Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Oh yeah ordered that too. Although I genuinely have no idea how to install it yet haha

 

@cobes
Trans Cooler Info - Installs & Parts

1st Gen
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hayden-transmission-oil-cooler-install.108470/

3rd gens
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-tacoma-transmission-cooler.546637/

 

Nice work! You are doing it, man
[edit] Have you considered putting the fridge inside the cab behind the seats? It's in a better insulated compartment, you don't hear it at night, and it frees up a ton of space in your camper. Energy-wise, it also won't run as much in cold weather if you put heat in your camper.

I just had my 2nd pair of Alcan springs made and should be getting them on the truck soon. Very happy with the first set, they have been on the truck for over 18 years.

 

Hey, has anyone come up with an easy solution to water pouring onto the driver's side window during a rainstorm due to l track chanelling the water directly over driver's side window? I'm lucky that I'm in SoCal, so it's not a frequent problem, but I get pretty soaked when it does rain just trying to get in and out of my truck.

 

Not yet, but I've talked about making gutters, installing a roof rack and mounting gutters there to direct the rain... and so on... The quickest solution that people have tried are stick-on plastic RV "gutters" like these:

$51 Trim-Lok Drip Rail, White – 1/2” Height, 25’ Length – PVC Plastic Rain Gutter for Cars, Vans, and RVs, Easy to Install Flexible Drip Rail Molding to Control Water Runoff, Durable 3M Tape Included

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CJRH19Y

https://youtu.be/Q6D_5nIqUoQ

 

Not the best photo, but my tommy camper has a gutter around the underhang. I will say its just ok and probably cause its not all that deep. If there's enough rain then it still just drips on me as I get out of the truck. If it were deeper it would probably look odd...this one is pretty subtle.

 

alright. Hest mattress review.

the short of it: if you camp in the cold and don’t have a heater or electric blanket, you may be a hit bummed out about the mattress.

I wake up several times a night with chilled spots on my back, legs and feet that are against the mattress. I’ve been camping in the low 20s (F) and been experiencing this. I bet above 40 or 50 degrees the mattress would be perfect.

I run warm and have a very high quality down bag rated to 20*F comfort (not like most bags that are rated to 20*F as the “survival” or “extreme” rating).

Next time I head out in the cold, I’ll bringing a cotton blanket or moving blanket to add a layer of quilted insulation between the mattress, sheets and my down mummy bag to see if that solves the cold spot issue without ruining the comfort of the Hest.

If you don’t camp in the cold or have a heater, you probably won’t have the issue I’m experiencing.

 

Try adding a thin closed cell foam matt below the mattress against the metal of the camper, or astrofoil. That should provide a thermal break. I have that problem with other air mattresses with insufficient insulation capabilities.

 

So other than the cold spots- did you notice the Hest getting too firm in the 20 degree temps?

I sleep on a Ghostbed at home and although it's pretty firm I wouldn't want to feel like I was laying on a concrete block when the temps dip.

Finally, which model did you go with? I see you have it in the Drifter, but I'm not sure from the picture if it's a tight fit against the tent material or if there's room to tuck a blanket on each side(or phones). Thanks!

 

Nope, it’s comfortable!

I slept diagonal last night and didn’t notice the center “crease” where the two sides are attached.

 

I think your issue like you said is you need another layer of blanket. 20F degree bag in 20F degree weather wont cut it. You need to have a 0 degree bag and one more layer if you want to be really comfortable.

I always keep a regular queen blanket and a high quality down 0 degree quilt that I paid $450 for up in the Drifter (I do not like being confined in a mummy bag). The quilt has an option that I can close it off at the feet only in extreme temps or added warmth as needed. I camped at 9 degree weather without a heater last December. I was toasty.

 

My second night I used my Western Mountaineering vapor barrier liner and it was better. Generally I agree with your statement with needing a better bag for 20 degrees, but unlike most bags on the market that are under filled and meet one spec of “survival” at the number they are called, my bag is “overfilled” with the same amount of down as other zero degree bags.

I’ve camped on the ground in mammoth in this bag and the VBL on a z-rest with a inflatable backpacking pad on top. The airport reported a low of 2 that night and I was in a thin 3-season tent with a lot of mesh.

Honest review of the mattress from someone who has been happy with the Exped MegaMat (other than it being too wide for the drifter for easily folding up and utilizing the space). No cold spots with the Exped.

A nicer bag with more down will just continue to be compressed under your body, so it will have negligible insulation improvement. I was warm on top, just not where I touched the mattress. My body heat didn’t get trapped by it, it was dispersed. Maybe the Hest will shine in the summertime.

 

If you were to do it again..Would you go MegaMat or the Hest? Can you close the Drifter with a comforter/blanket on either?

 

I have the megamat and can fit two sleeping bags, a 2 person rumpl blanket, and 2 full size pillows without much effort.

 

I still have both mattress (and the original). I'll probably use the Hest when I'm solo or in warmer weather, but the Megamat will go back in when my partner joins (who minds the cold a lot more than me). I'm keeping the Megamat around since it fits our ground tent for trips where we don't take the truck.

The Megamat fits just fine. It's just a pain in the butt to try and fold it up to utilize the full space without the sheets pulling off and things binding and ... Also, another member on here has punctured theirs, so you need to be careful with it with all the exposed, non-chamfered aluminum edges in the camper.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9XyS8PH5rg/

Yes, with the Megamat, I have a full-size fitted and flat sheet along with a full-size down comforter.

With the Hest, I've only had the sheets and then my 20-degree sleeping bag up there so far.

 

Did a second pass on my battery setup today.

1. Added a resetabble 5A fuse to my battery heater instead of a replaceable one. Mainly for convenience.

2. Attached the battery heater temperature sensor with a thermal adhesive pad to the battery case vs having it sit under the handle.

3. Added a battery disconnect switch.

4. Shortened all the wires to reduce clutter and moved the battery all the way in the corner to make more room for a future project.

5. Replaced the main negative bus bar as the old one had a seized nut that I had to break off and install a temporary bolt.

6. Cleaned up the battery heater blanket so that it doesn’t protrude on top as much.



I have some 80/20 stuff coming to secure the battery better. I had belts holding it down but just looked janky.

 

I am sure this has been covered previously but I installed a pretty easy DIY bug screen for the entry. Bought a screen off Amazon for $32 that has velcro on the sides and magnets down the middle. Made for house doors at 60"x80" (be careful, some 60x80 ones are 62"x81" wide to accommodate the velcro. This one was exactly 60" and almost perfect.) I trimmed the bottom few feet off and reglued the extra magnets and trim pieces to the new bottom with some fabric backing tape. If this doesn't hold I will sew it on. The top was a little wide so I had to tuck a little fabric up there in the corners. I also split the magnetic strip around the third brake light cable.

Additionally, I made some screens for the Frontrunner doors using this method:
http://www.wildwewander.com/diy-truck-camper

Mkicesky [Upgrade Version] Fiberglass Screen Curtain, Double Patio Mesh Cover for French/Sliding Full Frame Hook&Loop Fit Door Up to 58"x 79" Max-Newest 9.84" Magnet, Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DPK9VSR?ie=UTF8

 

One more day of nice weather, one more project off the list!

Got the Prinsu rack chopped so it fits the Drifter much better, no more useless racking underneith making it impossible to clean the roof. Been sitting on this for a year not willing to cut it but the time has come.

Also relocated the cellphone booster antenna to the top of the rack. Its mounted using a mechanism that allows it to flip up when needed and stay down when not in use. This should provide a better signal than when it was mounted by the hood.

 

Looks great! Is there a link to that mounting mechanism you can share? I'm still on the fence about getting a booster but want to figure out how I'd mount it before buying one. Thanks!

 

Here ya go, just search for it using google:
Rhino Rack FOLDING AERIAL BRACKET
Part No: 43196