Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

I’ll post updates as the build progresses

 

I can install as well as ship depending on how far away you are.

 

I put together a reel for the conversion. Only part 1 - for now.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLDei1qS03C/?igsh=MXZmMG54OW9teHpqOA==

 

I would very highly consider this! (but can't commit at this time)

Edit: also, do you have an estimate on how much additional weight it would add?

 

Here's a pic of mine, since I haven't shown it off yet I live in it full time, when I'm not away for work.

 

I also lived in mine for awhile. Would love to see how you have configured the interior for full-time living.

 

It's a constant work in progress, but here's my bed/water tank. Holds about 5 gallons. I removed the upper bunk and will be putting a slide-out kitchen on the sleeping side. For now, most of that stuff is in bins. I have an Eco Flow that usually sits right at the rear under the bed. There's a full bedrug with sides waiting for me when I get off my current work assignment. It takes me a long time to figure out what I want, lol. I've been living in it for 2+ years... but at least half that time was with a Leer180. Got the drifter (my dream topper for years) last summer.

 

How big is your EcoFlow? You can put a 300Ah LiFePO4 battery in your OE battery tray and save a lot of space in the bed.

I like that water tank design! Good way to save space, but you definitely have to keep the bed warm because that will freeze easily.

 

It's 100ah. Since it has a built in charge controller and inverter, having it under the bunk gives me AC and DC power right where I need it, plus access for my portable solar panels. I have another 2 100ah LiFePO4 batteries under the bunk in the very front, that you can kind of see in the pics. I plan on adding the necessary Victron components and mount permanent solar to the roof eventually.

If you stick the 300ah in the tray, where does the starter battery go? Do you have a link to an example of this setup? Interesting...

I generally follow summer around all year, but good point on the freezing!

 

Some companies (e.g. Dakota Lithium) make dual purpose deep cycle/ starter batteries, so you don’t need to have a separate starter battery or DC to DC charger. You just need one of those voltage multipliers so your alternator outputs enough to top off a LiFePO4 battery. And carry a little jump pack in case you drain it too far. You still need to mount your choice of inverter for AC power and USB / PD ports. But that could potentially replace all the batteries in the bed, freeing up space for other stuff. Why did you decide to sleep low?

 

I sleep probably 80% dispersed/ nature and 20% urban/stealth so being able to sleep with the top down is essential. Since I'm down there 20% of the time anyway, and because the constant setup/breakdown of the upper bunk to have a usable interior is tedious, I'm trying to re-purpose the upper cabover area. That's why I'm thinking of putting a slide out kitchen over the bunk and use the other half of the cabover for some kind of storage. Plenty of room for cooking while standing up inside, but also tucked away and not taking up space when unused.

Honestly I think a specialized battery like that for the tray would be really expensive and complicate things. It's an option if I do find myself unbearably limited on space, but so far I have extra if anything. I did pull my back seats, and without a platform, there's a ton of space back there.

Edit: I tried to check out your build through your profile page. No dice. Tell me about your setup.

 

Without going through all 337 pages of this thread and the wedgelife thread (although I have gone through most)...

Does anyone have any examples of ppl re-purposing the cabover area with drawers or storage or anything at all?

 

It isn’t a 4WC or OVRLND, so there’s not that much usable space to store stuff. 5-6” tall inside I think.

 

Fair enough. But should be plenty of room for an interior slide out kitchen and storage for portable solar panels (I already keep them there). I'm guess 8+ cubic feet or more.

Just wondering if anyone else used that space in a non-traditional way.

Maybe I can get someone to make me a slide box out of 1/8 aluminum like the camper (BAMF??). I think wood would take up a lot of the space, but would probably still work.

 

I’d make something out of coroplast and some reinforcements on the corners. Keep it even lighter and cheaper.

 

Interesting... wasn't even on my radar. I did a quick search, but can't see how strong it is. Assuming 10mm, would it support a 6 ft slide and everything on it?

 

Nah, not strong enough for that big.

you could use it vertically as separators/partitions.

take a look at ePanel. That’s what the ceiling, overhang platform “floor”, and lower insulation uses. 5 or 7mm thick, dense foam sandwiches with aluminum.

 

The Dakota Lithium 300Ah battery is $2K. It has BMS and heating built in, so no extra components needed for that. The voltage booster is between $30 and $130 depending on which you get, and it replaces your alternator’s fuse in the fuse box.

Then there’s the wire running to the camper, which you have to do anyway, and the inverter of your choice. It’s really a much simpler and cheaper setup than having 3 heated and balanced 100Ah batteries in the bed, especially if you’re pricing out Victron components.

I did a fair amount of urban camping too, but I found discreet places to pop my top, and arrived late and left early. That’s only been a problem twice — once in a particular wealthy Seattle neighborhood, and once in the town of Moab, where boondocking is illegal.

A big game-changer for me was modifying my bed platform to lift with pneumatic struts. I just climb out of bed and push the platform (with all my bedding) up to the ceiling. Dealing with the original sliding tray was a huge hassle.

I also installed a funnel on a tube at bed level that lets me take a piss in the middle of the night without climbing out of the camper in the rain or snow. The tube goes through one of the bed’s storage cubbies and empties onto the ground. No more pissing in bottles when urban camping.

Speaking long term, you may have a problem with mold or algae growing in your water system, and yours is going to be tricky to clean. You probably want to run vinegar or diluted bleach through the pipes and the pump periodically. With your system, you’ll need to get creative regarding being able to completely drain it afterward.

I’ve been meaning to make a build thread!

 

I think I saw your mod with the lifting bed. It was really cool! My previous wedge camper (Enduro brand) had that setup and it was nice. It was taller though (7 - 8 inch cabover I think) , allowing for mattress, bedding and some other stuff to remain up there. I'm happy with sleeping below though. A lot of places you just can't discreetly pop the top. It's really easy to just park anywhere and crawl in the back to sleep. There's no difference between it being parked there empty and having me in the back, so I consider that pretty stealth, despite it obviously being a camper. Having the top down might actually help, maybe... "Oh, the top is down. There's probably no one camping in there." Maybe not, lol

As far as power goes, I like the redundancy. The Ecoflow delta is my primary and it does everything I need, and is charged by portable solar alone (or AC if I bring it inside somewhere like a library or Starbucks, lol). If it ever goes out, I'll just get another one. The hard panel and victron stuff I'll add will be secondary (maybe as fridge primary), but will always be charging during daylight and have twice the capacity of the primary system. Again, no plans for dc-dc and if I change my mind, it's ~$250. No plans for a victron inverter ($$) also. My batteries were $140 each and came highly recommended by a well regarded YouTuber who breaks them down and tests them.

I love the variety of builds and use cases here!

Edit: you have a good point about the tank. I thought about putting in a secondary drain and still might as PVC is easy to work with. But it's super light and I can just take it out and stand it up vertically to drain (have done that twice). But that would be inconvenient when fully packed! I might do a drain hose and park on just the right slope if it becomes an issue. Still thinking about that, but I used it as an unsealed bedframe for over a year while thinking about it (and making size adjustments). It's been an official water tank for less than a year. So far so good, but not done.

 

I’m thinking this is my next Drifter mod along with a mini interior build for better gear/spare/tool storage that enables a small desk to do some work to extend the short weekends.