pawl Reversed, Southco Lift and Turn Compression Latches

These work great. They have a locking version that I use on the top of my drawers.

 

Thanks @jimlangfordphotography. I will check these out.

 

I have used it multiple times overnight but its definitely sketchy as I would wake up multiple times with worry. Definitely wouldnt run it on high without my head next to an open window. Buddy Heater is awesome for a quick tent warmup though. Run it on high to get the tent warmed up, then put it on low and have some good ventilation going.

 

I have been thinking about this for about a year now and since experimenting with a buddy heater, electrical heater, and a sleeping bag with warm clothes I am definitely ready for a reliable heating system for camping. It gets so cold here that you cant even open the tent as the gas struts dont work!

 

Yeah I think on low it is pretty safe to use. Even on low it was getting toasty. Next time I will try to use it overnight with caution.

Thing is I warmed up the Drifter before going to bed, but 30 minutes after turning off the Drifter it was below freezing inside being 7F outside.

I think I will return the CO detector and buy one from home depot that is not so senstive that beeps at very low CO levels.

 

It's the time you don't wake up is the time you should worry about…

I have a combo CO and Smoke detector that is mounted at the top of the wall near the rear window.

I don't have a heater in the Drifter (yet) and I almost never cook inside. I sometimes cook on the tailgate, but it is usually hours before I were to go to bed after that.

If I were cooking inside, I would mount a smoke detector on the inside of the roof and a separate CO detector (or two) in other places lower down.

 

Ha thanks for the info. Renogy it is! Thankfully Amazon accepts the return of the big one I pulled the trigger on last night.