Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

i have the cfx3 55IM mounted in my back seat, the way its mounted i really can't easily see the control panel etc, and would rather have access to the power cords up front, as well as the compressor / venting - so for me the bluetooth is great. i also only run a single optima bluetop D31M battery so - as much as i have some 'fail safes' - i can monitor the battery off it to. works for me anyway

 

That’s way smarter thinking then I did. I found a big one and bought it lol. Will see how it fits when the building starts.

 

We get a little bit of rain here in WA and the front corners of the drifter funnels rainwater directly into the back cab when the doors are open. I'm wondering if anyone has figured out a way to divert the water. Cheers!

 

https://youtu.be/o7Z6YQig46s

I'm not in love with the look of this solution but I think it is a good example of how little is needed to control water. It will always take the easiest path and surface tension is your friend. Maybe try diverting it back towards the gutter tracks on the top of your roof.

 

Perfect- I'm going to try something similar this weekend. Thanks

 

I get some chalky residue on my driver and passenger front windows from when my truck is parked and rain/snow melt drops down onto the window and door with a bare aluminum drifter.

the best solution I can think about that is OVERLANDAF, is to custom design a wider 8020 rack like everyone currently makes, but being wider, I can then make a gutter inside there that is protected from the wind while driving and run it down behind the cab.

 

Mind sharing the internal dims of that model with me? That's the one I'm looking at.

 

Each fridge has a detailed diagram with dimensions listed in the manual.
https://www.dometic.com/en-us/food-and-beverage/coolers/electric-coolers/dometic-cfx3-45-220582

 

Thank you! Yeah I did go through the manual already and that's where I found the external dims (15.7 x 27.3 x 18.7), and the internal volume (40L), but not internal L x W x H, which is what I'm most curious about.

 

I'll take this to the dometic forum, I don't want to clog or crowd this one with fridge questions.

 

Let's talk baseplates!

I see most people use/prefer birch.
Why?
Why not oak or sande?

 

I always wondered why not marine plywood, a buddy of mine re-did the deck of his pontoon boat and got some really nice prefinished 1/2" marine grade ply that was guaranteed for 20 years against rot or separation.

 

I used birch because Brian at GG swears by it. Used this thread for reference (post 40)

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/goose-gear.132936/page-3

 

Sande is for marine use.

Interesting.


Currently, I'm seeing the following prices (locally):
1/2" birch 4x8 sheet: $84
1/2" oak 4x8 sheet: $78
1/2" sande 4x8 sheet: $45

3/4" sande 4x8 sheet: $58

The sande is from Home Depot, but the oak and birch are at a small local yard.
Just wondering other than price, (and now probably weight) what would make me want one over the others.

 

Lumber is a lot more expensive now than it was a couple years ago. I paid about $40 for a 4’x8’ sheet of 1/2” birch when I did my build out

 

Yeah, I think I paid like $105 for 3 5x5 sheets of 1/2" Baltic Birch when I did mine nearly 3 years ago.

 

The "sande" from home depot is likely garbage. The oak/birch listed above is likely not important, other than aesthetics, because it is just the top veneer layer. The important part, at least to me, is the core or plys material. GG Brian referencing birch is likely talking about full birch plywood or hardwood plywood, likely an imported baltic birch. It used to be much more expensive than softwood plywood but given the recent softwood schenanigans, it may be competitive. It's not that expensive anyway and may be worth it to you. I got by with 3/8 baltic birch for all my plywood needs (panels) but 1/2 or 3/4 would be easier to use if you were doing any joinery. Check you hardwood dealers for sourcing baltic birch. I have found that in the last 10 years, even the quality of baltic birch is all over the place.

 

as to the Fridge Debate ,I kinda lucked out ... Found this old Igloo iceless cooler out on the spring house , plugged it in and it works fine shows little to no use . but it never shuts off ! aka constant power drain ! So I did a little research & spent $11.00 on Amazon for a adjustable 12v thermastat ... figured out how to wire it in and it cycles and will freeze if needed ! So it'll be fine for awhile .

 

Not sure if this violates any thread/forum rules, if so please PM me and I will happily remove
With that said, I wanted to post a feeler -I’m going to be selling my drifter soon. I would like to finish this camping season with it and sell/transfer to new owner in September, though if I get an offer I can’t refuse I can likely talk the wife into tent camping for the remainder of the season
This is drifter #4, 5 foot bed. Ipurchased it a little over a year ago on this forum. The boys at Vagabond had updated the paneling, bed platform, and switches. It has just shy of 20 nights of use, will possibly get another 10 or so this year. we We have loved every night in it, just moving to an overkill camper as my friends run the company and I want to support a great team.
If anyone is interested in a drifter with a 4 month (possibly less) lead time please let me know! I’ll also be selling a basic buildout, fridge, and goal zero yeti 1000 that currently powers the drifter and fridge.

 

We’re picking up our Drifter in about a month. We were also told the 3rd gens don’t have a problem with the plastic bed rails and that we only needed to seal and tape under the plastic ones. Sounds like there is an issue with the plastic rails leaking and we should put in the metal bed rails just to be sure. Where can I find these metal bed rail caps?