Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

So someone on this thread needs to start making them!

 

After a long battle with a faulty airbag connector, I finally got our Alaska-based #108 on a 2021 Tacoma out for a road trip to McCarthy. This involves a 60 mile stretch of unpaved road. The rig handled beautifully. Also very pleased with the Brophy scissor steps we got from etrailer. Thought I would need the mounting bracket, but a couple of NRS straps are working just fine to secure the steps in place.

 

Working on it...

 

Looks fantastic!! I also used the straps to hold the scissor steps to the tailgate, works slick.

 

you taking orders?

 

I'll have more info as things slow down and fall approaches but It'd be good to know what the demand would be if they did become available. I'll have to look at stainless steel prices too - that may be why they are so expensive.

 

How do you tuck away the stairs when not in use? Do you attach and detach them each time you set up?

 

Yes, they are unattached each time, folded and stowed inside the camper. For quick use, the straps aren’t really necessary as the steps sit partly on the tailgate and are very stable on their own.

 

Sign me up, good sir!

 

Welp, I may be the first to completely lose the remote for the lights. After our last short trip I went ahead and installed the Bluetooth module below. It’s works great and automatically connected. Now we will be using our phones to control the lights. Hopefully I won’t be loosing that anytime soon. I’m sure that now this is installed the remote will turn up.

Zecurate RGB/RGBW LED Strip Light Bluetooth Controller Phone APP Control for 5050 3528 RGB LED Strip Lights (Suitable for iOS & Android System)

EPBOWPT RGB/RGBW LED Strip Light Bluetooth Controller Phone APP Control for 5050 3528 RGB LED Strip Lights (Suitable for iOS & Android System)

 

Super! that's the first part, now we just need to find a reasonably priced lower consumption alternative to the strip lights. At some point I'm planning to split the run with a "T" where the power connects to the one long string to see if two shorter strings may provide less draw.

 

I notice in your first picture that you have an electrical cable plugged into the kimbo. Are you just charging it off the bed AC? I've found thus far that during the day (I'm in the desert so I have reliable sunlight that can charge my battery from roughly 10am to 5-6pm) I can pretty easily charge my battery up to 80%.

On a separate note, apologies if you mentioned this already in a previous post, but what issues were you having with your airbags?

-Ben

 

Would be nice to have the bed and living area on two different systems.

 

Ooooh, that's a great idea...since it'll already be split - that would be the time to put a controller by the door for the main area and another remote controlling the upper/bed area on the wooden spar. We have the controller velcro'd to the side of the propane box as we enter but I don't know how many times I've forgotten to take it up to the bed area only to get comfortable and have to get down and grab the controller, or vice-versa where I've left it in the upper area and be heading out the door and then realize I have to go back and find the controller to shut the lights off before leaving...this seems easy but we try to keep the shoes off in the Kimbo, so if I'm heading out then my shoes are already on and there is no way to get the controller without taking them back off. Definitely like the idea of having two remotes. That should also cut the electrical draw in half when we're only using the main area or in bed!

 

Oh yeah, I’ve done some crazy stretches like the floor is hot lava to reach the remote up by the bed. Don’t know if the app for my module allows for more than one but my home lights do. There might be a product that is able to connect multiple modules.

 

Good Question! I was attempting to keep the fridge cold while underway. The SMAD Refrigerator setup that Kimbo installed is not all that great. It is a 3-way fridge, capable of running on AC, 12VDC, or Propane. For some reason, Kimbo decided NOT to install the DC pigtail plug--maybe because the Goal Zero battery can't handle the draw?--so you are left with a fridge that runs only on shore power or propane. The propane is a bad option while underway, so I thought I'd try running it off of the bed AC while underway. However, I forgot to switch on the fridge's fan, which is critical to its operation, so I do not know if this method actually will work. Going to experiment some more, and also looking into installing the 12V pigtail and figuring out a viable way to power it on 12V. Kimbo has been pretty unresponsive to my requests for more info about this fridge, and there's not a ton of info out there on the web either about this particular model. Couple of ideas I have are: Install an ignition switched 12V outlet in the bed, but that would require the 12V pigtail from the fridge to come out of the side of the camper somehow. Or put an AC to DC converter inside the camper plugged into the bed AC via the shorepower plug. Or put a dedicated 12V battery onboard that is connected to my truck's alternator for charging. Suffice to say the system as delivered is definitely somewhat lacking in functionality for long periods away from shorepower.

As for general charging of the Goal Zero, the solar system has worked great so for, but I have not been out in much rainy weather yet, and the Alaska winter is coming--will be interesting to see what I get when the sun is low and only up for a few hours a day.

 

Installed the mounts from mule expeditions

 

Dang, that looks beefy! I take it that is a Tacoma specific bracket under the bed?

 

F150 specific - I think the concern was the aluminum beds

 

I keep hearing more and more stories about the Kimbo fridge being an Achilles heel. Is there a better fridge on the market or is it just the way that Kimbo is installing them? I'm wondering if I should just skip the fridge when the time comes to order a Kimbo and get a 12v chest setup instead? I plan on spending extended periods of time on the road and no where near shore power.