The Drifter - Specs and FAQ

Most likely Vagabond keep taking orders without any additional capacity to build them so the lead times will continue to increase until people start cancelling. I would at least find out if your build is even in production. If its in production then its about a month build time from what I have read on this forum. If it hasnt even started then find out how many batches are ahead of yours then figure 1 month for each batch followed by 1 month build time. Since you already have a confirmation that the build started in June you should be close but seems like its way too tight for your trip.

 

I'm in the same boat in terms of order time and delays. I wouldn't say I'm annoyed, but definitely very anxious. Phil has been very responsive and forthcoming and also told me multiple times not to plan around a build date, so it's kinda hard to get too upset in my opinion. Obviously this is only my experience, so...ymmv?

 

Matt,

Sorry if we didn’t keep you in the loop. We have had quite year with supplier setbacks. Without going into all the details we have had setbacks, recovered, then setback again. I talked to @Overlanerd to get an update on what’s going on with your camper. The good news is in this batch. We were expecting these parts for production at the end of May, but just got them last week.

This is definitely on us, but also why we don’t give set lead times anymore. What we’ve learned is supply chain is constant moving target that takes a while to get dialed. Our goal is to get these out as fast as possible and we have already taken steps to recover from this last setback.

Hit us up with any questions here, by email, a PM or call.

Thanks for your patience!

 

Hi Bluto, Thanks for sharing your experience and perspective. It is always helpful to hear from others that are in a similar situation. I will keep working on being patient on my end. I am sure the folks at Vagabond are putting in long hours to get our campers complete. Cheers!

 

Wow, kudos to you for being super understanding @Simets11 . You don't see that often, especially on the internet!

 

I ordered mine in Sept. was told 3 weeks a few days ago (but that is not a hard date).

Its killing me waiting to get my Drifter!

 

Just remember it will be worth the wait!

I guess I should make some coffee now..

 

Well, I've slept the last night in my pre-order Drifter. It was installed September 6, 2018 and is being removed from the truck and put up for sale tomorrow. It will be available for install at Vagabond in ~2 weeks. The truck is going up for sale in a couple weeks as well. I picked up a '19 GMC Sierra 1500 SLT CCSB with the 6.2L and 10spd after deciding the lady, son, baby in a car seat for the next 4 years and a 60lb dog were just too much for the 2nd gen. It will be 4 years until I can consistently make it to Baja again so having a truck that only needs to make it to something like Bowman Lake and has a Nomad on it is enough for a while.

 

The cassette toilets are interesting. We are doing the bag thing with a clean waste stand. I like it better than the luggable loo but balance can be a challenge. I worry about that being half asleep sometimes. The bags are okay but not super pleasant to deal with.

Anyone tried a full on compositing unit? Saw a couple at expo but they were expensive and big. Camping already feels like it generates too much waste and I hate that the bags just add to it.

 

PM sent

 

You could just shit in the woods...

 

Wish this was a few years from now. Looks like a great setup.

 

It is a great setup. The Tacoma is the best truck I've ever owned and I'm going to miss it.

 

Certainly true! Although this is not always possible depending on where you camp. Parts of Moab are 100% pack in/pack out (including the less fun stuff) for example.

 

I've been pouring over these threads for the past month and everyone's input/ideas/questions/answers have been extremely helpful in me making my final decision to get a drifter rather than GFC. It's still going to be a bit before I actually pull the trigger while I add some more pennies to the piggy bank, but i guess that gives the guys at Vagabond more time to come up with better mods/accessories right? Just wanted to say thanks to everyone here on Tacomaworld. Especially @Anderson who I just happened to randomly meet today in San Francisco when I saw his truck parked on the street. Super generous with his time showing me his setup, probably the best unpaid brand ambassador for Vagabond, he was even wearing one of their shirts i think!

 

I'm in Moab almost ten times a year. It's not exactly a beacon of environmental conservation around there. I don't know where you're camping, but even most slick rock areas still have some soil around that is suitable to digging a hole. Just don't disturb the crypto!

Anyway, not trying to tell you how to do your business, so I'll shut-up and bow out of the pooping in your truck discussion.

 

This conversation has gone to shit. But since we are on the topic, why not just bag your own poop? Sounds gross, but there's not much diff between dog poo and human poo when it comes right down to it (it's all total shit), and we pick up and bag dog poo ALL the time....

 

^^^This

Plus, what’s so wrong with being as low impact as possible on the environment?

 

The wag bags work well for this. Heres a vid:

https://youtu.be/BpiX07wPKgE

I guess backpackers have to setup on rocks, but I got a seat and bags from Walmart. Much cheaper than name brands and the toilet seat is full size.

I did this before the portable toilet. I think sometimes they are easier if you are used to them, but my wife hates them, hence the toilet.

 

Yes this! Even when buried, if you did any paperwork, it gets dug up by animals and soon you have a field of ground flowers.