Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I used two sheets and half laped them a few inches and secured them with wood glue. This was significantly cheaper than a single sheet big enough to fit. This is obviously not as strong as a full sheet of 3/4 inch but I'm trying to balance strength to weight.

I do plan on building out cabinets but want to wait till I have the drifter so I can fit it to those demensions too.

 

Finished the DIY fridge slide. Aluminum angle, 500# locking drawer slides, and plywood. I cut the bedstiffiners a little to buy myself an extra inch. I went with the CFX45 to ensure it would fit behind the wheel well. All this to maximize floor space and my dumb ass cuts the fridge platform an inch too wide and loose it all. Someday I'll fix it.

 

What is the best way to secure a slider to the baseplate? Surely not just wood screws, right?

 

T-Nuts are your friend. Insert from the bottom through a drilled hole in the baseplate, and then you have solid metal threads to bolt anything to.

 

Mine cost me about $300 to build, but I went a little crazier b/c my fridge was pretty big & I tend to overbuild things as well, like using the fancy mounting brackets for the slides instead of angle. Partly b/c I was lazy on that front.



To secure the slides/brackets to the base plate I marked & drilled holes for 1/4-20 Tee-Nuts so I could bolt it down. Worked quite well. It's all in my build thread if you are curious.

 

I used SouthCo. Not much less then GooseGear. They work great, I have locking on the top and non locking on the front of the base plate. https://southco.com/en_us_int/latch...turn-latches/62-lift-turn-compression-latches

 

Heads up to anyone looking for solar panels right now. Found some Merlin FXT 170w flex panels at a really good price. Site says $680 but if you email them they invoice for $399. Heard nothing but good things about Merlin. I ordered one to charge my Yeti 1500x and the Dometic/Fan/device chargins/etc.. Hoping one panel is enough there but almost bought 2 at that price.
https://www.solar-electric.com/merlin-fxt36r-solar-panel.html

 

Exactly my dilemma with stiffeners and fridge size. I got a really good deal on a CFX55IM but its massive(main issue is width). Doesn't fit in my wheel well at all so I have to adjust my plan a little. In order to get up and over my bed stiffeners I think I'm going to build a slide much like yours but maybe try to flip the angled pieces to add some height, or just have the sliders themselves mounted on some sort of feet.

 

Fridge slide was about $140 not including screws and wood which I had in the garage.

$59 VADANIA 24" Heavy Duty Drawer Slide with Lock #VD2053, 2" Width Up to 218lb Load Capacity, 3-Fold Full Extension, Ball Bearing Lock-in & Lock-Out, Side Mount, 1-Pair

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HQMXZH...abc_0NT7J9YWVMTC93MFN415?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-2-in-x-96-in-Aluminum-Angle-with-1-8-in-Thick-802637/204325579

Right now I have it screwed to the plate with just wood screws, 4 each side. The other mentioned options are probably stronger.


Edit: looks like I miss spoke on the weight rating on the slides. They are 210#

 

Man... I was alway going to go portable versus roof mounted, but this is real tempting. So hard to decide.

 

I think the next purchase for my Drifter build is going to be a house with a big fucking garage. Cruising through here and all the other build threads and seeing how everyone seems to have a nice workshop and space and tools makes me rethink my current rental living situation more than any conversation about equity ever has.

 

Man, just make sure you get a high bay if you do! That was my mistake. Now I need build another 2 car just to work/stash the rig. ha ha

 

There are easier ways to get the truck to fit into the garage...

 

(not recommended for plywood).
I would be a little concerned if this was used off road with constant bouncing/jostling/jumping the truck and the brass threaded inserts pulling out of the wood.
It seems like T-Nut is the best, but if you can't access the underside of the baseplate, this would do.

 

Not sure where you live in SLC, but it's rough out there! I'm looking for a place with a big garage right now for exactly these reasons, plus fitting our other rig, bikes, etc. You gotta go way south/west or have a boatload of cash to get a place with a good garage.

 

What’s this under the bed platform, condensation?

 

Kind of in a wrong forum isnt it? Looks like a GFC to me.

 

What slides are those? Have a link? I need to build the exact same fridge slide.