Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Alright, people. I'm looking for inspiration. Who has some sweet pics/ideas for how to DIY build out the bed. I'm looking for ski/climbing gear storage, seating, countertops, camp gear stowage, desk for working remotely, etc... Ideally, lightweight and convertible for multi-season/multi-purpose use and removable for full bed usage when needed.

 

This entire thread is full of what you're looking for. You'll just need to dig a little...

 

Just put my truck and camper up for sale. Details on Instagram @outside_5_overland or here under 3rd gen trucks for sale

 

I've been searching for a while, and coming up empty-handed...

Post up pics of what you've mounted to the roof of your Drifter!
Kayaks, mountain bikes, 1:1 replica Buddha statues, solar panels, etc...

...and I'd love to hear/see your method of loading/unloading of kayaks/bikes!

 

Solar panel only - keeping the roof light and aero. Bikes go on a 1-Up hitch rack, or even inside on a floor-bolted fork mount if I'm on a short/light trip.

 

Here is a link to my build thread with details on how I installed 160w solar with plans to go to 320.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/pragmatic-overland-build-vo-drifter.638732/

 

Thanks! This is exactly how I plan to mount either the Renogy 160w or 175w panel. (unless I see a better idea posted up by someone here)

 

Although I do like the idea of the panel being under the crossbars and not adding much height, I'm not sure how much I like the idea of adhesive holding them on. How are the winters where you're at?

 

Winters... not as bad as the Yukon, but much worse than Mexico.

I didn't really like the idea either, but I tried it anyway... this EternaBond RV roof tape is some pretty killer stuff. Zero issues in the last year of use.

 

I also noticed your Drifter is raw aluminum; mine's powdercoated. I still really like your solution, but I think I'll be bolting everything on but decals.

 

I have a flexible panel and used adhesive velcro. Haven't had an issue with peeling in ~2 years of use (Colorado). I would be more concerned with hot weather. The roof gets ***hot*** and can soften the adhesive.

 

300W of solar ......soon to be 500W.
And luckily the kayak is light enough for me to just heave it up onto the bars from the side.

 

Now that's a lot of solar!

 

need a lot of juice for that flux capacitor huh?

 

you running a TV production operation?

 

while i dont own a drifter, i have my panel adhered to my aluminum roof of my tent and its held up great so far. Would do it again.

 

Running a mini SETI operation in the Utah desert, signaling aliens?

 

Well now I have some good ideas of what to do with the power, haha.

But no, it's a combination of multiple things that most people wouldn't ever have to worry about.

1. I've been living & working out of it off and on since last summer
2. Basically for all of winter, I've got a 60+ hour work week
3. Obviously, there's also way less solar juice coming in during that same time period
4. Because of the work hours and winter, I use a 12v "oven", diesel heater, lights, etc way more
5. My house batteries are degrading, so partially compensating for that as well

Tl,dr - Yeah, I have pretty high power demands in the winter when there's less solar to be had.

 

If Toyota came out with a Hybrid system for the Tacoma similar to the Raptor, that'd solve a lot of our issues. Engine just starts up when the batteries drop. By default, Ford uses a 1.5kw battery with an integrated battery heater, pretty legit setup plus the 2kw inverter (or 7.2kw upgrade).

Definitely save a lot of gas from not having to idle when out of the truck cutting up downed trees.

 

Has anyone tried a tilting or tilt / pivot mount for solar panels? Even if you have the roof situated to point the panels directly into the rising sun, it seems they would lose quite a bit of time with an effective angle over the course of the day. I'm looking into using a tilting frame of some type. It would be cool to set it up with some linear actuators that you could move with a remote switch.

$30 Renogy 28in Adjustable Solar Panel Mount Brackets, with Foldable Tilt Legs on Any Flat Surface for RV, Roof, Boat, Any Off-Grid Systems

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Adjustable-Solar-Panel-Brackets/dp/B07CSKFWK7