Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Looks awesome! I see you added an attachment point for the awning to stay fully open. I havent put mine on yet so I used a bungie cord hooked to the Drifter latch. Did you drill through the side wall and rivet it?

 

Anybody have pictures of their 270* awning brackets? I have tried to search but am having trouble finding previous posts.

 

Here is what the ones that VO installed look like. This is before I installed the awning.

 

thanks! Looks like they stick out ~1.5in? Is that just for access to the back for nuts or does the awning need that space to open?

I haven’t been able to get a response from Vagabond about ordering brackets.

 

You have to get in behind the bracket with a wrench and a nut. Make sure you have someone with you that can hold the awning in place while you do the tricky nuts and bolts. My wife gave up after a few tries and i used straps to hold it in place, the L track on top worked well for that.

 

Yeah seems like a two person job. Seems like you could have the bolts loose in the brackets and just slide the bolt heads into the awning extrusion instead of trying to feed the bolts into the bracket holes but I'm not sure which method would be better.

Any idea how much the vagabond brackets cost?

 

I think they were $300 installed.

 

Brackets were $180 shipped to me.

 

Does anyone offer a bracket system that is a little easier/quicker to get on and off the truck when not needed? I really want that awning but live in a rainforest and worry about it sitting wet for long periods of time between trips.

 

I'm not sure even quick release type brackets would make it easy... 270* awnings are large, heavy, and awkward to carry.

 

Vagabond also sells Smart Touring Systems Quick Fit brackets.
http://www.smarttouringsystems.com.au/store/p1/Quick_Fit_Bracket_-_Twin_Mount_Kit.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jbEYM7kxDM

 

Yes, and they're great (for normal old-school awnings); I have three sets on mine. I can't imagine the size/weight of a 270 on those brackets, nor do I believe the manufacturer would want it to happen.

 

If you live in a heavily wooded area, or camp where there’s a lot of trees, I personally would think twice about a 270. You need a pretty large area free of trees to swing it out otherwise it’s useless. Just my two cents, but I personally think a regular awning off the side and a 4 footer off the back is a better option.

 

This is my concern. Living in Western WA, there are not many spots nearby with the space for a 270. I want one for the ease of setting up but I can only see myself using it on the East side of the mountains where there aren't any trees and definitely not in the ski area parking lot.

 

I live in Minnesota where there are a lot of heavily wooded areas and still find that having a covered area to get away from the sun or the rain to be very useful. Considering that I lived in the PNW for 20 years where it rains most of the time I would get an awning for sure.

 

Oh for sure. I think an awning is necessary up here because it will rain, but it just seems like an 8' and 4' might make more sense due to being heavily forested. I often camp off of forest service roads that don't exactly have tons of treeless space to open up a 270, in which case a 4' off the back would be better than nothing.

 

The other nice part about having a 8’ and 4’ is they are much lighter and one person is able to move the 8 footer for side to side depending on you camp/parking situation. Nothing against a 270, I honestly think they are awesome, but the fact that they are all or nothing (meaning you either have the room and it opens all the way, or something is in the way and you can open it at all) I personally think having the versatility of having 8 footer is more practical.

 

I had this setup on my last camper, which @Holloman has now, and I loved it. 8’ was great on the side and 4’ was ok on the back.
On my current camper i went with the smart touring mounts on all 3 sides so i can move my 6’ to whichever side i want it. I mostly use it off the back and having the extra coverage of the 6’ awning is great back there in rainy weather.
And i plan on using a awning room off the back when more space is needed. The 6’ has this option

 

I just took the ARB 4’ awning off the back and will put on a 55” CVT awning which also has awning walls. Not as big as a 6 footer so it’ll stay fixed at the rear. As soon as I get it mounted I’ll take pics.

 

The 270s are cool, but agreed about the all or nothing. Another issue w/ the 270s is how easy they break in high wind. At least w/ the more traditional awnings, they can be guyed down in heavy wind.