Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

1up actually makes an add-on light bar that mounts to the end of the rack and lights up during signaling and braking. https://www.1up-usa.com/product/led-light-bar-2/

 

Cheers for the swing out suggestions, y'all. I'll look into Kuat.

Mountain biking and camping trips is exactly what's on the radar again this summer, @SenatorBlutarsky

 

Wish mine looked like that. I am missing pieces and it is beat to shit. Just saw the email they will refund me my money as it will take them 2 months to get me a new one, they did offer to pay me to source the parts here in GP, yeah no.

 

Yea after I read your previous post about that, I recorded myself opening the box just so there would be evidence in case it was messed up.

 

Did you order yours through alibaba or on Amazon?

 

Ali Express. I think I got super lucky. First of all, they send you an inaccurate tracking number. @kalieaire gave me the heads up about this since it happened to both of his units (purchased separately). But one day it just showed up. My original tracking says the package is still in China LOL!

In total, it took 17 days to get to my doorstep, and that's WITH Chinese New Year in the middle of that. So yea, I think I got super lucky

 

Mine was false tracking as well, it still hasn't shown up. was ordered via Amazon, whom stepped up to the plate when these guys were humming and hawing.

 

I was lucky to pick up S-pod from @danneskjold. While I wait for it I got some time to plan out where to put it. I was hoping to get some input. Mount it in the cab, or mount it in the drifter, and use an app to run the lights while driving???

 

Mount it to the top of your fuse box in the engine bay and use the Bluetooth app to run stuff from your camper.

***I never used the Bluetooth function so can’t confirm it’s even there, was just told it was.

Edit: I also believe you could buy a second control pad and run it inside your camper as well.

 

As an aside I’ve been using this to control stuff within my new (FWC Grandby) Camper and it’s pretty cool. Cheaper than an SPOD, and the wireless function is neat because I can move the controller wherever I want depending on where I am in the camper.

It might be too big to integrate well into the Drifter, but I’ve been impressed with it.
I did buy the 6 switch version for my cab and wasn’t impressed with it.

TRIGGER 2001 Wireless Accessory Controller 4-Switch Relay System

$410 TRIGGER 2001 Wireless Accessory Controller 4-Switch Relay System, 1 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NAJHT9X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Ag7nrvRR3oXt9

 

I'm gonna look into the 2nd pad.

 

I finally ordered my Drifter. Now the long wait begins.

Wanted to get people’s thoughts/ideas for awnings. I like the idea of the 270 from Alucab but wonder if won’t be usable all the time and if I should get one for the side and a separate one for the back.

Anyone with a 270 awning know how much clearance there is when it’s deployed?

This tread has been great to help make the decision to buy one.

 

Hi everyone I am about to order some sumoSprings and was wondering which one I would get...I plan on having the Drifter on all the time and a load of about 500-600lb moset of the time.

Thanks for any advice

Also my Drifter should be done early March...

 

Congrats!! I think that the majority of people who opted for both side and rear have been happy with their decision and they did so for the same reasons.

The 270* awnings are badass, and if you do more desert/beach/open area camping I don't see where they'd have a downfall besides maybe cost. The guys I know who opted for two individual awnings did so for thing like tailgating (@MJonaGS32 ) and camping in wooded/forest areas with large groups where things can get tight with trees and other rigs.

I'm sure others can chime in with their individual experiences with each different setup

 

Congrats!
Like @kceastsparks said, sometimes space is hard to come by when out camping in certain places. I went with a 4’ on the rear and a 8’ on one side. Plenty of coverage when both open but also gives the option of only having one open at a time.
The one over the rear is a must if you go that route. Keeps the entry protected and dry in wet or less than perfect conditions.
The cost was a big part of the decision as well. Those 270 awnings are not cheap. But they are definitely easy to use. Much like popping a Drifter open, those awnings only take a few seconds.

 

Living in bc/Ab, the 270 awning is badass, no issues at all, lots of clearance. I would never get a single side awning again. Ease of setup, take down, etc has me using it. My other awning I never ever used it as it was a pain to setup by your self and I was constantly adjusting it, and they cannot take high winds. I typically do not try to camp next door to someone, if I do it is like one.or two trucks max. I don’t want to be crawling on top of people

 

I got the blue 2nd gen ones (

$280 SSR-610-40 | SumoSprings Rear for Toyota Tundra, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Titan

SSR-610-40) for my '17, cause the 2nd gen ones are supposed to be slightly taller and I knew I would be riding on them 99.9% of the time either way.
I've probably got around 350 lbs extra, plus Drifter full time.
They've been pretty decent, actually ...Though I'll still be going Deavers eventually.

If you're talking potentially 600 lbs extra most of the time, I'd start with the black SumoSprings.
Just know that it will be a rougher ride if it's unloaded.

 

Thanks for the info. It seems like the 610-40 is a good idea to start. I am also thinking that Deavers are I my future .

 

This 100%

The flexibility of having two separate awnings is key. I’ve camped in really tight spaces where a tree/boulder/another truck would make it impossible to deploy a side awning. I mean those campsites aren’t ideal, but when you’re running trails all day and looking for a campsite before dark, you take what you can get. Plus in situations where its raining and you want to combine awnings with someone else to provide a bigger shelter, it’s easier to maneuver this with a one-sided awnings.

And like @kceastsparks mentioned, the 4’ awning off the back when tailgating is clutch. Or any other situation where you might not be able to fully open a 270° awning.

Plus it also helped that I already had a 4’ awning from my previous set up and found the 8’ awning on craigslist for super cheap. I think I paid less than $300 total for both awnings whereas a good 270° awning is upwards of $1500. The single-sided awnings are a little more difficult to open by yourself, but I’ll gladly open it up on my own if that means saving $1000+. Luckily, most of the time someone is willing to help


TL,DR: Everyone has different camping needs. Base your decision on which is most ideal for you.

 

IMHO, don’t put anything on top of the fuse box. It makes it a real PITA when you are troubleshooting anything electrical. General rule of thumb, always check your fuses first and that gets problematic when its a chore to access your fuses. This particularly sucks when you’re on the trail, at camp, etc. Don’t ask me how I know