Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

Looking forward to seeing how you mount the weBoost!

 

What are you referring to when you say the rear bed rail needs to be removed?

Also wondering if anyone is running bed stiffeners with the kimbo...I have them but am guessing they will need to be removed.

 

The bed rail he is referring to is under the back windows and bolted on by a few torx bits. It needs to be removed in order to get the Kimbo fully in the bed where you can close the tailgate.
I'm running the Total Chaos bed stiffeners and don't have any trouble loading up the Kimbo with them installed.

 

Thanks for clarifying on the bed rail track, that's what I was thinking...my 2018 does not have a rear track, only sides. I think they were standard on the rear only for 2nd Gen Tacomas.

Appreciate this insight on the stiffeners, I have Caliraised stiffeners but I'm sure they are essentially the same and installed in the same place.

 

Mines a 2018 as well. It's not a bedrail, just a bracket that they put there to attach the factory bed cover and it sticks out about an inch. Yours should have one unless it was removed by a previous owner. Posted a pic of my bed with the bracket removed.

 

Ah gotcha, thanks! I'm sure it's still there since I bought the truck new...just something I don't notice with my current GFC camper in place. I'll have a look later, thanks for the info!

 

Anyone using Starlink since it’s technically movable?

 

Spotted a dark blue Tacoma wearing a very fashionable Kimbo with outriggers heading towards the ocean this afternoon - we were just coming from the ocean but doing work at a place out there so didn't have the match/match going on...

 

Will have some trip updates later but everything is going great. Just left the snow and in the desert for some biking. WeBoost working very well. Jenny will be working from camp tomorrow.

 

Might need a oversized
load sign now

 

Voltron-I Love the custom set up you have! What bike rack are you using? Do you have a swing arm attached or does it come out far enough stock to lower the tailgate?

 

Also interested in this answer...the swing away hitch is added weight and a whole lot more $$ than a simple extension to allow room for the tailgate.

 

Bstadoo.....I just got a 12" extension to clear the bike rack from the tailgate.....a swing out option for my existing bike rack is about $350 and yes, it is adding more weight....although one drawback is I am moving to an aluminum 4 step collapsable scissor type entry step which is easier on the dog (and us) for getting up in the Kimbo....this attaches to the end of the tailgate so the extension won't work if we take the bikes......something to think about since my tailgate is 36" off the ground.

 

Both the rack and swing out are made by Kuat. With the swing out attached, there is enough room for the tailgate to come down without moving the bikes. Really love the build quality of the Pivot V2 too and is almost a necessity if you're biking a lot. While at camp you also don't have to worry about leaning them up against a tree or something and still have full access to the door.

 

Yep, definitely adds some weight and pricy. You basically just gain unobstructed access to the back of the truck without having to walk around the bikes. For us it's a solid convenience.

 

@bstadoo @ronbs89 Here is a shot fully open.

 

The WeBoost worked great. My phone being used as a hotspot would sometimes disconnect from her laptop, but otherwise had solid speeds with Verizon. Never got to a 3G area but consistently had 1-2 bars of LTE or 5G that was boosted to 4 bars. I was on my phone or hers at the same time too.

I’ll post a picture later, but used a 4-8 foot extendable paint roller pole to mount the antenna. This was then attached to a Kimbo leg using some of those big twist ties. The cable just runs in through the window on the side. You are still able to close and lock the window, but latching the screen is a little tight. Not ready to drill another hole in the Kimbo yet.

This allowed for a non permanent mount but still very secure. Had a nice desert wind/rain storm in Fruita, CO that was shaking the Kimbo during the gusts. It’s stores easily in the mud room too but using the same twist ties. I’ll paint the main post black and the extension is aluminum that matched the Kimbo. Should blend in nicely.

 

Kimbo trip report on driving down the east side of the Sierra's (rt 395).....spent some time camping up at 11,000 ft in Bishop CA back on the 4wd roads, also Alabama Hills in Lone Pine and the White Mts near the ancient Bristlecone pines........the new River battery box works great with going from 100% to 90% overnight with the fridge and misc. lights running. It was fully charged by 10:00am the next morning. This was the first time we tried the Joolka shower unit. It worked great and was simple to setup and use....I do recommend it.

 

Nice trip photos Gents!

If anyone has a Kimbo on a short box, could I trouble you to see how much it overhangs the bed? Looking at the rigd site it appears I might still be able to use one of their swing out spare carriers w/ the tailgate removed.

Thanks in advance!

 

Hi all - (another) lurker here who finally got through the #1200+ posts. So much good information here! Kudos to the community! I am currently deep in the research phase of this journey, and had a few questions if you don't mind. I have oscillated from pop-slide-in, topper, topper + trailer, you name it! Kimbo hits a lot of those buttons. Like a few others, I actually don't have a Tacoma (sorry!) and have been seriously considering the Jeep Gladiator for reasons I will list below. Like some Tacomas, it's a bit light on the payload capacity so careful considerations have to be made on the build.

First question: Does anyone have pics and/or experience with the Kimbo on a 5ft bed? I am particularly interested to know how it would interfere with a bike rack on the hitch. Curious how much it has to extend out before the bike doesn't hit the camper (obviously YMMV with bike types). (edit: I saw a pic a page back. Sorry I missed that)

Second question: I have seen some of IG:spachover taking his rig down some trails, and it seems to hold up. How are you all finding this combo working in off-road scenarios? Nothing too crazy, but I have plans to get out to some alpine lakes in the Sierras, Moab (White Rim, etc), Big Bear in Southern Cali, etc. Basically, I want to have an extremely capable and comfortable setup that will take my little family of 3+dog anywhere in the west. A lot of that depends on the truck, I am sure, which is one of reasons I am leaning Gladiator (with appropriate mods: airbags, e-rated tires, etc). I am coming from a 170 Sprinter 2wd, which gets me places in comfort, but it definitely lacks the true "out there" ability (see pic for the limit). Plus, it's not the best daily driver for normal duty.

Last questions (for now): Has anyone weigh their truck on a CAT scale before and after their Kimbo install? I am really curious about the axle weight distribution before and after (especially if on a short bed!). I got a ~ 12" from front jack stand CG from Collin, which helps with some balance calcs I am running, but the weight for full builds seems to vary quite a bit as would the CG. I am also curious to know if full weights include the jacks or not, and how much the jacks weigh as I have not gleaned that info in my research yet.

Thanks a ton for any info and maintaining a great resource here!