The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

Was it the Martin Off-road rack?

 

Yep! Thanks!)

 

bare in mind you may have to email him to get exactly what you need - not 100% if its on the website.

love mine (DCSB) from him

 

The buttons are all dimmers. So when everything is off the V’s line up.

Then just twist them to turn on and get the lighting you want.

 

Are all of the interior lighting options dimmers?

 

Thanks! I did and will have it in a few weeks!)

 

yes

 

I could also meet in Golden if you wanted to compare another one side by side! Mine isn’t nearly as built out but can give you a bare bones idea build #21 over here and still goin strong!

 

I'm located in Thornton but I could meet up somewhere this weekend

 

I have a question that has probably been answered somewhere within these 258 pages of comments, but haven't been able to find the answer to. How does the Drifter draw power for the fan and lights? I assume you could hook it up to a goalzero battery pack or additional battery/solar setup or something, but if you don't have those things, does it connect directly to the truck battery? Or do you all just recommend getting an additional battery?

 

It's pretty much custom.

If you buy it directly from Vagabond, the installation is customized to how you desire. A recent customer mentioned in the past few pages that they had the Drifter hooked up to a GoalZero.

For the 3rd brake light, you have to tap into the brake lamp circuit of whatever vehicle you put it on - most of these are done at the tail light.

If you buy a Drifter second hand, you're on your own.
I have mine wired up directly to the battery with Ancor Marine Duplex cable 10/2 AWG cable. I routed up into the truck bed through the driver side cubby hole and split off to my ARB Fridge outlet and to the Drifter for power. I have a single AGM 27F battery - no additional or GoalZero. I carry a spare lithium jumper battery if I draw the main battery too much to start the truck.

 

Gotcha. Perfect. I'm in line for a Drifter and think I want to do what you're doing at first, but ultimately switch to a solar setup down the road. I'd like to run the fan a lot to keep condensation down in the winter, but don't want to have to worry about draining juice.

Now, let's talk about awnings. Do you have one? I think I want to get a small one for the back (over tailgate/entry way), but I'm not sure what I want. Part of me likes the ones with the two legs that come down, but I'm concerned that it won't hold up in windy conditions. The legless ones are cool, too, but probably more expensive and heavier, yeah?

 

You can run the fan for days without really worrying about the battery. Honestly, you really only need a house battery if you're gonna run a fridge and other accessories for days without driving. Anything less than that and the house battery is really for peace of mind.

Any awning is going to be a concern in windy conditions; they are basically just giant horizontal sails. You can stake the legs down to help, but I'd highly recommend putting the awning away if it gets stormy.

The legless ones are indeed cool, but expensive and heavy...yes. We personally transitioned from an arb awning to a free-standing overland vehicle systems 270 because it's easier to set up and thus we use it more, which makes it worth the extra money to me.

 

I have a small ARB awning that I plan to mount on the rear to provide cover for the rear of the truck. The downside to the smallest ARB awning is that there is not a wall option for it. I may make a custom wall kit depending on if I feel it will be useful.

the self supporting 270 awnings are cool, but way too pricey for how little I think I personally would use it.

 

I have the 48" ARB over the tailgate. I dig it - light, functional, minimalist, aerodynamic. I did make a 45-degree side wall for it - keeps the sun out when the sun is low, and the rain out when it's windy. Can attach to any of the three sides.

 

Where did you buy your Keder rail for this?

 

I didn't - it uses velcro loops to attach to the rails. Come to think of it, it may not even work on the rear, since there isn't an actual tube to wrap around. I always use it on one of the sides.

 

i bought an 8' Keder rail online from an RV place when i extended my rear awning support on my ARB room.

 

I would be down to meet in Golden as well.

 

Seems like a Drifter meetup in Golden may happen... may I suggest New Terrain Brewing?