Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

Probably leave it at home during the fall and winter too.

 

Hey, just got back from a quick trip with the camper.

1. No need to remove the liner. Just use

$7 3M VHB 100x200mm~ (4" X8") Double Sided Foam Adhesive Sheet Tape 5952 Automotive Mounting Industrial Grade Very High Bond 5952 (1 Sheets 100x200mm)

3M VHB tape with shorter self taping screws. I then applied EternaBond tape over the brackets and sealed it with Sika Flex. It's bomb proof. Make sure you're all set and measured twice before laying that VHB tape. It's also difficult to get the sealant behind the brackets, under the panel, once they are down so best to lay some down before hand to get the full 360 degrees.

2. I believe there is a rivet situation that prevents them from fully being taken down, Collin mentioned something...

Happy to roll through any other parts of my system. It has been working great.

 

Welcome and thanks for the contribution!

Nice work on that second platform and will probably have to duplicate this myself. Looks like a factory option. Do you store it under the bed when not in use? I'll probably get a portable awning at some point, especially if doing more desert camping.

 

Well I learned some new tricks. With a narrow driveway and solo loading I added a couple of hacks. The tape works well to get it started, but the platforms on wheels makes adjustments much easier. The weight prevents it from rolling freely but leaves some wiggle adjustments.




The hooks were nice since I store things on the side and this makes it easy to remove without having to re-thread the ratchet. My door stop idea needs perfecting since the permeant tape wasn't strong enough, didn't want to drill. But I am able to hook underneath the door with the clasp.



First summer break trip went great. Had 90s during the day and 40s at night. The new cooler worked very well. So stoked not to have to worry about ice. I have the 44qt and it provided me with plenty of room, should have taken a picture. I had two 6 packs and some Too Chico Lime plus plenty of food and condiments. Kept it at 36 degrees on ECO mode and would only get up to 37-38 after opening. If I want to run it on MAX cool, just faster cooling, I would need to turn on my inverter and plug it in to the outlet since the battery protect does not read my current voltage correctly and cuts off. Because of the insulation, I rarely caught it turning on and obviously did not make a dent in my battery. It fits nicely beside the kitchen with a little space and provides a backrest while eating. Have yet to move it outside since it was a solo trip. I keep it on the ground when driving.



And here are just some extra pics from the trip.

 

Gotcha. What's the dry weight on that sucker? Curious how it compares to some of the other stuff out there.

 

Base comes in at around 900, similar to the Scout campers. Four Wheel Camper’s mid size truck model is also a little above 900 lbs but is a pop up. There are a couple of other options but these are the most popular and established I believe. I found some there are fiberglass shells, but without insulation. The truck won’t be as capable as with something like a Four Wheel Camper, lower profile, but then you have the soft walls and pop up factor. Trailers are solid options but having to back that up on a mountain pass or tight trail would make it less capable. Definitely a lot of variables when choosing the right camper. Kimbo checks off a lot of boxes but the others definitely have a couple the Kimbo doesn’t. Just depends on how you camp I guess.

 

That was a very thoughtful and unbiased response, thank you!

For me, the Flippac checked off all the boxes for a vehicle camping setup. Previously I had a CVT RTT. It did the job but on long trips that cover and setup/breakdown became tedious to deal with. To just park and flip open the lid was a HUGE selling point and the funny thing is that the Flippac is actually about 60lbs lighter than the RTT/cap! Essentially it is still a "tent" though.
I can see the advantage of a Kimbo in bad/cold weather too.

You hit the nail on the head stating it all depends on how you camp and I appreciate your documentation in this thread - it's always neat to see others functional setups.

 

Nice setup do you have any kind of kitchen sink water setup in there?

 

I appreciate all that. They are big decisions and quite the investment whichever way you go. I find it’s the little things that tend to make the biggest difference and it takes time to work all those things out in you head. Thanks for checking this out. Feel free to leave any recommendations down the road.

 

This is what I came up with. It’s on the small side but has been working great for my trips. It’s a 1 gallon container with a rechargeable pump faucet. Making coffee, brushing teeth, rinsing out a bowl or pan is about all I need it to do. I carry a 7 gallon container which sits outside for any intensive needs. In CO we get a lot of sunny days so easier to plan to be outside the camper doing stuff.

 

Nice that’s a cool little setup

 

WOW - there is some good stuff in there!!

Love the tape hack for lining up the Kimbo in the bed and the hooks are brilliant - how was it inside with 90 degrees outside?? We're heading out for a few days and expect to see almost 90 as well.

That's too bad about your battery protect not allowing you do get down any colder.

My quick-n-dirty solution to the door stop was a nylon braided strap with a loop on one end and a brass latch on the other - the loop goes over the camper jack spindle and the latch hooks on the inner rivet barrel in the door. Not elegant but works. I thought your solution was anchoring the Kimbo to the bed instead of the red straps at first glance. That's definitely a sturdy setup and it'll keep it from swinging either in or out, that's something I'll have to look at.

The night pic is amazing - been playing with my camera with the hopes of getting better night shots but you've definitely got some serious chops with the point and clicker.

Due to bed delays, all my updates are on hold until probably mid-July. We are very excited to get going the plan is to have a running sink, porta-potty drawer, and slide out BBQ so stay tuned!!

In the meantime we are enjoying weekend trips locally and it's been a wonderful summer so far.

 

Great pics too. Love seeing these rigs out there. I didn’t mention it before but how are those questions from passers by about the Kimbo going? Of the three I got last trip, all started with “did you make this.” Tried not to laugh and not feel “too” happy that I looked like I could make something like this. “Hey I cut that rectangular table all by myself.”


The cooler will definitely go as cold as you want even to a freezer, just has to be on ECO mode if connected to my 12v system. On my inverter it can be on MAX to whatever temperature. I mentioned it only raises a couple degrees after it’s open since the cold stays at the bottom.

Yeah I’ll always have the straps, just would rather use the front bed bolts for the anchor points instead of the side ones. Looks like it will be end of summer for that switch.

I have to remember that the door is propped open now. Not as easily seen on the bottom and don’t want to yank on it. Will probably find a better solution at some point.

Heading back out for a few day climbing in Wild Iris, WY. We’ll see if I learn any new tricks.

 

@Voltron4x4 Really nice to see your loading/unloading methods. Do you have all four legs on those wheeled platforms? How much are you able to move the Kimbo around on those? Just micro adjustments, or could you actually just roll it onto the truck like that? I was considering really similar options, so it's nice to see someone else testing it out for me!

 

Love the pics y’all are sharing.

gotta ask: what’s the actual height on these once installed in the bed of the truck?

 

A little over 3 feet over the top of the cab.

https://www.kimboliving.com/details?pgid=jmtronw8-e78de184-5518-4680-96a9-a11cc1e3ae3b

 

I have been meaning to take an overall measurement every time I have it installed but I guess i'm always too excited and space it out...it's going on soon, so I'll post what my overall height is today or tomorrow.

I want to know so I know how much room I have to get under stuff.

Gotta get the entire setup weighed out as well but that'll have to wait until the middle of next month.

 

I had to get two legs off the grass first so I just did a half load until I could get all legs on the driveway. I was only getting micro adjustments with this setup partly due to the rough driveway and the side of the casters. I believe with larger ones you would have more maneuverability. These did not move very freely but was just enough to the Kimbo lined up with out multiple reverse attempts.

 

@Profloundering Forgot to mention the temperature stuff. It wasn't bad inside at 90 since the nights got to 40. It was in the shade by the time I finished my ride and after biking it was cool enough to lay on the bed after biking 20 miles in the sun and take a nap. I jumped in the river first. Still need to blanket up for sure at night. When it did start to cool off outside at dusk, all the windows were open and fan was on to match the temperature outside. It was plenty cool inside by dark to crawl into bed. I made a mental note that when parked unattended with the cooler running inside to crack a window and have the fan on to keep temps down during the hottest of days. It does eventually match outdoor temps but seems to take awhile. Shade works great with it, at least in no humidity Colorado.

 

Hey @Arctictomcat we went to highschool together....


/threadjack.