Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

I believe that Jeep does NOT recommend slide in campers on the Gladiator. I emailed them directly a few months back and that was their reply. Same with Chevy trucks as well. They’ll void the warranty if you bend the frame with a slide in camper on board.

 

fair point. If I went that route there is some risk, but there are few folks doing it with pop ups that weigh more dry with no issue to report. But I digress - I don’t want to go too jeep heavy on here

 

It took me a few months of investigation before I settled on the Tacoma myself. The Gladiator sure looks the part and I wanted one myself to be sure. Getting a well equipped truck with a six foot bed these days has become nearly impossible. Even the brand new Nissan Frontier CANNOT be had with both a six foot bed and a locking diff. This kind of stuff really aggravates me to be honest. Here in the home of the truck we should have better choices frankly. Best of luck on your research. I figured it was better you knew about the not recommended bit before you got your hopes up.

 

Awesome pictures and trip! I spend loads of time up in the eastern sierras. If you don't mind me asking, what areas at 11kft where you camping this time of year off of 4x4 roads? Coyote flats? I have a lot of trips mapped out whenever I get my future truck+camper, but I pretty much assumed higher elevations need early summer at the earliest to make it up those trails. Kimbo seems like the perfect rig for up there

 

Gorgeous shots. Thanks for the picture of the shower setup too. Helps visualize the process. Could see this as an easy addition.

 

Following up for Jcmonty and Voltron......We camped in the Buttermilks out of Bishop following the 4wd road up past the climbing area. It has some great views and remoteness. No one around and the road just keeps climbing. We had snow around but it was 75 degs or so. We had to take it slow in 4wd low on these dirt roads but the Kimbo handled it well. The Dometic fridge did at one point slide out about 8" but did not come all the way out. Another good spot is boondocking off the main road up to the bristlecone pines (road out of big Pine).....there are a lot of remote overlooks on the way up to camp on the way up to Grandview campsite which are high elevation. (by the way, the Grandview campsite is good also for a free site with no one around) As for the Jooka, We found out that we could get 2 comfortable showers out of a 7 gal jerry jug........quick rinses if you have less water. The water heats up fast and is control able. I bought the carrying case which is nice but it might be better to mount it on the outside like someone did in this forum as most of us find out that we pack the inside floor with "stuff" while we are traveling.......My Tacoma has air bags but I also added an additional leaf in the pack and now keep the bags at about 10-15 psi......

 

awesome! I have wanted to camp up there. Very scenic. I will have to sleuth around on Google earth to check out the road

Another note for those with the joocla: I have one in my van and found that it pairs well with the kickass brand en-suite pop out. It’s meant for roof rack mounting, but it deploys fast, stows easy and compact . Cost $150 when I last checked. I think they just released a simple drain pan too so you don’t have to stand on the ground directly.

For visuals (note it was not fully mounted here and sagging a bit. When properly mounting it’s pretty straight and adjustable for height)

 

You're out in my neck of the woods! Are you local to the Reno/tahoe area?

 

Bstadoo.....I live in Bend OR which has the highest concentration of Kimbos in the world.....We get down to the eastern Sierras about every 2 years to camp and visit the hot springs.....

 

Off road scenarios work well with the Tacoma combination depending on your clearance. The most Ive done though is basically what your van is coming down, some route selection in low gear. Don't think I'll want to be in a situation where I'll need locking diffs. At about 1200lbs + or - of weight in the back, it has its pros and cons when it comes to traction and climbing up a steep grade. One thing to watch when off-roading with the Kimbo is the side to side rocking and anything off camber.

I am curious about a Kimbo on a Jeep. In the article below this guy made it work but not sure how much his camper weighed. He was able to shave off about 400lbs. Like you mentioned, consider how much you want to build it out once you get it. I'm sure like the Tacoma you'll increase the payload with E-rated tires, but with the camper, off-road capability will probably still be limited to what other trucks would offer unless the suspension was further upgraded.

https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/off-road/extreme-rigs/jeep-gladiator-camper-goes-anywhere/

 

Also @Jcmonty, having an Eco-Diesel sounds nice with a camper from that article. Hopefully you can figure it out. If not, we won't mind if you decide to get a Tacoma...

 

Thanks for the response @Voltron4x4 !

Ron's build was actually my inspiration to thinking this could be possible on the Gladiator. I have messaged with him a bit, and he is ~ 1300lb wet, 1100lb dry. He deleted his rear seats, and did airbags, 2.5 Foxs with 2in lift, hell wig sway, and e-rated 35s. He did strip out a lot of the interior of the camper, but he wheels pretty well with it based on his videos. From what it sounds like, the Kimbo has a better starting, dry weight (I read 840lbs on here fully built without the jacks??), but it's obviously a bit taller a tad bit longer. CG is probably similar.

I am definitely not ruling out the Tacoma, and have been eye-balling the new Tundra pretty hard as well, but I am not super keen on a full-size if I can reasonably avoid it. the Eco-diesel is a huge draw with the potentially to get 20+ MPG even with a camper on it.

 

Without jacks a stripped down base model will be close to that I think, have a picture from earlier if you haven't seen it. I have yet to take the jack stands off for any of my trips but possibly this summer for some of the longer ones. Im also considering a trip where I drop it with the stands and use it as a base camp, then have the truck free for shuttles.

Highway speeds are the only time I wish I had a full size. Fully loaded I'd be pushing the Tacoma pretty hard to keep it at 65-70 in a slight headwind, 2500-3000 rpm. I just rather have a mid size as my daily when the camper it off. Its crazy he's getting 20+ and with 35s. Curious if he's holding at 60mph too for best MPG's

 

I will see if I can find that picture. Thanks for the heads up! Yeah, having the jack stands for that purpose is a good point. On a side note - has anyone made a video or time-lapse of themselves installing or removing them Kimbo from the truck? I am curious what the process looks like if you are one person. I imagine you are lowering/raising each corner a few inches at a time and rotating.

I will see if I can find his numbers. He had listed his detailed MPG report with/without camper for many fill-ups. I am not sure if it had MPH averages (doubtful). Pretty interesting regardless.

 

Hey @Voltron4x4, quick question- how did mount your photos on the wall and have you have any issue with it falling while traveling? Thanks for the time!

 

No video but this is how I remove and install the camper by myself. 2 drills with the jack bits installed and move each side a few inches at a time. Always try and keep the front of the Kimbo a little higher since it's a bit heavier.

 

Same here - keep the front proud and you'll be fine, it's a bit hairy the first couple times until you learn how far to lift each corner...I'll lift it out of the bed a few inches, drop the air out of the airbags and then drive out from under it.

Pretend it's one of those pretty 4x4 clown trucks from the deep south, just give the Kimbo a little carolina squat until you get comfortable with how high you actually need it in the front...

 

Just using a large washer and the thumb screws in the Kimbo. The picture frame just has some twine behind it and resting on the washer.

 

I use a stack of pallets to rest it on and keep it fairly elevated. The bottom pallet has casters on it to roll the stack away. This saves me time when loading since it only needs to go up a few inches, the same when unloading. I’ll probably make something that looks nicer later on but it works well and was basically free.