Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

My 1.5gal gas tank lasts for 18 hours when its around 20F outside. This drops to 14 hours when its -20F so I think if I cracked the window it probably wouldnt last through the night. Also when its that cold any open gap creates a huge draft. I actually have to seal the footwell with a blanket as the tent is not very tight down there and cold air gets in. With ice forming on the inner metal surfaces its definitely a challenge even with a heater.

 

I carry one of these. Bottle jack and stand in one.

$89 Powerbuilt 3 Ton, Bottle Jack and Jack Stands in One, 6000 Pound Capacity, All-in-One Car Lift, Heavy Duty Vehicle Unijack, Wide Base, 620471

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GJJZ5NI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_181QB258PWJ5MBBNZ5QD

Good alternative to the normal bottle jack. I also have a floor jack stored away as well. Hi lifts are great when you need them, but not often you need them for what most of us in this thread do with our trucks

 

Hmm, I think things would be a lot better when you get the tent insulation. You can also position the heater return higher so it only heats the upper half of the camper.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001337957050.html

This Lavaner 2000W Diesel Heater is actually pretty nice, it's a smaller size so you can run it longer so it doesn't have to cycle on/off all the time. All the reviews have been super positive regarding its build quality vs the run of the mill CDH units. It actually uses fiber reinforced plastic for the casing, the electronics are compatible w/ the Afterburner controller, it uses a nicer Kyocera glow plug.

Have you been sealing the tailgate with tailgate seal?

 

What kind of amp-hr's does the electric blanket use?

 

Depends on which one you get.

I have the sojoy one. 3.0AH low to 3.7AH high (36 watts - 44.4 watts)

Sojoy Heated Smart Multifunctional Travel Electric Blanket with High/Mid/Low Temp with Timer Control (55"x 40") (Camouflage Face and Gray Fleece Reverse)

https://www.amazon.com/Sojoy-Multifunctional-Electric-Blanket-Camouflage/dp/B08QYNXTYN

ElectroWarmth's Bunk warmer heating pad is 6.2 Amps on max (74.4 watts), but it cycles on and off. So it's more like in the 40s when it's on low.

If you have some sort of reflective/radian barrier layer under the fabric layer of the mattress (think reflectix bubble wrap or simply mylar), you can get a good amount of heat reflected back on your back. In that case, you don't need a fancy bunk heater. Having an electric blanket over your stomach and chest is actually more comfortable if you're sleeping with one of those nice ass -20°F bags.

 

Sure thing! These are some rough measurements. The isle between the fridge and kitchen tower is 21 inches. This seems like a happy median as far as room to get in/out and room for buildout. I'm about 6 foot and 200 lbs and it's comfortable.

Past the fridge it expands to 27 inches. This is just enough room for my wife and I to shuffle around eachother. This is also where my shoulders would go in the stealth set up (cushions on the ground). Plenty for 1 person. Not enough for two people unless you are REALLY close friends.

The cushions are 4 inch memory foam. They are really too soft and too thick. I only used them because I already had them so.... free. When I do 80/20 I'll get some 2 or 3 inch cushions.


Please feel free to ask any questions at all. Reading this forum for 2 years and asking others helped me plan this out and avoid pitfalls. We all got to help eachother.

 

Roof rack:
From vagabond I got the roof L track and 6 of the BAMF roof rack feet. They came with L track mounts and some additional nuts and bolts for (I think ) the front runner crossbars.

I already have the Prinsu rack on the front and have been super happy with that overall system, so I wanted to maintain 1 platform.

I bought (3) 54inch lengths of EX1020 1x2 from TNuts with threaded ends. Cost $113 shipped...... fuck that shipping cost sucks.

I had to drill holes in the BAMF feet to line up with the T slots. Then just some caridge bolts and nylock nuts to put it all together.


I used some plastic I had laying around to cover the non painted ends of the aluminum.
Once all mounted there is 94inch by 54inches of rack space with 44inch spans between them. This will easily hold a sheet of plywood....if I can ever afford to buy one.
In retrospect, if you do this, get the 1x3 aluminum extrusions to better match the BAMF feet.

 

Thanks for all the ideas TW. Version 2.4 is done for now. I’ll need to down side from a 65 to either a 45 or 35 fridge for more aisle space

 

Dang! That drawer is beautiful!!!!

 

Thanks. All built out of 1/2” Baltic Birch. Pre-inflation, I wouldn’t be able to afford the wood now

 

Yes the tailgate is sealed with a rubber bulb and the back hatch has an insulating cover installed. The tailgate also has a thermal insulating layer installed inside throughout.

 

ok well, just like any other home, condensation is always a problem when you don't have a sealed spaced between the outside and inside.

Is there any problem besides the battery running down because the heater's cycling?

 

Nothing to complain about, especially when dealing with a battery that is -20F to start with. At that point its probably already half way drained. The battery also will not charge at that temperature so I need to run the heater for at least 3hours before the charger will start supplying power.

For next winter I was thinking of insulating the exposed metal walls to reduce the amount of ice forming. Also the tent insulation package is on my wishlist.

Here are some pics of my winter camping setup:

 

You could also consider running a small gas generator. like an 800w continuous unit. 100 foot cord tucked away.

Does your battery have a warmer?

 

maybe grab a cheapo hairdryer on Amazon and when it's crazy cold fire the truck up and use it from the bed inverter to heat up the battery... should be good to go in 10 minutes

 

Hahaha, thats an idea! Do you have experience camping in the northern states?

 

heck no, I did 10degrees once on the Playa and that was brutal. Not my thing lol

 

Thats funny, I hated cold camping until i got the Drifter, especially with the heater it is awesome. Nobody camps in the winter so everything is wide open, no crowds, and no bugs! Sent a request for tent insulation yesterday.

 

The tent insulation will change the game. Seriously helped with everything. In my opinion, no point in getting the lower insulation package if you don’t have the tent insulation package. It should keep your camper a lot warmer to reduce cycling and it will certainly reduce condensation.

I have several videos you’ll see the insulation package and me talking about it... I’ll post them when I get back from attempting to climb Denali. Aka I’ll post the vids in about 4 weeks... getting on flight now.

 

I was ok inside the camper, it was outside that wasn't fun. Need to invest in some better cold weather gear before I try that again