Kimbo Camper BS and Mods

I think this is for the floor, not the bed.

 

Yes, that's the exact problem I was having on the inside. I will try the maxair fan/vent combination...sounds like that will be the ticket. I have two minus 20 bags (and an electric blanket that isn't needed) for those really cold nights. I typically shut off the dickinson at around midnight and then turn it back on at 4 am but will try the all-nighter...but man, it gets toasty in the loft with the heater running!!

 

This is my second winter living in my kimbo full time in steamboat colorado and in terms of condensation I have found a few solutions as well as run into a few new problems I haven't seen on here yet. I have seen temperatures as low as -15f and I leave my dickinson on 24/7 almost the whole winter. I have found the dickinson simply struggles to keep up with counteracting the cold when temperatures get below 0f, for this reason I installed a diesel heater which works surprisingly well when it starts to get into the negatives especially in combination with the dickinson. For resolving the door condensation issue I have a small usb fan constantly on the floor pointed up because one of the main reasons condensation forms is from settled air as well as when a large temperature difference is present so its important to keep air circulating. like when the top of the camper is significantly warmer than the ground level. I also always leave the vent fan on the lowest exhaust setting to push out condensation in the air that has floated to the top. Now for the new issues I've encountered: first, the new spot i've had condensation build up is along the inside metal frames of the windows as they get the coldest to touch of all the internal exposed metal especially the large bedside window, it collects condensation from my breath throughout the night. Second, the front bottom corners of the bed area occasionally feel damp/wet after especially cold nights or when a lot of condensation builds up on the window frame, my hypothesis is that this results from the window condensation melting and dripping from the corners as when i park on an angle the lower side feels more damp. My attempted solution to the window condensation issue is by running another small usb fan over the bed area throughout the night, this has slightly decreased the amount of buildup but on especially cold nights it seems ineffective, also simply closing the blinds seems to cause no change. My attempted solution to my second problem of damp corners have been to shove a towel into each corner to catch as much droppage as possible and although it has minimized the dampness it still feels wet occasionally. Any ideas/ suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Hey Rollypoll - thanks for the info! the coldest we've seen is near zero for a few days but we also don't live in our Kimbo full time. We had the same window frost (5-ish degrees outside when we woke up, also two of us breathing all night) as well and honestly I think that closing the windows may have been part of the issue because the warmer air cannot get in there and keep the frost at bay.

I'm super surprised that you are having an issue with the Dickenson keeping the Kimbo warm - even at the very cold temps and with the maxfan/window cracked, and our interior fan... our Dickenson has kept us plenty warm below the lowest setting (we turn the flame down to lowest and then overide the button and set it even lower just to keep the flame lit). Just to be clear, setting the Dickenson to high and letting it run that way can't keep up with the cold in your situation?

I'll include pix below of the fan we installed (it's a bit pricey but it works flawlessly and we couldn't be happier with it so far) and it is the only fan we run inside...we used to run multiple small personal fans but even with a few of them, they didn't seem to move enough air to make much of a difference.

 

The dickinson does great at keeping it warm up until it gets into the negatives, at that point even while having it on the highest heat setting and the fan turned all the way up the cold creeps in. Its not that the heater doesn't work it just isn't able to output enough heat to make it a comfortable temperature without wearing a jacket inside.
Are you thinking having the windows closed or the blinds closed might be apart of the problem?

 

I was thinking that with the blinds open it would allow for the heat to reach the frames - hypothetically. Unfortunately I will not see any snow time this winter, so there is that.

 

Oh man, I must have just missed you there! Were you heading East on the 7th? I picked it up on the 8th and am already in love. These things are worth every penny.

 

Yup, I did the same thing, and it works fine with the Kimbo. If anything, a little snug but I was still able to close the tailgate to secure them.

 

Yea I came across the article while doing my research. She seems like the Karen-type who got cold feet after dropping her deposit and is trying to strong-arm Kimbo with bad publicity into giving her deposit back.

I'm guessing you already know this since your Taco is outfitted, but in case the article scares someone considering a Tacoma/Kimbo pairing, There are a few different interpretations of Tacoma's payload capacity. There's the GVWR sticker weight, and then there's the axle weight. Now I get it; only God himself can change the GVWR once the sticker is printed but what Kimbo's implying the extra 600 comes from if you upgrade your tires to something E-rated, since it appears the tires are the weakest point and is what it makes the stock payload capacity so slow. Suspension is probably the next weakest point, and that is why everyone else mentions upgrading it in some fashion, and then axles. Maybe Frame, and then brakes after that? I'm not an expert, but I don't flinch at the Kimbo weight + a full loadout with good e-rated tires and Timbrens.

 

Totally agreeing with her being a Karen. She's nuts. Just wanted to share for the entertainment value mainly. It's too bad Kimbo is having to deal with her.

I have a friend who actually had a shop change his GVWR during modification of his work truck. It was done at a professional vehicle modification business. The GCVWR remained the same, but they were able to transfer some of the trailer weight capacity to the truck. The truck is seldom, if ever, used for towing, but it had a service body mounted which quickly pushed the vehicle beyond GVWR. The paperwork was updated with the state and a new door tag was created. I looked into it, and it sounds like this sort of shop can do it, but they usually won't unless they are the ones modifying the vehicle, and it's usually only done on commercial vehicles (like my buddy's example).

I've scaled at a full ton over payload. I'm not proud of that fact, and the wife and I plan to remedy that in 2025 with an F-450 as our next truck. Would prefer a 550, but insurance can be a pain with a C&C. Can't wait for the Tacoma to no longer have to deal with camper duty and can go back to being an offroad rig.

 

Whew, nuts is a polite way of phrasing it. I glanced at a few of her other posts, and I think a definition of hell would be being stuck in an elevator with her. Truth, the guys at the factory were way too kind to have to put up with something like that.

Ah, interesting. I wasn't sure how the process of getting the GVWR went, but it makes sense for commercial vehicles with different sorts of liability.

I imagine there will be times when I'll be around there as well, and I think at the end of the day, how you drive it is as important as the ratings. That sounds like the ideal setup, to be honest. As much as I love my Tacoma, campers do pair better with bigger trucks IMO. I've only done ~1,500 miles with Tacoma/Kimbo, so I can't speak to it too much yet, aside from highways not being the most fun since it drives best at around 60 mph. With that said I'll drive the Tacoma/Kimbo until I break it, but if I were buying a truck specifically for the Kimbo, I'd look at something bigger too.

 

I bought the Scout as a test to see if we might like the truck camper lifestyle, without having to buy a new truck. We had an AT Habitat before, but being in the PNW we wanted to upgrade to something with hard walls. We also found we were doing very little trails anymore, which was the point when picking up the AT Habitat originally. Found ourselves more often than not just driving up a FS road and finding a parking spot with a view for a few days. Now that we know we like truck campers, we will eventually get something bigger/better. We'll go back to a ground tent for short trips offroad in the Taco.

I've got... somewhere between 15 and 20K miles on the Taco with the Scout. Probably half of those miles towing 4500 pounds. I had zero trouble cruising at 80 across Utah fully loaded, but got around 6.5 mpg. I've slowed down since just to save on gas and probably stress levels. Does great at 65-70. Never had any trouble with side winds in all that time. Heck... even hauled this once and my biggest complaint was with the single axle tracking poorly in the rutted pavement. My other complaint was the leaf spring breaking...

 

Towing too! Shoot, I hadn't even imagined towing on top of the camper, but it's good to know the Tacoma can do it. They're underrated beasts for sure. I made a similar upgrade from an ARE Topper. What made you decide on the Scout over the Kimbo? Have you been happy with the Scout? With a F-450, you'll have every option. How was driving on the sand? Did you notice the weight there? Your leaf spring broke? What was that situation like?

Yea, the Tacoma can definitely still do 80, but you'll feel it in the wallet. I did a bunch of different speed/octane level tests on my way back from WA to CO. The Lowest I got was 11mpg with 87 octane on the highway going between 70-80. The highest was 17.4 mpg while avoiding the highway and keeping it around 60 mph with 91 octane.

 

Personal Preference was a big part. I am NOT a fan of the look of the Kimbo. Was also cheaper to go Scout. I don't doubt the Kimbo is built better, I knew I was buying something with the normal RV quality. Still never been in a Kimbo, but from pictures it definitely doesn't seem to have the roomy feel that the Scout does. The big windows on both sides of the Scout make it feel WAY bigger than it is. The cube shape vs the chamfered upper corners also seem to make it larger inside, even if it is just unused spaced for the most part. I've been very happy with the Scout. 79 nights in it so far, in the past 2 years and 3 months I've owned it. It's had a few issues, but the factory has treated me and most owners extremely well.

Here's a shot of my full load when headed to the dunes. Actually, this was from my trip to the Paiute trails in Utah, then on to Vegas, then back home to Washington.




Yeah, you feel the weight in the sand, lol. I aired down to about 30 to help with the footprint. Here's me having a short bit of fun in the sand:




As for the leaf spring, I thank God this happened in the Cle Elum Safeway gas station, not 10 minutes before on I-90 at 70mph...

 

Interesting, I prefer the look of the Kimbo myself, and similarly, I haven't been inside of a Scout, but the Kimbo appears/feels bigger to me. They're probably quite similar at the end of the day, although I felt like I could customize the interior of the Kimbo quite a bit more. Either way, at least you're happy with it and getting good use. What issues have you had? Making that sand look easy!

Ouch, at least it was the trailer and not the Tacoma!

 

What kinda customization do you mean? I've modded mine a bit with added storage and cooktop, electrical system, etc.


Here's the main issues I've run into. All of which Scout took care of. It's great being relatively close to their factory.
1. Acrylic layers of skylight came apart on first outing - Manufacturer's Defect (not on Scout)
2. Replacement skylight had the screen/shade start sagging - Manufacturer's design failure if you ask me. Scout started using a different model since so many were failing. I actually heard a rumor FWC bought the manufacturer, so I sometimes wonder if they sent Scout a crap batch early on.
3. Water pooling inside door when parked on steep uphill in torrential rain. Scout design that was updated for future models and repaired on mine (I was an early adopter). The Extrusion was building up water over time with nowhere for it to go. Weep holes were added and no issues since (similar to weep holes in a car door for example).
4. Leaking Skylight - the self leveling sealant wasn't perfectly added when replacing the skylight. They fixed and haven't had a skylight issue since.
5. GOAL ZERO SUCKS. I've tried to convince the folks at Scout to use ANYTHING ELSE, lol. I finally installed a Bluetti and it has been perfect.

I've really appreciated how many changes and updates Scout made over the first couple years of their campers being out. They were rolling out fixes to unforeseen issues mid model years and such. Can't fault them too much on little things when they worked hard to solve the issues and help early adopters get updates.


Again, I want to reiterate I'm sure Kimbo's are built better. They aren't pumped out of a factory like the Scout's are. Completely different in that regard. But the Scout has worked out great for me.

 

Hey, been watching your Scout since you picked it up - super glad to have you sharing even though you went with the Scout - we are all a family of campers and have plenty to share that spans all platforms!!! It's also great to see you living on the edge with towing/truck camper, it really gives me additional peace of mind knowing that my actual margin of error is larger than advertised.

First off, it's awesome to hear a real world review of the Scout - when we first saw the Kimbo we were pretty smitten and it was difficult to give any other options a fair consideration...Living in the PNW makes anything but a hard sided rig out of the question due to all the moisture. The Scout was a top contender - I think it was Scout, SpaceKap, Aterra, and another composite kit (can't remember the name). The composite is a great option due to the lack of thermal bridging to deal with but Scout was the only option that was readily available at the time. The SpaceKap was just too heavy unfortunately and would have to be completely built out. After watching a couple videos on the release of the Scout, I wasn't happy with the way the interior was laid out at all and the sleeping area was too much like a dungeon. We went to a trailer show last year (MIL was looking for a teardrop trailer) and we actually got to climb around in a Scout...my wife and I agreed that we made the right decision for us.

I will say that the Kimbo has not been perfect, however the factory has been absolutely fantastic when it came to anything that has not been ideal and they have also been very open to feedback (they are actually planning to implement quite a few items based on the feedback). Buying the Kimbo with only the Dickensen and the solar option was perfect for us because we had plans for how we wanted to personalize it for our use. It's great to see Kimbo able to pivot and make changes necessary as the completely new design in campers begins to mature. The proximity to the factory definitely has its benefits.

"Goal Zero sucks"...yeah, I've had Goal Zero replace mine once already and this one does not seem to be any more reliable than the first one. Looking at building a custom solution this fall with a couple 100ah mini batteries, low temp cut-off, and all the fixins.

Also feeling fortunate to have this forum so robust where there are so many ideas expressed and experience to draw from, everyone here has been awesome!!!

Happy wintering and Merry Christmas to all.

 

I did a bunch of custom cabinetry on the benches, and it looked like the Kimbo had a little more bench depth. I think it would have worked on one side of the scout but the other has that backrest and the outside cabinet right? I am jealous of the duel side wall windows, that's one thing I wish Kimbo offered. I'll throw a photo at the end of what I did (I was going to make a post once it was fully done, but it's pretty close).

None of those issues seem too serious at least and it's good to hear Scout takes care of their customers too. I also went back and forth between the Scout and Kimbo a bit, so it's nice to hear the other side.

Haha I agree about Goal Zero sucking!! Overpriced and underperforming for sure.

I'll echo Profloundering, your experiences gave me some peace of mind as well when it comes to the weight and what a Tacoma can handle!

Here's my build atm.

 

This thread has been great, and a lot of talk applies to campers in general so I'm glad you guys will have me! I do hope to check out a Kimbo one of these days. Be fun to check them out and compare back to back.

 

Brightest Kimbo interior I've seen. Looks great